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Castlevania: The Adventure (3DS VC)
Castlevania is one of the longest running video game franchises in history. To date it’s seen about 83 jillion releases across eleventy-billion platforms (okay, It’s more like 38 unique titles). The game has a huge following and has stayed mostly true to its origins, with some exceptions. It’s been the basis of a whole genre, along with another NES classic Metroid, and numerous games that come out today are compared to it. Castlevania: The Adventure was the first game to appear on Nintendo’s handheld, the Game Boy. While the structure was similar to that of its NES predecessors it does make some changes to the formula. How will the game hold up more than 20 years after it’s original release?
What You Need to Know
Castlevania: The Adventure takes place 100 years before the original game and follows the story of Simon Belmont’s ancestor, Christopher Belmont. There are four stages that can be quite lengthy. Unlike its NES counterpart there are no sub-weapons that can be used and the hearts you will find restore Christopher’s health. You’ve also got a time limit on each level to contend with, so keep moving.
Bedtime Musings: The Legend of Zelda
Did you know that August 22nd, 1987 was the release date for The Legend of Zelda in North America? We just celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the franchise based on its release in Japan, but we can’t forget about the North American release. This is a game that changed the way many people thought about video games.
I have very fond memories of this franchise and, while I haven’t played all of the games in the franchise (Oracle of Ages is still taunting me), I have played most of them and it all began with that gold cartridge back in 1990. I got my first video game system for my 10th birthday in March of that year and very soon after that I got a copy of The Legend of Zelda. I can remember Super Bowl weekend 1991, the Giants were playing the Bill and my parents had to go bowling that night. I chose to stay home, but rather than watching the Bills lose their first of four consecutive Super Bowls, I was hanging out with Link through an adventure in Hyrule. I managed to get through the first two dungeons that night before all was said and done.
I would go on to play many more games in the franchise over the years. I owned a copy of Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy before it mysteriously vanished. I never got to finish that adventure until it was released on the 3DS many, many years later. Minish Cap was the same thing. I never played it on the GBA.
In recent years I’ve played all of the games in the franchise very close to their launch and I’m eagerly awaiting news of the next entry in the franchise. I would love to see Nintendo partner with someone again and release another set of games like the Oracle games that link (no pun intended) together to create a bigger adventure.
So, Link and Zelda are turning 25. What are some of your most fond memories of the franchise? Let us know in the comments below.
Bedtime Musings: What Do You Think of 8-bit Summer?
This summer, Nintendo is doing something they’ve never done before. They’re having a sale that promotes a series of games. It’s a move that’s very reminiscent of programs like Summer of Arcade. Nintendo has bundled together nine titles from different systems into the 8-bit Summer. If you haven’t seen the list, here are the games that will be available during the promotion.
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters (GB)
Tumblepop (GB)
Kirby’s Pinball Land (GB)
Sword of Hope II (GB)
The Legend of Zelda (NES)
NES Open Tournament Golf (NES)
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (GB)
Sonic Labyrinth (GameGear)
Sonic Blast (GameGear)
That’s a pretty decent list of games for people who might have missed them the first time around. I think this a great idea and really indicative of how Nintendo is going to treat the digital marketplace going forward. I already own five of the titles that have been made available. I haveve really enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane with titles like The Legend of Zelda, and experiencing games I never played before (almost everything else on that list). Read more…
Game of the Weekend: Mario’s Picross
The sweet, sweet deals in the Nintendo 3DS eShop continue. This week, in addition to two more games for 8-bit Summer, Mario’s Picross goes on sale for $2.99. You’ll save a dollar of the regular price beginning at 12:00pm EST on Friday until 11:59pm CST on Sunday.
This is a puzzle game for the Game Boy where you use a grid to fill in pixelated pictures. It’s a bit like Minesweeper without the mines. I’ve never played it, but I know a lot of people out there like the picross-style, puzzle game.
Bedtime Musings: Game Boys Are Still Awesome
I sat around for a little while today, basking in history and I quite enjoyed it. I have a couple of Game Boy Pocket systems sitting around my house that haven’t gotten much use. They’ve been sitting in a box since I bought them on eBay a couple of years ago. I’ve have a few Game Boy games I’ve collected over the last year or so, but I haven’t actually spent much time playing them. So, while I was out and about, I bought a package of AAA batteries and put a couple of them into the blue GBP I have.
Then I spent a couple of hours playing through DuckTales. I came to realize, you don’t get the same vibe by playing a Game Boy game on other systems. I’ve got a Wii and I’ve got a 3DS. I’ve bought a number of games on the Virtual Console in the past half decade or so. They’re really convenient to have, especially when your library of games starts to build. You can just whip out a 3DS and play a level or two of Super Mario Land 2 or Tetris and have a good time. But it’s just not the same as playing them on an old Game Boy. Read more…
Kirby’s Block Ball Hitting VC Next Week
The eShop has a listing for Kirby’s Block Ball that shows the release date to be 5/17/12, which just happens to be next Thursday. I’ve been buying up original Game Boy games on the 3DS left and right and will most definitely be adding this game to the collection. I’ve never played the game, but it looks very interesting.
What Game Boy or Game Boy Advance games are you waiting for to show up in the Virtual Console? Will Shelby keep his vow of not buying VC games until they’re tied to an account? We’ll find out next week.
Con-soul Searching: Small Circles
I was talking to a friend about Kid Icarus. He mentioned the franchise is practically unknown since there has only been one game before Uprising. I looked at him strangely for a second. Then he told me the Game Boy’s Of Myths And Monsters doesn’t count because it’s a handheld game. The strange look on 
my face didn’t go away. I have heard this same argument used by several people I know. Why do they feel a handheld game is lesser than a console counterpart?
I suppose the obvious thing is the power of the system. Portables are usually a generation or two behind the home consoles. I can see how a PSP game may dull in comparison to a PS3 title, but that doesn’t mean we should discount it. PSP games are roughly PS1 games. If God Of War: Chains Of Olympus isn’t a “real game” then what does that say for Crash Bandicoot 2? What I’m getting at is it’s not a concept of power so much as it’s a concept of less than console power. That’s one barrier of people use.
Another attribute is the smaller screen. Instead of a window into another world, you get a peephole. I guess it’s hard to feel a connection when you see a world the size of a postcard. What I find odd, in some cases (say Zelda for example) Read more…
Con-soul Searching: Origin Stories
I’ve had a lot of spare time these last few months. Not having a job will do that to you. I mentioned on the Okie Cast a few weeks ago (episode 99 or so) how I realized I had owned my copy of Metroid for 23 years; all but six years of my life. That’s a long time if you ask me. Back in 1988, nobody could have known how 
important video games would be to me later in life. I have had several friends throughout my life that helped contribute to my love of video games but the biggest thank you has to go to my parents.
My parents didn’t have a lot of money while I was growing up. Regardless, they still bought my brother and I an NES when I was six years old. I don’t remember if the NES was planned or if we got it because I had broke my left arm in two places on the school playground earlier that day. Oddly, I learned to play Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt with a cast reaching from my knuckles to above my elbow. We started playing NES every waking moment we could. This caused a bit of a conflict since Mom and Dad wanted to watch TV. It didn’t take long until they got sick of watching us play Mario, Metroid and Duck Hunt so they bought a second TV. A second TV! And they put it in my room! Two TVs isn’t a big deal these days but holy cow did we think we were awesome. Read more…
Skyward Sword – The Game Boy Edition
I finished Skyward Sword not that long ago and I’ve been talking to people who’ve finished it recently. This just makes me want to play it all over again, but I think I’d make one change; I’d make it a Game Boy Color game, rather than a Game Boy game. I like it though. Someone make this happen.
Name The Turtle!!!
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Wii U, 3DS)
Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo (3DS)
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (3DS)
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PS3)
The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition (Wii U)
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