NES Alphanumeric! #054: CABAL + Castlevania: The Holy Relics
4I live stream 8-bit Nintendo games on original hardware at least once a week, usually WedNESdays from 10–11 p.m. Eastern, and sometimes play other games on Friday nights (NES, Game Boy, SNES, Wii, etc.) or whenever the mood strikes and I have time.
MINI-REVIEW: This is a very interesting and unique game for the NES, which alone makes it worth checking out, as it's a bit of a precursor to shooters like Blood Brothers, Wild Guns, and Sin and Punishment. Speaking of cursors, that's one of the most frustrating things about the controls, as the cursor doesn't stay in place as you move around the screen, and it actually moves more slowly when you're firing. I'll hand it to Rare for managing to cram a lot of controls onto a limited controller, as the D-Pad functions differently depending on whether you're holding down the B (for running and dodging) or A button (firing your gun and throwing grenades). It starts off seeming fairly easy, but the difficulty ramps up considerably from there, and it may take a while to adjust to the controls and learn to strategize; unfortunately, while you do start each game with five lives, you are limited to only three continues. Unless you love it, it isn't bad to play for around half an hour, which is all the time I gave it before switching over to an NES ROM hack, Castlevania: The Holy Relics, for a little more punishment. Pick up Cabal if you can find it on the cheap.
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UPCOMING "NES ALPHANUMERIC!" LIVE STREAMS:
Darkman - 3/7/18
Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum - 3/14/18
Day Dreamin' Davey - 3/21/18
Days of Thunder - 3/28/18
Deadly Towers - 4/4/18
Defenders of Dynatron City - 4/11/18
ONGOING BONUS STREAM (usually Fridays): Metroid II: Return of Samus (Game Boy)
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PRIMARY EQUIPMENT LIST:
Console: NES-001 (Front Loader)*
Controller: Hudson Soft Joycard Sansui SSS
Monitor: RCA E13320 (13" CRT)
Capture: Dazzle DVC 100
PC: Asus Zenbook UX305
Software: OBS Studio
Mic: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB
Headphones: Sony MDRZX100 ZX
NES games I want to beat in the near future (which may or may not be streamed): Bionic Commando*, Blaster Master, Little Nemo, TMNT, Crystalis, Bucky O'Hare, The Battle of Olympus, Conquest of the Crystal Palace, Castlevania II, Zelda II: Adventure of Link, Punch Out!, Battle Kid, Star Keeper, Lizard, The Legend of Owlia