Battle of classic franchises: Mega Man vs. Castlevania

[ULTROS!]

We know that these two franchises are iconic in the gaming community and are seen in multiple consoles already, and both have received collections on current platforms, so what series do you prefer more and why? Which franchise brought in more nostalgia for you and which franchise do you think had the best games you've ever played?

 

[TortadeJamon]

Easily Castlevania, I didn't really start enjoying Mega Man games until MMX came along.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

I'm a huge fan of 2D Platformers so both of the series are very important to me.

with that said, Mega Man wins easily for me.

Mega Man 2,3,4,9
Mega Man X1,X2,X4
Mega Man Zero 2,3,4
all of them are some of the finest games in the medium.

Castlevania has some great games but I don't think it reaches the highs of the Mega Man series, even if Rondo of Blood deserves a mention as the best Castlevania ever.

 

[Tace]

I can't choose.

 

[DRock]

Don't make me choose.

 

[Deleted member 176]

Castlevania may be mostly dead but it has more amazing games than Mega Man, and imo each one of those amazing games is better than Mega Man's amazing games.

 

[Deleted member 14377]

Mega Man's design(s) is just too good. Even his shit games have some good looks in them.

 

[Finaika]

Can I choose.

 

[BAW]

I am a sucker for gothic horror so...

 

[Septimus Prime]

I like Mega Man a lot, but Castlevania.

 

[Prophet Five]

Don't make me choose.

(Mega Man)

 

[Laxoon]

At their highest highs like MMX and Rondo they are just as good to me but I think Mega Man has lower lows.
If I have to chose it's CV but I still love Mega Man. Mega Man has the honor of making a better transition into 3D with Mega Man Legends I think, if that counts.

 

[BluePigGanon]

Goddammit I'm torn. If I had to pick one game for a desert island type deal I'd pick Mega Man 2. But if I could bring the entire series, I'd say Castlevania.

 

[andymcc]

I like Castlevania and Akumajou Densetsu FAR more than any of the NES Mega Man games.

I like Rondo of Blood, Bloodlines and Chronicles more than any of the X games or 16-bit games.

Easy pick.

Also, Castlevania has better music. Don't @ me.

 

[Keikaku]

Megaman 2 and 3 are one of my favourites but SOTN is the GOAT 2D game after SMB3.

 

[onpoint]

I love both but it's Castlevania by many many miles

 

[Digital Savior]

Mega Man for me. Didn't really enjoy Castlevania until the GBA games.

 

[Sean]

Ah man, I really wanna say Mega Man, but I can't... because I just do not love the games outside of the X series. I really don't. I like them, a lot, but I only *love* X. It's one of those cases where yes, I do have a favorite child and they just really overshadow the rest for me. I also did not click well with the Z/ZX games, despite them being technically really good.

So it's gotta be Castlevania for me. From Super Castlevania IV to Rondo to SotN to Lords of Shadow I just love every type of game in there. It does a lot and I love every style it's been presented in. I think it has hit the highest of highs you can in various 2D styles a few times over. It definitely did not hit those highs going to 3D, but I still really had a good time when it tried and there's still so much potential still there.

 

[Foffy]

Castlevania, no question.

 

[Zen Hero]

Why would you make me choose!

It's tough. I'd say Rondo of Blood is better than any Mega Man game. But Rondo of Blood is the only Castlevania game I truly love. Compared with Mega Man, where there are a lot of games I think are great: MM2, MM9, MM11, MMX, MMX4, and MMZ.

In the end, I went with Mega Man, just because I think the series as a whole is stronger.

 

[Adam Sadler]

I like more Mega man games than I do Castlevania but the few Castlevania games I like, I reaaaaaally like. This is a tough one

 

[Meatwad]

I love them both, Mega Man III and Castlevania III are my favorite games on the NES. I can't choose

 

[Zhengi]

The one that has part of its name for a game genre. Castlevania is just so good.

 

[AtomicShroom]

Honestly I never liked how MegaMan games essentially make you lose a lot of time just replaying the same levels over and over trying to find which boss you're supposed to do next, which one has a weakness to the new weapon you found. It disrespects the player's time way too much for me to ever place them above Castlevania (well except Castlevania 2, which was also a good example of not respecting the player's time)

 

[kubev]

As far as Mega Man goes, I really only like Mega Man X. Castlevania, on the other hand, happens to be my all-time favorite video game series. Obviously, I've been playing a lot of Castlevania Anniversary Collection, though I generally prefer the Metroidvania approach, with Symphony of the Night being my all-time favorite video game. Symphony of the Night just continues to surprise me, and I've probably played through the game well over a hundred times. Also, Alucard's one of my favorite video game characters, and I love the personality surrounding him in Symphony of the Night (especially because of the attention to detail in how he interacts with the game world and others around him).

Castlevania's just such a weird series, and it's hard for me to not be completely enamored by it. I love revisiting the same areas from game to game, albeit with new surprises thrown in; the concept of the castle itself as a "creature of chaos" that can change form is just really cool to me. I love the permanence of Dracula as a threat, as it really keeps things open as far as the potential for new installments in the timeline goes.

 

[SkyOdin]

I am a huge Mega Man fan. I legit think that the Zero/ZX games are some of the best action platformers ever made. So Mega Man gets my vote.

Just compare how both series tried to transition to 3D: Mega Man Legends is a timeless classic, while Legacy of Darkness was merely a decent game that needed to iron out some flaws.

 

[Grizzel Greedigut]

I picked castlevania over all but that first mega man ruled my life back in the day

 

[skeezx]

tough one as castlevania is my favorite franchise and its influence is apparent in almost any dark fantasy related game today

but pound for pound i probably played and enjoyed mega man games more the past 30 years

 

[JustinH]

I'd have to go with Castlevania over Mega Man. I honestly don't really like the Mega Man games.

I guess it's just nostalgia probably, but I think the levels area so much more interesting and fit a theme better than _(Something)_ Man for a level.

 

[TwinBahamut]

Easily Megaman for me. That series was putting out great games long before Castlevania started turning into something fun, and I've spent countless hours enjoying Megaman games across the years. Also, one series just got a great new entry, while the other is just getting ports.

 

[MrNewVegas]

I picked Castlevania but it got me thinking of the overall Capcom va Konami battle.

Outside of fighting games from NES-PS1 Konami was just another beast. Capcom didn't feel close when it came to staple franchises. PS2/GC/XB I feel it was closer.

 

[data west]

Mega Man has WAY better spin-offs

 

[Mugman]

The older I get the more and more I love Castlevania. I think Mega Man 9 is a modern masterpiece and better than any individual Castlevania, but as an overall series I have to give it to Castlevania.

 

[Dogui]

I really love both series.

Order of Ecclesia and SotN are some of my favs, like a lot Super Castlevania 4 and atleast enjoy a little the other igavanias.

But Megaman wins easily for me. Imo all the games between the classic, X and Zero series are really good stuff (except X7) that i can easily replay one after another without getting burned.

Yes, i really like X6 : p

 

[andymcc]

The older I get the more and more I love Castlevania. I think Mega Man 9 is a modern masterpiece and better than any individual Castlevania, but as an overall series I have to give it to Castlevania.

Click to shrink...

really? damn.

 

[RedSwirl]

I like more Mega man games than I do Castlevania but the few Castlevania games I like, I reaaaaaally like. This is a tough one

Click to shrink...

What unbalances this whole thing (same as that music thread comparing Mega Man and Sonic) is the sheer number of Mega Man games. Even if a lot of Mega Man games are crap, there are so many of them in all that the good Mega Man games inevitably outnumber the good Castlevania games.

 

[Adam Sadler]

What unbalances this whole thing (same as that music thread comparing Mega Man and Sonic) is the sheer number of Mega Man games. Even if a lot of Mega Man games are crap, there are so many of them in all that the good Mega Man games inevitably outnumber the good Castlevania games.

Click to shrink...

Exactly like I'm thinking of the battle network rpgs which were so good

 

[shem]

Megaman for the battle network card games.

 

[Castor Archer]

I love them both. Going only by Classicvania and Classic Megaman, I'm going with Castlevania though. There's a simplicity to the games that never loses focus, atleast for Classicvania. The Belmonts really don't get many new abilities compared to Mega Man who would get the charge shot, slide, rush armor, etc. I love the atmosphere and cheesy horror vibe, and the music while amazing in both series, I listen to Castlevania music on a regular basis. The difficulty in Castlevania usually feels fair (ok maybe the US version of CV3 is a little much)

I can't think of a Castlevania game I don't like, having played all of the Classicvania now thanks to the collection. Even The Adventure and Simon's Quest. Meanwhile I have no urge to ever touch Megaman 1, 6, 7, or 8 ever again. Or really, any Megaman that isn't 2 or 11.

 

[Virtua King]

I feel like I've seen this question asked before, but for me, the answer is definitely Mega Man, both in terms of quality and especially quantity. I like Castlevania a lot too, but Mega Man is just on an entirely different level.

 

[lightning16]

This would be a very close choice for me comparing Castlevania vs Mega Man/MMX, but MMZ2 and MMZ3 are both amazing and easily my favorite games across both series.

 

[Deleted member 2793]

This is very hard to me as I like both series a lot, but I guess Castlevania because both Classic and Igavania are great, while I dislike the X series for Mega Man (classic is the best).

 

[Mekanos]

I feel like we've had this thread recently...

Castlevania's fun, but I replay Mega Man games almost every month. If I were to list my favorite games ever, I'd probably list 10 Mega Man games before getting to a Castlevania. Except for SOTN, I basically never touch Castlevania games after playing them, but I'm always coming back to Mega Man. The character designs and soundtrack in Mega Man are much more my speed as well.

 

[LuigiV]

Metroidvania > Mega Man > Classicvania

 

[Nocturnowl]

Vania engages me a lot more than Mega Man, you can sorta bumble through stages in MM due to how it dishes out health, Vania keeps you permanently on your toes and its enemy lineup synergies with the whip and sub weapons in a way I just find more interesting to approach.
Also less time menu diving until later Mega Man games added quick swap weapons.
While both games present sequels following formulaic approaches to gameplay, the classic Vania titles stand out on there own a bit more as well.