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: platform game
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
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.
Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, GameCube
Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is a 3D platform adventure, developed by Heavy Iron Studios (who, incidentally, made the Godawful Evil Dead: Hail to the King), and published by THQ for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC and Game Boy Advance in 2003.
Continue reading Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, GameCube
Super Smash Bros. Melee, GameCube
Super Smash Bros. Melee is a classic GameCube-exclusive fighting game, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo in 2001. It is the sequel to HAL‘s 1999 Nintendo 64 game, Super Smash Bros. It features an array of historical Nintendo characters, taken from a range of classic Nintendo games, and it pits them against each other in a dynamic fighting arena.
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Multiplayer), GameCube
This is a separate set of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes grabs (to the set showing the single-player campaign that I posted earlier); these are of the multiplayer side of the game, which is not shown very often.
Continue reading Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Multiplayer), GameCube
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, GameCube
Developed by Retro Studios in collaboration with Nintendo, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is the sequel to the classic Metroid Prime. It was first released in 2004 – to rave reviews – and it remains one of the best games ever made for the Nintendo GameCube.
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.
The King of Grabs 