16-Bit Castlevania Showdown!

Favorite 16-Bit Console Castlevania


  • Total voters
    62

@M

Vanessa's Drinking Buddy,
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Super Castlevania IV for me, with Genesis Bloodlines as my runner-up pick (it's pretty great, but I wish it had more than six levels). I'm sure PCE-CD Rondo rules, but, I've never played it. The final boss fight against Dracula, on tiny pillars, surrounded by instant-death pits, in Dracula X, was nightmare-inducing.
 
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MCF 76

Metal Slug Mechanic
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I think that game is haunted. As a kid I blew tons of quarters on it, only to get nowhere. But it kept drawing me back. I eventually forced myself to abstain from it.

Many years later I emulated it and played through it with unlimited credits. It was still a bitch to play, but the soundtrack kept me going. I really enjoyed listening to the early renditions of the classic castlevania tunes.

I know it the game is brutal but kind of have a soft spot for it, the ost is fantastic like you said. I like the sword weapon thought that was a neat add to the arcade. But the character's stiff controls is what kills it 10x worse than Simon in Castlevania 1 on NES.
 
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Mr Bakaboy

Beast Buster
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Yeah it must have been your emulation. The game runs identical to the ps1 version without the changes mentioned above. PS1 version is great, don't get me wrong, I just love the experience of playing it on the real hardware.

I'll have to find another emulation to see what's up then.
 

LoneSage

A Broken Man
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X68k version also had four health points taken for every hit. You're dead in four hits.

Chronicles ver makes it only two healths for each hit.

68k was great but man. Never could beat it. It's a game where you MUST kill every enemy in the room, if not you can't progress.
 

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
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X68k version also had four health points taken for every hit. You're dead in four hits.

Chronicles ver makes it only two healths for each hit.

68k was great but man. Never could beat it. It's a game where you MUST kill every enemy in the room, if not you can't progress.

Damn thats crazy as fuck. I''ve beaten the remaster (which wasn't that easy either) but never made a true attempt at the original....i'm gonna give it a shot.
 

ballzdeepx

Rugal's Secretary
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I don't know why but the x68k game only gets easier for me as the levels progress. I found it pretty easy to beat honestly, but bloodlines on the other hand feels hard as all get out.
Of course the game is actually fair because the patterns are always the same, but I really have to focus more on the stages in that game.
 

Taiso

Remembers The North
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Looking at those four games, I'd say that Super Castlevania IV is probably my favorite.

Castlevania: Bloodlines is a great game but I'm not a fan of the Genesis graphics. I do appreciate what it accomplished, though. I hope it gets a remaster some day (lolkonami)

Rondo of Blood is, obviously, fantastic but I feel like it's only half of what it wanted to be. Like, if they could have made Symphony on the Turbo, they would have. But this was the best they could do. The branching paths are awesome, the multiple endings and I really like things like the double back jump and Richter's unique use of the weapons. I also like how the bosses often have one last attack as they're dying, which is vastly better for dramatic effect than crappy QTE deaths like in God of War or even Lords of Shadow. I'd even argue that it's probably the best on the list. But I just enjoy SC IV more.

Dracula X on SNES-LOL why bother? Other than the soundtrack, this is not a good version of Rondo.
 

Wachenroder

Galford's Poppy Trainer
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Damn Its been so long i cant even remember what part you guys are talking about. It really is time for me to revisit that game
 

FilthyRear

Neo-Geo.com's, Top Rated Bully.,
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Dracula X doesn't need to be compared to Rondo. It stands up well enough on its own.

It plays well enough, has a good soundtrack, has some nice effects... All of the hate I think is a little unfair.
 

BanishingFlatsAC

formerly DZ
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Dracula X doesn't need to be compared to Rondo. It stands up well enough on its own.

It plays well enough, has a good soundtrack, has some nice effects... All of the hate I think is a little unfair.

Agreed. When folks realise it's not supposed to be Rondo as ASiD mentioned, it's actually a pretty fun game and a good accomplishment on SNES hardware.
 

SouthtownKid

There are four lights
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Dracula X doesn't need to be compared to Rondo. It stands up well enough on its own.

It plays well enough, has a good soundtrack, has some nice effects... All of the hate I think is a little unfair.
This. Plus, I like the aesthetic of SFC XX better. Great effects, great music for a cart, better art.

Rondo's out of place, cutesy anime art fucking sucks. There, I said it.


SFC got Japan's top fantasy and horror novel cover artist to provide the art:

sfc-castlevania-dracula-xx-vampires-kiss-jp.jpg


Check out the fire effects from the first level:


SFC XX is an aesthetic masterpiece.


Meanwhile, PC-Engine had this shit:

hqdefault.jpg


Really...? That is Castlevania to you guys? Is he going to get in his robot later and form Blazing Sword? :rolleyes: PC-Engine Richter looks like he got straight A's in math. Fuck that guy.
 

ballzdeepx

Rugal's Secretary
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This. Plus, I like the aesthetic of SFC XX better. Great effects, great music for a cart, better art.

Rondo's out of place, cutesy anime art fucking sucks. There, I said it.


SFC got Japan's top fantasy and horror novel cover artist to provide the art:

sfc-castlevania-dracula-xx-vampires-kiss-jp.jpg


Check out the fire effects from the first level:


SFC XX is an aesthetic masterpiece.


Meanwhile, PC-Engine had this shit:

hqdefault.jpg


Really...? That is Castlevania to you guys? Is he going to get in his robot later and form Blazing Sword? :rolleyes: PC-Engine Richter looks like he got straight A's in math. Fuck that guy.

:lolz:

I'll give you the box art is way better but that's about where it ends man. Rondo shits on XX from a great height on the parts that matter. XX feels like a B dev team got the job and were given a bunch of recycled assets to play with.
 
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