Game: Super Castlevania IV
The system: SNES
Time Spent on the game(rounded up to the highest hour) 4 hours
The Experience:
First of all Angry Joe, this game took me under 4 hours. That said, unlike Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days, this is game is worth playing, and replaying, over and over and over again. Seriously, the replay value of this game is phenomenal!
I chose this game because aside from the Metroidvania Castlevanias, this game is easily the best of the best, both in terms of gameplay and music! This is one of my all time favorite side scrolling action games. In fact, I almost want to say that it is my favorite all time side scrolling action games every time I play through it, or at least the best on the SNES. It's THAT GOOD!
It goes without saying that unlike the first Castlevania game I played via this project,(the Game Boy Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge.) I knew a lot going in. This game has a lot of nostalgia value for me. This is probably around the 4th time I've replayed it from beginning to end in one sitting, but it's definately the fastest I've ever beaten the game in.
Let's start with the controls, specifically your movement. This game really takes advantage of the fact that it's on the SNES. Unlike Castlevania 1-3 on the NES, the way you move is no longer stiff. You move at the perfect speed. Not too fast, but not too slow. Even jumping around isn't stiff, which is an unbelievably welcome change, something that until I played this game when it came out was something I always assumed I would always have to deal with in this series.
Then we have the way you attack. Once again, the game really takes advantage of the fact that it's no longer limited to NES controls, by far! You no longer have to press up and the attack button to use your item powerup. Instead, you simply press the R button.(Oh, and btw, you can actually customize the controls as well.) Yeah, that's right. You can use your item powerup at any angle! Then we have your whip. I'd say that considering its time, it's one of the most fun and innovative weapons I've used in a game. Basically, you can swing your whip forward, swing it upwards, jump and aim downwards, or hold up, and move left or right and whip diagonally. You can also press the whip button, and hold and move the directional pad around, moving the whip all over the place! And naturally, in half of the levels, you are able to use it to grapple around with certain objects, swinging around and around and around, even hanging from them via the whip. It's just some of the most fun to be had in any game.
--
Project Beat a Game a Day, along with my Daily NES Archive:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/563947-a-view-to-a-kill