Akumajou Densetsu (Castlevania III)

[Jedi Master Baiter]

Okay, here's the thing: I wasn't ever really planning on buying a Famicom (because I wasn't very into it at first) until I realized the hardware differences (controllers, mic, sound) so now it's just a matter of time.

But my only real concern is about the sound - I would really love to hear CastleVania 3 in all its essence, but here's a question:

Does the Famicom AV have the extra sound channels as the original Famicom, or did Nintendo go cheap on the hardware with that, too?

This is probably silly, but does CastleVania 3 on the NES have support for the extra sound capabilities (although the NES does not) I'm guessing it doesn't.  Likewise, Zelda for the NES probably doesn't have capabilities for the mic.

[JC]

Pertinent questions. I don't have an answer for the technicals of the sound quality, etc., but I have been trying to catch when someone talks about a game that has mic capabilities. This is the meager list I've compiled thus far:

1. Takeshi's Challenge -- ?

2. Atlantis no Nazo -- get the "microphone power-up" and then yell into it to freeze and kill most enemies.

3. Legend of Zelda -- scream into the microphone to kill Pols Voice enemies.

4. Kid Icarus -- talk into it to try and lower shop prices.

[Jedi Master Baiter]

Cool, with Kid Icarus, it was changed to simply buttons on the 2nd controller for the NES.

Surely there had to be more games that took advantage of the mic, right?

[vealchop]

See? This could have been a great podcast!

[Jedi Master Baiter]

By the way, was it just the Disk System that had the superior sound quality or was I right in thinking the Famicom had it as well?  CastleVania 3 & SMB2J took advantage of it, but they're FDS games.

[michaelthegreat]

Famicom games took advantage of the extra sound as well.  Gimmick, CV3, and quite a few others.  There are also quite a few games that use the extra sound just to say words.  I've heard someone say that the AV plays the exta sound louder than the old famicom and therefore didn't sound right.  I personally have not and cannot verify this.

Castlevania 3 for the nes uses mmc5 which has extra sound capabilities that work fine on the nes. 

The famicom version uses a completely different mapper that has built in sound capabilities that will only work with a famicom.  It can work with a properly modded nes and a properly modded famicom game to nes system adaptor.

[Jedi Master Baiter]

So CastleVania 3, despite it having inferior sound to the Famicom version, still uses extra sound on the NES?

[Profeta Yoshitake]

Well, well...
Too many questions here!

I'll try to explain one or two!

1 - There is no Castlevania 3 for the FDS! It's cassette-only.
2 - The Famicom AV plays the superb Akumajou Densetsus [jap CV3]
perfectly.
3 - In our brazillian community, The NES Archive [nes.com.br], we did
many tests with both Famicom and NES versions, screaming at the
Famicom, NES and clones, both 60 and 72-pin clones. We did tests
via adaptors, also, like the 2-adaptors test, when I played Akumajou
Densetsu in my Famicom AV, with 2 adaptors before it. The sound
in this bizzarre test was the badder one.
The Famicom AV sound is not different then the classic Famicom,
even in games like Akumajou or Lagrange Point [witch seems to be a
Genesis game sound! Damn!] that have extra sound chips.

Some sound tests:

Akumajou Densetsu:

Bit System [72-pin clone]:
http://spitfire.pixeltemple.com/gitanno/ADBitSystem.mp3
NES:
http://spitfire.pixeltemple.com/gitanno/ADNES.mp3
Phantom System [another 72-pin clone]:
http://spitfire.pixeltemple.com/gitanno/ADPhantomSystem.mp3

Castlevania 3

Bit System:
http://spitfire.pixeltemple.com/gitanno/C3BitSystem.mp3
NES:
http://spitfire.pixeltemple.com/gitanno/C3NES.mp3
Phantom System:
http://spitfire.pixeltemple.com/gitanno/C3PhantomSystem.mp3

Finally, Akumajou Densetsu on the Famicom AV
http://spitfire.pixeltemple.com/gitanno/X_ADFamicomAV.mp3

Jedi QuestMaster, The Prophet recommends you buying the
Famicom AV [New Famicom]. The sound is the same of its old
brother, the plug for accessories is still there, the design - for me -
is prettier, and the controller plugs are identical to the NES ones.
The only drawback for me is the missing mic, but it's a very purism
matter.

[Doc]

Nice sound tests.

[Jedi Master Baiter]

1 - There is no Castlevania 3 for the FDS! It's cassette-only.

Oops!

Okay, then I'll stick with getting the AV - thank you, Profeta Yoshitake.

Was the mic an obscurely used peripheral? Like the R.O.B. ?

[Profeta Yoshitake]

Was the mic an obscurely used peripheral? Like the R.O.B. ?

Exactly.
It is hard even to remember that there is the mic on the second
controller! Few games use it, and there is one game that uses
it just to joke, forcing you to sing karaoke for one hour!

[michaelthegreat]

I've been wanting sound files of AD on a famicom for a while!  Thank you very much!

Would it be possible to get an mp3 of AD on a regular famicom so I can show to those who say the AV sounds weird that there is no difference?

I am going to use your AV AD to make sure that my modified nes and modified converter sound right.  AD will never sound right in a unmodified nes.  The extra sound just isn't passed onto the nes properly.

[Kreese]

It is hard even to remember that there is the mic on the second
controller! Few games use it, and there is one game that uses
it just to joke, forcing you to sing karaoke for one hour!

You could kill some enemies in Zelda by screaming into the Mic. The enemies that looked like rabbits!!! We tried it once, and it worked.

Anyway, nice soundtests! I have bought an AV Famicom and also Akumajou Densetsu! I am really pleased by the way it sounds.

Here is also a video comparison (recorded from an emulator though):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TGXEPt852IY - NES version
http://youtube.com/watch?v=4SJaF8no9t0 - Famicom version

[2A03]

So CastleVania 3, despite it having inferior sound to the Famicom version, still uses extra sound on the NES?

It doesn't, since the NES only supports external audio through the expansion port.

[FamicomFreak]

It is hard even to remember that there is the mic on the second
controller! Few games use it, and there is one game that uses
it just to joke, forcing you to sing karaoke for one hour!

You could kill some enemies in Zelda by screaming into the Mic. The enemies that looked like rabbits!!! We tried it once, and it worked.

haha I'm going to try that when I get home.