Virtual Console Reviews

I'll download this when it's out! I've never had the chance to play this so I'll take the opportunity when it comes out. I've heard some good things about it so I'll remain positive!

I could never get far in this game. Those who never played it before are going to cry at how hard it is. Another worthy addition to the Virtual Console. Only expert gamers need apply though.

I remember renting this game with my brother one weekend we were spending at our dads house. We beat it, and being familiar with the NES version, knew we'd have to trudge our way back through it a second time. We made it all of the way to the final boss and just couldn't beat him. We played all through the night and never did it. Damn this game. Damn it to hell... Well, off to go download. I haven't screamed at my television in a long while.

This game is as tough as Davy Jones' old boots! I love the GBA version myself, picked it up cheap when I was last on shore leave. I'd say that this is pretty much a 'must have' for Wii owners. Roll on the PAL release, m'hearties!

This game is sooooooooo frickin hard!!!!! i think i popped several blood vessels when playing it. I almost punched everybody in my house because i was so frustrated. It's good though. Playable

Anyone reckon this is easier or harder than kid icarus? I ask as these seem to be the big boys of the VC, who would punch you into a piller and then push chips into your ears (they are hard games)

Famous Roy, this game is tougher than Kid Icarus. Kid Icarus's first level was pretty much the hardest bit in the game when you were still weak and had one bar of energy. Once you start gaining Health and weapon upgrades, the game gets much, much easier to handle.

I never realised until I played the PAL version of this game for the first time just how much easier the whole game is compared to the US and Japanese versions. The number of monsters inhabiting each level has been reduced, and this is particularly so with the little fire demons that come out of those fiery pits in level 3. In all other versions, you had 1 coming out of each pit; here, no matter which difficulty I play in, this simply is not the case. The awkwardly placed monsters were removed.

It's a brilliant game, but I'm a little disappointed at how watered down the PAL version is, making the 'professional' setting not that much more difficult than 'normal' or 'hard'.

Any true nostalgic avid game-player would understand the true value of this awesome game!

Great game, but H-A-R-D!!! Even after your little Arthur guy dies about a thousand times, you keep playing! This game is deceptively hard... or deceptively easy. I'm not sure which. It appears to be easy, but it's not. Well, it could be.

Awesome game, I downloaded it sometime last week. I was rritated by his crappy jumping at first, but soon got over that and realised how great the game is. One of the best games available for download.

Right. We have bad jumping, slowdown and the checkpoints are too far between for such a hard game. Everything else is really super, but it's no 5/5 in my book.

Just to clarify, I love everything else about the game, but overall it's a 4/5 game..

Guardian Bracelet?!?!?!? What the f@#$?!?!?! I had this game years ago and never beat it (I was pretty young). So I download the damn thing, get to the end, finally beat it, and I'm told I need a bracelet and it starts me over?!?!?!?!?! It still rocks, though ...

great game but also can be very frustrating at times

I fondly remember playing through this a time or two way back...so this was my first download.
The graphics were good at the time (they still look good), the music is catchy, and the 'slowdown' in various places actually adds to the charm of days gone by.
But as many already know, and a few will find out, this is old school HARD!...so prepare your mind for a bit of side scrolling frustration and memorization. From the beginning, the hit detection is totally unforgiving and if you don't cuss now, you will. Oh..You will...
In other words...I love it!

I love this game. I have the capcom classics edition for xbox. It never slows down like the SNES. Gameplay is smooth all the way through. This game is good because its not too easy. You actually have to memorize the levels in order to beat them. This definitely isn't a button masher. So if you're not up for a challenge, don't pick this up. And also, guardian bracelet...I second that WTF!

This game would have been better if you did not have to go through the whole dam thing twice to get to the last boss with a crap weapon. anyone thinking of getting it on download compared to super castlevania take my advice and get castlevania

Just so you know, this game is very, very hard. Until you get used to the fact that you can't direct the character in mid-jump, you will die many times. In fact, you will die a lot anyway, as most of the game requires trial and error to get through.

You cannot call yourself a true gamer untill you have competed this game!

By the way how is this version different from the Capcom classics version I mean is that based on the harder American or Japanese version.

I know about there being less slow down and no save state.

is there a way to save or didnt capcom use saves back then
great game hard just got through the tidewave part

I kinda like this game.
But it was REALLY annoying that once you finish level 7, you have to start the WHOLE game all over. It's hard.

I had this game as a kid. I remember how hard the first one (well 2nd one) on the genesis was back then, then I got this game... damn was it hard! I beat it like once before my SNES got jacked =/ I'm definetly getting this game.

Yeah, it's hard. It probably is just a little too hard - if the difficulty weren't quite so punishing, this would be on all sorts of SNES favorites lists. The presentation is fantastic, the graphics and music are shining examples of the SNES era, and the levels are interesting enough that you're usually willing to fight on to see what's next. It's too bad the difficulty will turn so many people away, but I guess that just makes it a favorite of the hardcore. I just barely beat it on my SNES, and once was enough for me, so I probably won't download it now; but if you're looking for a real challenge, it has that, and quality to go with it.

Theoretically, this game could be beaten in about 1.5 hrs.
Figure 45 mins for each trip through...

It took me 6 hours just to make it through once ; )
Addictive and insanely hard.

I can't beat this game, is just so frustrating at some points. But like old school games, it is addictive-frustrating.

I recommended purchase!.

I am eyeballing this game, it looks very interesting, I want it, I want it now!

interesting, yes...but ridiculously hard.

and you keep coming back for some reason.

Hmmm I just thought the crazy difficulty might put me off.

One of the d**n best and d**n hardest games out there. It's downright fun whether you beat it or get frustrated and give up. Beat the heck out of it as a kid when you could rent one game a weekend and just play til you fell over. Now with all the new games and nostalgia like this, frustration makes you put it down for 6 months. By then you are all rusty and have to play 8 hours just to get back up to being how good you were those 6 months ago, just to repeat the cycle. I love this game!

question: is there any way to save your progress!!!!??? i agree. YES the game is sooooo hard!! im in the lava level right now and i cant even get to the boss. theres no way to save what youve done? i cant turn off my system cause ill lose all my progress....

Once you return to the Wii menu your game progress will be saved. Its in a save file on your hardrive. Read more of your instruction manual to find out all about this sweet feature.

I give this game a 4 out of 5 only because it's difficulty sort of irks me. Granted, I downloaded this game because I was seeking a challenge (after playing through Castlevania) but this is sort of ridiculous. Still, the gamer in me loves it.

i'm so pissed.. i could beat this game at 12 years old and now i can't beat the first level... today's easy games have made me soft.

Maximo on PS2 was a very fun spiritual sequel to this game, and people were whining that it was hard.. They should have played the original. Hunt down a copy of Maximo and its sequel Maximo: The Army of Zin I think it's called at a local Gamestop bargain bin before Sony tries to re-release these for money on their online network...

Fun game, with atmosphere coming out of every hole. I would take a full star off for the difficulty, except the production value is so high and the gameplay so tight that you will want to play the first level several times even if you can't pass it. There are a ton of other games to play that lack a true challenge, so it's not a bad thing at all to have such a hard game play so well.