Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest

Castlevania was a cakewalk compared to this bloody curse. You thought you had the Prince of Darkness defanged - eh, Simon Belmont? Well think again, 'cause according to a damsel in distress, evil Count Dracula has left a horrifying curse in his wake. And the only hope you have of ending the terror is to destroy his missing body parts! Talk about your frightening quest, searching a maze of mansions, graveyards and dark, eerie forests - each guarded by man-eating werewolves, fire-throwing zombies and other devilish demons. Your grim chances are kept alive in Transylvania, where cowardly villagers offer clues to the whereabouts of Dracula's remains. And where you'll purchase magic weapons, including silver knives and flame whips. But beware the night. For when the sun disappears, Dracula's curse grows deadlier. And your chances grow dimmer and dimmer.


Castlevania 2 is in many ways the forerunner of what is now usually associated with the Castlevania franchise; an action title with nonlinear based gameplay with various RPG elements woven into the mix (making this more of a sequel to Vampire Killer, see Castlevania). 


In Castlevania 2 you retake the role of the whip bearing hero Simon Belmont 7 years after the defeat of his nemesis. Besides receiving terrible injuries, after the confrotation Simon was cursed. The only way of ridding himself of the curse is to summon Dracula again and destroy. But to summon the dark lord, he must first search for all of his body parts which are scattered across the land. 


Like in many adventure titles, Simon starts out relatively weak but during his travels, but he may acquire different weapons and items to aid him in his quest. These items are sometimes purchased in to salesmen in different towns. Others are scattered through the land and must be searched for. Also, leveling up is very useful as it increases your life bar (hit points). 


Like its predecessor its graphics and sound are some of the best the NES produced, and it has an even more eerie quality to it. Most of the series defining traits are there (skeletons, mermen, hearts, among others), and those introduced are of the same quality. Also it has three different endings (depending on how long you take) which gives it more replay value. 

As great as those attributes may be, it does have some limitations. For starters 8 bit sound and graphics might not be enough for some gamers. Controls are very similar to the previous game and might seem a little stiff and unresponsive for younger gamers (though many fangame makers intentionally incorporate these elements into their games). Also unless you play the Famicom version, there will be no save just long passwords (though emulation may solve this issue). However its main drawback is it's clue system. 


The original Japanese version had false clues to make things a little more interesting. However poor translation made some clues too misleading, and one of the puzzles in the game lacks any clues. This has been the cause of much criticism and hence there is usually mixed opinions of this game. 


In any case this is certainly one of the NES and even Action/Adventure/RPG's classics. Future installments (such as Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow) owe much to this game which gave birth to the term metroidvania which is more than enough proof of its legacy. So if you are a fan of this series, or like NES hard 8 bit challenges and exploration you should give this game a try (just give it a little slack and I'm sure you'll be more than glad you did). However impatient gamers beware, this game can get on your nerves and you may not be able to enjoy it.


As for my own opinion, I can only say some of my most cherished memories are linked to this game so it is just not possible for me to be objective. However I can point out that I was capable of completing the game without cheating when it came out and hence it can be done (however I did have plenty of free time back then)...


Play Castlevania 2 : Simon's Quest online at nintendo8.com


Related Games

• Castlevania
• Symphony of the Night: One of the most acclaimed games in the series that features the son of Dracula (and platformers period). This game reaped the RPG/exploration seeds in this game. Since this game came out most Castlevanias adhere to the "metroidvania" tradition. 

Additional links


Some useful romhacks that correct the problems mentioned:

• Castlevania-fan wikia - Castlevania II : Simon's redaction; fixes typos and poor translation making it posible to finish the game without relying on strategy guides.
• Romhacking.net - Castlevania II SRAM Hack; adds savegame feature (an emulator can do that though).

Some tips to help you get through it:

• GameFAQs.com
• Cheat code guides.com

And finally a few sources of information on this and other Castlevania titles:

• Castlevania wikia
• The Inverted Dungeon
• Chapel of Resonance

Megaman

"It's Mega Man versus the powerful leaders and fighting forces of Monsteropolis - that strange multi-faceted land of robot-like Humanoids. Brilliant scientist Dr.Wright conceived the construction of fully-operational human-like experimental robots to perform specific everyday duties. Dr.Wright, and his assistant Dr.Wily, encouraged with their very first near-human robot - Mega Man - proceeded to develop six additional Humanoids, all programmed to perform prescribed rituals. But, with the exception of Mega Man, all of Dr.Wright's near-human robot experimentation went awry. Assistant Dr.Wily turned disloyal, re-programming Dr.Wright's Humanoids, now bent on destroying opposition so Dr.Wily could control the world and its resources. Resisting re-programming, Mega Man is chosen the defender of the universe and its inhabitants. Mega Man dares to single-handedly penetrate seven separate empires of Monsteropolis, eliminating the leaders and followers of these sovereignties."

This game marked the beginning of what would be one of Nintendo era's strongest franchises. In this action packed platformer, you guide a robot named Rock (and renamed Mega for the US) who must stop the infamous Dr. Willy. First, he must defeat 6 robot masters who where also made by his creator. Each time he defeats a robot master, Megaman obtains its abilities. Also each robot (and boss) is vulnerable to an attack with a certain ability, hence the game follows a rock, paper, scissors approach being much easier when the appropriate weapon is used. 

Its techno soundtrack sets the stage for its nonstop gameplay and relentless difficulty. However due to the incredible soundtrack quality, tight and responsive controls and excellent catoonish (and somewhat goofy) graphics this manages to become a very enjoyable and addictive experience. Although future installments would expand on this formula, this game manages to set the standard under which most action platformers are measured. And to be completely honest, the formula hasn't changed much because of a simple reason, it really doesn't have to. It's just that good!

As for the legendary difficulty, its well deserved. I won Megaman's 2 through 5 as they came out (often at the first rental), the fact that I'm having a VERY hard time trying to beat this one made me respect its well earned position of being the hardest Megaman in the series. 

Don't trust me? Good! I could be wrong or just plain lying! Guess the only way you can ever really know is by trying it out yourself muahahahaha...

Play Megaman online at virtualnes.com

Additional Links

These sites contain additional information about Megaman:

• Wikipedia
• The Megaman Network
• Megaman Wikia

Megaman in the Mushroom Kingdom

"Dr. Wily finally concedes that Mega Man may be too much for his evil robotic creations. Determined to get the best of the blue bomber, Dr. Wily contacts another famous villain, Bowser! Having combined their forces, Dr Wily and Bowser unleash their new destructive creations upon the Mushroom Kingdom. After hearing  news of Wily's new plan, Mega Man decides to travel to the Mushroom Kingdom himself to stop Wily again. Mega Man now finds himself in a strange new world filled with obstacles and locales very foreign to him. Fearless, Mega Man presses on to Super Mario's old stomping grounds to defeat these new foes."

This is a Megaman hack that turns its landscape into a mash up of Mario 1, 2, 3 and World, type scenarios. Megaman now jumps higher (the plumber's influence I suppose heh)  and the level design is made taking advantage of this, introducing a more Mario like ambiance. Also, the overall difficulty is toned down a little bit.

This results in a very bizarre and interesting experience that fuses both gameplay dynamics and not only their graphics. But unfortunately, since this still uses the exact same bosses from the original game I would consider this a mod rather than a new game in itself (and that is why I include in this game's description and not a separate article). 

If what I just wrote sounds like a complete disaster. Then avoid it and look for something that suits you (life is short). However if it sounds like a dream come true, or a least an interesting proposition, then by all means give it a try:

Play now at Derok.net 

or download the patch:

• Derok.net
• Zophar's Domain
• Romhacking.net

Metroid

"DEFEAT THE METROID OF THE PLANET ZEBETH AND DESTROY THE MOTHER BRAIN THE MECHANICAL LIFE VEIN

GALAXY FEDERAL POLICE

M510"

Metroid was one of the first games that appeared on the NES, and is an adventure plaforming game with a vey heavy emphasys on exploration. You play the role of Samus Aran, an avid bounty hunter as she explores planet Zebes. She starts out equiped with a somewhat limited suit, but as she explores the strange planet she finds many items that give her enhancements as well as new abilites. Much like in Zelda games, she'll need these abilities to gain access to many areas that are out reach at first.

However unlike most games of its kin, she'll find herself alone throughout her journey. The sound and visuals make this even more notable. Much of its music is actually more of a sound texture that emphasices one aspect from the zone of Zebes she's exploring.

Not unlike Zelda, Mario, Megaman, Metal Gear, and some others. Metroid has managed to generate a large and succsesful franchise. And while the gameplay mechanics may have changed in some installments, there is usually a strong emphasys on exploration.

Metroid's challenge lies in the vast laberinthical structure, rather than survival. Finding the necesary objects as well as applying them efficiently in order to further your exploration can prove to be a daunting task. So if you're up to the challenge then by all means give it a try:

Play metroid online at virtualnes.com

Aditional Links

These sites contain some information related to metroid (not that much though):

• Metroid headquarters
• Metroid Wikia

Also this last site has a 3d voxel near complete recreation of metroid:

• Metroid Cubed