Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (Nintendo, 1990)

The Castlevania series has been known for being great for being an awesome 2-d side scrolling action adventure where you play a determined vampire hunter. Castlevania 2 made the mistake of being like a half assed action RPG. Castlevania 3 however returned to the classic formula of having linear stages, but this time you have multiple paths on the way to Dracula. Also, depending upon the path you choose you meet new companions who will join you on your journey. You can meet up with three other companions, Alucard, Grant or Sypha. They will join you after you beat them or the boss where they reside. The gameplay is simple, you have a whip, it is upgradeable and you get many different sub-weapons which can be fired by pressing up and the attack button. The best feature of this game are the stages... there are a TON of them. The number of environments is amazing, and the level design is very good. The music is fantastic and eerie, perfect for the atmosphere. This game however is very tough though. There is a password system, but if you want to get through the final stage and beat Dracula you better be a veteran player. This game will beat you down big time. If you have patience and expertise though you will eventually triumph. This is a fun but tough game.