Akumajou Dracula Apocalypse Gaiden: The Legend of Cornell in Japan
Released: 1999
Systems: Nintendo 64
The best way to alienate any fan base or ruin a franchise is to release a product and then offer a similar product a short time later--one that includes new features and more refinements not found in the original product. In 1999, Konami did exactly that by releasing the original Castlevania 64 and then releasing Castlevania 64: Legacy of Darkness, which contained all the features and characters stripped out of the original game. Regardless of these additions, nothing would prevent the Castlevania 64 series from being a complete disappointment.
There was an initial glimmer of hope in the early going for Legacy of Darkness. The opening sequence, which features the new character, has obvious connections to the opening sequence in Dracula X: The Rondo of Blood. After he is resurrected by Death (yes, that's painfully ironic), Dracula sends an army of skeleton warriors to a nearby village to do some serious damage. A young man named Cornell, who just happens to be a werewolf, charges into battle. During this sequence, the classic Castlevania tune, "Beginning," briefly plays and, for the first time, establishes more of a connection to the older games than the first Castlevania 64 ever did.