Castlevania Questions.

[dukbrand]

Is easy mode only avalible on the cassette version of the first one? Also, is there a cassette version of Simons Quest? Why was III not on disk? I want them all in one format, for no reason.


Unrelated, but was Mario 2 released on cassette?

[Cheetahmen]

Unrelated, but was Mario 2 released on cassette?

Not officially. Several pirates ported it to the Famicom, sometimes under different names. (I have it on a multicart)

[ericj]

Akumajou Dracula is available as game doctor disks, but not an official port. You'd need a TGD6 to play it. It spans 4 disks.

[dukbrand]

Akumajou Dracula is available as game doctor disks, but not an official port. You'd need a TGD6 to play it. It spans 4 disks.

what's a TGD6?

[ericj]

It's a Turbo Game Doctor 6, made for the Famicom. You can read more about Famicom "copiers" here: http://www.famicomdisksystem.com/game-doctor-copiers/

[satoshi_matrix]

Since Famicom World attracts visitors from around the world, I take it maybe English isn't your native language. It is very unusual to refer to Famicom games as "cassettes". They are called cartridges for the English-speaking world.

Anyway, here are the answers to all of your questions.

Q: Is easy mode only avalible on the cartridge version of the first one?

A: Yes, which is why it is by far the best version. Check out my video review of the Famicom cart Akumajou Dracula for more info on it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xoHTFna300


Q: Is there a cartridge version of Simons Quest?

A: No, not a Famicom cartridge version anyway. Simon's Quest was released under the title "Dracula II". It is interesting to note that it isn't named "Akumajou" and therefore might be mistaken for not being part of the series. This is somewhat like Zelda II not containing the words "The Legend of". The game was released in America and Europe as a cartridge for the NES.


Q: Why was III not on disk?

A: There are many reasons. First of all, by 1989, The Famicom Disk System had proved to be in large part a failure. Cartridge production costs had come down, ROM sizes on cartridges could now well exceed that of the Disk System, and special mapper chips were continually being developed to push the Famicom to do things the FDS could never do. This was also the reason the Famicom Disk System was never released outside of Japan.

Akumajou Densetsu used a special powerful mapper Konami developed called the VRC6. This allowed for more detailed and complex graphics as well as a greatly enhanced sound engine. The VRC6 made the game far beyond what was possible on the FDS.

The NES version, Castlevania 3 doesn't use the VRC6 because the NES can't produce expansion audio without a modification, so it instead uses the powerful MMC5 chip to handle the game's advanced graphics. Castlevania 3 couldn't be done on the FDS either I'm afraid.  


Q: Was Mario 2 released on cartridge?

A: This depends on which Mario 2. If you mean the Japanese one that was first released on the Famicom Disk System, then no, there is no official Famicom cartridge version, only knock-off pirates that are much newer. On the other hand if you mean the version of Super Mario Bros. 2 that was released in North America and Europe, that was indeed released in Famicom cartridge format under the title "Super Mario Bros. USA".

[UglyJoe]

The NES version, Castlevania 3 doesn't use the VRC6 because the NES can't produce expansion audio without a modification, so it instead uses the powerful MMC5 chip to handle the game's advanced graphics.

Nintendo of America disallowed the use of third-party memory controllers altogether (the MMC* series were produced by Nintendo).  Even if the expansion audio wasn't an issue, Konami still wouldn't have been able to use the VRC6 for the NES release.