Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES) James & Mike Mondays

James and Mike playthrough Castlevania II: Simon's Quest for NES
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[@JamesNintendoNerd]

Check out Mike's Top 20 favorite NES games at mikematei.blog

[@Captain_Obvious_Says]

Cinemassacre Mike put me on JMM

[@gamesandmoviesentertainmen4259]

Awesome COOL James❗️❗️❗️❗️❗️★★★★★★★★

[@kennybaierl2987]

Hey just a heads up, those moving blocks (up and down) to get the highest jump, wait until the blocks are at their highest peak. Itll launch you higher.

[@doctorx0079]

Remember, Castlevania II is GOD, compared to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

[@doctorx0079]

Now finish Deadly Towers. :)

[@boblabinne]

You can't deny that Simon Quest, has one of the best soundtrack of the NES library.

[@damiensteele7663]

Sony Lebeau Like Mike mentions, the soundtrack and atmosphere are great. In those two aspects, it's the best of the 3 NES Castlevania games.

[@matohibiki]

That's why there's so many different covers of Bloody Tears. Check out 'The Belmonts' for some fantastic examples, if you're interested.

[@jeremyjamesdewitt]

This is one of my favorite Castlevania games due to it being non-linear and that AMAZING soundtrack!

[@g40rc378]

Check out the music differences in the Famicom disc version - Bloody Tears = bloody ears

[@EvilApple567]

+Jay Mac Nah, Castlevania 3 has by far the best music.

[@oldaccount409]

I love how they refer to the avgn character as “the nerd” as if he’s a person that they know.

[@subzero8679]

Multiple personality disorder

[@evilswissy]

James is gonna have a burial next to his just for the nerd

[@ozmond]

Sub Zero well it’s a character so kind of

[@handsomebrick]

@@subzero8679 The Strange Case of Doctor Rolfe and Mr. Nerd

[@zebdawson3687]

That’s literally what actors do though, they aren’t the character they’re playing (sorry if I spoiled that for you, that the character and the actor playing the character aren’t the same person). Robert Downey Jr. refers to Iron Man as “Tony” not “me” or “myself” because he’s literally Robert Downey Jr. not Tony Stark. It’s the reason we can have an actor play a villain and not have them arrested in real life for the crimes the villain character committed. I get that it’s a really hard concept to grasp for people who think movie and video game characters are real, but that’s the reality of the world you live in, bud. Sorry to shatter that illusion for you guys.... but I’m even more sorry that I had to point this out, that’s sad as fuck, boys.

[@DrewPicklesTheDark]

I love the butterfly effect discussion in the beginning. James buying the exact cartridge as a kid led to them sitting there filming that decades later.

[@SephonDK]

I'm actually impressed by the scope of this game, seeing it's on a NES console. It's truly impressive. Like the game is flawed as shit, but think of what it could have been with just like two more months of development.

[@frozen222]

I miss the old toys r us, with the video game section and the paper you had to bring to the cashier, then you go to the pick up booth and they give you the game and it looks like a real treasure. Memories...

[@Silvergun_Raven]

I always tell people about the same memory I have with the old layout of Toys R Us. So many NES, SNES, GEN, N64, PS1, and Dreamcast games that I've gotten from there.

[@davidturbo8566]

They had the ultimate game selection man.. good times 😏

[@fleetwoodsac]

I always wanted win the Nickelodeon toy run so I could fill my cart with those papers. Lol

[@jhvghjgjkhlihli]

when he was talking about his experience, i had flash back of me buying rival school for ps1 with my brothers for christmas

[@privateuser9028]

frozen222 Now just a empty building with hobos living in the back. Rip online shopping

[@MrSeanface]

Honestly, i fuckin love this game. After you have most of the cryptic moments figured out its just great to burn through on a dark and stormy night.

[@michag798]

Say what you want about this game, but the atmosphere and music are fucking incredible. I replay this one basically every Halloween just because of that. And I'm not that big of a Castlevania fan (yet, I haven't played many games).

[@kekeke8988]

The bosses suck ass, and there aren't enough bosses. Also, there isn't enough variety in the mansions. Every mansion looks practically identical.

[@soursugar4867]

Kekeke89 That wasn’t their point though, their point was that-while the game may not be good-the atmosphere and music are, and enhance the experience enough to want to play it

[@RiffRock51]

Despite its flaws, I love this game so much. The music and overall atmosphere are incredible.

[@slimpickins7752]

James's enthusiasm in this video is contagious. October with Cinemassacre is always amazing, even without a full Monster Madness.

[@ForbiddenFruit73]

It definitely has its flaws, but what I like about Castlevania II is that it makes you feel like you're a vampire hunter on a quest more than any other game in the series.

[@ForbiddenFruit73]

Well it does to me. Exploring towns plagued by monsters at night, collecting things like holy water, garlic and wooden stakes to combat evil, learning hints along the way about how to proceed, gathering Dracula's body parts in order to finish him off for good. Most of the other Castlevania games, both the classic style ones and the Metroidvanias, just involve a straight up assault on Dracula's castle. This one has more to it, and I like that immersion.

[@louclarkson6098]

@@ForbiddenFruit73 i know its a year later, but well said. The other nes titles, albeit amazing were much more "get to the end and not die" with little context (and ill admit that they kick my ass, and make me hate myself for an hour or two) . This does feel like much more of an adventure.

[@Megatron-yg6kp]

ForbiddenFruit73 Just a reminder, without Castlevania 2, we wouldn’t have SOTN since Koji got the idea for an open world-like Castlevania game due to Castlevania 2.

[@sammyshehole]

I want another game like this. 8-bit. Playing as a Belmont with the classic whip. Traversing the outdoors, visiting towns. Creepy graphics and music.

[@bradydavis5791]

@@Megatron-yg6kp Pretty sure we would've still got STN. Without Metroid we wouldn't have STN.

[@thethrashyone]

35:53 I can tell Mike was on the cusp of figuring it out himself, but for anyone who doesn't know, those 'random' bigger jumps happen when you jump while the block you're standing on is rising. If you try to jump while it's falling, you get a weaker jump that's likely to send you straight into the water.

[@marc.ristau]

“What a horrible year to have a curse” would be appropriate now

[@customsongmaker]

The only curse is governments taking away people's rights

[@Untouchaable]

The one that started AVGN. Congrats on beating the game.

[@RetroPiero]

Intimidation Nice and all but i swear sometimes it just feels like they've been playing/talking about the same 6 nintendo games since avgn started.

[@Musicradio77Network]

"Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest" is still the best NES game from my childhood. I beat the entire game, and the ending wasn't too bad, but it had two different endings after you defeated Dracula. I did covered it last year on the "4 O'Clock Game's Fright Night" Halloween special back in 2016 along with three "Castlevania" games for the NES.

[@saddamhussein3849]

*Conglats

[@jackharris8661]

Intimidation kkk

[@kaguth]

Yeah, that cartridge is partially responsible for AVGN existing.

[@kimmolaine8069]

If you need to farm hearts I suggest doing it in the dungeons...No Time passes there. * non-cryptic villager message *

[@kristophsams5036]

The Mask is actually Carmilla's Mask or Vampira. "A mask of a Vampire Countess that weeps volatile tears of blood serves as guardian of the Magic Cross in Laruba's Mansion"

[@oven7824]

WHAT A HORRIBLE NIGHT TO HAVE A CURSE.

[@NEMOsleeps24]

ITS A WONDERFUL NIGHT. GO AHEAD AND RELEASE. ITS A WONDERFUL NIGHT. COME ON AND BREAK IT ON DOWN.

[@renatocfrancisco]

WHAT A HORRIBLE DAY TO HAVE A CURSE.

[@damiendelacruz728]

THE MORNING SUN HAS VANQUISHED THE HORRIBLE NIGHT.

[@michaelciani7721]

What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets, but enough talk, have at you.

[@martinbuhrer3893]

As if anybody actually wanted to read that one more time.

[@kelvinspencer9265]

I didn't even noticed that the video was 1hr long, it was awesome.

[@undeadbat3896]

Holy shit your right I thought it was gonna be the usual 13 or 20 mins

[@rexapis2125]

Chris Henriquez *you're

[@LucasFeniks]

Same dude

[@jmeador85]

Same!

[@DarkMirria1]

48:10 They're talk about Dracula's castle which is called Castlevania, which is also the name of the game. So that message makes sense and is pretty straightforward.

[@Yungbeck]

Exactly, that's not breaking the fourth wall like James said.

[@huggarugga]

Heh, James wants "Simon's Quest Re-VAMPED"

[@AwesomeGamer-om4hm]

Well, Episode 119 of AVGN shows a hack of Simon's Quest where the text is faster (to make the day-to-night transitions quicker), the NPCs (& probably the books) give actual tips, & Dracula's face has been improved.

[@rifter0x0000]

@@AwesomeGamer-om4hm He mentioned that, too. What would be interesting is if someone was able to come up with bosses for the empty spots in the mansions. Probably too much to ask for an nes hack though.

[@AwesomeGamer-om4hm]

@@rifter0x0000 In RHDN, another ROM hack gets rid of the false blocks. (the ones Simon can fall through)

[@One-ct3xe]

You SLAYED them with that one!

[@dennissirvent8811]

Ed Findlay's Simon's Quest Rebitten is a great version as well.

[@MJFallout]

A: Tell me about your portfolio. B: I heavily invested in Oak Stakes a while back. A: Ah yes, very clever.

[@brettsix2027]

The bottom dropped out of the laurel soup market rather quickly.

[@AndreaGori]

This is probably my favorite James & Mike video, Simon Quest is as you say, a flawed game, but at the same time it makes some important steps for the franchise's future. The closest Castlevania to Simon's Quest is probably Order Of Ecclesia, since in the first part of the game you travel through small areas like forests, caverns etc, visit the city hub and talk to the citizens to get upgrades and buy stuff.

[@fun2building]

And OoE is one of the absolute best in the franchise, it's funny how that worked out

[@victorhugovaldezsoto]

I plain love this game. Cryptic as fuck, of course - but it has a great atmosphere. I'd like to try the re-worked version that's around.

[@Yellowpickle23]

It drives me nuts that neither of you have figured out the jumping blocks. You are supposed to jump as the block is rising. It propels Simon!

[@schwarzerritter5724]

Mike was just testing it, but then the texbox appeared and he forgot.

[@LadyCoyKoi]

Considering they are platforming gamers you think they mastered that. O_O This is why I usually incorporate video games like Skyrim or Legend of Zelda, depending on grade level, into lessons for my students, because these games really forces one to use higher level thinking skills. It stimulates a part of the brain that book work and even class projects don't fully utilize. The schools I had been in hates the idea, because administrators think that the students are fooling around, but they aren't. That is why there is a teacher, who knows what she is doing, to guide each group. The teacher is there to assist with the learning of the new skill using a tool that students are familiar with.

[@taz0k2]

@@LadyCoyKoi Students shouldn't play video games during lessons.

[@JulianTheOwl]

@@LadyCoyKoi you're a shitty teacher

[@taz0k2]

@@charmolettafranquestafiestayam If you think you can learn math, chemistry, physics, history etc by playing Skyrim you are deluding yourself.

[@RodimusPrimal]

I love this game even with its flaws. You should play Bisqwit's retranslation+in game map, it makes the game even better.

[@bbsj86]

I think the retranslation is even better than redaction tbh

[@dimitriousdevilboon7714]

Wicked underrated game.

[@sammyshehole]

This. The removal of the horrible night text box and having the day/night cycle change seamlessly is really nice.

[@zachtwilightwindwaker596]

You get to see how the map is connected.

[@user-bq6xy9jz1c]

James's T-shirt is amazing!

[@rocketcon]

The second boss is supposed to be Carmilla, a vampire who appears in the Hammer film The Vampire Lovers. In the book the film is based on she wore a mask to hide her vampirism and attended masquerade balls, which probably inspired the design of the boss. She also appears in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.

[@Taurwathwylth]

+Cinemassacre Indeed, I think it's sometimes called the Weeping Mask in translations and it is supposed to represent the lady vampire Carmilla. J Sheridan Le Fanu published the story Carmilla, da da da dah, dramatic music - quite some years before Dracula! So that is actually one of the earliest Western gothic vampire stories. The Weeping Mask's weakness is, I think, the golden knife. The cross is needed to be able to walk through the final path to Dracula, I think. Something in the final castle won't work if the cross isn't in the inventory. And one more final note, the masque of Carmilla is mentioned also in a song by Cradle of Filth.

[@davidturbo8566]

How long did it take you to look that up?

[@feticide9]

Yeah, this is the right answer.

[@Taurwathwylth]

+david turbo Can't speak for Rocketcon but the explanation of the Weeping Mask has been on some old GameFAQs type sites for ages, so if you have stumbled up on them in the past, then you only need to remember that, not look it up. The story by Le Fanu has been published in many anthologies and the Hammer film have been occasionally shown on late night TV, so it's not like they are impossible to know either.

[@bbsj86]

You know Camilla is from a book right?

[@shermaneagles5903]

I remember watching my cousin play this game back in the day. I think that's why I absolutely love this game, and I finally beat it a few years ago.

[@kingswenxa]

The Japanese producer said the reason of all the confusing NPC and their texts and clues is because of translation, he said in the original Japanese version, all the NPCs are "liars" and you have to notice the subtle tone or implications embedded in the dialog which cannot be translated. I was also very curious about the 3 endings which seem to be mixed up, but I haven't found any evidence, however someone did mention that the Super Castlevania IV on SNES is more like a sequal to the good ending where Dracula comes out from his graveyard, remember in the AVGN video where James said it must have been the greatest opening of video games, the lightening strikes the tomb part.

[@TripleShotMedia]

This game was criminally underrated. Flawed? yes, but for the time it really broke a lot of ground

[@Eltro920]

It broke a lot of blocks with holy water on the ground, that's for sure.

[@bradydavis5791]

Nope. Pretty far from underrated. It's just simply not a good game. But, you know, nostaligia tends to delude people, so there is that.

[@Joesaa]

@@bradydavis5791 u stupid bro. i used to love this game. its not a matter of nostalgia but opinion.

[@Swimbait_fishing]

This is the best of the castlevania games

[@kekeke8988]

@@Swimbait_fishing It's better than the Genesis version. I never liked that crap.

[@kuma1388]

Once you figure out what to do and where to go this game is fun.

[@MelancoliaI]

I just realized that the dates on the tombstone at the end are the actual (as best as anyone knows) birth and death dates of Vlad the Impaler

[@liukang3545]

lol :D

[@xenu4life]

Regarding the blocks at about 35:00 : The reason you jump higher sometimes is because for whatever reason you jump higher if you jump off while the block is rising. If you wait until it's at it's highest point and starts going back down, you'll only get your normal jump height.

[@DjCuervo861]

I actually visited Dracula's Castle the summer before last. Have to admit, it is not that much interesting inside (at least to me), but just being able to physically see it and approaching it via long path makes the trip worth it. And the scenery is beautiful

[@GreyelephantGaming]

I remember playing this back in the day when there was no online help. You had to just trial and error your way through the entire game. It took me FOREVER to finally beat. Not because of difficulty, but due to simply not knowing where the heck to go! The clues were a mess. I'll never forget kneeling with the red orb and the tornado coming to sweep me away. I about jumped through the ceiling I was so excited to figure it out.

[@metae.4256]

By then, for me, that was standard. I had my roof jumping moment when I kneeled in front of the lake with the blue crystal. I had deduced that I needed to go somewhere past that lake, but I couldn't figure out what to do for a good day or two.

[@omikronweapon]

how in the fuck did you figure that out? The blue orb/blue lake connection, maybe. but kneeling down with it? Luckily there's at least some stairs visible... I would have probably called the hotline after a while. There were a FEW options to try and get help. I remember my cousin calling the sega hotline for tips on the boss in Moonwalker and I called Nintendo I think, and only got some Gamegenie codes for some random game. There was also a Dutch magazine that actually featured a question I sent in about Lolo II.

[@Iamnotspecialandneitherareyou]

This is a Halloween must for me to do every year. I love the soundtrack.

[@shenloken2]

Mike's grandfather was Romanian and his grandmother Hungarian. No wonder he grew up a Castlevaniac!

[@sassygerbil9566]

shenloken2 my grandfather was English and my grandmother was Irish. I grew up Asian.

[@anthonybryan1961]

My grandfather is Ethiopian my grandmother is Mongolian I grew up Antarctican

[@XuliusCaesar]

@@anthonybryan1961 My grandfather is a huutu and my grandmother is a tutsi. I grew up without arms.

[@typicaldad9452]

still using simon's quest town theme on my phone ringtone

[@nikoma_]

angry dad omg that’s awesome man ✊

[@Rustycube88]

This game's music was awesome if the game wasnt

[@Dresdenstl]

This is my favorite retelling of The Wizard of Oz.

[@Trevin_Taylor]

Dresden_stl how do you see WOZ? No judgement, just confused.

[@Dresdenstl]

Keep watching the video.

[@jamesmbs1]

More like Return to Oz.

[@brokenphantom3g]

Actually Castlevania kept the Wizard of Oz references going in Symphony of the Night with the Cowardly Lion, Tinman, and Scarecrow in the reverse library area.

[@Thac0Gamers]

I played this game as a kid and beat it without a problem. Was literally one of my 2 favorite games on the NES. The other.... Zelda 2. Loved them both. So unique and adventurous.

[@andreasfels6528]

Simon's Quest have been together with Zelda 1 and Faxanadu also my favorite NES game. And yes Zelda 2 was awsome too... And don't forget Battle of Olympus :-)

[@ModernRetroGameplay]

IMPORTANT EASTER EGG, just thought of it, the part where James says "scream in front of the church to recover your life" made me think, i believe that is not a bad translation you just need a Famicom mic to do it. Id love to see an update showing weather this works or not. No one online has thought of it or tied it as far as i know so it would be a 1 of a kind video if it works. Please try it i have a strong feeling im right if you play it on a Famicom.

[@RedDragon1444]

＊whether

[@ChrystusBrzeczyszczykiewicz]

@@RedDragon1444 +water

[@TheOfficialDaBoogaloo]

Timminsone VideoGames Yeah... Doesn't work. You wrote a paragraph for that?

[@gyromurphy]

@@TheOfficialDaBoogaloo dude I would have written a thesis on that

[@zebdawson3687]

MAMAOU 4Life that dude is legit scared of paragraphs... I doubt he knows the meaning of Latin words.

[@tyminator8176]

39:21 I love how when James says "You might wanna grab it just in case it goes away, because with this game who knows" It *literally* starts blinking as if it will

[@dickmarx1298]

Anyone else notice how the happy endings use the words "consummated" and "penetrated"

[@projectOMA]

i remember getting this for my birthday as a kid. i absolutely loved the game back then and still do. don't see why people jump on the bandwagon of hate towards it. there are some cryptic parts but there are hints that tell you where to go and what to do. i actually finished it when i was 6-7 years old. got through the hard parts via trial-and-error along with some help from good old nintendo power. watching this makes me want to pull the game out and play it again. i actually found the 3 endings simply by chance. beat the game multiple times because i loved it and ended up going through it faster and faster because i knew where to go.

[@DemiBirdDoes]

45:37 Wait, I can see under James sleeve sometimes...and he actually has that tribal tattoo from the big rig commercial. I assumed at the time it was temporary, I wonder what the story behind that it...

[@josephstieg6523]

This is the best castlevania music out of all of them

[@Chaserstorm16909]

In the ending where Simon dies, I always interpreted it as him dying on Dracula's grave. If you watch closely, the animation looks like he keels over on the grave.

[@theraven268]

That does not explain the colors

[@pretzelheaddd]

Spoil alert

[@BestowTV]

OMG the endings. Thanks for re-re-visiting.

[@BestowTV]

Yep

[@zoiuduu]

36:03 mike:i hate this box jamie: ohh boy..im wearing that box

[@hellbaron3145]

You and your comments...

[@djeurosham]

What a horrible night to have a curse.

[@kobi005]

What a horrible curse to have a night

[@cj694x2]

I'm sure the morning sun will vanquish the horrible night.

[@StMozzer]

djeurosham nah I think this is a good night to have a curse

[@JariSatta]

If you see Dorago ask him to release my daughter! (Rygar, NES)

[@revhill819]

Tell me bout it

[@RsSkillSchool]

You dont have to keep throwing the water to test for the false floors you can watch the monsters movement because they will turn back or go through them.

[@Armytoast]

Spamming holy water is fun.

[@Anakunus]

Yeah... except that there are no monsters on nearly every platform with false floor.

[@number7717]

If you start Dark Side of The Moon by Pink Floyd at the beginning of the title screen on Simon's Quest, it's said that everything syncs up perfectly with the story line.

[@mikeygabbard9268]

Because we all play the game exactly the same.

[@slobodanlang7135]

Thanks Mike & James for taking the time to produce this video and share your insights with us. You're an entertaining breath of fresh air in the world of retro gaming. (I got my NES in 1986, I was 9, and the only games I had on it were SMB, SMB2, SMB3, TLoZ but we did the game rental thing. Yeah I hated renting a crappy game, that ruined more than a few weekends.

[@daytimesky]

I love how all these old people live like uber antisocial hermits in these houses underneath floors that have to be broken apart in order to reach them. Like the old guys in Zelda 1 who live in caves that can only be found by breaking apart the wall with a bomb! How do they sustain themselves? They should have starved long ago!

[@MrZangetsu468]

Daytime Sky Magic

[@DaFro3713]

Maybe they also don’t want to look into the Death Star or they’ll die

[@filth_nasty]

I remember that one creepy person who wants you to live with her(?) so maybe they get lonely or eat unsuspecting visitors.

[@ordinaryJeff]

"people live like uber antisocial hermits in these houses underneath floors" Accurate description of a percentage of today's gamers.

[@ninjanizzle]

he adapted to eating rocks from all those yrs in the caves.

[@checoschmidt82]

The game has experience points, so everytime you reach certain quantity you level up and get more hit points.

[@jesseleesamples]

Also I just wanna say this might be my favorite JMM episode ever. I just love watching someone get through such a difficult and cryptic game like this that knows everything about the game like James does. I would love to have a friend like James help get me through a tough game like this, he’s so patient and just lets Mike play the entire game but tells him the right ways to go whereas most people would want to take the controller and do it themselves. I wish they would do more episodes like this one and play through the whole game, it’s so much better than the quick let’s play videos

[@jasontwitchell8167]

When I was 16 I got the game. To this day I still remember my old password by heart, OJBB EQAU R12S QDQA. I had to use THE POWER many times on this game. Good times.

[@garyvarjian3420]

Me 2! Mine was EGN2 WSUW 532U UMJG. I earned it and it’s everything the most you can get. I guess I was proud of it at the time lol

[@brandoncarter5886]

Same here .. OIKG EQAU R12S TAAA

[@jasontwitchell8167]

@@garyvarjian3420 NICE!!! I felt the same way man. I still love to play this classic. Since getting the Castlevania Anniversary collection on Switch, I love the fact that I can play it on the go.

[@SHspesh]

NOW TIME FOR SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT!!!!

[@Elyseon]

Time for miserable little piles of secrets!

[@MerkhVision]

Yes! I hope they do that!

[@sonninnos]

But enough talk, have at you!

[@DancinDane]

Yeah, why the hell haven't they done that yet?

[@peggymacmillan5069]

Man...? What is a Man...? A miserable pile of secrets... But enough talk, Have at you!

[@arcaderkid8449]

in case you didn't notice about whenever you flash and your energy refills? you gain a LEVEL!!! and yes the icon 'E-0000' marks how much experience you need in order to gain a level. and the L-03 is how much levels you gained.

[@kekeke8988]

My mind is blown. I never knew there was an exp system in Simon's quest all these years.

[@ospididious]

I don't think the endings were swapped, I think that the better you got at the game, the more of the TRUTH you reveal. We all know Dracula lives on, in the crappy ending, you get to live with the delusion that Dracula is dead, in the second ending you get a taste of the truth, and then the last one reveals the real story and breaks all illusions.

[@MarkEdwardRom]

totally agree!

[@trueleox]

Very underrated comment, it makes total sense, it even spoils the title of Castlevania 3.

[@omikronweapon]

Seeing how basically all the text in the game got fucked up, it makes plenty of sense that they swapped the text, at least, on the endings. I can believe any "the REAL ending is where Dracula comes back" argument, but the fact that Simon isn't in one of the IMAGES and he's also dead in one of the pieces of TEXT otherwise makes very little sense.

[@axistec]

Bravo, said it all.

[@Andronicus87]

@@trueleox Yes but CV3 takes place 200 years before Simons Quest.

[@SuperNemx]

This game actually does look pretty fun for the time, it could've been so much better if they tried a little more

[@Azfar90]

I believe it's more accurate to say the game has "Normal" ending with "Alternate" and "True" ending, rather than "Bad" and "Good" ending...

[@nr-dx4zz]

K

[@matthagen67]

I'm interested in this.

[@davidturbo8566]

Alucard J.B M.P oh , ok

[@samurailv1]

Hehe thank you!

[@MeatWisdom]

Farewell for now!

[@DarkSoulSama]

Really? In that case, Just tell me what you need!

[@Miicrowahvei]

Alucard J.B M.P I see what you did there

[@danseth5775]

James has also almost nothing negative to say about "Simon's Quest" but bashed "Bloodlines " every chance he could. Unfair Nintendo bias

[@isaacarellano5118]

This is my childhood. The soundtrack was awesome but I never beat it.

[@jammadamma]

Two good friends geeking out over video games. You're in great company every monday :)

[@amelt1000]

Don't forget Castlevania Chronicles on PS1 (not Dracula X Chronicles on PSP). It's a remake of 1 with slightly remixed stages and some new ones.

[@patavinity7673]

Another point about the ending: Simon takes the time and effort to bury Dracula's body in a grave, outside somewhere, marked with an inscribed tombstone.

[@mecha2001]

MS60-QVCW-1VKU-UFBC... embedded in my brain for the last 32 years. I miss Friday nights veging out playing this game and not really knowing what to do, but at least I had like 90% of the inventory!

[@ShayneRawls]

I love how James tries to say he may have picked another game. James your face is tied to this game. Embrace it! What a terrible night for a curse

[@7deadlypins]

All of that and they skipped the tornado scene?!?! Best ep so far regardless

[@AtlasBlizzard]

I always respect NES games that tried to be more than they could. Simon's Quest tried to do something different with the formula, in ways that Symphony of the Night would later succeed at. Gotta respect it for that.

[@tolo84]

About the endings, I'm sure all three are the same. Simon kills Dracula, peace and happiness is restored to the lands, Simon dies from his wounds, hope rests in another young man, Dracula returns from his grave. The difference between the endings is how much of the story is revealed, like the developer intended the player to go through the game three times, from the bad ending to the normal to the good one, to get the full story. It made sense, to me, seeing the endings in that order.

[@tolo84]

Yeah exactly, you get to see different aspects of the ending story depending on how well you do in the game, I'd like to believe.

[@Ghostvertigo]

I also think when Simon dies ending the person in front of the grave is the young man or as James is saying the endings are mixed LOL

[@questionblock8949]

I find it amazing that ayleast 3 people in history have actually completed this game to even know of the 3 different endings lol Castlevania is my fav franchise, 3 and 4 are my absolute favs

[@larrywolf2509]

I have! I actually love it. I won't claim it's a great as 1/3, but it's a thinking man's game, the riddles make it interesting.

[@mikeacidecw1]

It's my favorite all time Castlevania game. lol. I know it's not the best, it's just mostly nostalgia for me. I beat it a bunch of times over the years.

[@ztoxtube]

You know what's funny? I've gotten all 3 endings but never noticed the weirdness there. Gotta love James' insight sometimes.

[@SilverArro]

It's a flawed and messy game, but people act like it's the worst game ever made lol. It's a fun game to run through once you wrap your head around some of the crazy. Many people have completed it.

[@AkaiAzul]

[?] Question Block I have beaten it on an NES, but I did have Nintendo Power. Never knew about the multiple endings until I was an adult.

[@angelcabrera-sm1ge]

Do you think when it says scream in front of the church it has anything to do with the famicom nes controller that had a microphone? Like in Zelda?

[@hydro_storm4527]

Even in the Japanese version, this bit of dialogue is nonsense. In Japanese the guy says to shout a random guy's name in front of the church in another town to refill your life. The word for "refill" is literal too, like refilling a bottle. Bisqwit, the guy responsible for the site that James referenced that explains this game's many errors, has a theory that it's an inside joke or something. I just remember thinking I'd play the Japanese rom whenever I could find it on the net back in the day to figure this game out & practice my japanese, but this little piece of dialogue doesn't even make sense in that version.

[@wesker919]

13:49 "They just keep coming?" James's reaction is great. We know what he's thinking.

[@DaedrinMolkre]

I'm imagining the "death star" to be something like the death omen star from Fist of the North Star.

[@timmytimmy666]

This game, flawed as it is, was years ahead of its time. Cryptic and demanding, not necessary to kill minibosses - but you will noe get cool items if you don't - and calmness and desolation in Draculas ruined castle. Come on guys - this is forward thinking in a time when everything was going from A to B.

[@justintahair9119]

@@merces47letifer4 as achallenge i amwilling to explore it and talk tothe towns ppl

[@thethrashyone]

@@merces47letifer4 Same can be said of many other games widely considered to be classics. It's barely even a valid criticism to single this game out for crypticism when it was produced in a time where _almost everything else_ on NES fell nicely into the "Where the fuck do I go?/What the fuck do I do?" category of game.

[@roberthansson8222]

A true rpg if you ask me, even a day and night cycle. Pretty impressive for a nes game tbh. As a kid playing this game and manage to get the flame whip was amazing. Truly an underrated masterpiece of a game.

[@Jackass94]

An hour long video from James & Mike? Wow, what a treat to wake up for my 23rd birthday! Thanks Cinemassacre

[@paraman9615]

happy birthday!

[@NativeAmericanBF]

Marubolas happy birthday 🎊

[@Off_Grid_Gaming]

Happy Bday!

[@Jackass94]

The Cinemassacre fans are too kind. Thank you all (=

[@johnballantyne3458]

Happy birthday!!

[@mikaelbohlinoja]

When you jump from those blocks that move up and down, you have to jump while it moves up, it gives you extra jump height.

[@smallymcsmall7065]

Christ, the clench when they're doing the moving block jumps. Just jump when the blocks are moving upwards and you go higher. And Mike ALMOST starts to figure it out. Auuugh!

[@WildCardAcres]

The Golden Knife is a 3 hit kill on Dracula. It is the strongest weapon against him.

[@JosephXFS]

Bloodborne has a lot in common with the modern Castlevanias and it would definitely work as a Castlevania if Konami wanted to licsense the engine. Open world, Big Giant bosses, RPG elements with action and platforming as well as long drawn out story.

[@ethanainsworth]

I felt like I should explain why Pete is able to shoot whole webs. So basically, being that he's a super-genius, Peter Parker was able to build a micro-turbine that drives a spinneret inside the nozzle of his web shooters that allow him to weave the webbing into various configurations (the most common being the classic net in which fly-like thieves are caught) This all happens super quickly before the webbing is even fully dispensed because the web cartridges have a internal pressure of 300 PSI. (For further information, ASM annual 1 from 1964 and annual from 67', also the Jackal files from 1994 are all great looks at the spider-tech)

[@Ultimaterockmanx135]

The endings make more sense like this(Dracula revives in all the endings): 1. Worst ending: Simon dies, he doesn't have a legacy and people are enslaved by Dracula(which they don't expect). -In this he took too long and the curse got him immediately. -The text is lying to you. -The background takes place at night or during a rainy day. 2. Normal ending: Simon dies but lives long enough after Dracula's "death" to leave a legacy, warns people of Dracula's return and prepares the next generation for when the event happens. -Here he failed to get rid of the curse but gets to live for some time. -The background takes place in the afternoon. 3. Best ending: Simon lives and prepares for his next encounter with Dracula. -He got rid of the curse completely just in time to leave a normal life. -The background takes place in the morning during the sunrise.

[@albertogallegos5966]

Simon's Quest is my favorite castlevania in the NES. I don't know why this game gets so much hate. The only bad thing about this game is the translation. It has better graphics than other nes castlevanias and I loved all the rpg elements.

[@mikekz4489]

Jack Higgins This video is making me want to give Simon’s Quest another chance.

[@thethrashyone]

I feel the same way about Simon's quest as I do Zelda II - both flawed games that awkwardly tried to take their respective franchises in a fresh direction during a time when no real standard had been established, getting some things right and some things wrong, and being incredibly frustrating yet rewarding at the same time...and both having fantastic soundtracks, for further comparison. They might not be _great_ games, but they're anything but bad. The only way I can conceive of someone thinking they're bad is if they're so used to the formulas established _later on_ that they can't look past what makes these games different (and frankly, special) - i.e. only those who grew up with Ocarina of Time and later games seem to think Zelda II is bad, and only those who grew up with Symphony of the Night and onward seem to think Simon's Quest is bad. These people are entitled to their opinions, and I am entitled to _my_ opinion that _their_ point of view has been jaundiced by a lack of perspective and context.

[@MainerdLoyd]

@@thethrashyone The reason why I loved SotN is that I considered it a return to Simon's Quest.

[@cptnoremac]

I can't believe you guys can't figure out how the block jumping works. You have to jump while it's moving up. The momentum stacks. You die because you keep jumping while it's falling. It's one of the few realistic things in this game.

[@joed5150]

cptnoremac Also they didn't realize you gain levels. They didn't understand why their health would refill occasionally from killing monsters.

[@cptnoremac]

It sounds like he's figuring it out, but then he keeps doing it wrong.

[@matohibiki]

He probably figured it was a glitch, and stopped experimenting. To be fair, a lot of games expect you to jump at the apex of a platform's movement.

[@Andronicus87]

You can only get to level 6 though lol.

[@alejandrovaldez9848]

cptnoremac Actually if you think about it, it’s just another flaw. Since it’s not a realistic game.

[@firekatOG]

Honestly avgn and castlevaina music is like a pizza with pepperoni they just work so well together. Its like if Avgn didnt have a theme song castlevaina would be it 100%

[@NTSTS0]

this is one of the best episodes of these. Mike and James as historians of media are absolutely intoxicating.

[@strangevision99]

"I rented these tapes from the video store".....James, you still have them, that fine is going to be monstrous.

[@designermetal1]

Strange Vision That's probably the reason why Blockbuster went under. James wouldn't bring back the damn tapes.

[@rastiga9196]

I grew up by a place called video drive up. I was a small drive-thru video store. Game rentals were a dollar a day. Anyhow, they got busted for copying 50,000 movies. I had two video games the day the got busted so I could keep them. I missed that place though. I rented so many movies and games from them cheap.

[@LineWalkerPro]

James and Mike - awesome watch as always! You guys should consider having hour-long episodes every week.

[@supergamerxda.k.azabuza4031]

26:40 The concept came from Fist of the North Star (北斗の拳, Hokuto no Ken, "Fist of the Big Dipper") a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara Shichōsei (死兆星)(Death Omen Star) is a very small star next to the Big Dipper It is said that anyone that can see it will die within the year It also will shine brightly when two Hokuto masters fight each other, with the star shining upon the one who will lose

[@RiC_David]

And after all these years I finally notice that Simon's whip is in the shape of a number 2. This is Diddy's *Kong* Quest all over again.

[@fenomozo9108]

I love how fascinated is James with this game.

[@VeritechGirl]

32:45 you wanted to say “prosess” so badly didn’t you?! 😂😂😂

[@josephjones7828]

+Cinemassacre Just a minor note if you ever replay the game Mike, you didn't have all the items. You missed the silver knife. It is found in the graveyard with the near impossible water pit/ledge jump right in the middle of it. You have to use garlic to make a silver knife guy appear (like you did with that silk bag guy in the dead end). Incidentally, the garlic is probably the most o.p. item in this game when it comes to bosses. It doesn't do as much damage as the holy flame or gold knife, but it does freeze/stun lock the bosses in place (if they touch it) and will whittle their life away with zero effort on you part.

[@ChuckM0503]

In regards to the three different endings, I think they actually make sense as they are. For the worst ending you just get something generic where good has conquered evil, and everything is roses. The middle ending is a bit of a downer with Simon dying, but it also hints that maybe Dracula isn't dead, and there is more work to be done. Then the best ending comes right out, and says Dracula is still alive with the hand coming out of the grave, and the adventure will continue. To me it's kind of a cool little Easter egg for fans that did really well, and shows them maybe another game is coming.

[@ResalePrimeDirectives]

Hope to see you guys one day play The Lecarde Chronicles II. Absolute masterpiece of a Castlevania fan game.

[@CozySkulls]

Pimp Master Broda what a coincidence to see you here Broda

[@GenyaArikado]

Yeah, i loved that game. Played it to the very end with the best ending and all equipment!..such incredible dedication and development MiC put into that game! Amazing to hear Alucards voice again too! Really nostalgic! ;)

[@MoriyaMiasmaCross]

There's a second Lecarde Chronicles? =o

[@HsienKoMeiLingFormerYANG]

I hopefully James will play & finished CLOS2 and Simon Quest remake.

[@tziirkq]

I went to Romania for my honeymoon. We got off the plane at Transylvania airport, it was pretty metal. Vlad Tepes castle is cool, it turns out he was pretty much a hero. I stayed in the town he grew up, and visited his old house, which was scary because it felt like you could fall through the floor at any time.

[@AWW8472]

If you were a Moslem Turk invading Wallachia, you'd have thought Vlad Tepes WAS a monster for real. History paints people in different lights.

[@Top10WizardReviews]

I'm so glad we have these extra long full playthrough videos.

[@Northernexposurefan]

I think this is the best James & Mike Mondays. Incidentally I loved this game as a kid.I remember seeing all the endings and never knew how I did it. A wonderful mess for sure.