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

Willow

"TALES OF DREAMS AND IMAGINATION. 

THERE ARE TWO SPIRITS WATCHING OVER THE WORLD. ONE, THE SPIRITS OF THE SKIES, GIVES LIGHT AND POWER TO ALL BEINGS.

THE OTHER IS THE SPIRITS OF THE EARTH WHO GIVES COURAGE AND HOPE.

THE TWO SPIRITS EACH SENT A MESSENGER IN ORDER TO BRING PEACE TO THE WORLD. AND THE BEATIFUL MESSENGERS WERE GIVEN SPECIAL POWER TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE'S FUTURE. THAT SPECIAL POWER WAS

 ......... MAGIC.

THE PEOPLE WERE LIVING PEACEFULLY, POTECTED BY A GREAT MAGIC. BAVMORDA, THE MESSENGER OF THE SKIES, BECAME GREEDY FOR POWER. IN ARROGANCE, SHE DECIDED TO CONQUER THE WORLD WITH HER MAGIC. 

FIN RAZIEL, THE MESSENGER OF THE EARTH, REALIZED HER PLOT AND TRIED TO PERSUADE BAVMORDA TO RETURN TO THE SKIES. BUT HER MAGIC WAS SEALED AND SHE WAS TURNED INTO AN OPOSSUM BY BAVMORDA'S WICKED MAGIC.

BAVMORDA DECLARED HERSELF QUEEN OF THE WORLD, AND STARTED TO BUILD UP HER STRENGTH TO RULE THE WORLD. "

Loosely based on the movie of the same name, this game offers a very in depth gaming expirience with a vast world to explore, in fact I dare say it's length is comparable to secret of mana (though probably longer). And (oddly enough) uses its deviations from the original script to offer a much richer plot.

The game is played from an overhead perspective Like Zelda, and like Zelda it  has an inventory system, where many items are needed to continue your quest. Like many RPG's Willow has an experience system, many types of weapons and shields, as well as magic attacks.



However this is just the tip of the iceberg, as this game's attention to detail covers many aspects. For example Willow may perform two different types of attack with his sword. He may swing it, in a very simila manner to Zelda III's that would come out years later (it even predates Crystalis), and he can also stab. Both have their advantages, swinging covers a greater area while stabbing has a longer reach and takes less time. New swords will be much harder to swing, however in time he will become acquainted with these weapons and swing much faster. Some swords are useful in some areas, and are in way like special items. There are many types of enemies, most of them not in the movie, and yet they all seem like likely foes for each zone. The spells are quite varied, from shooting an acorn to changing shape. The music is rich and appropiate, with a medieval air and changes to alternate version of itself whenever enemies are found. The bosses are all challenging yet behave very differently. Well I could go on, but why spoil it?

As for its short commings, like all NES titles Willow certainly has its age. Sometimes monsters are reused with palette changes. The people you talk to are often similar. People out in the open look kind of funny and don't have any animation whatsoever. But to be honest, those are some of the NES limitations rather than flaws in the game design (sure some covered those flaws and left some others, honestly it really doesn't get much better than this). So if you like Zelda 3, Secret of Mana and such, and you also like 8 bit games then there is no reason whatsoever not to try this game (which in my opinion is nothing short of incredible but as always you certainly have all the right to differ). But I warn you, like most NES games Willow won't be that easy:

Play Willow online at virtualnes.com

Aditional links

The following links cover more details from this game:

• Hardcore Gaming 101: This site also writes about the movie (which I liked it too).
• RPGClassics

Castlevania

GOOD EEEEVENING
Step into the shadows of the deadliest dwelling on earth. You've arrived at Castlevania, and you're here on business:
To destroy forever the Curse of the Evil Count.
Unfortunately, everybody's home this evening. Bats, ghosts, every kind of creature you can imagine. You'll find 'em all over the place, if they don't find you first.
Because you've got to get through six monstrous floors before you even meet up with the Master of the House. Your Magic Whip will help, and you'll probably find a weapons or two along the way.
But once you make it to the tower, you can count on a Duel to the Death. The Count has waited 100 years for a rematch. He's ready. Are you?

Castlevania is the first widely known game of a very strong franchise. And a very unsual game it was. We should start by saying it's reserved, that is it keeps a low profile. Like in many succesive adventures, you a Belmont must go and defeat Dracula. And like these other games you may obtain many auxiliary weapons that help you in your quest. But what makes this game different from the mayority? Let's go back in time to 1987.

The NES has recently come out, most of its cartridges have labels (action, adventure, sports; hey my labels are actually based on theirs). Mario is still all the rage. A game known as Vampire Killer had been released for some plataforms but was relativelly obscure and was more of an Adventure title (the first in the series). It had a simple storyline but it had really intricate maze like levels that needed to be explored, multiple items and even sellsmen (they're everywhere aren't they :P).

Konami decided to port this great game to the hot new console (the NES of course). However in the process they streamlined this game, its gameplay was simplied to an action title's with linear levels (now its just you and Dracula's minnions). Also due to NES limitations they decresead the resolution of its graphics and sound. So a new approach had to be taken. A very well crafted level design, atmospheric and gloomy. Some areas have nonstop action, others have a strong emphasis on mood and still others on platforming challenges, however all are memorable. And lo and behold Castlevania was born.

So now with that said, we can trully give a fair description of this game. As I mentioned before this game is reserved, its storyline will not interfere with your gameplay. Neither will the gameplay mechanics. Yet it has a very well crafted level design, with a very coherent progression, you can almost imagine being in Dracula's castle.

However, Simon is not really super human. He can't jump 5 stories high out of a sudden and if he's hit by an ball of fire he's thrown back (which often frustrates gamers who had a heavily overpowered champion to play as), just a very fit and dextrous guy with a lot of courage. To me this makes sence, if the prince of Darkness has barricated himself in his castle you'll find yourself out numbered and overpowered and that is just the case. Not all is lost though, Simon is actually very much capable to conquer all these problems but he really needs a lot of help from you.

So let's see how this turns out, atmospheric stage design, graphics and music. Nonstop action, and a coherent sequence of locations. That is this game honestly tries to emmulate that feeling you get when you go into a haunted mansion. Plus it's relentless difficulty adds the only element that could be missing, adrenaline. Unfortunately though, many gamers are far too jaded and can't seem to allow these graphics to do their charm (kind of like what happens with movies special effects, people might get startled with a some horror movie scene until someone finally locates a zipper on the monster).

So honestly that is what this game tries very well to offer. If you give it a chance, you might find yourself battling hoards of monsters in the darkest of places. Unfortunately though, as far as I've played (none since the PS2 version came out) this was never attempted again, with the same measure of success (and as far as I know it was only attempted in Haunted Castle). All new Castlevania games have either a very strong storyline or superheroes rather than humans or some other thing that prevents them from reuniting these elements that made Castlevania stand out way back in 1987 (some might say 1986).

Still not all is perfect, as I pointed out the characters mobility is one of the mayor limitations of this game. Controllers have evolved since the NES considerably (not to mention Colleco's and Intellivisions or Atari's), so it had only a limited number of buttons to choose from and only two of which may be used comfortably (the others are more akin to functions keys due to their placement). Hence we might find our hero to climb stairs rather than throw a weapon (and this is something that si common even in fanmade games, guess not everyone has a problem with this, personally I don't think its such a big deal). And yes, in this instalment Simon is incapable of huge or double jumps, firing his whip in other directions, carrying an inventory or asking some other character for help.

So the big question, is it any good? Well to me it's great! But as usual it depends on each persons perception. If you don't mind your games to be challenging, 8 bit graphics and sound, and are not all that picky with controllers you may very well enjoy what this title has to offer. Otherwise however, you might find that future instalments have "solved" these problems (like in many forms of art there is just no right way of doing things, I actually cherish these qualities). And like usual I'll finish leaving the veracity of this article and this games quality entirely up to you, who in the end is the only important person (the user or, in this case, gamer). And now its time to enter Castlevania:

Play Castlevania online at nintendo8.com

Enhanced versions of this game

• Vampire Killer: An MSX game with many adventure elements.
• Castlevania Chronicles: A remake for the Sharp X6800 and later PS1 (very good but its tough love I tell you).
• Castlevania Remix: This is a romhack with a much darker tone. The game is a completely different experience with different level designs, monsters and such, however unlike many other deravative works it's still supposed to be this particular journey.

Related games

• Simon's Quest: Its sequel.
• Super Castlevania (Castlevania IV): The Super Nintendo's version is supposed to be a remake. It has a very different tyle of gameplay and to be honest is another great game itself.
• Haunted Castle: An arcade game, similar though in that one Simon's bride is snatched by Dracula (ala Ghosts and Goblins). It has a stiffer game play and, believe it or not, much greater challenge (plus Simon looks like a walking boiler, but is really not that bad).

Aditional links

A few good sources of information on this and other Castlevania titles:

• Castlevania wikia
• Inverted dungeon
• Chappel of resonance

Crystalis

1997, October 1, The END DAY
Savage war engulfs the world
. . .
Civilization is destroyed ...
An evolution had taken place.
The earth's axis shifted and all creatures became mutated.
Life would never be the same ...
Those surviving vowed not to repeat their mistakes of the past and erected a great tower in the sky ...
To oppress evil forever ...

Crystalis plays from a top down perspective, akin to The Legend of Zelda. However it has an inventory system and experience leveling up system more in line with traditional RPGs. And like in many RPGs you visit different towns and talk to their inhabitants, take on several quests, and solve numerous puzzles. You receive new weapons, each is particularly useful for different situations. While exploration is a very important part of this game, it efficiently used to push the narrative and keep the plot alive.

Crystalis takes place in the year 2097, in a post-apocalyptic world, 100 years after a global thermonuclear war has reverted civilization to a primitive, medieval state where science is forgotten in favour of magic and fierce mutant creatures populate the scorched earth. What little remains of humanity has built a weapon of mass destruction known as "The Tower". The construction of this was aimed to prevent any more future cataclysms as its occupants have the power to rule or destroy the world. To combat Draygon, good magicians have created four swords from each of the four elements, fire, water, wind and thunder. If the swords are combined, they create a sword made from a fifth element, crystal. The sword is known as "Crystalis". When Draygon learned of the four swords, he took them for himself. The swords were too powerful to be destroyed so Draygon scattered them across the land.

While offering a blend of fantasy, futuristic and steam punk elements at first glance it might not seem as a well defined and coherent offering. Yet nothing could be further from the truth maintaining a great attention to detail, these elements contribute to the vividness of its story. Offering diverse and interesting locations, whose inhabitants and characters react in accordance to the events currently transpiring. But most of all it's the overall attention to detail and balance that really makes playing this game such enjoyable experience. To be honest, this game is certainly one of the most elaborate and polished games that came out in the NES and has far more in common with Secret of Mana and Zelda 3 than most its contemporaries, with a select few being up to par (and oh yeah, this is certainly one of my favorite games period).



However as cherished as it may be by me (and all my friends who played adventure type games back then), its only as good as you think it is. And the only way of finding out how good (or bad) this game really is, is by playing it:

Play Crystalis online at virtualnes.com

Oh and one last thing, as far as I read the best version is the original NES version (which is what I played). The gameboy version offers some more backstory but at a cost (graphics and the omission of some characters).

Aditional links

These sites have further information about this game:

• Tom's Crystalis World - Your headquarter for all things Crystalis
• RPGClassics

Faxanadu

"I've been on a long journey. I came back to my home town to find it is almost deserted. The gate is closed, people are gone, and the walls are crumbling. I wonder what happened."

Faxanadu can be considered a side-story of Xanadu, which is the second installment of Falcom's long-running RPG series, Dragon Slayer. The title Faxanadu is a portmanteau formed from the names Famicom and Xanadu.



This game is a side scrolling adventure platfomer. It has many types of weapons, armor and magic that are obtained as the game progresses. Also, like many games of its genre it has an experience based level up. However its approach is very unusual. First you must accumulate enough experience and then visit a priest in order to receive your new title (level up). Also this title allows you to obtain a greater amount of money if you die or start over, rather than make you stronger (which is still very useful).

The world is very vast, but not overwhelming. It all flows in a very natural manner; you basically explore sections of this world in order to advance, and backtracking is limited to the actual section being explored (unlike say, Metroid and mostly its hacks). There are many towns whose inhabitants are willing to offer clues, services, items, etc.

Its gameplay is somewhat stiff. First of all, like the first Castlevanias, you can't control the hero in the middle of the air (save when he's flying). Also like the first Megamans you cant duck, so at first some enemies can't be killed by means of a weapon attack. Also its limited color palette might turn some people down.

Personally I don't see these as limitations. I found the gameplay very satisfactory. I really enjoyed all these locations and all the elements related to this unnamed hero's quest. Also to me, its graphics and sound were crafted with great care so that the NES limitations were less notable. The end result being a very involving game with a design that has more in common with games of the 16 bit and 32 bit era, offering a very well crafted storyline and a very beautiful scenery with interesting characters that perfectly match the mood and setting.

Still as usual the most reliable opinion is no doubt your own. So if you like Zelda (specially Zelda 2 which came out after this game), Metroid, Action-RPG's or any related type of games you should give it a try.

Also, while I won't host any roms or links to them, the following link has a vnes emulation of this game (so you may play on your browser). So give this beautiful game a try:

Play Faxanadu online at nintendo8.com

While there are no sequels, if you just can't get enough of this beautiful piece of art. You might want to check out other Action RPG's such as the Zelda series or Crystalis. As for the Dragonslayer series, I can say legacy of the wizard has very little in common with this game. But maybe the original Xanadu game might be more in line with this gem (I honestly haven't played them yet, but will edit this once I do).

Aditional links

The following links have more information about this game:

• RPGClassics
• Hardcore Gaming 101
• romhacking.net: "Uncensored version patch". The Japanese version had some religious imagery that was left out of the US release. I honestly thought that maybe elves had their own religious beliefs or something. In any case, if you want to experience this game as it was designed you may want to apply this patch.

The Legend of Zelda

MANY YEARS AGO PRINCE DARKNESS " GANNON " STOLE ONE OF THE TRIFORCE WITH POWER. PRINCESS ZELDA HAD ONE OF THE TRIFORCE WITH WISDOM. SHE DIVIDED IT INTO " 8 "UNITS TO HIDE IT FROM " GANNNON " BEFORE SHE WAS CAPTURED.
GO FIND THE " 8 " UNITS " LINK " TO SAVE HER.

The Legend of Zelda offers plenty of action, exploration and puzzle solving. It is the foundation of one of the most consistently acclaimed series. But most importantly is a very fun game.

You are link an adventurer who on his journey to rescue princess Zelda. In order to do so, you must obtain the pieces of the triforce which are hidden in 8 different dungeons filled with traps, monsters and a strong guardian. Also each dungeon also has a special item that will help link on his journey (though some key items may also be found outside these dungeons). By clever use of these items, link obtains access to once restricted areas on the map.



There are many derivative works such as:

* Zelda classic: Zelda Classic is a tribute to (what we think is) the greatest video game of all time: Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda. It has been developed into an exact replica of the NES version that we all know and love. Beyond that, Zelda Classic allows the development of new quests that can use either the traditional graphics or enhanced graphics, as well as new enemies, items, and challenges.

* BS Zelda maps: TheSatellaview was a satellite uplink unit. It linked up to a system called "St GIGA" which is just a normal digital satellite channel, except instead of just downloading video images, you instead download games, demos, cheats, etc. StGIGA was a normal TV channel as well and the data you could download only made up a small fraction of the channel's air-time. You couldn't download something any time you wanted, only at a certain time... just like watching a movie on the TV.

Two of these are basically Zelda 1 remakes: BS The Legend of Zelda - Map 1 and Map 2 (BS Zelda no Densetsu: Map 1 and Map 2). And may also be known as third and fourth quests (because of the second quest modality of zelda). These however have 16 bit sound and graphics (along with a few surprises such as better text).

* Zelda Outlands: A very through rom hack that basically makes a completely new adventure that is very similar to Zelda 1 (basically players of Zelda can jump right into this game but that's it). With different enemies, dungeons, etc.

All of these deserve their own article and time permitting they'll have them...

In any case Zelda is one of the most iconic games of one of the most iconic consoles ever released. If you like action and exploration this beautiful platformer is definitely worth checking out!

Finally, while I won't host any roms or links to them, the following link has a vnes emulation of this game (so you may play on your browser). So give this beautiful game a try:

Play The Legend of Zelda online at nintendo8.com

Additional Links

The following sites have more information on this game:

• RPGClassics
• LEGEND OF ZELDA.COM
• ZELDA DUNGEON
• ZELDAPEDIA