Dracula/Castlevania-JGC Series Overview-Part 1-1986-1989

Konami released Akumajou Dracula(Castlevania) in 1986 for the Famicom Disk System. The series would later go on to spawn countless sequels, many of them regarded as some of the finest examples of video games ever created. In this three-part feature, JGC takes a look at the games that helped propel Konami to the once mighty heights of gaming that it occupied during the 1980s and 1990s.

In Akumajou Dracula(AD), players take control of Simon Belmondo (Belmont in the US version) during the year 1691. Armed with a whip, Simon faces an endless array of horror-themed beasts and creepers. Most of us have at least played the first game in the series.

AD is tough as nails. Like many a Famicom/NES classic, the game will have players throwing down their control-pads in anger. Especially infamous in the boss battles with the Grim Reaper and Dracula himself. Making effective use of special weapons is key for survival. The Famicom Disk System version has a notable save feature compared to the NES version and later Famicom cartridge release. There is simply little else to say about the first game in the series. While it lacks some of polish of later games, AD is a must-play for anyone looking to get into the series.

In development at the same time as the FDS original, an entirely different version of Akamajou Dracula was released for the MSX2 computer in 1986. Known as Vampire Killer in Europe and South America, the game took a very different approach to the original. See the JGC review (January 2016) for more about this odd-duck of a game.

In 1987, Konami followed up the immensely successful AD/Castlevania with its sequel. Dracula II: Noroi no Fuin took a very different approach from the first game. Incorporating much more of an RPG feel, the drastic shift in gameplay turned off some people who had enjoyed the first game. With its cryptic puzzles and item collection, the game presented different challenges than the first game. Rather than being outright difficult, the game was more challenging in terms of navigating the cryptic and confusing puzzles. Still a polarizing game, most gamers either love it or hate it.

Dracula/Castlevania II did warrant enough success for the series to continue on. Perhaps the most important element of the game was the introduction of "Bloody Tears" as one of the main songs to repeat throughout the series. Composed by Kenichi Matsubara, the piece is gorgeous and haunting, even coming from the 8-bit chip of the Famicom/NES.

Konami tried their hand at releasing an arcade version of Akamajou Dracula in 1988. Known as Haunted Castle outside of Japan, the game is largely forgotten today. Featuring six stages and bosses, the game is a quarter-munching monster. A very challenging game, it has some great visuals and compositions. However, the game is very short and shallow compared to main entries in the series. A PS2 port of the game was released in Japan, however, the main way to play the game is via emulation for most people.

Released to Nintendo's new Game Boy in 1989, Dracula Densetsu (Castlevana: The Adventure) sought to bring the whip-crashing action of its larger console brothers to the pint-sized machine. A mixed bag, the game is more famous for its memorable music rather than gameplay. With limited graphics and no sub-weapons, many found DD quite dull compared to the main games in the series. A remake would later make its way to Nintendo's WiiWare platform.

The 8-bit era of Dracula/Castlevania would come to a close with a bang. Akumajo Densetsu (Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse) was a perfect close to the original trilogy of 8-bit games. Featuring some of the best graphics and sound on Nintendo's 8-bit console, the game has been met with nearly universal acclaim since its original release. For the Japanese release, the game even contained a special Konami sound-chip that added two extra channels of sounds into the mix. For most people, the Famicom version of the game sounds much more gritty and dark. In addition to better sounds, the Famicom version also contained some special sprite animations, partial nudity, and some different backgrounds. For most, the Famicom version is seen as superior to the NES release. Today, it is one of most sought-after Famicom carts and is rather pricey.

Akumajo Densetsu made use of branching paths to add more depth to this entry. In addition to hero Ralph Belmondo, players could take control of several other characters such as Alucard, Grant and Sypha. Each character brought different abilities. For example, Alucard has the power of flight. With some very challenging boss battles, planning which character to use can be an important part of strategy in this game. While difficult, Akumajo Densetsu is a very rewarding game with great music, graphics, and mechanics. As an interesting note, the game has been causing problems for NES/Famicom clone consoles for years, refusing to work due to its complex use various hardware components.

Virtual On-JGC Series Overview

Released to arcades in 1995, Sega's Virtual On was a fairly revolutionary game at the time. Despite its relative popularity, the game is somewhat forgotten today and the series has not seen an entry in over a decade. Let's take a look back to the 1990's, a time when Sega ruled the arcades with innovative and fresh arcade games that were consistently ported home to the new Saturn console. 

Showing off the power of the then-new "Model 2" arcade hardware, Virtual On was a graphical tour-de-force. After sitting down in your cockpit, arcade players would take control of two sticks to pilot a wide array of different mecha to pilot. The intense fun of the game came from the use of "twin sticks" that the player would use to pilot the mecha(Virtuaroids). In an arena, players would compete to destroy each other's Virtuaroids within the set time-limit. The game provided endless amount of fun. The mechs have homing missiles, lazer swords, among many other weapon types. design was also great. For fans of anime, the characters will surely be appealing.  

By today's standards, the blocky polygonal graphics are rather crude and elementary. However, twenty years ago, this game looked great. Sega's Model 2 was setting arcades on fire with games like Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtual On. Looking past the dated visuals, the core game-play remains top-notch. If you are lucky enough to find a machine (Cineplex in Bowmanville Ontario still has a VO machine working!!!), give it a shot. You will surely find yourself pumping quarters into one of these huge machines. 

Virtual On came home to the Sega Saturn in 1996. Although we never got the twin stick peripheral outside of Japan, the conversion was still quite fun. Even with less graphical detail and no twin stick, I remember playing the game for hours on end with my friends during 1996. The game is fairly cheap today (not the twin stick). Any Sega fan should pick up a copy if you have no played it. 

In 1998, a much-awaited sequel to Virtual On would arrive to arcades with Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram. Based on the Sega Model 3, the game looked great. Gone were the blocky and chunky polygons, replaced with the smooth and fluid animations the new Model 3 was churning out. A variety of new virtuaroids were added to the roster as well. To date, I have yet to see a OT machine in arcades. Several revisions of the game were released to arcades, including an upgraded version based on Sega successor to the Model 3, the Sega Naomi. 

Oratorio Tangram would arrive home to Japanese Dreamcasts in 1999. Once again, Japan would see a twin stick peripheral come home for purchase. Like the Saturn stick, these are quite rare items today and go for big bucks. For the rest of us, playing OT on the Dreamcast without the sticks was far less enjoyable than on the Saturn. While a number of different control options were available, the awkward (in my opinion) layout and feel of the DC pad was very detrimental to my OT experience. I would still love to get a DC twin stick to properly experience OT in all of its glory. 

Since its 1998 release to arcades, OT has found life on many other platforms. A popular game on both Xbox Live and PCs, many players still prefer OT as their Virtual On of choice. VOOT, as it is called in its community, even had very pricey twin sticks released for the Xbox 360. A recent survey by Sega of Japan found that VOOT is the most widely played entry in the series, even today. Despite this, I much prefer the Saturn original. 

Fans of the series eagerly awaited Sega's next move. For fans outside of Japan, it would be a long and crushing wait. Released in Japan only, Virtua On "Force" would arrive to Japanese arcades in 2001. Based on the Sega Hikaru (and upgraded Naomi), the game used teams of two instead of one-on-one combat in past entries in the series. 

Despite some favorable reviews and reception, the game was never released outside of Japan. A region-free Xbox 360 port was released in 2010. However, few outside of Japan have actually played the game, myself included. 

A final game would see release on the PS2 in 2003. The game sold quite poorly and was released in fairly limited quantities. Scrapping the four-play action of "Force" with two-player split-screen, many players saw the game as a cannibalized port of "Force". Keeping most the same character and stage design, it included a sort of "story" mode that many players responded to quite negatively. A PS3 version of the game would arrive in 2013. After Force and Marz, the series has basically lied dormant since the early 2000's. With no future games planned, the future of Virtual On remains uncertain. 

Despite the series being a commercial "dead duck", Virtual On lives on with a rabid fan-following. Today, many online tournaments are frequently held on Xbox Live and other online services. In Japan, players can find several annual tournaments such as "God's Garden" that attract a fairly large amount of players.

Panasonic 3DO-JGC Retrospective

The Panasonic 3DO (and Sanyo, and Goldstar) was an innovative piece of technology that never really hit the right mark. Conceived by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins, the 3DO was at least memorable in many regards. While it may be a curiosity today, the system has some hidden gems that beg to be explored.

Released in 1993 in the U.S. and 1994 in Japan, excitement for the console was initially quite high among gamers.

Despite the initial buzz around the new console, sales were slow. A very high price (around $700 U.S.) was an immense barrier for those wishing to buy one. Even more expensive than the Neo Geo, the console struggled to find a market. However, the 3DO did boast some notable features. As one of the first 32-bit consoles, it offered great graphics, CD-ROM capabilities, on-board memory for saving, MPEG video (with an add-on), and S-video. As a premium console, it did appeal to buyers that wanted something a cut above the SNES/SFC and Genesis/Mega Drive. Unlike the Neo Geo, the software was fairly competitive in terms of pricing.




Around the world, the 3DO struggled to find a true killer app that would define its existence. For the West, games like "Need for Speed", "Gex", and several futuristic racers were more suited to American tastes. In Japan, with its more discerning tastes, many of these games failed to find an audience. The Japanese 3DO library is mostly a mix of FMV. digital comic, and puzzle-style games. Ports of games such as Night Trap and Policenauts were common on the system. Far from being a smash, the 3DO struggled to find its niche in a competitive market.

Despite struggling to produce a hit, the 3DO did have some games that would gain some fame. Of note was the game "D" produced by WARP. In the 1990's, WARP and designer Kenji Eno became famous for their warped (pun intended) "D" series of games. Although "D" was later released on both the Saturn and Playstation, it was initially released on the 3DO. Despite the game aging fairly poorly today, "D" was met with mostly positive acclaim upon its release.

Another famed 3DO released was the only home console version (at least at the time) of Super Street Fighter 2 X (known as Super Street Figther 2 Turbo in the West). A great port of the last version (not including hyper) of SF2, the game convinced quite a few people to buy a 3DO. Also, a stellar port of Samurai Spirits (Samurai Shodown) was released on the console. A bizarre Sailor Moon fighting game also exists for the platform.

For fans of Japanese games, the 3DO had little to offer. Despite the above mentioned games, very few AAA Japanese games found their way to the platform. One exception was "Sword and Sorcery". Known as "Lucienne's Quest" outside of Japan, the JRPG is one of the most desirable games on the platform. Developed by Micro Cabin, many see the game as one of the reasons to seek out a 3DO.

Despite selling very modestly in Japan and the U.S., several models of the 3DO were released in its lifetime. Panasonic would succeed the FZ-1 (top-left) with the FZ-10 (bottom-left) in 1994/95. Other models exist by Korean company Goldstar (top-right) and Sanyo (bottom-right). These models are fairly hard to find today, especially the Sanyo models. Unlike other consoles of the time, 3DO was merely a hardware specification, which allowed other companies to licence the console for production. Unfortunately, this kept costs high and would help seal the fate of the 3DO by 1995/96.

The 3DO was killed by a combination of its high-price, lack of AAA software, and increased competition of the mighty PlayStation and even the Saturn.Like the Atari Jaguar, the 3DO occupies a weird place between the 16-bit consoles and 32-bit consoles. Despite its less than stellar software library, I do enjoy playing my FZ-1 from time to time. The console is fairly cheap today (although it is going up), as are most games ($15-25). The M2 was a planned successor to the 3DO and almost made it to production in 1997/1998. However, the system was abruptly cancelled and remains a "what if" possibility despite prototypes being completed.

PC Engine-Kabuki Ittou Ryoudan-Review

Released for the PC Engine CD-Rom in 1995, Kabuki Ittou Ryoudan was the second fighting game based on Kabuki, one of the main characters from the "Far East of Eden" series of RPGs released by Hudson Soft in the early 1990's. One of the last releases for the console, it made use of the "Arcade Card" expansion. The game is rarely discussed outside of Japan, but is actually a decent fighter. Let's take a look at a possible lost classic.

In the game, you take control of a fairly typical ancient Japanese fighter. Besides Kabuki himself, you can choose between various warriors, geisha-type female fighters, strongmen, and warrior types. Character design is fairly nice, and the sprites are fairly big and detailed, making use of the added memory from the Arcade Card. Backgrounds are also quite vivid, with eye-catching colours. All in all, the game looks quite nice and stretches the aging (at the time) PC Engine quite well.




Controls are easy to get a hang of. Fireball motions will generally produce a special move. Each character has a variety of these moves to master, just like any other 1990's fighter. If you only have a two-button PC Engine controller, the controls for this game can present some problematic issues. Like Street Fighter 2 for the PCE, you must press a button on the PCE pad to switch between kicks and punches. While this can be annoying, it forces you to think ahead in terms of move placement.

The game is quite easy to beat, and should take about 20-30 minutes to get through. I did not die once during my first play through. Real fun will come from the vs. mode,provided that you have a multi-tap for your PCE. While the game may be a fairly typical 1990's fighter, fans of the series and anime in general will enjoy characters from the series, catchy music, and some decent play-ability.

Score: 8/10

The History of the Sega Saturn--JGC Special Feature

Largely dismissed in the West as an epic failure, the Sega Saturn enjoyed healthy success in its native Japan during the 1990's. Perhaps more than any other console, the Saturn saw a number of games never make it to Western shores. The import Saturn scene today has finally started to take off as the console is finally getting the respect it deserves outside of Japan. In this feature, JGC will take a look back at one of Sega's most misunderstood efforts.

Development of the Saturn started in 1992, in Japan. Partnering with Hitachi, the Saturn ended up using a complex CPU/Video architecture as a response to the looming threat of the 3D capabilities of Sony's Playstation. Notoriously difficult to program, much has been said of the "sub-par" 3D capabilities of the Saturn. With 3D gaming driving much of the gaming market in the 1990's, this perhaps explains some of the Saturn's struggles in Western markets.   The release of the Saturn was also hampered by Sega's recent release of the 32X. A dismal failure in the West and abroad, the 32X alienated Sega fans who were forced to purchase an expensive add-on that was quickly killed in the Saturn's wake.

Despite the difficulties surrounding the release of the Saturn, Sega released the console to Japanese homes in November of 1994. At a cost of over 45,000 yen, the CD-based console was quite expensive, even for the time. With an arcade-perfect port of Virtua Fighter (a big game at the time) and the revolutionary IP Panzer Dragoon, sales of the Saturn were brisk during the 1994 and early 1995. However, the massive onslaught of Sony's Playstation would damper the prospects of Sega's new console, especially outside of Japan. Despite the challenges, the Saturn would hold its own at home by finding a niche that would almost define its existence.

Much has been said of the Saturn's 2D capabilities. The Saturn would truly show its strength in this area of gaming. Nearly arcade-perfect ports would soon arrive in the dozens. SNK brawlers such as Samurai Spirits 3 and 4, the King of the Fighters 95-97, and many other SNK games would be released on the system. From Capcom, many of the VS. series would arrive nearly perfect from the arcade. All three versions of Street Fighter Zero/Alpha arrived on both the PS and Saturn. However, and fan of 2D fighters will tell you of the superior Saturn versions.

Much of this 2D horsepower came from the release of RAM expansion carts. Initially, a 1MB cart was released for us with most SNK games. Ports of Metal Slug, KOF, and Samurai Spirits/Real Bout made use of these 1MB carts. Capcom preferred using a 4MB cart, which allowed even more in the way of sprites. 2D fans will only a Playstation drooled over the wonderful ports the Saturn got at the time. Despite the technical benefits of these carts, they were never officially released in North America or Europe (except a KOF 95 ROM cart in PAL regions). For us North American and European Saturn owners at the time, we could only watch as wondrous ports never made it to our living rooms.

Despite being overtaken by the Playstation in 1995, sales of the Saturn in Japan were steady through the late 1990's. The same cannot be said in the West. In North America, Sega of America localized only a tiny fraction of the great games that were being released in Japan. Classics such as Radiant Silvergun, Princess Crown, Shinning Force III (parts 2 and 3), and most of the SNK and Capcom 2D fighters were never released here. Sega placed a distant 3rd in North America as the PS and N64 soon slaughtered it. Today, North American releases are highly expensive and collectible due to rarity.

With the U.S./PAL Saturn dead in the water by 1997, Japanese Sega fans were left alone to wait for the release of the Dreamcast in 1998.A beautiful white Saturn was released in 1995 to replace the uglier grey model. Besides colour, the white Saturn was basically identical to the model 2 Saturn released in the West. Featuring one of the best game-pads of all time, I much prefer this model of Saturn. Despite declining sales, Sega managed to sell around 5 million consoles in Japan

Some of the Saturn's greatest games would be released in its twilight years. Azel (Panzer Dragoon Saga), Magic Knight Rayearth, Sonic R, Burning Rangers, and Radiant Silvergun (among many others) kept the system going strong into 1998 and the release of the Dreamcast. Despite its lack of Western success, the Saturn is in high-demand today from hardcore gamers. A true gem of a console, I do not share the belief that it was a failure. For original owners of the console such as myself, it always had more to offer than was released outside of Japan. It just took a big of digging.