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Super Castlevania IV; Dracula finds 8 more bits...and other "best franchise transitions from 8 to 16 bits"

VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
As a kid who had an NES growing up...it was impressive. Little kid brained me didn't understand "processors" or "bits" and I was just happy to spend an afternoon or evening playing my NES. Then suddenly gaming magazines started previewing the new SNES coming out...and those screenshots just looked wildly better than what I was currently playing.

So of course the year the SNES came out it was all I wanted for Christmas and I had to play Super Castlevania IV on it because I loved the franchise.

When I finally got the game and sat down...it was truly something I had never seen at home. The extra colors, the parallax scrolling and of course the Mode 7 effects. It was just a brand new world of graphics that maybe I wasn't fully ready for lol.

But as transitions from console generations goes I think Castlevania really stuck the landing; everything good about the NES games...just bigger and more impressive. Which was NOT a guarantee back in the day as not every franchise made the transition with games that were "as good if not better" than their 8 bit counterparts

But that got me thinking GAF...what games did you LOVE when they went from 8 to 16 bit...and what games blew the transition completely? Because for every Castlevania IV or Super Mario World...there was some real garbage out there!

 
NeoIkaruGAF

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
Mega Man went from 8 to 16 bits with a bang, too, even if I'll always have a soft spot for the 8-bit games.
Then Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Mother/Earthbound, Zelda... most IPs that started well on the NES found their definitive consecration on the SNES.
 
S0ULZB0URNE

S0ULZB0URNE

Member
VGEsoterica said:
As a kid who had an NES growing up...it was impressive. Little kid brained me didn't understand "processors" or "bits" and I was just happy to spend an afternoon or evening playing my NES. Then suddenly gaming magazines started previewing the new SNES coming out...and those screenshots just looked wildly better than what I was currently playing.

So of course the year the SNES came out it was all I wanted for Christmas and I had to play Super Castlevania IV on it because I loved the franchise.

When I finally got the game and sat down...it was truly something I had never seen at home. The extra colors, the parallax scrolling and of course the Mode 7 effects. It was just a brand new world of graphics that maybe I wasn't fully ready for lol.

But as transitions from console generations goes I think Castlevania really stuck the landing; everything good about the NES games...just bigger and more impressive. Which was NOT a guarantee back in the day as not every franchise made the transition with games that were "as good if not better" than their 8 bit counterparts

But that got me thinking GAF...what games did you LOVE when they went from 8 to 16 bit...and what games blew the transition completely? Because for every Castlevania IV or Super Mario World...there was some real garbage out there!

Click to expand...

Great game but the 8bit ones played better.
 
Doczu

Doczu

Member
Well i mostly loved sequels on the SNES not for their graphics but sound effects and MUSIC.
I have a soft spot for NES clones as they were the only cheap option in Poland mid 90s, so i totally missed on the 16 bit generation, but thanks to emulation and the internet icouldplay sequels to my beloved franchises and from all of them one is still being replayed by me regularly: Super Metroid.
The theme song. I would leave the title screen on for longer periods of time just to listen to it...
 
Tiamat2san

Tiamat2san

Member
I love this game so much!♥️
The graphics were great and the mode 7 zoom and rotation were amazing at the time.
The music is perfect, so many memories.
 
NeoIkaruGAF

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
Stefan.North said:
Space shooters went from cool to great.
Fighting games were basically established in 16bit gen.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, right. So hard to go back to NES shooters, but the mid 90s were the treasure trove of console space shooters. Between SNES, Genesis and PC-Engine/Turbografx, it was the best of times for the genre.

Truth be told, my first access to Castlevania 4 was through emulation, and I never really loved the game. It’s slow, it’s too long; it tries way too hard to be a technical showcase, forgetting good level design one or two times too many. And while the music is outstanding in and of itself, I much prefer the rocking, upbeat soundtracks of virtually any other Classicvania.
 
HoodWinked

HoodWinked

Gold Member
I always thought the sprites for this game were incredibly ugly.

Fortunately they redid everything for Rondo of Blood which has defined the art style since.

RtAuQj2.png
 
Knightime_X

Knightime_X

Member
HoodWinked said:
I always thought the sprites for this game were incredibly ugly.

Fortunately they redid everything for Rondo of Blood which has defined the art style since.

RtAuQj2.png
Click to expand...
How old were you when this came out? Was it first experienced on a CRT or emulator?
Compared to 8-bit, this looked fucking GREAT!
 
S

Stefan.North

Member
Fat Frog said:
How does Super Punch Out compare to Punch Out? Even the Wii version seems more appealing than the 16 bits output.(only tested and loved the 8bits game)
Click to expand...
Super Punch Out can't hold a candle to Punch Out!!
IMO 9/10 game (NES one) compared to 7/10 (SNES game).
- In Super whole match is contained in one round instead of three rounds. No comments between rounds from opponents.
- No Doc :(
- Way more borring characters (clown - yawn, "bruce lee" clone - meh), the only good characters are older ones like Bald Bull and Mr Sandman.
- Forgettible music, while PU had more dramatic and memorable tunes.
- Super is waaaaay more RNG, PU is more rhythm based.
 
Rran

Rran

Member
Gonna have to disagree, I find SPO to be terrific fun and a great choice to blast through every year or so. The NES game is great as well, but SPO has these things over it:

-Absolutely gorgeous visuals, some of the biggest and most expressive sprites on the SNES.
-No repeat fights, and instead you get the largest roster in the series (16).
-Way more improvisation. By the time you hit the third fighter in MTPO (Piston Honda), you really can't get any hits in without dodging or attempting to sucker-punch him when he winds back. This carries over to nearly every boxer afterward. SPO features a lot more gameplay variety beyond just dodging and countering. Even during the final boxers in the game, I can squeeze in a jab here or there when their guard is down, while MTPO seems to auto-block every one of Mac's punches attempted in this way. (from the Major Circuit onward)
-A big part of the variety comes from how the super punch meter works. Instead of going for risky moves to unleash a super punch, you get rewarded for doling out damage while avoiding taking hits. Then you can throw out these (somewhat risky) hooks and uppercuts to your heart's content, as long as you avoid getting hit. This leads to more of a sense of looking for big opportunities than in MTPO.

I do miss Doc. But the single-round thing never felt like a big deal to me and the game's other merits make up for it.
 
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C

cartman414

Member
sinnergy said:
From old Donkey Kong to Donkey Kong Country !

Battle toads was also heaps better !
Click to expand...
Donkey Kong '94 for Game Boy did more for the franchise than DKC.

Super CV4 was a step down from CV3. The zoomed-in playing field and 8-way whip made Simon too OP against enemies. The sound effects were a little flaccid coming off from the amazing ones from the 8-bit games. I also agree with the other post saying a few of the skeletal enemy designs came off a little weak.

Rondo of Blood was where the series really hit the next-gen.
 
VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
cartman414 said:
Donkey Kong '94 for Game Boy did more for the franchise than DKC.

Super CV4 was a step down from CV3. The zoomed-in playing field and 8-way whip made Simon too OP against enemies. The sound effects were a little flaccid coming off from the amazing ones from the 8-bit games. I also agree with the other post saying a few of the skeletal enemy designs came off a little weak.

Rondo of Blood was where the series really hit the next-gen.
Click to expand...
A fair assessment. Rondo is GOAT for non-Metroidvania. But I do think this is a highly impressive jump to 16-Bit mechanically. Can’t blame extra bits for Konami making design changes
 
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Setzer

Setzer

Member
VGEsoterica VGEsoterica Definitely agree with you on Super Castlevania IV. The other game for me that nailed the 16-bit landing was Final Fantasy. Going from Final Fantasy I to Final Fantasy II(IV) was a huge leap forward in the series in terms of graphics, sound, and scope of the world/story.
 
ResurrectedContrarian

ResurrectedContrarian

Banned
There’s something I never liked about CV4... hard to put my finger on. I remember the whip amazing me at launch at a friend’s house, but for some reason I didn’t personally own this game until collecting later, and never adored it like CV3.

The franchise’s greatest peaks for me are 3, Rondo, and SOTN (although SOTN is almost a new genre, and I prefer 3/Rondo era of gameplay).
 
VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
ResurrectedContrarian said:
There’s something I never liked about CV4... hard to put my finger on. I remember the whip amazing me at launch at a friend’s house, but for some reason I didn’t personally own this game until collecting later, and never adored it like CV3.

The franchise’s greatest peaks for me are 3, Rondo, and SOTN (although SOTN is almost a new genre, and I prefer 3/Rondo era of gameplay).
Click to expand...
IMO Rondo is the best traditional entry and SotN is the best Metroidvania. Which is the best of these two? I can’t decide haha
 
Rran

Rran

Member
Heck, SCIV is still my favorite in the series outright. It's just so satisfying to play through, and its easiness is very overblown online. Honestly, the game is no easier than LttP, Super Metroid, Chrono Trigger, Mega Man X, or any other number of beloved SNES classics. It's a very reasonable level of challenge, albeit easier than the tough CV1 and nigh-impossible (US version) CV3.

Also, I adore SCIV's soundtrack. It's rich and varied, delivering some outstandingly moody themes that run a gamut of genres, without going to the "rock song with a little organ mixed in" well too often.
 
B

Beechos

Member
Contra 3 and a link to the past were the biggest jaw dropping sequels for me.

The turtle breaking out of the wall is iconic along the the rain at the start of a link to the past.

Whats more impressive i think all these games came out shortly after launch.
 
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VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
Beechos said:
Contra 3 and a link to the past were the biggest jaw dropping sequels for me.

The turtle breaking out of the wall is iconic along the the rain at the start of a link to the past.

Whats more impressive i think all these games came out shortly after launch.
Click to expand...
What’s most impressive is just how timeless they are. They are impressive TODAY
 
ResurrectedContrarian

ResurrectedContrarian

Banned
VGEsoterica said:
Yeah I don’t think he’s serious? Because DKC basically IS the franchise
Click to expand...
I guess the franchise forked with DK'94 and DKC.

One half (DK'94 branch) iterated on the classic gameplay, but with increasingly puzzle-focused elements. This leads into the "Mario vs Donkey Kong" era, the minis, etc--all of which comes directly from the gameplay style of DK'94.

The other half (DKC) turns it into a Mario-like platformer, but more difficulty and so on.

I'm actually quite fond of puzzle-style Donkey Kong.
 
VGEsoterica

VGEsoterica

Member
ResurrectedContrarian said:
I guess the franchise forked with DK'94 and DKC.

One half (DK'94 branch) iterated on the classic gameplay, but with increasingly puzzle-focused elements. This leads into the "Mario vs Donkey Kong" era, the minis, etc--all of which comes directly from the gameplay style of DK'94.

The other half (DKC) turns it into a Mario-like platformer, but more difficulty and so on.

I'm actually quite fond of puzzle-style Donkey Kong.
Click to expand...
Both are great but I think 90% + of people would think DKC style gameplay if you said “donkey Kong game”
 
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