The Whip of the Old, The Changable Weapons of the New
Since Symphony of the Night (PS1, 1998), we've gotten a few tastes of Castlevania's new norm. Particularly in Aria of Sorrow (GBA), where Soma Cruz took on a very Alucard-esque role. For series vets, Circle of the Moon (GBA) and Harmony of Dissonance (GBA) have kept their whips cracking Belmonte style. Albeit with enhancements any Belmonte would've greatly appreciated. This all brings us to Castlevania Double Pack (GBA, 2006) from Konami.
In Castlevania Double Pack (GBA, Konami, 2006) the player is given two very distinct games: Harmony of Dissonance and Aria of Sorrow. So fans of both the whip-wielding Castlevania's of old AND fans of 'series changer' Symphony of the Night have their needs well met.
The PROS:
Variety, portable, cheap ($30 at launch, even cheaper as of this review), the actual fun factor of each game, interesting stories, the diversity of weapons/armor/relics/spells (particularly in AoS), HoD brings back the Belmontes in the form of Juste, long quests for a handheld platformer, RPG-like upgrading systems...
The CONS:
Trying to find some of the neccessary items to access certain areas can be a pain in the ass, some of the boss battles will grate on you, some areas in the castles (in both games) are confusing to navigate, finding this game in stores is easier said than done thanks to Nintendo idiotically nixing the GBA...so check Amazon...