Top Five Coolest Things About Castlevania

Lets face it. Castlevania is the best videogame series in the vampire category ever. Dracula getting the crap kicked out of him by a family of vampire hunters(as well as his own son), mass exploration, innovative weaponry, Gothic lore, etc. I could go on and on about why this game series has gone on as long as it has, but I will let these five things of absolute enjoyment and excitement explain that for themselves.

5. The Vampire Killer Whip

I don’t know any other game series that made using a whip as the main weapon so much fun. Sure, Ivy from Soul Caliber uses one, but can that be imbued with elements and whipped around in circles by holding down one button? I didn’t think so. I can only imagine how cool the series could get if they released a third person over-the-shoulder action adventure Castlevania for the wii (or natal!) and the whip was controlled by you directly. Seriously Konami, give me this. Just copy what Capcom did with Resident Evil 4. Everyone will love it. Just make sure it doesn’t end up sucking. Yuck.

4. Alucard’s Name

There is no better protagonist in a videogame than the son of the most powerful being on earth who is on a quest to stop dear old daddy from unleashing terror on the world. Seriously, Dracula spelt backwards. So unoriginal and awesome at the same time. Though Konami cannot be credited for coming up with this gem, it doesn’t make it any less awesome that you are playing as a guy with a name so cool. And Ironic!

3. Every Bit of News On Castlevania: Lord of Shadows

The newest game in the Castlevania series (which is 60% complete at this point in time), has me all giddy in my seat the same way seeing trailers for Final Fantasy XIII does. Wait, Didn’t I just mention something about this? A third person over-the-shoulder action adventure game reinventing the Castlevania series for next gen consoles? See, being the gaming prophet that i am, I didn’t even know this was in development until writing this list. And I call myself a Castlevania fan, shame on me. Regardless, this game looks intense. I just hope they include RPG elements and turn this into a full scale ADVENTURE game. Please Konami, no Devil May Cry or God of War ripoffs. We appreciate it.

2. The Release of Symphony of The Night

I understand that this technically isn’t a moment or even part of the Castelvania world, but with this game coming out of the coffin(eh?), it revolutionized what Castlevania was capable of. Not only did it combine the awesome lore of the series with the platforming and action of side scrolling adventures, it also made the game worth completing. The best way a developer can entrap its players is by throwing them into a bad ass looking place and say ” hey guy, explore this. find cool stuff. kill a vampire.” The open-ended process of taking down Dracula makes you really feel as though you are growing in strength bit by bit, and this gameplay formula(though done by Metroid first), still can be seen in games of our generation(see: Shadow Complex). Therefore, not only did Symphony of the Night reinvent the Castelvania franchise, it also helped re-boot action adventure games period.

1. Being able to Kick the Crap Out of Dracula

So even though this happens in almost every installment of the series, I don’t think it ever gets old. This is just one example of how fun it is to have your way with a classic horror icon. Seriously, If every Castlevania game from now until forever has Dracula as its main bad dude, I still would have the want to beat him back into the underworld. I wonder what it would be like if Konami turned our world upside down and made us play as the Evil Vampire. Maybe force us to sympathize with his hatred of humanity? Could work, though I am sure they will get flacked by every anti-gaming organization out there. Then again, its not like that doesn’t happen anyway.

There you have it, my list of things Castlevania related that get me all antsy and keep drawing me back into the series. If you haven’t played at least Symphony of the Night, go ahead and do yourself a favor; download it from the Xbox Game Marketplace and get with the times. Trust me; your not being glamoured by Konami, these games are really that good.

You love the puns, don’t lie.