Dude, You Haven't Played This Game?! Castlevania II: Simon's Quest NES Review 

I know this is an old video, but I just wanted to say I really appreciated it! I'm a fan of Simon's Quest, and this video does an amazing job at highlighting exactly what is so wonderful about this game. Keep up the good work! :-)

This game freaked me out when I was kid. The day night cycle with zombies at night was just too much. I also played this mostly at a friends house who had it setup in a empty garage and hooked up to a black and white TV. We could stay up super late and play NES out there, but playing this game in the middle of the night in those conditions had quite the effect on me.

Love CV 2, but easiest way to kill drac is just to use the Flame Wall before he appears. Keep dropping them in no time he would be dead. he wont even go around in circles.

Great Halloween special as always Mike, you make a excellent case for just how misunderstood Simon's Quest is nowadays :)

Good to see a new episode, Mike. I had the game, but used a password cheat in a magazine. Odd enough I read that Castlevania book in detention.

NES SOTN 🧛‍♂️

great review man, couldn't agree more. Loved this game growing up and still now. I loved looking through old nintendo powers for clues and everything. People hate this game mainly because of the AVGN episode and its the cool thing to do. This is no different from people hating Zelda II because it was different from the first one.

Great review putting justice to the unwanted negativity of this game, Castlevania 2 is still great! In fact it's my favorite of the NES trilogy, granted my first playthrough all the way through was with the Redaction version, but I enjoyed the gameplay much more in this one. Also as I'm sure you know at this point since the review, that Satoe Terashima also worked on the music with Kenishi Matsubara. So great job Miketendo, you deserve all the praise! :D

Dude, I HAVE played this - and I love it. It's one of my favorites, even with all its warts and moles. Great review. I especially love the sound track.

Chodes! Also, good stuff man. I'm gonna go back and watch the older ones.

Excellent look back at one of my favorite misunderstood NES games Michael "Miketendo" Levy...you are right, i lump this in with Zelda 2 and especially Super Mario Bros. 2 as great games that got the sequel to be different treatment and hated for it

Just subscribed looking forward to checking out all the videos..., oh ya Chode cause billy said so :)

Just recently discovered your channel, must say, it's quickly become my favorite RU-vid channel. Loved the Simon's Quest video, I'm looking forward to going back and playing this game.

I like the Dracula II: Noroi no Fūin soundtrack more because it sounds way creepier and creakier. I thought it was badass as a kid. I'm glad that version of Bloody Tears plays on the title screen of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection.

This game will forever be ingrained in my mind. As a child I would watch my Father play it, he knew all the secrets and everything. Sadly I have not played this game in many many years but hopefully one day. Way to do it justice man, great review. :)

When i first played this game I got stuck, and I couldn't finish it. I only finished it many years later when a friend told me I needed to do, I would have never guess that I had kneel at the lake and a deborah' s cliff.

One of the theories we had about this game as kids was that, since every spot that has a villager in the day time has a zombie in it at night, that the curse was causing it. And the villagers know it's because of Simon. And that's why they lie to him; they think if you die the curse will get lifted.

Chode because billy said so :D Now lets see what you have to offer me with your content :D

If I may ask. Are there any clues that tell you the whereabouts of Deborah cliff? I ask this because someone recently has been doing an evaluation of Castlevania 2, I wrote him a comment about the two hints (which is now deleted) and he said "Where's Deborah cliff? It looks like a dead end."

Chodes (because Billy said so) Also super excellent review on Castlevania II. I love this game aswell and really gets bashed nowadays just for being so different. Subbed! ^>^

I actually liked the Worlds of Power book a bit due to Simon's characterization. He's a serious guy who doesn't get jokes and fucking hams it up all the time. I accept that personality as canon.

The original Zelda aggravated me mostly because I didn't have the Nintendo Power mag. It wasn't like MegaMan which taught you how to play, it just kinda said "Hey, figure it out!" Once I was actually in a dungeon though it was a blast! I feel like I'd have a similar experience in this game but if I use a guide I'd have fun

1,500+ Views Congratulations your channel has gown allot since I first found you last summer and I think this is my favorite video you made so far.

While I DO agree that a lot of people just crap on Simon's Quest because of AVGN or Egoraptor, I gave this game a fair chance and I just find it too tedious and way too cryptic... I want to like it, its just lacking the brilliant design of the first game and the rewarding system of the later non-linear Castlevania games... Symphony of the Night is one of my favorite Castlevania games and I know that Simon's Quest is the foundation, but I just feel like it falls short... The game feels like more of a chore to me than fun... Having said THAT, this was a really good episode and you made a really compelling argument for the game that everyone loves to hate...

Apparently Draculas ring is a body part

Castlevania II was the first in the series to take the free roaming approach to the game, and does it quite well. Symphony of the Night for the Playstation owes a great debt of inspiration from this game.

Chodes! Because Billy of The Game Chasers said so!!!

Nice vid. "Chodes, because Billy said so."

Dude! You hit this one out of the park! OH MY GOD I love Simon's Quest. As a kid, it seriously affected me in a way few other NES games did. The setting, the music, the open world environment, the colors, the mystery, the secrets! I can't get enough of the sound effects either. I would smash holy waters at a rapid pace to make the most annoying sounds haha! It warms my heart to witness other serious Simon's Quest fans. I wasn't aware the Japanese version had such crappy music. I'm listening to it right now. At least they got redeemed with Castlevania 3's music. If this was the soundtrack for our release, then I'm not sure I would have been as in love with the game. Dracula's castle theme is completely drained of all life. Oh yeah Dracula's castle. I'm glad you touched on it. I remember the build up of finally reaching his castle and worrying I wouldn't even make it to the boss because this castle was going to be the hardest one of all. WELL WELL WELL, not the case LOL. Even so, I didn't know this at first, so each step had me on the edge of my seat. When I finally crossed to the boss room, I sat there in horror as I brought Dracula back to life and it was just the two of us. He spun around the room and I died. As for the video, your outdoor shots are awesome as always. I'm glad you incorporate more than your home interior like everyone else seems to do. You inspired me for my last game review and now I know just how much more complicated that makes things. You get my eternal props for going the extra mile. I guess I'll be watching you on Halloween next!

Chodes, because Billy said so. I was really impressed with this video. You seem to have really thought well about your critique and made it quite entertaining. When I have time I plan to watch through the rest of your reviews. You have a new subscriber now :)

Couldn’t agree more with Zelda 1 being just as cryptic. Yeah people let it off the hook. Those who didn’t grow up with the NES forgot how hard and confusing these games were and it was somewhat intentional so kids would rack up fees on Nintendo’s phone service and magazines. It was extortion but we didn’t realize that as 8 year olds.

As always dude awesome review. I'm glad you're giving Castlevania 2 the proper love it deserves. Also it was really funny seeing you act out parts of the game!

The ring actually makes your flame whip more powerful.

Awesome vid. Glad I took Billy's advice and checked it out. Def subbed. Chode.

Wow, your channel is great. I really enjoy the writing. Also, chode because Billy said so.

chodes. Billy sent me over here. Really enjoyed this video. I'm going to but this game next on my list to play. I haven't played it in over twenty years. And we just subbed to your channel.

Chodes because Billy said so.. but I do believe I found a new channel. Great vid. Needs more Star wipes. ;)

Chodes because Billy said so.

Wow, the password system was in place to save money but it also enabled them to enhance the music. In the end, it was a worthy trade-off.

CHODE! Because Billy said so!

R.I.P. Donkey Kong plush hanging upside down in the intro..You will be missed.

You had me at shouting at the church, haha!!!

Loving your vids!

I think you covered this game very well. I was also stuck at the cliff many years ago until someone told me about the kneeling down part. I'd like to see your take on Faxanadu.

glad Billy plugged you man! this is a Great channel. *chodes* because Billy said so.

Really loved this review, Mike! As much as I loved the first NES game, I do prefer this one. It's my 3rd favorite in the series. I like the open worlds, and the idea of many castles to explore instead of spending the whole game in one. The soundtrack IS excellent! Enjoyed the podcast about it on Pixeltunes. Looking forward to the next episode!

: Chodes because Billy said so.

This is a really good review

CHODE! because Billy said so

Chodes Billy Sent me, Gonna be Checking out all your Videos as I get a chance to. looking forward to Hours of Entertainment

I absolutely love this game! It is considered a masterpiece in my opinion. Great review, kneeling with a blue crystal at the lake, and additional info on Carmilla. I'm subbed!

4:55 kills me every time XD

4:50 I thought my computer glitched and I was about to get a blue screen.

Good review, surprised I didn't watch this earlier. I've some people that appreciate this over the years and it doesn't seem as mocked as it used to be. (Same with Zelda II) I will watch the Judgement review tomorrow, I've never played that one.

Nice episode man. I've always avoided picking this one up when I see it cheap, just because I assumed it was crappy based on common opinion. You've inspired me to give it a shot.

Great review, BTW, CHODES cause Billy said so!

Chode! Because Billy said so.

I actually like Dracula’s castle being empty, I mean these are the ruins of the castle, I personally thought it being empty was a great way to build atmosphere.

As the townspeople got more omninous and said more creepy and negative things, it made the whole atmosphere far more unsettling. I love this game.

Chode because Billy said so!

Great job always look forward to your series!!!

Without a game mag or book this game was cryptic..like the tornado you need to summon with a diamond and other bizzaro dead ends like that!

Subbed and "Chode because Billy said so"

when I was a kid, believe it or not, I figured out the red crystal thing, and I wasn't some child prodigy or anything, I was a dumb kid with ADD. My logic was this: I knew how to use the blue crystal because of another hint, so I just assumed the red crystal worked the same way.

Heh, It says Ep. XXX! ^_^ Chodes, and that's the bottom line because Billy said so!

chode because Billy said so

Great video! really enjoyable :)

This game was fantastic to play when I was a kid. It was an amazing adventure. Since I had Nintendo Power it wasn't very hard.

Goddamn, I f'ing love the daytime village theme song for Simon's Quest. I understand people don't like the badly-translated dialogue in the game, but I'll never understand why so many people dislike the game itself. This is my favorite game in the series. It was also the 1st CV game I ever played. A friend of mine rented it and brought it over...I loved the idea of going from town to town, mansion to mansion solving the quest. I was actually disappointed when I rented CV1 after playing this game only to find out that it was just a basic side-scrolling action platformer. Yeah, I love the CV series, especially the trilogy on the NES, but after playing Simon's Quest I was hoping for more adventure/rpg games in the series. All the other "Metroidvania" CV games take place in a single environment (Dracula's castle), so they don't have the same sense of adventure that SQ has. Anyway, this month I'm reviewing a different CV game every Friday. I've posted my reviews for CV1 and CV2. This Friday will be CV3, and then Super CV4 and Rondo of Blood will finish off the month.

Awesome review Matt, Castlevania is one of my all time favorite series.

After a lot of hate spreading the Internet about this game I decided to play it and have my own opinion. I still prefer Castlevania and Dracula's Curse but Simon's Quest is a decent game and Bloody Tears is one of the most iconic tunes in Castlevania series. The bad rap it got during the years is unfair.

I’ve honesty always really enjoyed this one. I first got it when I was 10 and it took a few years before I first beat it so I have years of experience and nostalgia but once you understand it it’s a great ride every few years.

Chode because Billy said so

Chode because billy told me to ;)

Chodes!!!......Because Billy said sooooooo.

Where was that game store in your opening credits?

The most broken weapon in the game is the Golden Knife. With that item, the final boss is a piece of cake.

The Game which holds a special place in my heart is Super Castlevania 4. That being said, Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest is a fantastic game. My top 3 is: 1 - Super Castlevania 4; 2 - Castlevania 2 Belmont's Revenge; 3 - Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest.

I agree with you on a lot of these points man, this game really isn't that bad. Most of my issues with it is how repetitive it can be, which isn't really an issue in the other games. The grinding gets tiring, and I don't like that you can lose all your hearts either. The cryptic stuff and bad bosses are all more of a side issue that doesn't affect me all that much, I mean, Sotn is my favorite game of all time and it can be cryptic too. I'm with you in defending this one, even though it's one of the weaker games in the series for me, but it's still pretty decent.

Chode, because Billy said so.

I am surprised you didn't know about the easiest way to cheese Dracula. Just equip the flames and toss them as he appears. He never moves once.

Not gonna lie, I love your content in this video. Sub.

👌🏾👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 very interesting video,, i learned a few things

Funny the thing you called Noob Sibat, I always thought was a xenomorph. Nerd was up his diseased scust hole on this game. Castlevania 2 is one of the best NES games of all time.

Awesome video dude!

Chodes because Billy said so!

Chodes and other stuff!! I subbed!!

Chodes ....because billy said so!! XD

Billy introduced me to your amazing content so I have to give him a shout out...'chode because Billy said so'! **Subbed** Keep up the great work Miketendo

The things I like best about Castvania II is taking aspects of popular games I liked. Now hear me out I liked Zelda for searching for triforce pieces like you do draculas body parts. I also like saving up to buy new weapons and equipment like you do in Zelda. It has the side scrolling like Metroid and Zelda 2 also. Games like those are popular for a reason. You are on a quest to search and get something, beat challenging bosses to progress too. Remember even Metal Gear had 2 games in the beginning that used aspects of Zelda and Zelda 2 in both games (metal Gear 1 and Snakes Revenge also. I like when you were at the church and at the lake!

Chodes! Billy said so...

subbed like a KING!

Chodes because Billy said so

Another great video. i never played castlevania on nes, but i always wanted to. i do have the 3 ds castlevanias tho and i love them. i hope iga makes something similar someday. oh and thaks for the cruelty and the beast suggestion.i'll check it out. i really liked midian. so, thanks miketendo ! .... wherever you are

Liked the video. Well done! Chodes... Because Billy said so.

Billy sent me.

Chodes, because billy said so

I give this game a 7 out of 10 a very good game in my book but if they would of created boss battles for every castle that were progressively more challenging and had a map with the weapon screen it would of been a 10 out of 10, great music and graphics by the way.

Chode,because billy said so,let the Chaseining begin #Subbed #Gamechasers

Unwanted grinding can get tedious.