First off let me start this by saying that this game is probably the only game I can honestly say is my favorite and that I know inside out. It's easy to see why so many people consider it to be the greatest 2D video game, if not the greatest video game ever made. Unfortunately it falls short of that title by inches, and the reasons why it dose not get that title is no trivial thing either. Game play: The game controls remarkably well and is very responsive. It's a joy to take control of Alucard or even your other unlockable character, but control is not where the problems lie, the problem lies in difficulty, or lack thereof. Symphony of the Night has almost no late game difficulty, because of the manner that Konami had implemented their leveling system "Tanking" is what inevitably ends up happening to Alucard. He becomes to powerful just from the killing involved in exploring the castle, which is a normal part of most castlevania games. The only "difficult" part is figuring out how to gain access to the end of the game, beyond that it's a cake walk beyond a certain part of the game. Traditionally castlevania games have become harder and harder as you progress through them, Symphony dose the opposite, and for that it's lost it's shot at the "Greatest game of all time" throne. Sure there are things you can do to make the game more difficult, but if your looking for a challenge, you shouldn't have to change how you play the game to get it. Graphics: This department leaves little to be desired, the graphics are smooth and slow down is only noticed at a few points in the game. Most notably near the waterfall and when you recive an item after a boss fight. These graphical slowdowns are all that kept it from getting a perfect 10. Sound: Symphony of the Night incorperates an original sound track. Songs in this game are not found in previous games. While it is nice to see something different, we still would have liked a version of some series mainstays like "Vampire Killer" or "Bloody Tears" to have been thrown in at one point or another. Mind you, that dosn't mean that the music in the game is bad, on the contrary it's very well composed music, and it's used in fitting areas. It's just that every one likes hearing certain songs in castlevania games, and you don't get to hear any of the old favorites, but at least you get reasonable substitutes for them. Value: As long as you don't fork over more than $80 for sealed nongreatest hits version of this game (Less for unsealed or greatest hits) you'll be getting every penny (shilling or yen) of what you spent back in the form of a great game that despite it's lack of difficulty in story mode, is still amazingly fun. Over all: I've spent countless hours on this game, and own a few versions of it. While it's dissapointing that there isn't an unlockable hard mode to play through with Alucard, at least the give you a second playable character with a much higher difficulty factor. My final verdict is that if you are able to get a copy of this game at a reasonable price, do so. This is a game that everyone should try, even if they aren't Castlevania fans. If you are a Castlevania fan, you probalby already have this game, and even if you don't like it, you probably won't be getting rid of it any time soon either.
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Overview: No other series quite conjures the atmosphere associated with Konami's Castlevania series. Hearkening back to the days of the original Castlevania on the NES, the combination of classic monsters, from Frankenst... Read Full Review
I've had this game for YEARS & still enjoy playing thru it every so often! As Alucard, you move thru the castle in an almost non-linear fashion - lots of backtracking! There's TONS of items & weaponry to be un... Read Full Review
