Gaming Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

[Charles]

I've had this game since launch, but I wasn't sure that creating a thread dedicated to it would was necessary, since many of you probably haven't been able to pick it up yet.

I'm a big Castlevania nut. I've really fallen in love with the series since Symphony of the Night. The 16 bit titles were only okay. But, in my opinion, it was on the PSX that Konami finally hit the nail on the head and got everything [i]just[/i] right.

Being able to play new 2D Castlevania's every year on the GBA has been an awesome experience so far--even if they don't quite live up to the standard set by the PSX pinnacle. Despite how similar they've been to one another in various ways (despite COTM being done by a different team), each has tried to do something new, and that has kept the series fresh.

As many of you know, Aria is no exception. It dares to go in certain directions that other 'vanias have yet to go. You've undoubtedly heard all of the hype about the game taking place in the year 2035 and the implementation of the soul stealing system. They've been leading whatever marketing blitz there's been.

The future setting doesn't really do a lot for game play. And it does little for aesthetics either--other than allowing players to stumble across a few light bulbs here and there and find a handgun later (which isn't a big deal as it's not the first in the series to feature one). The setting is basically in place for plot purposes. It's a Castlevania where Dracula is dead--and I think that in and of itself is pretty darn cool.

Plus, right off the bat you'll notice that the Castle is more populated by NPC's and situations involving dialogue than past games in the series. The stronger plot with all its twists definitely keeps the game interesting. Not to mention, I find the characters very intriguing.

As for the soul stealing--well, it's nothing like the system found in, oh, let's say--Soul Reaver. Basically, at random times, you'll take a unique ability from any of the games' enemies, including bosses. So, the feature really motivates one to get their luck stats up and increases the replay value. Which, is essential considering that the game only features one castle.

So, has anyone else played this yet? It'd be super cool if we could get a discussion going. I could go on but I don't want to make this post too unbearably long for no reason. Heh

[Senor Ding Dong]

Played it? I bought it on friday. I just got the slide ability, and beat the 4th boss. So far, it's pretty dang cool, not to mention this time the final boss isn't your best freind!

[Blackroseoni]

I wish I had more money to satisfy my Castlevania addiction, but alas I have not had enough money to buy either of the last two games to come out. *weeps*