Konami Classics Vol. 1 (2009)

I am on a journey to beat 360 random Xbox 360 games. Here's my next adventure

Game number 28 was a compilation disk called Konami Classics Vol 1. This disk has 3 games and they are Frogger, Super Contra (the arcade version of Super C for all you NES fans out there), and CASTLEVANIA SYMPHONY OF THE NIGHT. I’m not going to lie, that is one of my favorite games of all time and just having that is already a big draw to this package.

How does one “beat” a compilation disk? I played Frogger for like 20 min, Super Contra for 3-4 hours, and got 200% completion for SOTN. I guess the rest of this review will just be mini reviews for these three games. I think my criteria for this going forward will be to beat at least 1 game and spend enough time to get a grasp of all other games on compilation disks.

Before getting to each of the games, I thought it may be important to say that I personally had a lot of enjoyment out of getting to play these games on the Xbox 360 controller. That alone was a big benefit for these games. The PS1 controller (SOTN) and Sega Genesis controller (I think that’s the version of Frogger this is based off) don’t hold a candle to the Xbox 360 controller. It's an automatic advantage and benefit for this compilation pack.

—------------------------ Frogger:

Frogger is alright… definitely the game that I think is the weakest on the package. You control a frog and have to get it across multiple lanes of traffic and a pond to get to… I don’t really know what it's trying to get to. You put the frog in some holes in the riverbank I guess.

Each level gets progressively more difficult by having cars be faster, more enemies, and the logs will submerge underwater.

If you like Frogger already then you will probably like it here. It’s not bad… but also not my favorite arcade game. (6/10) It’s also not the reason to by this combo pack.

—------------------------ Super Contra:

Super Contra is a fantastic arcade game and this port truly brings the arcade experience to the 360. You play through 5 levels of run and gun action. These are some of the hardest video game levels that exist and you can really tell how much Konami wanted your quarters.

Levels 1, 3 , and 4 are side scrolling and will be instantly recognizable for anyone who has played Contra 1. These levels are super fun and there are tons of moving sprites and crazy particle effects. I honestly can’t believe how good this game looks and its from 87.

Levels 2 and 5 are top down shooting levels with free movement. I guess I would consider them similar to something like Jackal on the NES. I don’t like these as much as I like the other levels… but they are still very fun.

Overall, Super Contra is great and I would totally encourage you to not ignore this game if you buy this compilation… but it will be really hard to ignore the masterpiece that is SOTN. (8/10)

—------------------------ Castlevania: Symphony of the Night:

I won’t go into too much detail (bc this is a combo pack review) but this game is amazing. You control Alucard and explore Dracula’s castle. There are tons of dead ends and secret areas that you can/should back track to in order to find all the secrets.

The game takes on an RPG approach, where you will level throughout the game; gaining experience through killing enemies. There are also tons of armor pieces and weapons to equip and Alucard will be a walking monster by the end of things.

I love the maps in these types of games. They aren’t too detailed, but they really help you find areas that you may have missed or places that you previously didn’t have the ability to traverse.

The combat in this game is pretty simple, but it is endlessly satisfying and fun. Maybe I have played the game quite a bit and have a skewed sense of difficulty… but I don’t think there is ever a need to grind here. All of the battles in the early - mid/late game are well balanced to the level/equipment that you will naturally have. The late game is completely unbalanced though. I don’t think this is too big of a problem because I consider a lot of content to be “post-game” except for the true final boss. My issue is that I became waaaaaaay too strong for some of these fights and the bosses stood no chance at all against me. Then there’s Galamoth and I essentially have to cheese him by wearing an anti-lighting ring. It may be nitpicking but this late game content is either way too easy or way too hard.

Overall, SOTN is a fantastic game and I think everyone should play it. It is an extremely good time and fans of RPGS, platformers, action/adventure games, and fun in general will all enjoy their time here. (10/10)

—----------------------------- Konami Classics Vol 1 is hard to grade for me. If I do the math and average a 6/10 game, an 8/10 game, and a 10/10 game then I should naturally end up with an 8/10 game. I don’t know if I think this way. The way I see this is that I get a port of Castlevania SOTN and it additionally has two other good games. That means that this has to be the best deal of all because it is just SOTN with more content. IDK… I think this combo pack is fun, it’s nice to play these games on 360, and it’s a cool collector’s piece. I don’t really have any complaints. (10/10)

I spent 17 hours and 25 min on the Konami Classics Vol 1 compilation pack.

I have spent 303 hours and 3 min on the Road to 360 challenge so far.

Next Game: Pure Futbol