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shadowrunxx
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Akumajo Dracula X: Gekka no Yasokyoku (1997)
I'm playing Symphony of the Night as I type
Castlevania Symphony of the Night is a 2D sidescroller developed and published by Konami in 1997. Its Japanese title is Akumajou Dracula X -Gekka no Yasokyoku meaning ("Demon Castle Dracula X-Nocturne in the Moonlight"). It's the 13th game of the Castlevania series and the first time on the PlayStation.It is a direct sequel to the Japan-only release Akumajou Dracula X Chi no Rondo for the Turbografx Turbo duo/Pc-Engine Super-CD(although I recall Konami releasing it here through special order).
Symphony of the Night is and will always be the best of the Castlevania series. It steered the series away from the standard level-by-level platforming formula of older titles and introduced the Super Metroid(SNES)style of open-ended game play mixed with RPG-like elements. Koji Igarashi was on the money when he put together this instant classic.
In 1998 Symphony of the Night was ported to the Sega Saturn with some extra features. This port was never released outside Japan.I own SOTN on the Saturn it is an awful port but I still love it.There are 2 areas of the castle (Cursed Prison and Underground Garden) which were not in the PS1 version. The Underground Garden area features a new boss, the Skeleton King and the Cursed Prison which holds a new Dagger.Maria is a boss/selectable character in this version.Richter got a new outfit and Running shoes are now available which helps out(there is a lot of slowdown).
The Sega 32X (known as the Sega Genesis 32X in the U.S., the Sega Super 32X in Japan, and the Sega Mega 32X in Europe and other PAL countries), in theory, contributed very little to the world of Castlevania. If you're reading this, I'd bet, you've probably never even heard of Castlevania The Bloodletting.The 32X was significant in this respect because Bloodletting's never having appeared in its library of games is perhaps one of the best things to ever happen to the series as a whole. To put it simply by appearing on the system, it would have gone down in flames with the 32X and would have thus become another in a long line of lost titles. This is something Konami couldn't possibly afford after the series' virtual disappearance between the time of Super Castlevania 4 and Bloodlines.
The sprites from the 32X verison were intragrated into the SOTN.The unused hero became Richter,Richter became the undead Trevor(Castlevania 3 NES)and Maria became Alucard(creepy huh).
On October 23 2007 the PSP got a remix of Rondo of blood(Dracula X)and a port of PSX Castlevania Symphony of the Night (with Maria/Maria boss battle).This is proof that SOTN still holds up through the ages.Play on!
Video Power (1990)
VideoPower rant
Seven Episodes have surfaced on Youtube so check them out.I was always too busy playing video games to watch T.V. but a video game show would have had my full attention,unfortunately video power was one of the few video game shows that reached Vegas.I always caught the end of the show usually at the mall part.I could have destroyed any of those contestants from the east side but New York was far,far away.The titles the kids would come back with were hilarious.Three copies of Batman,numerous copies of Bases loaded 2,backpacks,handgrips,Lots of Gameboy games but no Gameboy,one handed control sticks...for NES?,skateboards,the Immortal for anyone who wanted it,Battletoads(one of the hardest games ever made),and a NEO-GEO! A NEO-GEO was worth more than the whole mall.I'd bet it didn't come with a game.You could buy ten Nintendo games for the price of one NEO-GEO game,like on pimp my ride when the guests get their cars pimped they will regret it when a tire goes run-flat and find out how much the tires cost.Brutal.The Co host was this billy crystal wannabe,dressed from the 80's equipped with the overdone manly announcer voice would commentate the games and read off the prizes.There was also a guy with the guitar that never seemed to do anything but the host Johnny Arcade took the cake.Stivi Paskoski was the top of the overly enthusiastic teens on T.V. This dude was on coke or speed or coke and speed,talking about going back stage and having a bagel(code for snorting a line or a line in the shape of a bagel I'm guessing)He had predetermined guests who were the 90's finest. Johnny arcade was crazy when the kids were brought up on stage they were high fived,karate chopped ,made fun of,asked to lay down,poked at,hugged,it was ridiculous.What i did like was the atmosphere,Johnny Arcades' throne the "EdgeHog" surrounded by the dark,lit only by screens of random games,awesomeness which I want to replicate some day.Johnny Arcade would read the letters kids sent to him and if he liked it,you would,as punishment get "The Immortal".Good times.
(I wonder if Mickey Tveter still has any of those games?)