Best. Castlevania. Ever. ...well, as of 5/08.
595589
I am a big CV fan, played all the 2D cv's.  Aria is the best, because the story is amazing, don't read anything about it - just buy it, and play it.
My Ranks:
1)AoS
2)CotM
3)SotN, DoS and PoR
Keeping in mind they are ALL VERY good and VERY close. SotN Gets bonus points for being the pioneer of the CV awesomeness. Cant wait for OoE - Order of Ecclesia!
3823795
Oohhhh where to begin, ohhhh the memories of being frightened this game still looks excellent plays excellent and is just the music shivering still scary after all of these years, this scared me more then resident evil and silent hill put tgether I need reall b horror not no zombie shooting or monster shooting I need a real game and I know alot say this, but I see the graphics progress as you play maybe it has something to do with the time going on till the present anyways, its a story about alexandra who comes to rhode island and finds her grandfather is dead and wants answers to know how this came about, the characters veryyy likeable alexandra is still a great character and I love her to death, ellia very likeable too you understand and feel for these characters, graphics......definitely wayyy better looking then todays standards and more taken care of when games were actually called games and not money slapped straight on the cases for tdays games.....gameplay very wonderful and fun to play and when the sanity goes low you get sliced out of nowhere blood may I say still the creepiest drips from cielings on walls and all the most pious agustus is the creepiest villian and scariest till this day oooohhhh that skeletal face.......this is one hell of a game and the story is great very great too bad games don't look good and play good anymore theres only little out there that do nowadays but not all the time like they did back then......and to top it all off....this game for the hell of a price I will be picking this up!!!!!! Anyone want a b game or any game with real gameplay and real taken time on graphics I highly reccommend this its time to get back into real gaming instead of crappy gaming like the playstation 4 ohhh yeahh thats right I went there enjoy my gamer friends lol and to end my little story the bathtub scene when I was a teen I remember I jumped at night and I just stood there and shut my gamecube off and went to bed thats how scary this game is!!!!!
3100903
Castlevania is one of those iconic series in video games which saw its heyday in previous generations (with, generally speaking, the best game in the series being Castelvania: Symphony of the Night on PS1).  The first Castlevania:  LOS game did breath new, fresh air into this series.

It is a shame then that, instead of building on the success of this game, that the developers tried to borrow from so many other successful games and turn this game into a middling, inconsistent frustration of a title.

Don't get me wrong, when CLOS2 is good, it is GREAT.  Stunning looking vistas and areas.  Diverse combat, whether it's your main weapon (whip) or sub weapons which use magic (ala God of War).  In fact, this game might as well been the 5th GOW title, so much is cribbed from it.

So well, where does this game fall apart?

- MANDATORY stealth sections.  You're playing as a bad-a** Dracula, so why, exactly, do you need to SNEAK by enemies undetected, when you have all that firepower at your disposal?  Castlevania is NOT Splinter Cell or Thief.  It has ALWAYS been an action game, throughout all its titles.  Not only does it manage to break any flow in the game, but they are poorly executed.  In one section alone, I was stuck for THREE HOURS trying to figure out how to get by it.  That's both poor game design and poor choices.
- I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure in Transylvaina, you are not seeing robots, androids and the like.  What in the world are those things doing in a Castlevaina game?  Ghosts, zombies and other supernatural things, yes.  Data, KOS-MOS, type characters, no.
- It's short.  Paying $60 for a game that will last you, on average, 10-15 hours, in this day in age, simply is not a smart investment.

So I'm sorry, all the 5 stars reviews in the world should not convince you to spend $60 on this game.  I guess it will be up to you to decide who is right:  All those reviews, or the current 62 score the game has on Metacritic, from people who do video game reviews for a living.

This game very much could have been one of the best Castlevaina's, especially with the combat.  But the uninspiring story, wonky stealth sections, and short length simply put this game in Simon's Quest territory:  Decent try, but simply not good enough.
4181069
I love it when companies re-release classic games on newer systems for those of us who grew up with them and like to walk down memory lane, and FF Chronicles collects 2 great games in one. I have many blissful memories of playing FF 4 (2 at the time) when I was much younger and it was newly released. My obsession with Final Fantasy started with number 1, and was established without doubt after playing 2. It is a phenomenal, albeit very dated game. The characters and storyline are among the best in FF history, and the gameplay (though straightforward) remains very fun. The graphics and sound of the game were top notch when released. The graphics remain very colorful and appealing even now, and the music is good if rather "cheap" sounding compared to modern games. I sometimes wish they would have spiffed these games up a bit (improving the instrumentation of the music, adding some bonus features, etc.), but I can also respect getting the games in their original form without alteration (except for the CG scenes, of course).

That is one area of major disappointment for me, the CG movies they added to FF 4. They exhibit the worst graphics I have ever seen on the PS1. A big disappointment, especially coming from the masters at Square. It looks like someone with no experience just threw them together at the last minute. I would rather they just not added them. Furthermore, I wish they could have maybe spliced them into the game instead of just having them at the beginning and end. That really misled me.

Still, a great, faithful remake of a wonderful game from the days of old.

I never played Chrono Trigger on the SNES, so it was a new experience for me, and I did wish once playing it that I had played it in my youth, as it is a phenomenal game that, although I enjoyed it, I would have appreciated much more when I was younger. Great graphics for the time, and about the best music I've ever heard in a video game. The story and game play really pull you in, and the world is one, like any great fictional place, where you find yourself wishing you could just become part of it.

Also, in contrast to FF 4, I really enjoyed the CG movies they added. They are in the anime style by the guy who did Dragonball Z, are spliced into the game at the appropriate parts,  and are really very good.

I am disappointed however, as many others on here have stated, that this game has painfully long load times that really decreased my enjoyment of the game. Every time you get into a battle or bring up the status screen, there is about a 3-5 second wait, which may not seem like a big deal, but believe me, it gets annoying real fast. Still, if you're patient, it is a good game.

I find myself wishing that they had released FF 3 on this compilation instead of Chrono Trigger, though. I mean, it is FF Chronicles. If they had put 3 on here, we could have had the entire FF series on the PS. As it is, 3 will likely never be available in a form I'm willing to acquire and play, and thus it will eternally remain a hole in my FF experience. If they had put FF 3 on here, maybe they could have done another 2 disc compilation with Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. Now that would have been awesome.

Sadly, I can only give this 4 stars overall, and thats me being realistic as opposed to overly nostalgic. They are both great, classic games, and I'm glad to have them, and I did enjoy them. But, this collection is flawed in several ways that just a little bit more work from Square could have prevented, and made this truly worthy of 5 stars.
1781088
Castlevania: Dracula X is actually a pretty good game, but there's one really big problem that prevents it from being a masterpiece- it's too short.  It can be completed in under 40 minutes and that's not even a speedrun time or anything like that.  It's because the game only contains 7 levels, and they are ALL very straight forward and the typical type of level you'd expect to see in a Castlevania game.  Basically this game does every single thing correct expect provide a lengthy quest.  This means buying a copy of this expensive game is simply out of the question.  Unfathomable!

The good news is that the game itself does improve in a few areas over Super Castlevania IV.  The backgrounds in Dracula X are REALLY fantastic.  Just look at the first stage- the fire in the background burns bright and beautifully.  The music, while not *quite* as good as the soundtrack to Super Castlevania IV, is really memorable as well combining classic Castlevania themes with hard rock, orchestration and even disco/dance music.  As far as how memorable the soundtrack is, this stuff is actually comparable to the stuff you'd hear in Symphony of the Night.  Yes the music is seriously only one notch below THAT classic game!

Turns out the gameplay isn't nearly as bad as people say either.  While it's your typical whip-slashing through linear stages that dominated the CV series throughout the 80's and early 90's, the levels themselves are consistently pleasing.  Unfortunately they often play it safe.  These stages never dip too low or reach too high in the enjoyment category.  That's actually a good thing because every Castlevania game (including the classic ones) have some questionable or boring moments from time to time, but not this one.  If you can find a bad moment in this game, please tell me because I haven't stumbled upon it.

The game never takes any chances though, so it's a typical affair in that regard.  You face the same familiar enemies you've battled for years such as bats, armor knight, medusa heads, mermans, skeletons, skeleton snakes, bone pillars and zombies.  However the appearance of these foes are noticeably bigger and more animated than they were even on Super Castlevania IV which is a REALLY nice surprise.  You have to use your sub-weapon creatively depending on the situation ahead, or you'll be a world of trouble if not.  This has been a trademark of the CV series all along and it remains true once again here.

Well the play control is about what you'd expect.  The people who tried convincing me Richter moves too slow are incorrect since he moves just right in my opinion, and not much slower than Simon in Super Castlevania IV (but definitely faster than the NES CV games).  There's no awkward moments of jumping or getting attacked since I'm accustomed to these type of mechanics thanks again to the NES CV games.  I have no complaints with the movements really.

The only complaint I have is that the game is WAY too short.  It does everything right except provide a sufficient lengthy quest.  7 stages with each one only taking 3 or 4 minutes to get through is an underachievement.  The game does so many things right, that with at least 5 more levels this game easily would've had the potential to be fantastic.  Its short length is the biggest issue however and with the price tag the polar opposite of generous, well... I can't recommend it.
3990738
This game is simply one of the best castlevania games i played

you get help of three different spirits, have to choose different paths avery time you play and the music is the best of the old NES games .
570940
I remember playing this game years upon years ago and still cant believe i beat it while i was about 8 years old. Yikes!

This classic, which spawned tons of great Castlevania games which are still going strong, is intensely difficult and had me on the verge of throwing my Gameboy at the wall more than once.

The first level of this game is extremely easy and gets you into the feel of the game. However, levels 2-5 are extremely hard. From the first time you fight the flying medusa heads or jumping igors you will loathe them and probably have nightmares of them knocking you into pits.

Later in the game you are only allowed 4 hits total before you meet your maker while some of the bosses, like the grim reaper, need about 20 hits to take em down. Not to mention just about every 'jump' you have to make in this game is surrounded by annoying enemies ready to knock you into a sudden death plummet.

Still, this game does bring back fond memories of the fun yet frustrating game. Now we just need them to bring back Castlevania 2 and 3 for the Gameboy...
3556295
The storyline is really good, complex, and intelligent for the most part.  This is *very easily* the best thing about Shattered Memories.

The sexual content is definitely quite high, but I understand those short, simple questions you answer in the beginning of the game is entirely the reason for this. Just be careful- when you select the question that enables lots of sexual content, you most certainly will GET a ton of that!

You will quickly discover a LOT of cussing (and other surprising choices of words being used by all the characters).  I'm not talking about mild cussing either.  It's at a ridiculously inappropriate high level.  This is the main thing that separates this game from the original Silent Hill.  I dislike the negative lauguage rather strongly because it makes the game feel like a sad attempt to draw in gamers with the wrong kind of shock value.

Lisa looks about the same as I'd expect.  She's a really good character as well.

Cybil most certainly does NOT look the way I've always envisioned her. She's kind of ugly here, definitely more mature and older, and not nearly as attractive.

I can't remember that other female characters name, but she is *extremely* good looking.

Dahlia is, without spoiling anything... a major surprise just in the way she looks!!  Who would've known, haha.

The freezing elements are interesting, but maybe a bit repetitive as well.

The environments didn't actually freeze in the original Silent Hill- instead they turned much darker, creepier, and satanic.  I realize this is a reimagining and not necessarily a remake, but even keeping THAT in mind, freezing isn't *nearly* as terrifying to me as unexplainable blood markings and complete darkness (which is what the original Silent Hill mastered perfectly).

I like when Harry runs away from the enemies. I didn't realize the enemies would be THAT persistent in their chase and constantly be on Harry's behind *nonstop*. This definitely increases the fear by quite a lot.  In fact, hesitating for only a moment will probably guarantee taking a hit.

Of course, the fact there's really no way to defend yourself (with a gun) against said enemies (so the only thing you can do is shake free and continue running) is a bit of a letdown.

What in the HECK is up with that cell phone? Talk about a serious way to suck away any kind of fear the game tried to have in a HURRY! I didn't like that idea, I'm afraid. No more cell phones in future Silent Hill games!  Including cell phones makes the game feel too much like modern times and less like a confusing, unexplainable nightmare.  Simply put- cell phones don't belong in survival horror games.

"I LOVE MY DADDY!" is a line that's going to haunt me forever.

Some people will complain the game is too short, but for me, it was just right.  I grew up in a time when it only took two or three hours to complete a game from start to finish, so I definitely welcome the length of this game.

Anyway, Shattered Memories is most certainly NOT as frightening as the original Playstation Silent Hill.  I don't care how much better the graphics look in comparison- the fact remains the atmosphere is almost completely missing from Shattered Memories.  Just play the original instead.
2776306
Okay first let me give you a summary on how much this figure means to me. are you ready because this may be entense or intense...anyway here it is.

OMFG! SIMON BELMONT! I MUST HAVE!

After hulking out I ordered it and in a short period, and I do mean short, Simon Belmont was in my possession and I've loved this figure ever since. Now it's taken from the classic cover version of Simon from Castlevania and no others, i kinda wish it was Castlevania Chronicles or Simon's Quest because it's kinda weird having him pantless or with those underwear things, but the detail is just amazing. This is better than any Spawn figure I have ever seen and just wow, I love the detail.

And he comes strapped in a vampire hunter sense. He has Vampire Killer, the trademark of the Belmonts and has two of the three forms. The Basic leather whip and the flail. I wish they would have had the third and final form of Vampire Killer because it kinda feels incomplete but it makes up for htat with other weapons. You get a sword that comes out of it's sheath, and a dagger and a cross, the invicibility potion and finally the classic, the candle stick.

All fo this makes for something that brings back a nostalgic feel that for any Castlevania fan from any age, is a nice warmth. I'd recomend this figure if your a collector, a fan, or if you just want a figure. Also note that the articulation is good, you can move him into many poses, it's really an awesome figure. The hands are very stiff and you'll have to ease the weapons into their hands, it takes time and patience but just don't jam things in and you'll be happy with the results.
3462046
Ok, I'd like to start with the fact that Chrono Trigger flat out did not even start on my PS2. This bothers me. For the benefit of the doubt, however, I will account this to product defects (the disc's broken). Therefore, this review is entirely on the FF4 port. (Although the only reason I got this game was for CT, i don't have it yet)
Ok, I like the new text, it adds a little more depth to us veterans... well, some of it does. In fact, some of it feels too... modernized. It feels like I'm reading this off a chat room, and not listening to the actual characters. And what the spoony? They cut out my favorite line! ;)
And the sounds? Dear, sweet lord, why must my ears bleed each time I shop? They horribly butchered the sound effects. And it's not my speakers, cause i just got done playing the REAL FF4 on my SNES.
And especially after playing the real game, this new version just looks... off. Kinda pale and sickly if you ask me. Plus the overworld backgrounds don't look right.
And don't you DARE tell me that Square couldn't have spent some actual time making this game better than, or at least up to par with, the SNES version. Both the PS1 and PS2 are much more advanced machines than the pansy SNES was.
All in all, I only gave this game two stars because I feel cheated out of my hard earned money into buying a game I already own that's not even as good as the original. And, spoony, it only earned that second star 'cause the original is the best RPG I've played. So, for all of you who still have that old SNES sitting in the attic, with that shoebox full of games sitting next to it, you'll be much more satisfied and save you hard earned cash by busting it out again for another go. If you don't have the old cart, I suggest you borrow it from a friend who does. And for thoes of you without friends who have the SNES, just remember that Tellah is actually saying "You spoony bard!" when he's beating Edward. That and the weapon "knife" is actually "spoon." While this doesn't change anything, I'll be spooned if it's not funnier.
But, like I said, I only bought it for CT, so we'll see how that goes when I get my game returned.
-later-
Ok, now that I've gotten a new copy of FFC, and CT works for my system (thankfully).  For this I'll give it another star.  I'd like to say that although I've not yet played far enough to get into combat yet, the beginning of CT feels pretty much the same (although the 5 second load times are annoying)
4651070
castlevania lords of shadow is a incredible game the greatest game in the world a true classic the best of the best the greatest game in the 21st century konami are gods they are the greatest video game company in the world they are true genius they are gods the best of the best buy this game if your a huge castlevania fan you won't be sorry
2592051
resident evil 2 was the best game i ever played.  i didn't play it until it came to the pc.  with better graphics than the ps version i never thought it could be surpassed.  well i was proved wrong with nemesis.  the controll is excellent, the side step and push are good additions.  the graphics, although not up to par to a pc are still very good, the characters movments are much more fluid than the previous incarnations.  with the same ambient music and sound affect to set the mood, this game truely is one of the best avaiable for the play station.  the only thing that detracts from the game is the fact its too short.  i beat it in a few hours with out a walkthrough can you imagine?  cant wait for this to get ported to pc, come on capcom get a move on!!!
1405248
This just may be the best game so far on the Nintendo DS. This is a sequel to the GBA game, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. It was also the only DS game, other than Meteos, to recieve a perfect 5 out of 5, from G4TVs Xplay.

Castlevania DoS plays just like any other Castlevania game before it: great action, fun platforming, and lots of undead.

Where this game shines, however, is the unique DS features: There are touch screen puzzles to solve throughout the game, and the ability to dominate enemies powers and use them in battle (just like in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow).

The graphics are great for a 2-D game and it plays very smooth. The music is very fitting and you will find yourself humming some of the creepy tunes hours after you are done playing. There are plenty of unlockables, and this will provide at least 20 hours of great gameplay.

The ONLY bad thing about the game is that the replay value is not unlimited. You will get sick of it eventually, though not for a while. If you own a DS, you owe it to yourself to pick up Castlevania: Daws of Sorrow.

GAMEPLAY:  10/10

GRAPHICS:  9/10

SOUND:  10/10

REPLAYABILITY:  8/10

OVERALL:  9/10
1458445
OK, some insights.  First, I've played this game before, including the first one and later on the newest version call just Dungeon.  I loved pretty much all of them, though I'm writing this because this version is the best one.  I've enjoyed it so much I bought another copy.  I'd say that says it all.
4270879
I love the classic horror genre so when i heard about castlevania i was stoked but then i heard it was on the NES, something i wasn't planning on paying big bucks for. when i heard they were rebooting the series i was beyond excited. the game came and i loved it. it is not a god of war rip off. the gameplay is unique, the story i great, awesome soundtrack, likeable character. not to mechian a twist ending. not to  mention if your a Christian tell me a battle cross isn't the greatest weapon you've ever heard of.
4583359
Alright, first of all, there are too many people who jump up and shout "This is THE greatest game EVER!" about FF7 these days.  That said, this is MY favorite game EVER.  There's my bias.  Live with it.
Now, I'm not crazy.  I don't think that RPG's began and ended with Square's little masterpiece, but I do think that what you get with FF7 is a game that has (for better or worse, depending on your POV) forever altered the modern RPG landscape.  There are too many clone RPGs these past few years that just rip off the world-ending conflict, eye candy FMV cut scene formula.  Uninspired designers think that's all it takes to make a successful game.  Take the mediocre Legend of Dragoon game as a prime example.  Don't blame this trend on FF7, because Square did it first and did it better.
Comparing the graphics to a modern next-gen console game wouldn't be fair.  But, let's say this.  The pre-rendered backdrops are still quite vivid and really lend themselves to the immersive atmosphere of the game.  The slums of Midgar look incredible.  Unfortunately, the character models are bit primitive, and that may turn some off to the game.  Given how early this game came along in the 3D console gaming department, it's understandable, and you can grow just as fond of the 3D models as the old 2D sprites with a little effort.  Overall, I really think that despite some of the graphics being a bit outdated, the artistic aspects of the game are just so well done that I can't help but appreciate it even today.  As a whole package, it really shines.
This musical score ranks up there with FF6 as the best of the series, with quite a few memorable tracks.  My favorites for anyone who cares are Tifa's Theme, You Can Hear the Cry of the Planet, and Off the Edge of Despair.  Good stuff.  The standard sound effects did the job, so I don't know what else to say about them.  Nothing that knocked me out of my chair or anything.
The thing that makes or breaks a game for me is usually the story.  Final Fantasy 7 does not disappoint in this department.  Cloud, Tifa, Sephiroth...these are just some of the characters that I felt were truly well developed and just plain cool.  I can't say enough about the scope and imagination on display in this game.  Maybe I just dig the sort of cyber-punk elements you start out with and watching that evolve, but I am to this day jaw-dropped by Cloud and Sephiroth.  Classic.
There are dozens of other quality games in multiple genres that have come out since, but I'm hard-pressed to find one that feels as huge, imaginative, and immersive as this one.  It's the hallmark of a great fantasy game to make you feel as though you're living in that world.  I hope anyone who enjoys similar games will have given this one a shot by now.  If not, I implore you to check it out.
648990
I honestly don't know why this game has flown under the radar, it's a very nice game.

I wanted this game as soon as I saw the previews for it. I actually got it on release day, just took me awhile to review it lol. I figured by now, Darksiders would get the credit it deserves but I see it still hasn't. It's a very lengthy, hard game which I like because there's never a boring moment. Also, Darksiders has some of the best boss battles I have ever seen!(Just youtube Tiamat) I have to admit, the puzzles are hard, but if you take your time and think outside the box, you will be fine. I've heard all the GOW comparisons and I really don't see it myself. It reminds me more of Castlevania Lord of Shadows than it does GOW.

This game was worth the $59.99 I paid for it on release day. For $20, you are getting a STEAL!! If you like this type of genre, you will like this game; just give it a shot and don't give up on it when it starts getting hard!