What I’m Playing Right Now #12

Have you been enjoying the Contra reviews? Are you excited for new Castlevania reviews? Well, have I got amazing news for Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and Steam gamers (sorry PlayStation fans, you’re not included). Right now, you can get Contra Anniversary Collection and Castlevania Anniversary Collection for $3.99 each. FOUR BUCKS for some of the best collections out there. Wow! Any one good game in either of those sets are worth $4 by themselves, easily. Here’s what is in each set, and if they’re clickable, it means I’ve got the review up for it. Contra Anniversary Collection is weird because it has the US and some Japanese ROMs on the same menu, BUT there’s also the option to switch to an all Japanese ROM menu with different ROMs. So, I’m just going to list what’s on each menu!

CONTRA ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION
MAIN MENU

• Contra (Arcade)
• Super Contra (Arcade)
• Contra (NES)
• Contra (Famicom)
• Super C (NES)
• Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES) Review Coming Very Soon to IGC
• Operation C (Game Boy)
• Contra: Hard Corps (Genesis) Review Coming Very Soon to IGC
• Super Probotector: Alien Rebels (SNES, European version of Contra III: The Alien Wars)
• Probotector (Mega Drive, European Version of Contra: Hard Corps)

“BONUS JP VERSION” MENU

• Contra (Arcade)
• Super Contra: Alien No Gyakushu (Arcade, aka Super Contra)
• Super Contra (Famicom, aka Super C)
• Contra Spirits (Super Famicom, aka Contra III: The Alien Wars)
• Contra (Game Boy, aka Operation C)
• Contra: The Hard Cops (Mega Drive, aka Contra: Hard Corps)

CASTLEVANIA ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION
MAIN MENU

• Castlevania (NES)
• Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (NES) Started and stopped the review three or four times.
• Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse (NES)
• Super Castlevania IV (SNES)
• The Castlevania Adventure (Game Boy)
• Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge (Game Boy) Review Coming THIS WEEK
• Castlevania Bloodlines (Genesis)
• Kid Dracula (Famicom, US ROM Official Debut)

“BONUS JP VERSION” MENU

• Akumajō Dracula (Famicom, aka Castlevania)
• Akumajō Densetsu (Famicom, aka Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse)
• Akumajō Dracula (Super Famicom, aka Super Castlevania IV)
• Dracula Densetsu (Game Boy, aka The Castlevania Adventure)
• Dracula Densetsu II (Game Boy, aka Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge)
• Vampire Killer (Mega Drive, aka Castlevania Bloodlines)
• Akumajō Special: Boku Dracula-kun (Famicom, aka Kid Dracula)

If you’ve somehow never played these games, you really should. Even if you’re not a fan of older games, or even their respective genres. I think they’re good enough to transcend genres, eras, or tastes. They’re some of the best games ever. In fairness, neither set is fully comprehensive. Contra Force? Nope. The MSX games, Contra and Vampire Killer? Nope. Rondo of Blood? Nope. Alien Wars for Game Boy? Nope. Castlevania Legends? Nope. Haunted Castle? It’s the wildcard of Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection, which includes eight games, seven of which are classic Konami shooters and one of which deserves to be taken out back and shot. BUT, the set is also only $3.99 right now. Dracula X? It was released on Castlevania Advance Collection, which is also on sale, but only for $12 instead of $4. You get all three Game Boy Advance releases, all three of which are stellar Metroidvanias and probably the greatest 2D action-adventure trilogy of all-time. Dracula X is a +1 throw-in for it, not that the set needed it. If you’ve been holding out on those collections, they’re basically the best value in gaming right now. So, what AM I playing?

“Dad’s going to be so proud of the wacky adventure I just had! I can’t wait to tell him and.. hey wait, is that a Belmont up on that cliff, watching the castle with a content smile? Oh no, that can only mean one thing..” As Kid Dracula turned around to await the inevitable, he said to himself “man, I need to switch sides.”

It’s going to be a packed week, folks. Kid Dracula for the Famicom is coming NEXT at Indie Gamer Chick. The Game Boy sequel, which I’ve never played before, will follow it. Castlevania: Dracula X is coming THIS WEEK to IGC. So is Vampire Killer, the MSX game. MSX fans seem to have found the Contra review, and I appreciate the support so much. It’s sad that, in 2024, only one collection currently has MSX games: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Volume 1. It has both MSX games. So, Konami does remember the platform. Hopefully, the wonderful MSX community will be rewarded soon with a prestige collection that celebrates the most underrated gaming platform I’ve seen. It’s not like it only got five games. Can you imagine me reviewing a game from a platform that only had five games?!

Nah