The 16-Bit Castlevanias - Game Sack

Episode 248 - The 16-bit era was a grand time for the Castlevania series, but which game is the best... and which is the worst? From the SNES to the Genesis to the PC Engine Super CD / TurboDuo to the Sharp X68000... Let's look at all of them!
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#castlevania

[@mathewhughes968]

Great video, Joe! I’m really glad you’re continuing to make Game Sack videos. Thanks!

[@ZeroWalker26]

I totally agree with that.

[@homejonny9326]

@@ZeroWalker26 Joe is a beast, too much videos with too much quality, and lenghty vídeos, a feat almost impossible for one single person (that is the case, he does it all alone, one soldier army in action here).

[@StormsparkPegasus]

I still think we will see Dave again sometime. Even if they don't record in the same room together like they used to. I had the idea that they could do a podcast type thing instead (since travel was the main reason Dave had to drop out).

[@illadelphcat]

I haven't watched game sack in a while....what happened?

[@homejonny9326]

@@illadelphcat Dave left Game Sack. Joe is alone from now on...

[@T4silly]

Even though the Sack only has 1 Nut now, it can still do it with full force.

[@wimwiddershins]

Still pumping hard!

[@yumann]

That's what she said

[@alfredocanas6802]

I miss Dave, but let's be honest Joe has being doing all the hard work like editing since the beginning of Game Sack.

[@SKMCTV]

Joe is the John Kruk of video games

[@Scorch6969]

Lmao! Gamesack: now more aerodynamic!

[@Joe-fy5dz]

Rondo Of Blood gets my vote! I love the crisper music, the many secret bosses and the cheesy 90's anime cut-scenes!

[@Ralph_Sandwich]

Y.

[@turdhat]

Glad you are keeping the series going. I do miss hearing "That's right Joe!" You are a great personality and even my wife enjoys the show. She watches Let's make a KZbin Show over and over again.

[@slappymchappy]

I love how at the 18:59 mark the volume goes up as he slides the switch up. Genius

[@Sp1derFingers]

18:53 for those confused and hell yeah that was nice

[@videostash413]

Genius? Aren't volume switches made to adjust volume?

[@LupusRexRgis]

Gamesack never ceases to improve my Sunday mornings! Thank you very much for your hard work and passion, Joe! 👍

[@lennynero635]

Just wanted to write the same. Hence, I second that. Great Job, Joe.

[@BlueflagAlpha]

Sunday afternoon here

[@muhanc.a.9299]

This Game Sack's episode = Joe at his finest!, damn! even the after credits gag was amazing. Pure gold! I would greatly appreciate more episodes like this one as I think that Joe tends to focus on more interesting aspects of a videogame than most youtubers (who have squeezed video games like Castlevania for years but without making a truly contribution) Don't you agree?

[@Thrashman138]

Joe, your videos get better and better every week. Thanks for putting in so much hard work for us. We all really appreciate it.

[@AcornElectron]

I like how Daves onscreen presence has been filled quite well with a CRT. Good old CRT, always there when gamers need you!

[@InternetTAB]

I thought similar. it was weird he wasn't centered. but, when he holds up stuff in his hand the shot is centered so I see why he does it.

[@MerolaC]

I miss Dave. But, you are doing great, Joe.

[@ninjamaster3453]

I bet he will be back. He's sitting there watching this. Reading comments and missing it.

[@MarceloMedeirosb]

I dont. Gamesack was always about joe

[@alonofisrael4802]

You're doing a great job on your own Joe keep doing it the show is better than ever

[@terrencecoccoli524]

what happend to Dave?

[@TyCollage]

@@terrencecoccoli524 Family and work based priorities basically. Always come up at some point you know? May have even grown out of it. But 8 years is a pretty decent run.

[@jmac79ers]

Loved it when you slid the volume up on the Genesis

[@NickEnlowe]

Wow! I'm so glad you were able to see how great Bloodlines can be! One of my favorite speedrun games, a real joy to play through. Eric has a lot of great moves once you master playing as him.

[@sambonz]

"This is what it sounds like, when CROWS fly.." WAH WAWA WAH (Prince, 1917)

[@waynehickman8317]

Hahahaha

[@kutulukutu]

Alright, best ending skit ever. Great episode, man. You're doing great👍👍👍

[@joesterling4299]

Oh man! Thanks for the heads up. I paused during the credits, and was planning on going elsewhere. 😂

[@aztarot]

I was going to coment that, why I always get beaten? TT__TT you don't belong in this world!!!!

[@BlueflagAlpha]

All of his skits are great

[@g40rc378]

Those aren't crows; they're ducks painted black, with beak & talon prosthetics.

[@hanselmanryanjames]

Like Pepe le pew when he would paint his white stripe black and pretend to be a cat

[@royroy7814]

I’ve rediscovered my love of classic gaming thanks to channels like yours.

[@lowdefal6306]

Being lucky enough to own a X68000, I often fire up Castlevania just to put the sound test on. X68k + midi card + Roland Sc-55 + sound test = My idea of heaven.

[@misterf7299]

Keep it up Joe, honestly I watch a lot of KZbin and this has been my favorite show (in the world) since about 2015. I can’t thank you enough for the hours of happiness you’ve created!!! ..............oh thank you to Dave too.....gone but not forgotten!!!

[@redmist78]

I love Castlevania 4 so much. I can't believe it came out 29 years ago. Ouch. just hearing that music again sent me back to the good old days.

[@robertbektas1810]

I’m so happy bloodlines is finally getting the love it deserves.

[@chico20m]

Hell. The thumb up button is not enough to express how good is this video and how 11/10 was that final sketch.

[@gdobson000]

Personally I like Castlevania IV the most but excellent video regardless!

[@gdobson000]

@Requiem4aDr3Am Nah, I just think it's more fun to play than the stiff-controlled original trilogy.

[@gdobson000]

@Requiem4aDr3Am I understand the appeal of the original games, I've played all of them, I just have more actual fun on a moment to moment basis while playing IV, probably because I grew up with it. I think you and I just have differences in what we find fun.

[@gdobson000]

Requiem4aDr3Am 3rd Strike IS the best Street Fighter!

[@deandevonport275]

Bloodlines is my all time favourite Castlevania.....quality and nostalgia 👌🏼

[@SharifSourour]

Rondo of Blood looks insane! Now I get the hype. Thanks for educating us Joe!

[@ninjafoot1104]

Joe, you should make a digital Dave for your new side kick. 16 bit Dave

[@MorrisseyMuse]

Kid, have some respect!

[@dnickell92]

Ninja Foot actually a good idea. Even if it was every few episodes. He could just record them at home, then reverb it or something to make it 16bit lol

[@ColeslawVariant]

Blue Stinger Dave White version 2.0.

[@PACKERMAN2077]

Imagine a animated chibi Dave mascot

[@kevinthomas4180]

Yup, holographic Dave like they did with Tupac.

[@MrWolfTickets]

I bet Dave was so thrilled every time you played a new, awesome SNES Game back in '91, Joe! 😁 I was the 'Dave' between me and my then best friend.

[@MudSluggerBP]

Glad that Bloodlines is coming to the Genesis/Mega Drive mini 👍🏻

[@Liquidcadmus]

You got it right Joe! that post credits scene... haha! Magnificent!

[@anthonyjohnson9088]

Great episode Joe...absolutely loved it!!!

[@oogrooq]

Someone should do a proper romhack of Casylevania X to turn it into Rondo of Blood

[@JazGalaxy]

As always, thanks Joe. We’ll always miss Dave, but this show remains phenomenal. We appreciate all your hard work.

[@Kadjius]

Never till today did I know exactly what those II and III symbols did in the Castlevania series. Thanks Joe!

[@AlexKidd]

It took me ages to work those out as well :D

[@bland9876]

speaking of things that we couldn't figure out in game not having the manual I didn't know what those rooms did in circle of the Moon that allow you to save Metroid did it better. Also some of the cards in that game require you to input a button combination so how you supposed to figure that out among other things tell her to figure out with the cards.

[@DrRockso79]

You should definitely change the name of the channel to Game Sack X.

[@joepwrsurge]

Or SUPER Game Sack (X)

[@JomasterTheSecond]

Maybe since it's missing half its hosts it should just be Sack.

[@MJFallout]

How about Game Sack64 ? That's so everyone can know it's next-gen, 3D and has polygons

[@johneygd]

Or call it game sack solo.

[@arkan5000]

@@MJFallout ultra sack 64

[@davidgill7412]

That ending was brilliant. SNES Dracula X: No this cannot be! Aaaarrrggghhh!

[@bland9876]

Speaking of the ending what would you have run into the stage and give the Richter (the pc cd game) invincibility?

[@xOmniCloudx]

Thanks for helping me understand the differences between Rondo of Blood, Chronicles and Dracula X. It's of confusing trying to follow it as a newer fan due to the drastic name differences between Japan and other regions and how sometimes they would reuse names for a different game in only specific regions.

[@kranibal]

I am also grateful you are continuing the Game Sack episodes!

[@sexshit1107]

For me castlevania 4.The control and gameplay were near perfect.Those moody visuals had a unique style along with the music.

[@12feettall6]

Yeah same here, Super CastleVania 4 was called Super for a good reason.

[@EmilianoFraga]

Same here, I do prefer Super Castlevania 4, then Rondo, then Bloodlines, then Dracula X

[@ultrairrelevantnobody1862]

I didn't care much for Castlevania 4. The weapons have no purpose anymore.

[@Superdimensional]

I agree with your list, only I’d put the SNES “super IV” as 2 and bloodlines was a close 3rd. Rondo definitely #1 playing on my PCengine mini now!!

[@LuisMendez-up5te]

Bloodlines definitely broke the mold. Hearing Simon Belmont's theme before fighting Dracula gave me chills.

[@Loenne555]

Another Great video! Really adore the „gamesack documentary“ style of showing ingame scenes and parrallel narration about scenes, graphics, history and also some personal annotations. Also gotta say as a pixel junkie I really love the cross-fades (or whatever they are called) using stylized / enlarged / rotated ingame scenes. (05:33, 15:40...) These are extremely professional and way cool!

[@TheStolken]

I definitely agree that Bloodlines is highly underrated, so much so that I like it more than Rondo. Rondo is still a good game but it did things I personally don't like. I prefer to pick my levels and switch my characters mid stage like Castlevania III (which is my favorite classicvania game). I also don't think the game was well made around Richter. There's a lot of crazy mobility that Maria has that makes Richter so boring by comparison, along with other stuff like how you can't duck under axe knights without getting hit, something no other Castlevania game does. I also hated how it did the 2 and 3 system in the game. If you have 20 hearts, you have level 2, and 40 for level 3, which is counter productive because getting hearts means not using the weapon, so you get less skilled using that weapon, which makes a 2 or 3 powerup for it really weird and at odds for its purpose. I still like Rondo but Bloodlines is so solid through and through. At worst, the Leaning Tower of Pisa stage can get a little boring, but the game's so crazy fast and creative with its level design for every other part that I got to give it a pass. Swinging with John or jumping with Eric is just too crazy and too fun. I also love all the little details about the game during WW1 in Europe, like how the munitions factory is in germany and that Elizabeth tricks you into going to Bran's Castle at the beginning to move Dracula away to London to buy time and try to get them killed in the middle of the war. It's a really well put together game, and stair jumping is amazing in it because you can bunny hop up stairs so quickly. I find Super Castlevania 4 to be boring, not as boring as Dracula X but it doesn't pop out and me and the music is so dull with exceptions. It's funny you compare it to ActRaiser because I feel the same way about its music and SC4's. Chronicles is alright but it gets tiresome as it continues.

[@hepwo91222]

I hear what you are saying with Rondo and how different Maria plays than Richter, I always viewed using Maria as an "easy mode", she had more cartoony attacks to lighten the mostly dark mood of the game. Ricther is playing the game in traditional normal mode with a challenge.

[@Peegeray]

i agree. overall i feel rondo has better visuals/music, but if i had to pick either bloodlines or rondo to replay i'd pick bloodlines easily. john and eric both feel way more balanced compared to richter and maria. like, eric is definitely the easy mode character but playing as maria just feels like cheating, so i almost never used her outside of my first playthrough.

[@hepwo91222]

@@Peegeray Dracula X Rondo of Blood is my favorite CV game of all time. I loved Super Castlevania 4 and Bloodlines, but I just though Rondo had more replay value, multiple paths, alternate boss battles, CD soundtrack, and if you chose to play with Richter was somewhat challenging. Bloodlines was great too, but I hate the limited continue system, passwords that remember how many lives you have, and even though the levels are big, there are only like 6 of them? Also I felt the two charatcers could have better branching paths with their varying jump abilities, a missed opportunity.

[@Peegeray]

​@@hepwo91222 don't get me wrong, even though i say i'd pick bloodlines on a replay, rondo is the most polished classicvania, there's so many levels and bosses. i just wish maria was less broken. i guess she's good for newcomers for a first playthrough i'd say the continues are pretty bad, though they can be ignored by just searching for passwords online nowadays. bloodlines is just one of those games where the more i play it, the more i enjoy it. one or two more levels would be nice though.

[@hepwo91222]

@@Peegeray Bloodlines could have done a better job in branching paths like Drac X did. So there are maybe like what, 2 or 3 parts to the game that can vary depending on whether you use a spear jump or a whip grapple jump, that lead into the exact same boss battle? Drac X on PC Engine had branching paths that were much more fleshed out making the game entirely different. SCV4 was a straight forward linear platformer, but really did a great job and the full control of the whip felt great. So I would rank old school CV 1. drac X PCE 2. SCV4 SNES 3. Bloodlines Genesis/MD

[@YamiBakura4]

Had a bad dream last night that Joe announced that Game Sack was over. Imagine my relief seeing this pop up. Great work as always

[@ShinobiNeon]

Nah, that was an alternate universe where AVGN made all the Aladdin Deck Enhancers explode, and Joe's exploded and killed him.

[@JopieHaargel]

What a horrible night to have a curse!

[@feiwong3634]

The Best Castlevania on 16 bit for me is easy: castlevania IV.

[@GRIMLOCK07]

Ah yes, "Bloody Tears" will always be one favs from that cartridge.

[@kuribojim3916]

Agree. I think it’s the best example of a ‘classic’ Castlevania. But Rondo is probably second.

[@iwonderifthisislegal]

Joe....thank you for more sack, mane. Your work ethic is insane 👍🏾👈🏾

[@Gravesyard]

It warms my heart to see someone put Bloodlines ahead of IV.

[@sadmeat8937]

What is a game? A miserible little pile of code. 😂

[@POOPIESkillz]

Sad Meat that was way funnier than it should've been

[@Splozy]

heh

[@morphobots]

Dracula X: ♪ Have at youuuu ♫[SLAP!]Rondo of Blood: Bitch. Me: 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mortimermouse]

So glad to realize that I didn’t miss Dave in this episode, I’ve just sunk in by Joe’s passion an attention to detail. GameSack lives eternal, as Dracula itself!

[@GregsGameRoom]

I'm pretty impartial to these games, but the graphics just look so much more detailed on Super Castlevania IV than on any of the other games. Am I crazy Joe?

[@3dmarth]

Yeah, Dracula X/Rondo of Blood is really polished and looks fantastic (a lot better than it does in screenshots, I might add), but there's just something about Super Castlevania IV's visual detail that it can't match.

[@gustavocoimbra2398]

Nice episode Joe, keep the flame burning!

[@llamafish5051]

I'm sure Joe can have dave as a guest once in a while. Keep up the with the vids regardless tho, Joe. I'm still watching

[@TheGodshatter]

@gamesack Joe!You forgot about Eric's best move!! I was waiting before i posted too! Lol! Eric can rotate from left to right, and vice versa. Just hold the attack button and rotate the controller 3/4 Degrees im the opposite direction. It wipes the floor with everyone!

[@NerdyTransformed]

I'm so glad that Joe has continued the legacy that is Game Sack. Excellent video!

[@gamer-techletsplays4549]

I definitely can go with the vote for Rondo, but I'd personally take Cas IV over Bloodlines. While I enjoy both, the visuals and sound on IV just make me feel that the game had more of an epic polish. Still, people should own and play both. 😉

[@augustusclaudiusvenorius6292]

Agreed.

[@TheIMMORTALKAHNHD]

Oh god i needed this. Im in Oklahoma and we just had major tornadoes hit. Date got cancelled too. Others weren't so lucky. thanks for the minor relief man....for sure.

[@ColeslawVariant]

Glad you are okay!

[@TheIMMORTALKAHNHD]

@@ColeslawVariant thanks. Some ppl werent so lucky in elreno ☹

[@moselyjones3943]

Sorry what you're going through! Stay safe friend! God be with you!

[@TheIMMORTALKAHNHD]

@@moselyjones3943 hey thanks! I appreciate that!

[@Multienderguy37]

14:30 The lower path in stage 2’ can be accessed by Richter if you jump from the top. Stage 3’ can also be accessed by Richter through a ferryman. As far as I know, the only area that requires Maria to access is the optional room above the engine in stage 5.

[@mr.nicktheboy1030]

Not feeling too well right now. This is just the right kind of thing to cheer me up. Very relaxing to watch. Thanks, guys.

[@mathewhughes968]

That skit at the end was hilarious! One of the best ever

[@12ealDealOfficial]

You got that list dead RIGHT! Thanks for entertaining us, Joe!

[@MartinBarreby]

Super Castlevania IV will always be number one in my book. I also loooove the record release of the soundtrack that Mondo did some time ago, really nice remastered for that medium.

[@aland9110]

That sketch at the end killed me XD

[@tuesday13th]

Great video Joe. Absolutely agree with you on Rondo of Blood. Played it on my PSP. P.S. Whenever somebody talks about Bloodlines - nobody mentions Eric's ability to spin the spear around (hold Attack and press left/right).

[@cptnoremac]

Probably because that move is mostly useless

[@tuesday13th]

@@cptnoremac Flying enemies like crows, some projectiles, spamming stationary enemies (like dragon head, pillar-face boss). Also it is faster to attack enemies, approaching you from behind, with this move rather than turning back and then attack.

[@creativecatproductions]

Great episode. The stop motion skit at the end was perfect!

[@Medrin]

I've slept on bloodlines all these years, not anymore! Rondo is absolutely the best, and the best Castlevania, period.

[@SonnyFern]

Just want to say I just discovered the channel about a week ago and I love it. I think I've burned through a bunch of your videos already. I hope you're around for a long, long time!

[@StRoRo]

The first Castlevania game I played was the PCE. Im glad I started with the best. :D

[@josecabre1]

Me too! Emulated, but still

[@PolecatsRock]

Joe love to see that you are still going solo on the dolo! Keep dragging that sweet sweet Game Sack across KZbin's face.

[@professorvector9535]

It's great that you gave us a clip of "Bloody Tears" from each game.

[@Amonkai]

Every gamesack video is bitter sweet for me because it gives heavy nostalgia for when life was good and I played these games

[@odinsplaygrounds]

I'm in the process of playing Rondo of Blood. It's really good... and challenging.

[@SamPendleton]

I'm really underwhelmed by Dave's contribution to this episode.

[@jaylucien669]

Its like he's not even trying

[@ShinGoukiSan]

I love how the beginning of SOTN in the US on the PS1 says that the last level of Rondo of Blood you play is from Bloodlines.

[@dudinacas]

Bloodlines is possibly my favourite game on the Mega Drive, fantastic game. I also agree that Rondo is the best in the series though.

[@pascalwagner9384]

Great episode. "What is a game? Just a miserable pile of code". Made my day !

[@mcclog3975]

Great work Joe, I just bought the Castlevania collection on the switch because of this video and it has many of the games you suggested. Keep up the awesome work.

[@RockRedGenesis]

I just wish they put in Rondo of Blood, i've always wanted to play that one, never have though. If they had to remove a game or two to fit it in, they could have got rid of the gameboy titles. While the collection is good, Rondo would have made it a must have for many more people.

[@neoasura]

Good choice putting "Moon Fight" in the music, I love that track! Glad to see you holding the fort solo Joe, you are doing a good job, hope to see more of these.

[@TheRealMerchyBautista]

Thank you for keeping Game Sack alive Joe! We love your new format! Keep doing your thing! I would love to see you do another Dare to Compare episode!

[@SegisSwedubs]

Never had bloodlines as little but when i got it I really fell inlove with it. I think it might be because of the music, segas soundchip made all the songs sound amazing. Awesome video as always Joe!! Keep on rocking!

[@JoPeTuYaTroJoueY]

The Ending skit

[@PeteSkerritt]

Great stuff, Joe. Your passion for the Castlevania series is obvious, and your arguments are compelling. My list is different. I don’t revere Rondo of Blood like many other players do, and rank both Super Castlevania IV and Bloodlines higher- as 1 and 2, respectively. I’m both lucky and cursed that Super Castlevania IV was the first game in the series that I played; being the most fair game in the series in terms of difficulty made it perfect for a newcomer like me. I don’t think I could’ve beaten (and still can’t beat) any of the 8-bit games before it. That said, when the difficulty soared again for the games that followed it, I just couldn’t keep up. Bloodlines was the exception, and even then I had to play on Easy. I can only get a couple of stages in on Rondo these days before I get completely frustrated and give up. The 16-bit era was a great time for Konami and for the Castlevania series. The fact that we had so many different games to play was awesome, and it’s fantastic that we can revisit all of these now.

[@GameSack]

Hey that's cool. At least you like some good Castlevania games!

[@ColourShedProductions]

Super Castlevania IV is one of my favourite SNES games. It's the sort of thing where if you don't have much time to kill, and wanted a fair challenge not too much, it's perfect. After hearing Dave talk about it in a few Game Sack videos, it's good to hear what Joe has to say as well...

[@lasersauceretroarchives6544]

There's the Internet world, and there's the Game Sack world. I'd rather stay in the Game Sack world.

[@dbdn1825]

Really like the editing on this one Joe! One of the best episodes. Keep the good work!

[@GameSack]

Thanks!

[@jesusmgw]

Watching in 2022, this is one of the finest Game Sack videos of all times. The Rondo of Blood of Game Sack videos I may say.

[@Sinn0100]

I love all three consoles and games. Having said that my vote is...God I love this channel!!! 1. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood is the entire package. It has the best graphical presentation by a mile and the sweet soundtrack is one of the best in gaming. Finally, Rondo of Blood has the best gameplay mechanics with multiple characters to play as and branching paths. This is the very best 16-bit Castlevania experience bar none. 2. Super Castlevania IV was an absolute masterpiece in 1991. At the time it had the very best soundtrack I had ever heard in any game. The gameplay is super slick with the ability to whip in multiple directions. The graphics were also exceptional, albeit a little muted. Finally, the implementation of Mode 7 during gameplay was a stroke of genius. It was the very first game I saw doing something like that in the home. 3. Castlevania Bloodlines was truly a fantastic game. The soundtrack was so well done that it was almost haunting. Having the ability to choose two different characters at the start was very cool. The addition of blood coupled with the dark color pallet chosen gives Bloodlines one of the best atmospheric feelings throughout the entire series. Finally, some of the special effects found here were absolutely mind blowing. Just an incredible experience that falls just short of overtaking Super Castlevania IV. Addendum- This was a pretty hard comparison to judge. All three games were at the top of their responsibilities consoles. All three had mind-blowing graphics for their time. They each had musical tracks that are still just as good over 30 years later. If you haven't played them...do so with haste.

[@atom-88]

Awesome Video Joe, Thanks for keeping GameSack alive :D

[@Kinogotiate]

AVGN would be mad about Super castlevania 4 not being #1

[@InternetTAB]

the fact they made the subweapons obsolete in that version ensured it will never be number 1

[@andrewchristianson2086]

I love the music of Super Castlevania too. Draws you into the game. Especially the gold and clocktower levels. Great gameplay too. I played the Genesis and Dracula X too. They aren't bad, but IV in my opinion is far superior.

[@bradnimbus4836]

Joe! Seeing you there alone is like Simon without Garfunkel but I appreciate you so much!

[@louskunt125]

Joe Sack is best channel

[@the1ucidone]

LoL that outro was freakin great!

[@juanmartinstehle5047]

Haunted Castle is also available on PS2 as part of the Oretachi Gēsen Zoku series. This port was only released in Japan. And is way cheaper than the original arcade PCB.

[@wallymeatson4430]

Interesting facts: though the roman numbers are gone in Rondo, you can still throw more than one sub-weapon if you have 20+ hearts, and you can extend the whip by a few pixels if you press forward just at the right moment the whip unfolds completely.

[@deasteinza3987]

Watching this again after seing last AVGN video with "muh 8 direction whip" argument of why SC4 is the best thing humanity has ever created

[@Supersayainpikmin]

What's funny is the more I think about it, the 8 directional whip is one of the least interesting aspects of SC4.I don't feel it's the reason the game is so loved by many people. Later games don't need it anyway because they were made without it in mind.

[@ThumbBros_RunAndPun]

“Bland and uninteresting” love the self deprecation! And this video was far from bland; informative and well edited-a great justice to 16 bit Castlevania!

[@bland9876]

If done Right self-deprecating humor can be funny instead of it feeling like cringey you can tell when someone is truly dissing themselves (low self esteem) versus just pointing out their flaws without truly thinking badly of themselves.

[@ryzmaker11]

Bloodlines does indeed feel rushed in some ways YET it's probably my favorite 16-bit Castlevania game alongside Akumajō Dracula on X68000. This tends to speak volume about the quality of Bloodlines because we can only imagine how even more amazing it could have been had it been developed with 100% involvement! (i.e. with better stair animation, better sound FX and such). Bloodlines has such good gameplay, fast, smooth, with great level design and boss fights and two distinctive and interesting characters to play with. It also has plenty of neat set pieces and creative visual effects. And it has one of my fav' soundtracks in video game history! Now I think you were a bit harsh with Akumajō Dracula on X68000. It's also a fantastic game, challenging, polished, long and with many interesting set pieces. Rondo of Blood is a *very* polished game, they were like, at 120% when developing it and it shows in some ways (the animation; the amount of details; etc.) but it also has many downsides such as a rather dull level design during at least a third of the game, a very weak final boss, some cutscenes look cheap and Maria is too OP making the replay value with her rather disappointing. Overall I think it's very good but overrated. And Castlevania IV was a very impressive game for its time. The combination of gritty visuals and eerie soundtrack creates a creepy and phenomenal atmosphere. And there's a bunch of neat visual effects such as the rotating portal or some advanced transparency FX for the time. But the game suffers from some classic SNES issues (limited resolution; slowdowns...) and some of the mode 7 effects have aged poorly (the rotating candlesticks; the "rotating room" @stage 4-3...). Lastly Dracula X. This one is indeed a mixed bag. The cutscenes look fantastic with their unique style and cooler that those in Rondo of Blood. Also improved backgrounds over those in Rondo (the flames during the first stage look amazing) and the final boss is much better but the level design is often generic, the sound is a bit off and the controls feel stiff. It's clearly my least favorite here. So overall? It goes this way IMO: 1° a tie between Akumajō Dracula on X68000 and Vampire Killer/Castlevania Bloodlines on Mega Drive 2° a tie between Castlevania IV on SNES and Rondo of Blood on PC Engine Super CD-Rom² 3° Dracula X on SNES

[@solarflare9078]

Had a good bet I would be seeing you here. Good thing I wasn't wrong, lol.

[@ryzmaker11]

@@solarflare9078 Hey you! (The Mildly Shocked... well, I don't remember how your previous nick ended). Thank you! Yeah, I had a few points to share here as well. Sounds like you agree to some extent. What's your opinion about this?

[@solarflare9078]

@@ryzmaker11 ​ I do agree that the X68000 Sharp game was treated maybe a little too harshly by Joe, and even though it had flaws, it's still enough to compete with the other games. Probably would go behind Bloodlines for me. Tied with it would be Super Castlevania IV, which would've been 1st had it not suffered from all the flaws SNES hardware usually suffers from, like slowdown. I'm not a huge fan for the design choices Rondo of Blood made and it would've easily been the best 16-bit Castlevania had it not acquired them. Behind all the others as of right now. Then we have Dracula X, which changed everything for the worst. Not the worst of all the butchered ports I've seen, but it definitely was damaged quite a bit. Worst as of now. We also have Haunted Castle, and that was far too unforgiving, which makes yet another low for the 16-bit games. After that, it may seem like nothing can get worse than Haunted Castle for the era, but it does... the Amiga Castlevania port... it looks, sounds, and plays like a bootleg. Plain awful. (Reposted with proper reply notif)

[@ryzmaker11]

@@solarflare9078 Ah yes, Haunted Castle as well as that crappy Amiga port... Well, I never played Haunted Castle but it seems stiff and unfair but maybe it's actually good? I watched some videos and the game is quite mental at times! As for Castlevania on Amiga, it's an embarrassing pile of lazy crap put to shame by actually good Amiga action games such as Gods or Ruff 'n Tumble. Now about the Castlevania games on 16-bit consoles, all could have been improved in a way or another but ultimately it's Bloodlines that had the most margin or improvements doable simply because the Mega Drive hardware is the one with the biggest potential (and I don't even talk about a Mega-CD Castlevania game... I actually wish an improved Mega-CD port of Rondo of Blood was made that increased the resolution, had better cutscenes, better sound FX and such. It would have been cool and Konami would have benefited from this given that the Mega-CD sold more than the PC Engine CD worldwide. This sure would have fared better and been more interesting than Dracula X on SNES...)

[@BladeBlur]

I was kind of worried the first game centric episode without Dave would feel off, but I am glad I was wrong. The skits is what I was worried the worst, but then I remember how Joe is a master of stop motion. Please more Greendog puking cartridges.

[@Mas5151515151]

Great episode, Joe! I really like this in-depth look format of your reviews.

[@Triggermappy]

3 dislikes dave has 3 accounts

[@koolmissionary7612]

Along with AVGN, this channel is one of the few that simply just gives me good feelings and make me feel relax.

[@rogretheogre]

The Sack must go on! And it's still marvelous! Thanks Joe!