Often shortened to just “Galivan“, this arcade platform game from Nichibutsu first came out in arcades in 1985. Outside of Japan, the game was little-known, but it did get ported to the C64, Spectrum, and Amstrad CPC in the West, and to the Famicom in Japan, to little or no success.
Tag Archives: 2D graphics
Flat, two-dimensional graphics, usually constructed of pixels. Not three-dimensional.
Castlevania Special
Konami‘s classic Castlevania series is a well-known and much-loved collection of horror-themed games that spans from 1986 to the present day, although some may feel that the series has been neglected in recent times.
Castlevania began its existence in the form of the Famicom Disk System game, Akumajō Dracula, and has undergone many iterations, across almost all video game systems, including in the arcades, on handhelds, and on home computers and consoles.
Here’s a list of all the official Castlevania games ever made. Plus a selection of some of the best fan-made games and hacks.
In celebration of a landmark video game series!
Castlevania: Rondo of the Night, PlayStation
Castlevania: Rondo of the Night is a ROM hack of the PlayStation classic, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and it was first released in June 2024. The aim of the hack is to change the gameplay, so that the player can do quicker and more athletic moves, and to surprise the player with a seemingly never-ending string of good ideas.
Continue reading Castlevania: Rondo of the Night, PlayStation
Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, Nintendo Wii
It’s a remake of Castlevania: The Adventure – originally released for the black and white Game Boy – except this time it’s been changed to look and play like something of a cross between an X68000 and a Super Nintendo Castlevania game. It could also be mistaken for a Castlevania arcade game. But it isn’t any of those.
Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth is a WiiWare game for the Nintendo Wii. It was released only through the WiiWare service for a number of years. At the time of writing, I don’t think it’s currently available to buy and play anywhere legally, which is a pity because it’s superb.
Continue reading Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, Nintendo Wii
Castlevania Judgment, Nintendo Wii
Released for the Nintendo Wii by Konami in 2008, Castlevania Judgment is a 3D fighting game developed by Eighting. It was the first beat ’em up in the Castlevania series, and it remains the last one, too (at the time of writing).
Akumajō Dracula, MSX
The MSX and Famicom Disk System versions of Konami‘s original Akumajō Dracula (aka “Vampire Killer“), were being worked-on simultaneously by developers inside Konami, in 1985 and ‘86.
The Famicom Disk System version was released one month before the MSX version. Although they are essentially the same game, there are some significant differences between them.
Red Baron, PC
Developed by Dynamix and published by Sierra On-line, Red Baron is a combat flight simulator set during The First World War. The game was innovative for the time, and garnered considerable praise from players and critics alike at the time of its original release – 1990.
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games!, GameCube
Co-developed by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo R&D1, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games!, is a collection of party-based minigames that are supposed to test your reactions and skill. And the games have “Wario-based japes” flavour to them.
Continue reading WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games!, GameCube
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, GameCube
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is an action/RPG collaboration between Square Enix and The Game Designers Studio, Inc.
It was first released for the Nintendo GameCube in Japan in 2003, and in 2004 for the rest of the world.
Legendary Wings, Arcade
Legendary Wings is an arcade game from Capcom, first released in 1986. It uses a loose interpretation of Greek mythology to style its visuals and gameplay.