There have been many great Castlevania games over the years, but would you believe that one of the best hasn't been available to the West until very recently?  Roo takes up the mantle of perhaps the greatest action-oriented Castlevania game in order to show everyone what they've been missing.  Throw out your FMV games, plug in your CD peripheral, and get ready to explore the checkered past of Rondo of Blood!

Roo explores one of the best run & gun games ever made - and one that didn't originally make it to America - with Alien Soldier.  This game has it all: Tons of bosses, great weapons, a cyborg chicken...  In fact, you could call the game not just a gem, but a "treasure".  Yuk yuk yuk, thanks folks, we'll be here all week.  Try the veal!

To celebrate the 15th anniversary of EarthBound's release in North America, Roo revisits his most popular video in order to share insight on his feelings toward the EarthBound community, Nintendo, and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

To watch the original video, click here.  And check out the 2nd part of the review (16-Bit Gems #11) here.

To wrap up our first anniversary, we have the most requested game to review from our fans.  The sequel to Illusion of Gaia - Terranigma.  The very definition of a hidden gem, this game never even saw a North American release.  So how does it stack up to the forebear?  Roo breaks it down in this special 15th episode of 16-Bit Gems.

You can watch the companion review to this one by clicking here: "16-Bit Gems #1: Illusion of Gaia"

To start off our week of anniversary-related videos, we have a question for you.  Have you ever wanted to watch the very first video ever released by CotGW with Roo rambling over the audio?  Well, your wish is granted.  Plus you're very strange.  Enjoy our very first commentary video!

You can watch the unmolested version here.

Did you ever get a feeling of deja vu when playing a video game - a feeling that perhaps that music was just a bit too familiar?  Whether by accident or design, some VG soundtracks sound a lot like pop music that preceded them.  Expanding on a subject he touched on in his EarthBound review (16-Bit Gems #11), Roo explores several more 16-Bit games that have very similar music to copyrighted songs of the past.

WARNING: Considering these games came out in the early 90's, there is a lot of 80's influence here.  Leggings and Members Only jackets are recommended.

The first American release in the popular Japanese "Goemon" series, Legend of the Mystical Ninja was an early entry in the Super Nintendo's lineup that unfortunately was ignored by many kids of the day. But those that looked past its strange qualities were rewarded with one of the best games of the 16-bit era. With anime, manga, and para para dancing all the rage now, perhaps the West is ready to give this gem another shot.