Castlevania Retrospective / Review part1 NES and MSX

[@fthprodphoto-video5357]

Me and my brother received the NES around 1987-1988 as Christmas gift because of Castlevania which was the first video game we had played after the Game and Watch. We played it at a friend’s house and were literally mesmerized. When Simons Quest came out we were completely amazed by the musics and the exploration part. This was something new and thrilling. It has different endings too… then we played rockman 3 and were the first to have the game card in our village so every Nintendo geek came to play it at our home. Great times !

[@strafefox]

What a horrible night to watch my new Castlevania retrospective ;) Part 1 covers the 8-bit days.

[@filiph.f.slagter8340]

Good to see another MSX game shown in your videos. :) When is the second part of this retrospective expected? Loved the narration btw. Will we be hearing more from Steven?

[@strafefox]

Soon... very soon :) hopefully by the end of next week and yes steven will return. I'm also working on a new msx related video.

[@filiph.f.slagter8340]

strafefox Great to hear! :D

[@FiXato]

strafefox found your second part, and used it as an excuse to post about the first part as well ;p www.msx.org/news/en/castlevania-retrospective-by-strafefox

[@jodybriggs1075]

Dude, I hope these videos are making you/your team a living. They're the highest production value In the field of game content on here.

[@acicon]

Now THIS is how you do a retrospective. Amazing work.

[@strafefox]

acicon Thanks :)

[@berugaslabor]

My god i love this narrator (Steven Kelly)! Never though of doing this type of voice over in this very documentary style! And the "dark" british accent works so well with the Castlevania content! Wow incredible stuff!

[@StevenMKelly]

+berugaslabor Oh, thanks muchly! Glad you liked =D

[@PlayingEveryLastGame]

Great review! Castlevania 2 was the first one I've ever played, and to this day I still play it regularly... There's just so much to see!

[@Mati87]

I'm always blown away by the amount of work and dedication you put in this videos. You deserve so many more views, seriously this is a new high stardard for game reviews.

[@grildings]

Yes!!! Junst when I thought strafefox's work can't get better, a new video drops my jaw again! (plus Castlevania is one of my favorite series ever) Congrats!!!

[@strafefox]

Thanks :)

[@CrimsonMoonM]

I love the atmosphere of this retrospective. Your narration fits the spooky theme of Castlevania perfectly.

[@16bitbrit]

Just when I think your videos couldn't possibly get any better you go and create something like this...and raise the bar even farther. Seriously, just amazing work, my friend. Looking forward to more.

[@strafefox]

Haha thanks so much :)

[@thenoseguy]

Your videos are so timeless. I can watch any of them, no matter how old they are, and have a good time.

[@atab555]

How on earth do you guys only have 3200 subscribers? These are some of the best reviews I've seen. Take care.

[@skootdiggity1301]

This channel deserves so many more subs.

[@CartridgeBros]

I may never do another review. You are a master of gaming retrospectives and I cannot wait to see more. Brava sir.

[@largolagrande]

Excellent new episode. Thanks a lot. Again a surprising detailed presentation of the castlevania franchise. I'm always hooked by your video editing skills. Looking forward for the 16-Bit installments! :)

[@strafefox]

Thanks! :) The scripts for the next 2 chapters are pretty much done. Although I will not release them back to back. I need a little Castlevania break and clear my mind to come up with new animations and designs :) But hopefully they are done before the end of the summer.

[@Mistimane]

Perfect narration and perfect editing for a perfect series (at least on 8 & 16-bit :p)! I can't wait for 16-bit days with the greatest episodes for me, Castlevania Bloodlines and Castlevania IV!

[@gunma747j]

I am loss of words to describe this masterpiece

[@strafefox]

Ha! Thanks so much :)

[@Sinn0100]

Favorite show on the KZbin's! Killing it like usual!

[@SeaToSkyImages]

Really impressive work, strafefox. I found you through Retroware, and thank god I did. These are the kind of KZbin videos I live for.

[@strafefox]

Thanks so much :)

[@PropaneWP]

High production value as usual. Very nice.

[@Siegfried39ify]

Thanks for such a great retrospective,very professional done!!!

[@andersonrodrigo63]

What a production man! Congratulations

[@johnv7317]

I always think that Castlevania II Simon's Curse is one of the games that had key role in helping creating the metroidvania genre and ultimately Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

[@sergio_trindade]

just found your channel, and just hit that subscribe button. your videos look really nice and polished. the presentation makes them stand out. kinda wish they were a bit longer, but oh well. keep it up, man.

[@bastardtubeuser]

Great production.

[@nestalgicos]

Just a note, Satoe Terashima was the composer of Vampire Killer theme and also Castlevania II: Simon's Quest OST. Kinuyo Yamashita collaborated with her and they both did first Castlevania OST, but each one of them made different tracks.

[@Shred1White2Blue3]

Another kickass review!

[@gillyac81]

2:12 Wow she's beautiful! And she composed all those classic tunes, legendary 💙

[@beltube]

hey, congrats on getting onto the official castlevania facebook page!

[@AllMyYummies]

Well put together video, feels like I just watched an important documentary.

[@Staz117]

Incredible. As usual.

[@strafefox]

Thanks :)

[@TheEggboyps]

love your channel man. Keep up the good work!

[@strafefox]

Great to hear! and many thanks!

[@MugenLover23]

>"No lives and continues just add to the suspense." I don't know bout that one, chief. That said, awesome video~

[@strafefox]

Thanks! :) Vampire Killer was my introduction to the series back in the 80s. A friend of mine owned it, he didn't really play it much. I borrowed the game several times from him. The first time I wasn't really interested either, but the second time I really committed to the game and got really far. After weeks of practice I finally stood face to face against Dracula and o boy that was suspense to the max! Still took me a couple days to actually beat him but it still is one of my coolest gaming memories :)

[@RetroClash95]

Wow, as a castlevania fan i loved it, exellent work

[@k1tsun31989]

Super amazing work man, the castlevania series is fantastic too, I can't wait for your next video. =D

[@andersdenkend]

Okay 2k subscribers, only 5.000.000 more to go! Nice new narrator as well. I really enjoy his british (?!) accent which certainly fits castlevania. The music seems a tad too silent, though?! I am also amazed about the graphical / design improvements you make from video to video. Companies like Konami should actually hire you, to start fully fledged documentaries about some of their favourite franchises. :O

[@strafefox]

Dank! :) I'll keep the audio levels in mind for next time. the thing is.. 8-bit music can sound a bit harsh under the voice over.

[@andersdenkend]

strafefox Yes, I understand this. Maybe you can raise the volume for some seconds inbetween narration. Especially with a title like Castlevania, which is so famous for its music. But it's a really minor complaint I'd have. :D

[@strafefox]

andersdenkend I'll make it up with a CV music themed episode :)

[@EmilianoFraga]

Great video. Castlevania is one of my favorite games.

[@AvalancheReviews]

bloody well done!

[@zeusapollo6504]

Good, good, i beat part1 on the NES, when that game was brand new during the 80ies! There was a game B too, after you beat the regular game. It did cost me a lot of sweat and blood to beat Dracula. But now it seems, i did become a vampire myself... Its Dracula's Curse - Part III on the NES thats easily the best Castlevania of the nostalgic ones, before Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night that were released much later in the 90ies. Dracula's Curse is easily one of the best game titles of the 80ies overall, cause its simply original Castlevania on steroids. Its the year 2014 and i am still impressed by this masterpiece!

[@MrSegmentfault]

Its worth mentioning that for Msx using the gamemaster cart in slot 2 will give you the 'continue' option

[@strafefox]

Good call! For some reason I never used the Game Master much in combination with Vampire Killer back in the 80s :0 Maybe because it felt like cheating or because I didn't own the Gamemaster myself :) But it certainly helps for new players!

[@NESADDICT]

Awesome video! Love some Castlevania!

[@hueyp4]

cool video. i like the presentation. real cool.

[@franco7363]

Real Castlevania! Yes!

[@neoknux009]

THANKS! IM actuall going through a castlevania marathon atm! on OOE . DEATH IS ONCE AGAIN KILLING ME! Btw. THIS VIDEO BETTER GET BILLIONS OF VIEWS NEEDS SO MUCH PRAISE FOR THE WORK! Just look at those layers of effort! Its great!

[@strafefox]

Yeah Death just don't want to die sometimes ;) and "layers of effort" I like that :) Many thanks!

[@neoknux009]

I knew youd understand my joke. :) Thanks again man!

[@CastChaos]

Wonderful display, Castlevania really deserved this! I congratulate for this fine work! Now all prepare the whip or the cape and enjoy the night! (It's still young...)

[@thundageon5962]

Castlevania has some of the catchiest osts I've ever heard

[@brunobb1]

The visuals are outstanding o_o

[@rickonami]

awesome Awesome AWESOME !!!!

[@hdofu]

It also hit the arcades twice actually, one a slightly harder version of the NES version, then as a nigh next to impossible to beat reimagining with enhanced graphics under the title Haunted Castle.

[@amso7169]

I’ve played both at the Galloping Ghost in Brookfield Illinois

[@funkabomb]

Thank you for the insightful video! I need to try out the MSX version some day.

[@strafefox]

I love Vampire Killer, it was my first castlevania experience. be sure to run it on 60Hertz, the timing is a bit unstable in the pal version.

[@shawnkintz1538]

Another great video!

[@PlasticGeek]

This show is so god damn well produced!

[@strafefox]

Thanks so much!

[@supergamerjins5724]

i like to watch rather "small" youtubers because you talk and stay in contact with your subscribers :) good vid

[@hawkwolfryu11]

Well done Fox.. waiting for part 2..

[@strafefox]

Thanks! I'm working on part2 right now :)

[@ryanmurphy6949]

This guy, Jeremy Parish, and Retro Ahoy are my favorite channels. Amazingly engrossing, nostalgic, and entertaining content!

[@ilnonvivo]

the two dislike are from Dracula and Death :D

[@CityStarrzz]

I’d absolutely love to see you team up with Ahoy for a video. I think you guys would come up with something pretty damn special.

[@josemiranda3378]

Another excellent video, great work! Unfortunately I never owned a nintendo, the first castlevania I played was on Playstation

[@strafefox]

Thanks! I played the nes games at a friends house back in the day. Vampire Killer for the MSX was my first castlevania experience. I love it, and still do :)

[@AlucardsQuest]

I understand why Legends was left out within the parameters of this episode, but it would have been appropriate to include with the other original Gameboy games as it connects to Alucard and violates some dates of Dracula's Curse in order to do so. Haunted Castle was also developed right after Simon's Quest.

[@strafefox]

Legends was in my first draft for this episode, but it never felt right since it's more connected to symphony.

[@holyballswappfalls1158]

nice bringing up the Gameboy titles

[@rgbcrafts]

@strafefox, I'll have to bother you again with this. Community translations are not set in this one. I'm about to to part 2 tomorrow. I hope you see this in time. I'm savouring your episodes one at a time and making subtitles at this same pace.

[@strafefox]

It should work now :) Thanks so much for all your work!

[@rgbcrafts]

@@strafefox You know, I can't let that chance pass. Your content and passion on making all this can't be left unnoticed in any shape or form. I'm the one thanking here. Maybe only a check on my channel would be enough. The theme is quite related. ;) In addition to that, I'll try to make one translation subtitle a day. I'm not sure if I can handle that for now, but I'll try to keep up. There's a lot ahead. Not afraid. Keep it retro. Oh, as I recall, KZbin does not warn you about these updates. So I'm doing their job now. :p Translation subtitles up there for review.

[@SaturnMoriya]

Fantastic video. No mention of Haunted Castle and Kid Dracula though p:

[@Saroth911]

damn, Castlevania is my favorite gameseries alongside with metal gear, and I love this video :3

[@Progearspec]

Been a fan of castlevania since the nes original.Will there be a part two looking at the 16-bit casltevania ? I know i enjoy SCIV,Bloodlines and the cult classic Dracula-x Rondo of Blood for the pc-engine.

[@strafefox]

Yep that's the plan :)

[@Progearspec]

strafefox I can't wait to watch it then.

[@Ghaleonh41]

Great video! Can you bring him back for the 16-Bit Retrospective?

[@Mepholar]

The stiff gameplay of the first game was intentional. Aimed to design a more measured and prepared approach. Can avoid most damage if you just think ahead

[@cristiannicolae6309]

1691 Romania, virtually no change from today's Romania.

[@alexanderstilianov]

My mom went to Romania last year. I forgot to ask her to bring me a Medusa head.

[@galreserve2322]

Russia: -Hold my vodka!

[@SuperJM9]

Normally you can't continue Vampire Killer or get any more lives; however if you have the Konami Game Master, a cheat device made by Konami, you can start at whatever stage you want with as many lives as you want. This is standard practice for games that are compatible with the Game Master. In this game though, the Game Master curiously unlocks a Continue feature (press F5 when you get Game Over). This takes you back to the start of the stage. This is just speculation on my part, but it looks to me that this feature was originally supposed to be included in the game as standard, but Konami disabled it to sell the Game Master. I always play with the Game Master and it's a much more enjoyable experience.

[@strafefox]

Yes, the Game Master was a great cheat cartridge, a friend of mine owned it back in the day. I didn't have it myself so I was forced to complete the game without continues which made it really thrilling :) Once you get the hang of it Vampire Killer is actually much more forgiving than Castlevania in terms of damage and HP. The main problem is falling into a pit like in the dungeon level. Btw: Q-Bert was another cartridge that often unlocked special perks, although I don't think there were any incombo with Vampire Killer.

[@SuperJM9]

@@strafefox That's impressive! Being able to beat this game without continues is no small feat. I agree that it's much more forgiving when it comes to damage. For the last two levels of the NES version, each hit take a quarter of your health. It's part of the reason why Death is considered so difficult in that version. After the first run, enemies in every level take a quarter of your health. Pits can be a problem, but the most frustrating thing for me was that the hitboxes of some of the enemies and the default whip seemed to be too small, making it much harder to hit enemies. If they had sorted this issue and had a means of gaining lives (the NES version gives you a life at 30,000 points and then every 50,000 point for example) the game would have been better. Still, it's a very good game in my opinion, and an interesting alternate take on the original Castlevania. One thing that the Famidcom Disk System version has over this is the ability to save in up to three save slots. Of course, with the Game Master you can select whatever level you want.

[@wuffy8006]

when I thumbed up the video it was 777. Today ought to be a lucky day.

[@Changetheling]

Fabulous.

[@McCoy-00]

I don’t even need to watch the video to like it

[@DuckAlertBeats]

These videos are so polished they really deserve more views! Soothing voiceover too LOL almost reminds me of a more chilled out Yahtzee from zp ;) wicked mate thanks for the great watch

[@strafefox]

DuckAlert UK Thanks for watching! :) Glad you liked it!

[@DuckAlertBeats]

Really impressed man, subbed. Looking forward to seeing them all. Keep it up man

[@Moviefan2k4]

I'm surprised they didn't mention the origin of the Castlevania name. It comes from the 1931 "Dracula" adaptation, starring Bela Lugosi.

[@strafefox]

Cool! I never knew that :)

[@javelin6831]

Ah yes, the NEZ. I love your videos. When's the next one coming? Would love to see you cover Metal Gear Solid or the Mega Man series.

[@strafefox]

Thanks! The next video will up this month hopefully.

[@thundageon5962]

This was the Dark Souls of their era

[@Rudolphhhhhh]

Nice retrospective (and I am glad that you did not forget the excellent MSX version whose development maybe began before NES's version development, I have reasons to think that it is the case), but something hurt my ears : "Transylvanian countryside of Romania". Noooooo : it is (was) "Transylvanian countryside of Hungary" (before Transylvania was stolen by Romania after the World War 1). :-p

[@willmistretta]

What about the third Game Boy title?

[@merlingt1]

I would pay for a nice volume of these episodes on BluRay!

[@strafefox]

Awesome! I'm planning to release a Bluray once I have enough content.

[@NYCJoeBlack]

strafefox - Cool! I was just thinking of this for your videos as well as my other favorites. PLEASE, please keep us posted! I believe you live outside the US, so keep that in mind when you make those videos in physical media. It would be great if you can include things like a steelbook, manual with info on a bio about YOU, your work, your inspiration, how you came up with your KZbin name, your motivation, etc. include a map of your hometown. Lol! Inserts for upcoming/future volumes, Lol! CAN’t WAIT!!!!!

[@bjmgraphics617]

MSX was meantioned at the end of the video. What brand and version of MSX hardware should a collector get?

[@strafefox]

Get at least a MSX2, which runs the large majority of the games. Vampire Killer and Metal Gear are both msx2 games. Brand... I have a philips msx2, which stills works after 28 years :)

[@bjmgraphics617]

Do you think I can find a Philips MSX2 and the games online at reasonable prices? Thanks

[@strafefox]

Ben Marsh it depends a little where you life. but the Konami titles can be quite expensive. expect to pay at least $50 per game, and titles like vampire killer, metal gear, snatcher easily demand more than $100. on the other hand the msx1 games like Penguin Adventure and Maze of Galious are a lot cheaper as are most other non-konami games. I have no clue what a system would cost, maybe around $100 or less.

[@kinogomes8130]

Iam big fan of the series. Love the games of the NES and snes, but the metroudvanias as a step ahed in the series.

[@segatouringcar3738]

Need a remake that looks like minute 2.16, ala R-Type Dimensions!!!

[@jeffcox6539]

No CV Legends?

[@strafefox]

I've mentioned it in part 3 as it ties in to Symphony.

[@ganon_t99]

*WHIP IT*

[@fuzzydunlop1753]

Whip it good

[@BeeLy1011]

0:58 Heart of Fire lol

[@The8BitDuke]

Dammmmmmnnnnnn cool.

[@bastardtubeuser]

when you want Dracula but get Judge Rinder.

[@wonkith1925]

your videos are so damn good

[@strafefox]

Thanks! :)

[@n0isyturtle]

You should rerelease the 3 parts of this video as one full length one

[@MrFixer1983]

Nice intro and a good review. Ga zo door ;)

[@strafefox]

Dank je! :)

[@Halbared]

Nice narration. It is interesting to hear an English voice with American pronunciation

[@aster5031]

10/10

[@tohpingtiang4878]

Dracula has snooze on 100 year

[@CastChaos]

This Transylvanian countryside thing bothers me ever since I seen that in the intro of SotN. _Currently_, Transylvania is part of Romania, but it never was till the 20th century (some 1920 first, then from 1945 onwards, if I recall). It's OK that nothing in the series resembles Hungary and generally not much fits with that actual age (1100-1944), but it would have been the minimum to say "to the Transylvanian countryside of Hungary".

[@strafefox]

Thanks I didn't know that! I'll make it up to Hungary in my Ecco episode ;)

[@CastChaos]

=D Welcome to the machine! Yes, Hungary lost Transylvania (and a lot of other territories, shrinking to a tiny fraction of its original size) because losing two world wars in succession. Just imagine when Alucard awaken again and everybody were speaking a different language... Alucard: "WTF is this? Be my name Genya Arikado if I stay here for a moment longer." Julius: "Sry, could u help me seal Castlevania in the eclipse first pl()x?" Alucard: "I will be darned." The real life Vlad Tepes Dracul was Hungarian and took great part in the Hungarian-Turkish ways, occassionally changing sides and interacting/visiting the Hungarian king and capitol, too. It's all interesting stuff. But for his vampire being and the exact development history of Bram Stoker's book, that's a mystery! A glorious pile of secrets. Actually, I was just researching this topic two days ago, so this video was timed perfectly.

[@strafefox]

Haha that would be weird for poor Alucard :)

[@Tanerion]

Guess this means you're one of the people who consider the PC Engine a 16-bit console :)

[@strafefox]

Haha yeah I always believe everything they say in commercials!

[@Bigsexyc420]

Why do people say "NEZ"? It's the N.E.S

[@Khaliljt]

Actually it’s Nintendo Entertainment System

[@Halbared]

Japanese and English say Nes.

[@ZaGoudou]

What the hell is a 'nez'? Excellent retrospective aside from that ^.^

[@StevenMKelly]

+Za Goudou I've always said it that way - maybe it's a British thing, or maybe I've just been doing it wrong!

[@bastardtubeuser]

A Nez is a bit like a shite Snez.

[@rodrigoandressosa7824]

Spanish subtitles please

[@thiagovscoelho]

you watched egoraptor

[@fuzzydunlop1753]

Lol what's a nez?

[@strafefox]

"What is a Nes? A miserable little pile of secrets" Btw: Ik denk dat je Nederlands bent: dus even uitleg: In europe werd de NES meestal of Nintendo of NES genoemd begin jaren 90, maar in Amerika was het wat gebruiker om het als N.E.S. uit te spreken. Veel Britten hebben de neiging om de s aan het aan eind iets meer een Z klank te geven. Sinds de komst van KZbin, waar veel content toch uit America komt, is de N.E.S. uitspraak ook wat meer overgewaaid naar Europa. Ik persoonlijk houd het op NES, maar laat het verder afhangen van mijn narrator.

[@விஷ்ணு_கார்த்திக்]

Could do without the 3d animation though..

[@strafefox]

***** Do you find them distracting? I think they add a personal touch and hopefully some added atmosphere and variety.

[@விஷ்ணு_கார்த்திக்]

strafefox I think its unnecessary and takes time to make.

[@CarterTheQ]

strafefox I really liked them, they looked unique and were a cool way of presenting the game other than just regular gameplay. I understand it takes a lot of time and effort to make them, but they look awesome! I have a lot of respect for what you do. :)

[@strafefox]

+விஷ்ணு கார்த்திக் +Mr. Awesome T-Rex ! Yo guys can you 2 please stop this childish discussion!