Topic: Valis and Castlevania

[K.K. Drunkinski]

lf this has been brought up before, excuse me. I've been playing alot of the "Valis" game series lately, an anime type action adventure series that spanned multiple consoles in the 80s and 90s, and noticed something neat. Not only is it a game series that took influence from CV in a number of core game elements (special weapons running on fuel and are executed by up+attack, items and fuel hanging in midair inside of objects you have to strike, etc) but the game "Valis IV" creates an odd parallel to Rondo of Blood. The original version of Valis IV was a PC Engine CD title, and was hacked up to make a shorter, subpar version on the SNES as "Super Valis IV" just like what was done to Rondo of Blood with Dracula X. And what makes it nuttier, is in the original PC Engine version of Valis IV, there is a female playable character deleted from the SNES release who can double jump and fires birds out that act as boomerangs identical to the Maria gameplay of Rondo of Blood. And that character was also deleted from the SNES port, just as Maria was. Anyone else ever play that series and notice this?

[X]

Not until you brought it up! Thanks for the info    I've played both versions of Valis IV and funnily enough the SNES version is the one I seem to enjoy more. And for one reason alone. The musical score. Valis IV on the PC engine had rather forgettable tunes that never really amounted to anything (the compositions were severely lacking in creativity). All the best tunes were prevalent in Valis I, II & III. But IV just kinda tanked. The SNES music was awesome! It was not CD quality but then it didn't need to be. The tracks were good and memorable (especially in areas like Castle Vanity, Babylon, and the Crystal Spire). But the SNES version is in other ways inferior as it doesn't have the animated cut scenes nor the two other characters as well as the unlockable Goddess Yuko (the original Valis warrior) who wields the Valis sister sword Leethus.

[K.K. Drunkinski]

Yeah the music in those games does kickass. I forgot to mention the other weird CV parallel. Valis III was the first in the series to include 3 playable characters, and as you collect the extra characters, you can change between them by the press of a button in mid-action, just like CV III. Valis III, compared to CV III. Also, Valis III features a character named Cham, who attacks with a whip in a manner pretty much identical to the Belmonts. Oh, and X, don't know if you're aware, but on the SNES port Valis IV, if you hold down the L and R buttons once you power on the game until the first level starts, the color palette for the main character will be changed to match Yuko's palette, complete with blue hair and yellow armor.

[X]

Cham was the reason why I played Valis III to death. Yeap, she's their version of a Belmont.

Oh, and X, don't know if you're aware, but on the SNES port Valis IV, if you hold down the L and R buttons once you power on the game until the first level starts, the color palette for the main character will be changed to match Yuko's palette, complete with blue hair and yellow armor.

I did not know this    I'll have to give it a try, thanks 

[Abnormal Freak]

Anyone have a Valis II MSX ROM they wouldn't mind PMing me? ;) Seems rather elusive. The promise of pixelated anime nudity intrigues me. :o

('Course, I could just play the X68000 version, but my Ouya has an MSX emulator for easy couch lounging.)

[X]

I have all four Valis titles of the PC engine roms on my machine as well as Rondo of Blood. They don't require an emulator either as it's already with the games themselves.

[Abnormal Freak]

I got all the PCE CD games earlier. ;o
(Awesome PCE/CD/SuperGrafx emulator on the Ouya, by the way.)

Thing with the different ports, however, is they're often drastically different from the originals, and in the case of the second game, the PCE and PC versions are vastly different, according to HG101. The latter is more violent, different stages, has n00dity—it seriously appears to be the better of the two versions, and not just because tits.

But I'm having trouble finding the MSX2 ROM, which is really annoying.

[K.K. Drunkinski]

Same here. I have all of em except the rom for the MSX2 Valis II. Since I haven't played it myself (have only got the PC Engine rom of Valis II) I can't say for sure how good it really is. The MSX version of the first Valis sucks though, but not quite as bad as the Famicom port. That thing is truly horrid.

[Abnormal Freak]

There's a translation patch for the X68000 version of Valis II. Probably the best way to check out the game (if I can figure out this emulator).

http://mijet.eludevisibility.org/Mugen%20Senshi%20Valis%20II/FantasmSoldierValis2.html

[KaZudra]

There's a translation patch for the X68000 version of Valis II. Probably the best way to check out the game (if I can figure out this emulator).

http://mijet.eludevisibility.org/Mugen%20Senshi%20Valis%20II/FantasmSoldierValis2.html

"Insert Disk D into Drive O"
Innuendo?

[crisis]

"valis" couldve been a great name for IGa's spiritual successor series to castlevania.. its simple & unique game title that rolls off the tongue smoothly. arghh

either that or "the nagumo chronicles"

[Abnormal Freak]

"Insert Disk D into Drive O"
Innuendo?

Drive P is inaccessible.