NES

Castlevania

The most common complaint about Castlevania is the difficulty. Bear in mind this game was released back before there was voice acting, cut scenes, item collecting, and anything else aside from the stages to entertain the player. Castlevania is difficult because that's the only way it knows to get you to pick up the controller again. I've always been a fan of what I call, "games that hate you" and Castlevania is fairly close to the top of my list there. The game is not impossible, however, and killing the Count has to be one of my all time greatest gaming moments. If you are an easily frustrated gamer, well, you have been warned. If you have yet to play the grandfather of all Castlevanias, I really would suggest a purchase, as it is available for the NES, Game Boy Advance and now the Wii Virtual Console.

If you have a NES or a GBA, pick up the original Castlevania. It'll piss you off to no end, but in the end, it feels totally rewarding. Also, if you could kick a couple of those Medusa head's asses for me, I'd appreciate it... I hate those things.

Going by the cheeky credits at the end, where all the boss characters are listed as "performed" by one-letter-off versions of classic horror movie actors, Konami had absolutely no idea of what Castlevania would become. It represented a rare move for them - starting on the Famicom first instead of porting over a proven arcade title - but I think it's fair to say that this turned out to be a smart gamble. Konami may have just been making a fun, one-shot home game based on classic creature features, but they unintentionally found one of their flagship titles.

Castlevania brought some great action to the platforming genre. Konami went with a more battle heavy than jumping style platformer here. This was a great idea in two ways: 1) We got the framework for a great franchise, 2) Simon jumps like a lead weight. Simon’s jumping ability is the only real downfall to the game, he really has none. As I mentioned earlier though, the score is what really sets this game aside. I’m glad Konami stuck with this, always paying serious attention to the music in this series.Castlevania is a good game which transformed into great games years later. A solid start to what was to become gaming royalty.

Castlevania will always be one of the greatest games of all time. With non-stop horrified action and having the age-old battle against the prince of darkness himself, so what are you waiting for? If you already haven't, pick up this game and start slaying some Undead!

Dracula's inaugural NES Castlevania is very hard, and looks very basic. Unfortunately, those factors might be stressed to a fault. The tunes though, are remarkable, and that certainly elevates the experience, and makes the trip seem that much more legendary. Castlevania's Simon manages to stand up well to his much younger, much better-looking children. He’s mostly forgotten, but when nostalgia, curiosity, or boredom find the original, brown-clad vampire killer on his feet, he defies you to forget him again.

Hat man die zahlreichen Nachfolger gespielt, wird die Steuerung hier erstmal ein wenig ungewohnt wirken. Im Grunde ist sie gleich, aber viele Features, wie das Rumschwingen der Peitsche fehlen und vor allem die Sprungsteuerung ist ein wenig sehr hakelig.

Castlevania's simple, arcade-style gameplay is compelling but slightly tainted by its preponderance of cheap hits. Being touched by a little bat can send you plunging into the nearest abyss, and many traps spell instant death. Castlevania's graphics are better than you might expect, with meticulously detailed walls that look properly aged. On the downside, some of the creatures are not well defined, and smaller creatures can be hard to discern. But despite its rough edges, Castlevania is a fun game that stands the test of time.