Oh dang this is on Mastodon? Gotta follow this account now.

I wonder if the original N64 controller would have been better served if Nintendo made more 2D games for it, or sold emulated games on it, or otherwise made more use of the d-pad.

Ooh, they knew to put the joystick on the left.

Sidenote: I still haven't sorted out what the difference is between the three-button and six-button controllers.

I didn't have a Genesis as a kid so I only occasionally got to use them.

It's a bit anxiety-inducing and there's that blast of wind which not everyone likes. Like they said, platform barriers would be a good solution to this.

As a fellow Chinese American, I have heard of cases of such hate crimes (which seemed more severe during the height of COVID times), though I recognize that instances of this are much fewer than instances of speeding, running red lights, improper turns, ignoring pedestrians and cyclists, road rage, and more, that drivers bring to the roads. (Also, like ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net mentioned, the perpetrator was arrested: https://nwasianweekly.com/2025/10/man-arrested-in-series-of-anti-asian-assaults-in-new-york/.)

One need not be actively targeted to be harmed by others doing wrong -- as a cyclist and pedestrian I've literally seen drivers waiting to turn right never looking at me when I approach from the right, and as a driver, I also found myself making this same mistake and barely missing a pedestrian whom I only saw at the last moment. None of this was targeted violence. It is a hazard born from the design of our roads and our laws and the way we end up doing things given our situations, poor design and policymaking leaves us as individuals (including but not limited to drivers) needing to deal with these things.

That said, you make a very good point -- platform safety barriers are much needed feature at subway (and similar) stations. Modern stations are built with these, and they not only help with safety but can (especially for air-conditioned spaces) also save money on energy costs while making for a more pleasant rider experience. The YouTube channel NotJustBikes covers these aspects as part of a larger video covering the Seoul Metro system; here's a timestamped link to the relevant part of the video: https://youtu.be/aLKN_Rmb39I?t=230

I would love to see older metro stations/systems like NYC and Washington DC be retrofitted with these things. The edges of subway platforms are definitely a dangerous area, with people potentially falling off by accident, being pushed off by others (by accident or malicious intention), or even attempting self-harm. Even for people who aren't trying to fall off, it can still be a bit anxiety-inducing. So having these physical barriers would be pretty awesome. Thanks for highlighting this.

Edit: Also, even half-height barriers can help. Not for air conditioning, but can help safety and comfort (less wind against passengers) and also prevent some amount of litter. I actually happened to visit China last year and saw both full-height barriers (most stations) and half-height barriers (e.g. the famous Liziba Station in Chongqing), but as NJB's video mentions, these are pretty standard for newer metro systems around the world. Just that retrofitting can be something of a pain.

I still find it weird how Vampire Survivors got away with using art assets that look very like official Castlevania assets.

Both DoS and OoE have that, in different ways, but as a completionist I found myself more frustrated with PoR, for having too many things to do in order to complete the game.

I feel that DoS has the best gameplay variety of the three DS entries, but also the weakest plot and least impressive soundtrack. PoR has a more involved plot, though it can be kinda sprawling with its many areas and extra features. OoE is the "tightest" game by comparison, with a strong plot to drive the experience, excellent sense of atmosphere and aesthetics, and gameplay challenge, with arguably the least amount of "filler".

But they're all good. Just a matter of how good; depending on the aspect, some are good while others are really awesome.

Great writeup! I read the whole thing haha.

Technically not quite every Castlevania game, but I don't know how many people are going to care about Vampire Killer for MSX or Order of Shadows for mobile phones or the Tiger Handheld game lol. There's also stuff like Grimoire of Souls and Harmony of Despair but others have pointed those out already.

I didn't know the Lords of Shadow subseries had a metroidvania entry. Thanks for the info.

As someone else pointed out, Circle of the Moon was not an IGA game. Not that that really matters, though. Also, it's fun (albeit unimportant) to point out that Konami wanted to go all in on the 3D games during the N64 era and SotN was a side project, until the N64 games flopped but SotN became a hit.

Dracula X for SNES has a variety of names -- just Dracula X, Castlevania Dracula X, Dracula XX, Vampire's Kiss. The "Dracula X" title indicates its connection to SotN, which was named "Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight" in Japan; it received a Sega Saturn version that fans usually exclusively refer to with that latter name, and this version has an exclusive character and two exclusive areas. Unfortunately it wasn't ported that well.

The other games all have different names in Japan ("Castlevania" being known as "Akumajou Dracula" generally), but no one will actually care to say "Concerto of the Midnight Sun".

It may be fun to observe that Harmony of Dissonance and Symphony of the Night are the only two games to have a certain quirk to their maps that no other game has. (Maybe Bloodstained, depending on how you rule on a technicality.) To explain with minimal spoilers, I'd say that you get to experience the map twice.

Portrait of Ruin and Order of Ecclesia may seem superficially similar in that they have the main castle plus other areas, but narratively they handle this feature very differently. PoR has you exploring the castle and then finding the portraits as secondary areas. OoE instead has you explore the countryside area by area before going to the castle (its presence almost feels like a spoiler), building up to it as a climax. IMO it's much more organically done, and I regard OoE as presenting the most polished experience of the three DS games, or heck, of all seven metroidvanias.

I'd say any of the metroidvanias, except maybe Circle, are a fair entry point, frankly. In fact, I might even say that playing Symphony first may make the others feel like a letdown, simply because SotN is just that darned good, even with its flaws.