 September 26, 1986 (22 years ago): Akumajo Dracula is released in Japan.
Alternative names: Castlevania, Demon Castle Dracula.
Consoles: Initially Famicom Disc System and MSX2 in Japan, later NES and others.
Heavily influencing the platformer genre in the late 80's, this vampire-themed game is one of Konami's most famous series. The original game is about some Simon Belmont, who disliked vampires for whatever reason, and particularly wanted to destroy Dracula (every vampire hunter's dream). Using his whip along with other awesome weapons (including a Bible and a flying cross), Simon battled through hordes of Dracula's minions in a demonic castle (hence the title), occasionally stumbling upon an angry horror movie cliche as a boss fight.
Throughout the sequels, gameplay underwent significant changes. RPG-type features were introduced in Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, and removed in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse. The RPG elements were brought back about ten years later, although in a different form, for one of the most popular titles in the series, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. A surprise PlayStation hit during the era of 3D games, two-dimensional Symphony featured a completely reworked art style (influenced by Gothic and Baroque styles) and complete exploration freedom.
The franchise went on to make at least 24 (!) video games, with a couple more to be released soon. A motion picture based on the games was also promised, but after 3 years of planning, multiple script revisions, and a writers' strike, this possibility is somewhat dim.
Well, any classic Nintendo NES fan will know that, like other consoles, the NES has its own number of sports games, such as Slalom, and 10 - Yard Fight by Nintendo. There are even games from third parties such as Tecmo's Tecmo Bowl and Super Bowl. One in particular, Ice Hockey, is the one that I will be reviewing here. Starting off, you will notice the cartridge and box art are different than most Nintendo sports titles. Most come in the black boxes that we've all seen at one time or another. Strangely, Ice Hockey comes in a bright blue box with a picture of some random ice hockey player. This is the only Nintendo sports title that hasn't had the cartoony style characters on the box and cart.
Now, as you first boot up the game, you are treated to some quite cheerful music and some small hockey players on the screen. Like most NES games, Ice Hockey has the option of either 1 or 2 players. As you press start on the controller, you get a screen of several options. On this screen, you get to choose your team (USA, Canada, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, and Poland), your opponent's team, the speed of the game, and the length of the game, ranging from 7, 10, and 15 minutes. The last thing that you will set up before the game begins, is the setup of your team. You choose which type of players will be on your team. Once all of the options are selected, the match can begin.
As the game begins, you will start out at center ice to battle for the puck. The gameplay mostly relies on being able to pass the puck, shoot, and how you selected your team. From the get-go, none of the teams have a statistical advantage over the others. Before the game, each team has five players (a stocky player, 2 average players, and a skinny player). The stocky players are the best at shooting and bowling over other players (which is pretty entertaining), the average players are average all around, and finally, the skinny ones are the fastest but tend to be the ones that get bowled over the most often. Also, each team has a goaltender as well. The controller only controls the player that is selected, but it will also control the goaltender no matter which one is selected. Fights can also ensue, and will continue until the ref stops it and sends the starter to the penalty box. Goals can be kind of hard to achieve at times, but when you do score one, it is damn satisfying! One other thing to note is that, when the game is paused, the pause sound is the same pause sound from Super Mario Bros.!
As you can see, this is one of the greatest sports titles to be released on the NES, and is personally one of my favorite nes games of all time. I'll give this game a 9/10
 This week is special for a lot of us. Families are getting together to remember everything they're thankful for, a good meal, some board games with the cousins, or some good shopping deals. The anticipation for that turkey to come out of the oven is great. Well, what better game to feature than Anticipation for the NES?! I know it's not one of the best NES games (nor is it in the top 100 most likely), but I felt that this was a great time to feature it! It plays like a board game on your TV. Read the review for my take.
Our featured image is from Family Feud on the SNES. As I sit here watching a little TV, I see that Family Feud is on reruns right now. It's starring that Al guy from Home Improvement. It's basically the exact same show as 30 years ago. Pretty amazing that it's still around in a similar form (...please, please return Wheel of Fortune to it's simpler, better days without hundreds of bonuses and crap quick puzzles).
Our featured hardware is the new Nintendo Wii glove from Nintendo themselves. Maybe the TV market will start to die off since they may not be throwing their WiiMotes mindlessly. Nevermind...people still will.
The featured collection is from shaggy. Shaggy works extremely hard to keep his collection clean, organized, and complete. I think he's slowly compiling a great collection!
Everyone, please have a safe, happy, and wonderful holiday. Remember everyone that is in your life to allow you to eat that turkey this Thursday. And when you've eaten your fill, come over to RFG to talk it up!
 Now if your a diehard Nintendo fan or overzealous purist with a Zapper shoved so far up your ass that you view famiclones as unclean, stop reading, nothing for you to see here  . If your a gamer, consumer and collector who has a significant investment in Nintendo hardware and wishes to preserve said hardware for years to come while enjoying the games you own, then read on, this may be of interest to you.
Although I usually consider myself an advocate of playing games on original hardware, I realize that the older NES's and SNES's become, the less chance they can be found for reasonable prices and/or in working order. Sure you can find them now, but what about in another 10 years? 20? 30? Hell I'm a young man..... 40 or 50 even!!
I've dabbled in emulation for over 10 years now. More for the curiosity of running a game in an unorthodox environment and experimenting with enhancements than any actual gameplay or as a viable platform for classic gaming. So I was well aware of the drawbacks of these "Nintendo on a chip" alternatives and the sacrifices made when using them. But I've also been aware of the advantages to a gamer and a collector who wishes to continue playing these games for many years to come.
I'm sure many of you have read the reviews, opinions and bashings of gamers and collectors from all over the world who have bought Items such as the Tristar 64, the Super 8, Messiah's Generation NEX, the various Yobo famiclones and various others. Now that the hardware patents have expired for the original hardware the market has dramatically increased over the last few years. All the while so has the quality and performance of these clones.
While I have my share of extra systems sitting in storage, I've long contemplated one of these for my daily gaming needs. Something I can beat around and not worry about maintenance, cleaning etc while I enjoy my games. Years had passed and I still just couldn't bring myself to pick one of these things up and before I knew it, CIB NES's and SNES's began to skyrocket in price. Have you searched eBay lately for a boxed NES or SNES in mint shape? You really should. It's less the market for nostalgic gamers and more for the enterprising seller with inflated prices, shady wording and uncertainty as to a system's true working condition. Or head to a flea market or average game specialty store and prepare to pay through the nose for one that may have a cheap replacement pin connector that will bend if you look at it sideways. Mind you it's not always the case but it is a common occurence.
So when I heard that Yobo released the FC Twin it was like "uh-huh, another famiclone." Then I found out it played both NES and SNES games. That piqued my interest. I waited many months watching the prices fall on these, reading user reviews etc etc. Just when it was beginning to fade from my thoughts I walked into a local game store and saw a brand new one sitting there, mint, cheap and beckoning me. Not usually such an impulsive buyer I found myself heading home with a FC Twin under my arm excited about the prospect of saving space in my shelves with a 2-in-1 and having something that doesn't require swabs and alcohol or Mr. Clean Magic Erasers every time I use it.
 So I guess I'll give you a rundown of what I do and don't like about the FC Twin. Maybe it'll help some of you on the fence about buying one, maybe it'll squash rumors or exaggerated accounts of what these are and aren't capable of, in any case here goes:
What I don't like:
- Can't use NES controllers or accessories (incompatible ports).
- AC adapter has a short cord (at least I think so).
- Usual incompatibility problems with a small number of games found with these clones.
- No eject button.
What I do like:
- Small footprint (size of a SNES 2) and available in different colours.
- Plays both NES and SNES games, SNES games are nearly flawless.
- Compatible with genuine SNES controllers
- Very reasonably priced as an alternative to buying two different systems.
- Has composite jacks (Yellow, Red, White) built in.
- The two controllers it comes with are surprisingly well made and work well.
Now don't mis-interpret my message here. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy or use genuine hardware. I'm saying if your like me and wish to preserve the Nintendo hardware you own and could use a legal, yes legal space saver, or prefer playing real cartridges as opposed to downloadable games, this can be a great alternative. To be honest I'd prefer a Generation NEX, but until they come out with a SNES clone or a 2-in-1, the FC Twin sits proudly beside my Sega Master System and my Sega Genesis as my Nintendo equivalent 8 and 16 bit gaming platform.
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Posted on Oct 29th 2007 at 09:01:34 AM by ( Mezmoron) Posted under Site News, Bionic Commando, Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy, NES, NGage, justabum, Acclaim, Wireless, Controller, Splendiferous |
 This week's features start out with a well made game from the Nintendo Entertainment System library. Bionic Commando is a game that most NES fans have played and enjoyed. It has a neat concept where you cannot jump. Instead, you use your bionic arm (a la Inspector Gadget style) to move from platform to platform. Not only does it help you move, the arm also attacks enemies and grabs items from a distance. Overall, a great game for a cheap price.
The featured image this week is from a system that not many of us bothered with. The Nokia NGage's Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Team Stealth Action. The gun on the art is pointed right at your head, or possibly at the head of the guy standing over your left shoulder! Ack!
Our featured hardware is for the Double Player Wireless Head-to-Head System by Acclaim. What does that long title suggest? 2 wireless controllers. I know, not as exciting as the original title, but trust me, these controllers we awesome! Not very many third party controllers can stand up to the original, but these do the trick.
The featured collection is that of justabum's. He has a very impressive NES complete in box collection that looks like it's nearing completion. It must have cost a ton of money, or possibly just great trading. Send him a messege! Maybe he has something you're looking for or maybe you have something that he values.
Well, that's it for this week. It's time for me to get back to work. Until next time, keep it tuned in to channel 3 here at the wonderful, splendiferous RFG.
(The writer of this article takes any and all responsibility for harm that the word 'splendiferous' may have caused to the reader.)
 Venerable classic Legend of Kage is finally going to get a sequel after 20 years according to an article found via Kotaku. Taito has decided to revisit the Nintendo Entertainment System classic and bring a new game to the Nintendo DS.
Little information has been released so far but it's been said there will be at least 30 different skills to acquire and will make full use of the dual screens.
A banner year for 2D gaming on the DS. A new Sonic, Contra, and now this. I'm starting to get the feeling that a trend will continue for NES remakes that will sway many more classic gamers into buying a DS.
Check out the official site (in Japanese) for plenty more artwork and screenshots:
http://www.gpara.com/comi...soon/kage2/0903/index.php
RF Generation Legend of Kage gamepage:
http://www.rfgeneration.c...nfo.pl?ID=U-027-S-03670-A
Original source article courtesy of Kotaku:
http://kotaku.com/gaming/...gic-back-to-ds-296851.php
 This week, it's time to bring out the big gun!
Our featured game this week is Super Mario Bros. 3! A favorite for many, many gamers. Maybe it is because we all grew up with this game, maybe it is because it is just stellar in every way, or maybe it is because of the silly plumber that we have all been trained to see as the poster boy of Nintendo.
Honestly, I think the answer is in all three. This is a game we grew up playing, it is a wonderful game from nearly every angle, and it does star the famous poster boy Mario. That aside, in Super Mario Bros. 3, you take on the role of Mario to defeat the evil Koopa King Bowser and his friends. With many more abilities than in the previous games, you have to be quicker, smarter, and more cunning than ever before! Check this game out if you haven't already. If you haven't, I feel sorry for you.
Our featured image comes from the Nintendo DS's Cars. This is a cute game full of races and mini-games. It is obviously based on the wildly popular Disney/Pixar movie. How could I not pick this image? Look at the car. He's so cuuuuuute! Well, my wife thinks so anyway.
Our featured hardware is in my opinion, terrible. The Turbo Touch 360 for the SNES is so hard to use, not sensitive, and not comfortable. Disagree with me? Let me know!
Lastly, our featured collection is from jtaylor. The collection may be small, but they definitely have some great games (including our featured game)! I bet our featured collection's owner has some great stories about where some of these games came from. Send him a message and find out!
Well, that's it for now folks. In the meantime, send checks payable to me and keep it tuned to channel 3!
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