Virtual Console Wrap-up – 1/12

Hey friends, we’re back with another discussion of this week’s Virtual Console releases. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, “Damn, these guys sure do a lot of complaining about these games.” While sometimes that may be so, we’ll have to find something else to complain about this week. This week, we’re getting Castlevania III from the NES. Another one game week, but let’s see who will let that slide for this release.

Castlevania III
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Original Release Date: 1990
Price: 500 Wii Points

Guy Desmarais: This is, in my opinion, the most fun Castlevania game on the NES. For a game released in 1990, it was pretty deep, with alternating routes and branching paths leading to different stages. I usually stuck to the easier path (the top one), but in reality, any of them poses quite a challenge. As far as I know, there are no compilations of Castlevania game on the Wii or Gamecube, which means that this game is a must-buy according to me. I’m not even that big of a fan of the series, and I simply love this game. If you are a fan of platforming and horror-themed games, there’s no reason why you should live without it.

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Christopher Bowen: January 12th, and we’re finally getting Castlevania III. Instead of writing something new, I’ll just copy what I wrote on November 24th… or when Europe got this game, and we got fuckin’ Boogerman:

WOW. Here’s a treat.

It’d be better if this was the Japanese version, which had a better soundtrack (due to the Famicom’s additional sound channels) and a more realistic difficulty level, but the US version is still very nice, and absolutely recommended for your $5.

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Alex Lucard: Dracula’s Curse is one of my three favorite Castlevania’s along with Order of Ecclesia and Symphony of the Night. I loved the branching paths, the multiple endings. I loved the new characters like Grant, Syphia and Alucard. Everything about the game was improved over the first two. Graphics, sound, boss battles, and more. CVIII is up there with River City Ransom and Baseball Stars as my favorite games for the NES.

Both Bowen and myself have harped on the superior Famicom version but for five bucks, this is a must have for nearly all gamers. It’s the hardest CV I’ve ever played, but the endings are certainly worth it.

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Aileen Coe: This game is pivotal in many ways, as it introduced many series mainstays. Being able to choose between 3 characters (or opting to go solo) and different branches added a good amount of replayability. And yes, it’s hard. But not only does it squash you many times, you will like it. And you will ask for more. All the while, you’ll be serenaded by the great soundtrack. If you’re even remotely a Castlevania fan, BUY THIS NOW.

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Meanwhile, Jungle Speed and Planet Pachinko were released on Wii Ware. We’ll see you next week, when we’ll see if this week’s release earns Nintendo a little slack if next week’s turns out bad.