Lotus666
06-08-09, 11:10 PM
LF contributed this one in 2006...
Well, last Wednesday, I was perusing every shopping area in a vain effort to pick up Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix (an incredibly rare game), and in short, I said "**** it" and picked up four titles: Castlevania Double Pack (Aria of Sorrow and Harmony of Dissonance), Fusion Frenzy and Pump It Up Exceed. Now, here's the story:
The year is 2035. Japan.
Crowds of spectators are gathering around in antcipation fo the first full socal eclipse of the 21st Century.
My name is Soma Cruz and I am a high school exchange student studying abroad in Japan. I live near the Hakuba Shrine, an ancient shrine with strong ties to Japanese mythology.
Mina Hakuba, the only daughter of the shrine's caretaker, is both my classmate and my childhood friend. I started making my way to the shrine to see the solar eclipse with Mina. But, for some strange reason, the stairway leading up to the shrine felt longer than usual, as if something was trying to keep us from our destination. When I finally managed to get through the shrine gate, my senses began to dim.
In the distance, the solar eclipse was approaching totality, but the pitch black sun appeared to be trapping chaotic darkness. At that moment, Mina and I were knocked unconscious - only to awaken inside a mysterious castle. Now I must find a way out of this labyrinth and escape safely with my friend.
*SPOILERS*
1. You will come across a member of the Belmont Clan in your quest (you can also play as him after you defeat the game) originally named J, because he somehow became an amnesiac, who eventually remembers everything, and you will then know him as Julius Belmont.
2. Adrian Farenheights Tepes (Dracula's son, also known as Alucard) also shows up, but under a pretty stupid (and obvious) name - Genya Arikado (Alucard, Arikado, hint hint). And if that wasn't an obvious enough hint, if you saw the opening sequence when Soma's power awakens, right before hand, (if you've ever played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) you'd see Alucard pulling off his "Soul Steal" technique (a favorite of mine, which is why I recognized it easily).
Well, this game is pretty freakin' sweet, I'll say that for certain.
Story: 10 out of 10. What a way to suck someone in.
Controls: 9 out of 10. Sometimes I ended up doing something I didn't really want to do, but... eh, you get used to it.
Battle System: 10 out of 10. Just like every other Castlevania side-scroller, you've got to be prepared, since you NEVER know what will show up, besides, I kinda like the fact that you can steal your enemies' souls and then utilize them to unleash their abilities on their own allies.
Characters: 9 out of 10. All of them are a bit eccentric, and some are quite downright devious, although I do dislike the fact that you're just a marionette in Alucard's hand. I mean seriously, you should've been able to do something, like face off against him one way or another, perhaps give him a little smackdown because of how he acted. Sure, you got to do that with Julius (if you're going for either the best or worst ending).
The Maze of Dracula's Castle: 9.5 out of 10. Why 9.5? Simple - it isn't as hard and complex as the Castle in Symphony of the Night. Now THAT was a freaking challenge - you had to EARN that one, but even then, it was so ****ing HUGE... I ended up spending damn near a few hundred hours just beating that one game! Although I will say this: I do appreciate the fact that they at least heavily simplified this next castle.
Enemies: 7 out of 10. Old classics, some newer ones, but altogether... damned annoying. Seriously, actually stealing the souls of your enemies is a lot harder than it sounds - sometimes you don't even get it on the first try.
*HINT - on the early bosses, don't worry about not getting their souls, but when you start up against Headhunter, Death (the Grim Reaper), Legion, and Balore, you'll automatically earn them... although when it comes to Legion, defeat all four shell pieces of him first, then destroy the core - or you won't get it at all*
Music: 7.5 out of 10. Not bad, although a few places had music that just made you grit your teeth.
Sound: 7.5 out of 10. Not bad, but the every now and then voices just... meh. I'm sorry, but listening to Soma and Julius curse in Japanese is just damned annoying from time to time.
Level of Difficulty: 10 out of 10. Not for the on and off gamer, someone who whimsically plays every... month or so, but good enough for even a hardcore gamer like myself to enjoy it.
OVERALL: 79.5 out of 90.
NOTE: This is the FASTEST I've ever defeated a game like this. I spent less than a week to defeat it. Seriously, this took a combination of dedication and just general LFiness.
Well, last Wednesday, I was perusing every shopping area in a vain effort to pick up Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix (an incredibly rare game), and in short, I said "**** it" and picked up four titles: Castlevania Double Pack (Aria of Sorrow and Harmony of Dissonance), Fusion Frenzy and Pump It Up Exceed. Now, here's the story:
The year is 2035. Japan.
Crowds of spectators are gathering around in antcipation fo the first full socal eclipse of the 21st Century.
My name is Soma Cruz and I am a high school exchange student studying abroad in Japan. I live near the Hakuba Shrine, an ancient shrine with strong ties to Japanese mythology.
Mina Hakuba, the only daughter of the shrine's caretaker, is both my classmate and my childhood friend. I started making my way to the shrine to see the solar eclipse with Mina. But, for some strange reason, the stairway leading up to the shrine felt longer than usual, as if something was trying to keep us from our destination. When I finally managed to get through the shrine gate, my senses began to dim.
In the distance, the solar eclipse was approaching totality, but the pitch black sun appeared to be trapping chaotic darkness. At that moment, Mina and I were knocked unconscious - only to awaken inside a mysterious castle. Now I must find a way out of this labyrinth and escape safely with my friend.
*SPOILERS*
1. You will come across a member of the Belmont Clan in your quest (you can also play as him after you defeat the game) originally named J, because he somehow became an amnesiac, who eventually remembers everything, and you will then know him as Julius Belmont.
2. Adrian Farenheights Tepes (Dracula's son, also known as Alucard) also shows up, but under a pretty stupid (and obvious) name - Genya Arikado (Alucard, Arikado, hint hint). And if that wasn't an obvious enough hint, if you saw the opening sequence when Soma's power awakens, right before hand, (if you've ever played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) you'd see Alucard pulling off his "Soul Steal" technique (a favorite of mine, which is why I recognized it easily).
Well, this game is pretty freakin' sweet, I'll say that for certain.
Story: 10 out of 10. What a way to suck someone in.
Controls: 9 out of 10. Sometimes I ended up doing something I didn't really want to do, but... eh, you get used to it.
Battle System: 10 out of 10. Just like every other Castlevania side-scroller, you've got to be prepared, since you NEVER know what will show up, besides, I kinda like the fact that you can steal your enemies' souls and then utilize them to unleash their abilities on their own allies.
Characters: 9 out of 10. All of them are a bit eccentric, and some are quite downright devious, although I do dislike the fact that you're just a marionette in Alucard's hand. I mean seriously, you should've been able to do something, like face off against him one way or another, perhaps give him a little smackdown because of how he acted. Sure, you got to do that with Julius (if you're going for either the best or worst ending).
The Maze of Dracula's Castle: 9.5 out of 10. Why 9.5? Simple - it isn't as hard and complex as the Castle in Symphony of the Night. Now THAT was a freaking challenge - you had to EARN that one, but even then, it was so ****ing HUGE... I ended up spending damn near a few hundred hours just beating that one game! Although I will say this: I do appreciate the fact that they at least heavily simplified this next castle.
Enemies: 7 out of 10. Old classics, some newer ones, but altogether... damned annoying. Seriously, actually stealing the souls of your enemies is a lot harder than it sounds - sometimes you don't even get it on the first try.
*HINT - on the early bosses, don't worry about not getting their souls, but when you start up against Headhunter, Death (the Grim Reaper), Legion, and Balore, you'll automatically earn them... although when it comes to Legion, defeat all four shell pieces of him first, then destroy the core - or you won't get it at all*
Music: 7.5 out of 10. Not bad, although a few places had music that just made you grit your teeth.
Sound: 7.5 out of 10. Not bad, but the every now and then voices just... meh. I'm sorry, but listening to Soma and Julius curse in Japanese is just damned annoying from time to time.
Level of Difficulty: 10 out of 10. Not for the on and off gamer, someone who whimsically plays every... month or so, but good enough for even a hardcore gamer like myself to enjoy it.
OVERALL: 79.5 out of 90.
NOTE: This is the FASTEST I've ever defeated a game like this. I spent less than a week to defeat it. Seriously, this took a combination of dedication and just general LFiness.