SamuraiMegas wrote:I guess I should have been more clear- I have a PC- is there a definitive port I should be emulating?
SotN never got a PC port. So if you want to play it on PC, I say emulate the PS1 version.
The Saturn version is awesome in it's own way, but I wouldn't suggest it for first time players. It's definitely worth checking out if you enjoy the game. The extra content is neat, but it's not the definitive version. Also, it doesn't play as good as the PS1 version.
The PSP port is awesome, but largely the same as the PS1 version. The biggest difference is a re-translation and new voice acting. The coolest part about that is that they simultaneously made an official English translation and dub for Rondo of Blood. Since SotN is a direct sequel to Rondo, it's really neat that the voice acting matches across both games. However, it
is on the PSP, so not the best way to experience the game IMO. I'm not sure what emulation options are available for PSP these days. If there's something that can cleanly upscale the low resolution, that actually looks and plays good, then the PSP port isn't a bad choice. Note that it's included in The Dracula X Chronicles, and you have to play a little bit of the 2.5D remake of Rondo to unlock it. Although it's really easy to unlock. Or perhaps you can just find a save file that has it already unlocked.
Since the PSP is widescreen, and SotN and Rondo are 4:3 ratio games, they have boarder options. But strangely there was no black boarder option. But fortunately there's a hack that adds black boarders. You can find the patch here:
http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/2966/Castlevania Requiem is the PSP versions of SotN and Rondo in one package for the PS4. That's why I mentioned it, it's a great way to play the PSP ports because of the increased resolution. Unfortunately they only released this for PS4.
Again, if there's good options for PSP emulation then that version isn't a bad choice. But I'd still have to say that the original PS1 version should be the first version you play. The dialog and voice acting is... well, it's bad. But bad in a good way. It's awesome. "What is a man? A miserable pile of secrets!"