Cheap Castlevania (Video Games) (Nintendo NES) Price

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Customer Reviews of Castlevania

The beginning of a series
Castlevania. No true gamer alive would hate this series. I mean, seriously, who wouldn't want to go kill Dracula and play challenging platform missions? Well, if you don't like that then you're gay, pure and simple. In this first installment, we take a look at the very first game in the series---simply titled Castlevania respectively---that was released for the NES back in the late 1980s. How does it measure up?

THE GOOD
First off, let me say that these are some of the best graphics I've seen for the NES. Very good for their time in my opinion. Secondly, it's a FUN game and you can see where the roots all go back to in the series like Holy Water, the whip upgrades, etc. Practically every classic aspect about Castlevania is here! The music is classic as well and has been remixed in subsequent entries (especially the infamous "Vampire Killer" theme).

And since it's an old NES cart, what's that phrase again? YES, this game was "made back in the day when NES games were made to kick you in the [...] and make you love them." I've used this quote time and time again and this one of the few NES games I feel VERY STRONGLY about when it comes to that phrase. VERY difficult and to this day, I have not beaten it. The levels are insanely hard and Dracula's even harder once you get to him. You might think this as a "bad thing," but I love a game that's insanely hard, so this aspect of Castlevania really enthralls me.

THE BAD
I was put off by the lack of passwords, but given this is the first title in the series, I'm not going to rant on it for that. I feel that since this is the first title in the series, I won't go overcritical on it LIKE SO MANY OF YOU HAVE.

OVERALL
This is a definite must-own for your NES, ESPECIALLY if you love Castlevania. Even with the sequels, this is still one of my favorites. I think this game is overlooked because "it's raw" and/or "It's too hard!" (I'm noticing a pattern here, after my Mega Man review...) BAH! I'm a big Castlevania fan and I can honestly say that this game is still great after all these years. Long live Konami and may they bring us more adventures and vampire murdering!

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Welcome to Castlevania
In eighty-seven, Konami released Castlevania, the first game in its now legendary vampire killing series. How does it measure up? Read on, and find out.

Graphics: 3/5
About normal for the NES. Not bad, but I've certainly seen better on this system

Play Control: 2.75/5
Sluggish is a good way to describe the control. You have no midair control, which is very annoying. It takes some serious getting used to having to hold up and pushing B to use secondary weapons, too.

Challenge: 4.75/5
HARD! You've got unlimited continues, but no passwords or battery! YOU HAVE TO START OVER EVERY TIME! Extremely difficult stages and bosses sure don't make up for this. I'd be surprised if anyone has actually ever beaten this game. IF YOU MUST PLAY THIS GAME, PLAY IT ON AN NES EMULATOR SO YOU CAN SAVE YOUR PROGRESS!

Theme/Fun: 3.25/5
The sluggish control and irritating difficulty really take away from the fun. However, if you can put the problems aside, it will keep you entertained for some time.

Music/Sound: 2.5/5
Nothing stands out other than the first stage music, and the sound effect when you use Holy Water. Sound and music could've been much better.

Storyline: 2.75/5
Go into the castle and kill the revived Dracula. Just about EVERY game in the series uses this story to death. That's overkill, Konami.

Originality: 3.5/5
Super Mario Bros. invented the platformer, and this game reinvents it!

Replay Value: 1.5/5
Not too high

Overall: 3/5
It pains me to say this game is ultimately disappointing, despite being the start of something so big. However, if you're a fan of the series, it's certainly worth playing at least once.

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Where it all began
Over the years, Konami has become one of the best-known video gaming third party corporations out there - for a number of reasons. But, their most popular series of all would have to be the vampire-killing franchise, Castlevania. Konami released the first installment of the series on Japanese consoles in 1986. The American arcade game got its release the same year. And the following year, 1987, the game reached American consoles. Read on for my review of Castlevania - the first game in a now-legendary franchise.

PROS:
-FOR ITS DAY AND AGE, THESE WERE SOME OF THE BEST VIDEO GAME GRAPHICS OUT THERE. The on-screen graphics move along at a pretty decent pace, and slow-down is very minimal. As far as the NES in the eighties goes, the graphics didn't get a whole lot better than this.
-PLAY CONTROL IS SIMPLE AND TO THE POINT. Basically you move, crouch, jump, attack, and attack with a secondary weapon. This was one of the first video games to feature a secondary weapon - a video gaming feature which has since been copied countless times.
-IT'S CHALLENGING. If you're a fan of side-scrolling platformers and you're looking for a good challenge, this game will give you the best of both worlds!

CONS:
-THERE ARE NO PASSWORDS OR BATTERIES IN THE GAME, SO YOU MUST START OVER EVERY TIME YOU PLAY! This is just inexcusable, and it greatly hurts the replay value. Hopefully if Konami rereleases the game as part of a "classics" collection, they will fix this problem.

-PLAY CONTROL CAN SEEM VERY STIFF AT TIMES. Your character has no midair jump control whatsoever, which can make life a living hell. Also, having to hold up on the control pad to use a secondary weapon can be a pain. And let's not forget about scaling flights of stairs - that's where the control is at its worse.
-THIS GAME IS MORE OF A CHALLENGE THAN THE AVERAGE GAMER WILL WANT. I know, there are some die-hard gamers out there that live for a good challenge - but I bet this game will be too difficult even for them.

OVERALL:
Overall this is a very good game for being the first entry in the series, but in comparison to later games in the series it just isn't that great. The NES follow-ups, Simon's Quest and Dracula's Curse, are WAY better (even if Simon's Quest is a drastically different game.) Still, if you're a sucker for eight-bit side-scrollers, you can't go wrong with this game.