the lower right one is definitely not from the saturn version. also Maria's sprite seems slightly different. maybe more polished.


and here's a comparison between Saturn Maria and PSP SOTN Maria



yup now I can really see how much more improved the new sprite is!! Hopefully the animations are really well done.

Are those borders I see in the SotN pic?

As for the bottom left pic.....bossrush with 2 characters?

I don't think so...I've heard that Rondo has several women that need to be saved. It doesn't look like Maria, so I don't think it's boss-rush.

Maybe you have a time limit to save them, otherwise the enemy kills them?

Persona's right. that's clearly Richter and Maria fighting the Bone Golem in Boss Rush.

2 player co-op!?!?!? that would be sweetness.

Sweet! Now only if I could get my hands on it...

Would be interesting if it is indeed wifi co-op but if it turns out like PoR's wifi co-op, then I think I'll pass on it. >_>

http://kotaku.com/assets/resources/2007 ... boxart.jpg

2 players.

yea I think it will be sometime before they will support co-op thrugh the main game playthrough.

for now they seem to only support co-op for boss rushes since boss rushes are isolated in single rooms, therefore no need for splitscreen or extra processing to keep track of players in larger maps/sectors. and especially if they are in two completely different areas of the castle.

http://www.gamevideos.com/download?vide ... 40x360.wmv

Some psp Sotn Maria footage for you guys if you didn't see it yet.

o_o @_@

THANKS!!

hold on Illl first post what I found on another board about Maria's description

In fact, the game's biggest changes revolve around Maria. As producer Koji Igarashi mentioned to use a few weeks ago, Maria's sprite has been completely redrawn, and she's now an unlockable playable character. Oddly, Maria's old stiff-legged sprites are used throughout the game's story scenes, except in one particular encounter where she stands in as a boss.

Maria was previously playable in the terrible Saturn port of the game, but everything from her controls to her animations to her weapons felt off, and poorly-considered. This time around, she's ditched the kung-fu fighting in favor of her repertoire of moves from Rondo of Blood. For her her basic attack, she flings up to three small owls which fly forward and arc upward before returning; her subweapons are grown-up versions of her original Chinese zodiac beasts. These have slightly different effects -- the pheonix, for instance, is no longer a pair of tiny birds that quickly dart up at 45-degree angles but rather a pair of fiery wings that mark the same path but last longer.

Her triangle button "item crashes" have changed as well; for instance, the turtle now hovers on screen for several seconds, siphoning energy from every enemy -- then transfers that energy to Maria's life meter when it's done. This is quite handy given her fragility; she can only endure four or five hits before it's game over. Maria is unique in that she can equip two different subweapons at a time, swapping between them with the press of the circle button. Picking up a new subweapon replaces the inactive one rather than the choice currently in action. Interestingly, her "shadow Maria" skill returns as a separate subweapon which can only be activated as an item crash.

Her new sprite animations are a huge improvement over the awkward stride she possessed in the Saturn port; her hair and clothes seem more dynamic, and her movements are more natural and fluid.


found youtube version

http://youtube.com/watch?v=u6t7PnrJPN8

The new Maria sprite and gameplay is hot. Makes her fit her loli self much more with more familiar attacks.

If the only changes is the dialogue, VAing and Maria then I'm pretty disappointed. As much as people are happy with Maria being in the game, it's most likely going to be a free roam mode just like Richter, which most likely people will get bored of after a short period of time.

Speaking of Richter, I hope they improve his sprite (was his RoB sprite and since Alucard and Maria are animated fluidly, he'll be the only one with pretty choppy animaton) but I doubt it. I also hope they fix the areas where Richter couldn't get in so we can get full percentage. Would at least make the mode more polished.

Yeah I know I'm picky but if IGA stated he was going to make a complete SotN, then he should at least fix those too.

Oh, and want SotN Bossrush too please!

well considering 2.5 Rondo is the main focus of this package, we're lucky to even get playable Maria (professionally remade), new familiar, voice overs.

I never never expect a sidestory for Maria mode. SOTN is really about Alucard. any other perspective would just contradict that story if they had their own dialogue tree (like Resident Evil 1).

but either way is fine. what really matters is the gameplay. and story-wise Maria as one more thing to offer, which is a boss fight for the spectacles. that's gonna be hot too.

but yeah anxious to see the rest of Maria's abilities and moves.
it would be hot if they added these extras to XBLA SOTN also as downloadable content. hehe I'd pay even 1000 pts. for PSP SOTH Maria.
but realistically, they would sell that content for maybe 200 pts. but if it includes the new voice overs and Maria boss fight, then maybe 400 pts.