[Terminal Est]

And boy you weren’t kidding when you said SoN was easier… and soooooooooooooo much better. I cannot agree with this more. It is still pretty hard though, and I still kinda suck at it, but at least I am enjoying it more because I’m not falling into every single pit and getting my ass kicked by every single bat I come across, heh.

*Laughs!*
Pits are good in this case. Dive into them, and you shall find secret areas and items.
But I must stress, this game is not challenging at all. If anything, after leveling up a bit, you shall indeed wall through everything, the hardest part is figuring out means of getting somewhere, but once you know it, replaying it is much easier.

Although I completely love this game, I can think of a few things wrong with it...such as some potential strategic elements which pertain to the abilities of certain weapons, the match ups you can do with them and specific armour or shields, as well as the many moves and magic spells Alucard actually possesses...but all are worthless if you are strong enough, and you can merely rely on physical attacks the whole time.

At the time that some things may be useful, they are too hard to pull off for those starting out unless you are an adept at fighting games like Street Fighter, like Metamorphosis, and even then it only works on enemies which spill blood when inflicted with damage. By the time you get it right, it becomes a waste of time.

Although seeing Alucard do Dracula's famous cloak and fireball move is always neat.

As we have already discussed, one of my favorite things about this game are the costume designs… even though it is a video game. And the music is kick ass! The graphics are good too, even though it is reminiscent of a simpler time. Although I hesitate to say that this game would not work equally as well in a 3-D environment (as I have been wrong before in this regard: Legend of Zelda’s Ocarina of Time trumped Link to the Past… although just barely), in SoN I think the confines of the 2-D playing field wouldn’t quite work any other way. And I think the game translates well and is perfectly suited for the PSP, as the abundance of safe rooms allow for short periods of gameplay on the go, which really suits the nature of the PSP… no?

Agreed, however I find that I cannot play it in short bouts...it is too much fun. XD
As past three dimensional Castlevanias have proven, the series seems to work best in two dimensions so far. Perhaps this will be rectified eventually, but among many others, that is one major factor that most fans of Castlevania have come to love.
I would not be against a three dimensional remake of Symphony, but I doubt that it would thwart the original game, although one must admit, with all the new tweaks that this game has received, like role playing elements for example, the action aspect has taken a bit of a downfall, especially in the eyes of the older Castlevania fans. So maybe it might work, but for now I am quite content with it as it is.

And oh yes, the music is almost as acclaimed as Ayami's artwork. If you like it, you should listen to the soundtrack for Lament of Innocence. Although that black sheep game is hated by most, everyone agrees that the musical score is on par with Symphony.

I agree wholeheartedly with the costumes, I so wish I had a dress like Lisa, with the puffy shoulder bits and all.

whereas nowadays Dracula is usually synonymous with jokes. And yet the Castlevania games seem to work well, probably because the man himself is not the centre of attention and does not monopolize the entire essence of the game. That audacious task falls into the lap of the player afterall, and it is truly fun indeed.

What you describe here is exactly the same that has given rise to Bram Stoker's success with his novel, Dracula. The vampire was barely ever present besides the meeting with Harker and the ending chase.

Dracula was defined through the book with the fear of the characters which they held for Dracula, and the determinants they had to defeat him to save Mina.

As in most Castlevania games, Dracula is seldom present but as an ominous form of evil, which always seems to add more flare and determination to the player's intents merely through the presentation. And Symphony does not fail, as this is a battle between father and son, which is quite tragic indeed, essentially capturing the modern glamour of vampires through entertainment that everyone seems to love. (We have Lucas to thank for the initial concept though. XD)
Someone at Konami really knows their stuff, and I more then commend it. The stories themselves have never been Castlevania's strong suit, but it is amazing that with such minimal involvement, it manages to stick out like a sore thumb either way.

And here I have gone again… rambling on and on and making this post way longer than it really needs to be. But in short, I am enjoying the game and I can see very well why it has emerged as your favorite video game of all time Terminal, and I’m glad I took you up on the recommendation. It has many of the qualities necessary for a masterpiece (epic storyline, fantastic settings, mythologized characters), and even though it does borrow many of the characteristics from video game’s past… where would we be without those touchstones anyways? XD

You must believe me, I am sincerely happy that you took the recommendation and that you are enjoying the game. Perhaps I take it way too seriously, but I really wish everyone in the world would play it.
And your ''ramblings'' have given queue to more ramblings...so tis' all good I say.

The only thing which distraughts me is that in this remake, you will not hear the famous quotes from the original dialogue as it has been revamped, (No pun intended, ha ha.) and the voices in this one, besides Dracula, are really horrible. Alucard had such a more deeper and brooding voice in the PS version, now it is replaced with the typical pretty anime boy youthful voice. Ack.

I will now leave YOU T with MY favorite Dracula-related quotes, cheers…

I write this and leave it to be seen, so that no one may by any chance get in trouble through me.
- Lucy Westenra (Bram Stoker’s Dracula, 1897)

Give me back the amulet you little BITCH!
- Dracula, speaking to a 9 year old little girl (Monster Squad, 1987)