61 Frames Per Second : castlevania 3

Virtual Console New Year's Resolutions

Bob Mackey — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Inevitably, any post you read anywhere about Virtual Console releases is going to contain some passive-aggressive bitching about what's still not available on Nintendo's digital download service. But I'm not saying that I don't do it, or that it's not undeserved; we're currently in the third year of weekly releases, and there are still some pretty big gaps in the Virtual Console library. So, as a public service to Nintendo, I've decided to offer some suggestions for titles we definitely want to see released on the Virtual Console in 2009; for my sake, consider them New Year's Resolutions. It was the easiest framing device to come up with for this concept.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - The much-maligned Majora's Mask is the bastard son of the Legend of Zelda franchise; released just when PS2 fever was at its most insane levels, this installment in one of Nintendo's most-beloved series left a bad taste in the mouths of gamers who really just wanted to play more Ocarina of Time. But those who were so quick to judge the time mechanic and oppressive atmosphere of Majora's didn't stick around to find out that it was just the kind of shake-up the Zelda series needed. So far, the only way to play it on the Wii is through a buggy Zelda collection disc bundled with GameCubes circa 2003; and really, I think it's time for a modern audience to get their mitts on this game.

(Incidentally, I love this game so much that I did a gushing write-up about it over on GameSpite. I'm not one to pimp my non-61FPS writing here, but it's really one my most favorite things I've written.)

Super Punch-Out - With Nintendo's unveiling of a new Punch-Out last fall, there's never been a better time to build up hype for a popular series that's only really had two installments. I'm sure that Super Punch-Out sold well back on the SNES, but it's a mostly forgotten title I'm forced to annoy everyone about whenever a discussion about the awesomeness of the original Punch-Out comes up. While the original Punch-Out might be a little more fun as a pick-up-and-play kind of thing, its bigger brother is actually a better game; the dash of complexity added to the SNES sequel builds upon the pattern recognition of the original for a more challenging experience. Plus, you get to beat up a clown.

Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse - Seeing Castlevania III on the VC in 2009 is a very likely proposition; we've already seen I, II, and IV, so it only makes sense that Nintendo would want to fill in the gaps. It's probably the best traditional Castlevania game next to Rondo of Blood--which really should be released on the VC as well--and one of the few old-school CVs I can play without wanting to murder the world. Like I said, it's very likely that we're going to see this game released on the VC in 2009, but it never hurts to nag.

Earthbound - You all knew this was coming. The fact that piracy is the only real way to play any of the Mother games these days is a modern-day tragedy the likes of which Shakespeare had never seen. Many have predicted that writer Shigesato Itoi's royalties on Earthbound may stop us from seeing the game released in the States again; after all, the Earthbound "demo" was cut out of the American version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for what was assumed to be monetary reasons. Listen, Nintendo: I don't care if we have to personally PayPal Itoi his royalty money in order to unlock the game. Just let us play it! You're only driving Mother fans further into their already-disturbing insanity.

Related Links:

Virtual Console: Now the Best Thing Ever
Boogerman: Too Immature for Children
Sweet Sassy Molassey! Super Mario RPG on the Virtual Console

Castlevania Fighting Game Elicits Anguished Moans From the Living

Nadia Oxford — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Looks like the August issue of Nintendo Power is full of thrills and chills. The news about Mega Man 9 being developed in an 8-bit style brings the thrills, whereas a baffling preview of a Castlevania fighting game for the Wii is bringing the chills.

Not the good kind of chills that you got when you first played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, mind you. These are the bad, feverish chills with the pained moaning and cold sweat.

When fans heard that a Castlevania game was in production for the Wii, there were all sorts of half-depraved fantasies involving the Wii remote and hot whipping action. The death of a potentially cool idea is only half the reason fans are disgruntled: the other half lies with the character re-designs. Castelvania's popular character designer, Ayami Kojima, is stepping aside this time to make way for none other than Takeshi Obata. Obata is famous for his work on the famous Death Note manga series, which goes a long way to explaining why Simon Belmont looks like (to quote my husband) L dressed Mello's skin-tight leather, appropriate Catholic memorabilia included.

As a hardcore Castlevania fan, I'm not irritated by Konami's latest, uh, decision. I am certainly intrigued, but not as angry as some. There's a general cry in the community of, "We didn't ask for this!" No we didn't, but we didn't ask for a game featuring Mario characters putting around in go-karts, either.

I also look forward to explaining the existence of a Castlevania fighting game to my mother. She hasn't played games since the Super Nintendo era, but she remembers well Castlevania III and I recently took ten minutes to explain to her why Alucard wears high heels now.

The Ten Greatest Fire Levels in Gaming History, Part 1

Peter Smith — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:30:00 GMT

Videogame designers have found a great deal of inspiration in elemental dichotomies. Wood versus stone, wind versus lightning, ice versus fire — these natural conflicts are excellent bases for compelling environments and rich atmospheres. What better than tangible extremes like hot and cold to convey a sense of place to a player? To celebrate the imminent arrival of summer, 61 Frames Per Second is going hot with our first top-ten list, looking at the greatest fire levels in gaming history. If you're sweating, don't worry — we'll get to ice soon enough. — John Constantine

Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts — Crucible of Flame

Nobody would subject themselves to the brutally difficult Ghosts 'n Goblins series if the games didn't feature Capcom's usual immaculate production values. Dying a hundred times in Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts' third stage, the Crucible of Flame (and you will) is made marginally more bearable by the brooding music (forever seared in my brain after a misspent youth) and the characteristically idiosyncratic twist on the usual "fire level" theme: instead of a generic inferno, the Crucible of Flame finds you in some kind of metallurgical hell. The stage has a lot of character; as fire levels go, it's more of an oozing, molten nightmare than a pyrotechnic fun fair. (In fact, some would say there's nothing fun about it.) A word of warning: it only gets worse from here. — Peter Smith

Dracula X: Rondo of Blood — Dinner of Flames

The games in the original Castlevania trilogy all open with scenes of civilization. In the original, Simon Belmont approaches Dracula's titular castle via a gate on a road. The second finds Simon in the town of Jova, and Simon's ancestor Trevor passes through Wallachia Town and a cathedral at the opening of the third. All of these places feel oppressed by evil but, even when full of monsters, they've got a lurking malevolence. They're not overtly violent. The opening stage of Dracula X: Rondo of Blood, Dinner of Flames, is a different story entirely. Veros — a town neighboring Jova in Castlevania 2, for a nice garnish of continuity — is literally burning to the ground around Richter Belmont while the metal chords of "Divine Bloodlines" play in the background. The flames don't directly affect your passage here. They do, however, make the stage completely fucking sweet. — JC

F- Zero — Fire Field

When F-Zero first came out, its sense of speed was awesome, and nowhere more than in its ultimate track, Fire Field. If you made it through the fourteen previous tracks, you might — just might — have the skill to make it through this godless collection of hairpin turns, speed traps and exploding mines. The soundtrack matched the intensity of the track layout, with one of the game's most memorable hard-rock grooves. Some would argue that the "fieryness" of Fire Field is purely incidental, with no direct relevance to gameplay. But as a thought experiment, imagine Fire Field as a frozen wonderland, or a barren ocean. Not quite the same. No, there's a distinctly combustive quality to this level, as any King League veteran would be quick to tell you. — PS

Click here for Part 2.
Click here for Part 3.