Sylphisonic wrote:I have a question:
As somebody who sort of missed out on the series completely, should I buy the Gameboy Advance game that looks like it has two different Castlevanias on it (I forgot the name; sorry). I've heard all about Simon Belmont in the original game and stuff like that, but I never did get around to actually playing them. Blame it on Sonic and Mario, Zelda, Street Fighter, and all those cool side-scrolling beat 'em up games that held my attention at the time...
First, sorry for grave digging, but I had to reply to this, since I vanished after making it.
Sylphi, I would definatelly recommend it! They one you're talking about, is it this one by any chance?
http://www.amazon.com/Konami-8371750071 ... videogames
The one to the left is Harmony of Dissonance, my favourite 2-D Castlevania beside Symphony of the Night, which is the incredibly hard to find PlayStation Castlevania (needless to say, also the best in the series to have ever been made).
The one on the right is Aria of Sorrow. Aria of Sorrow is the second most proclaimed Castlevania after Symphony of the Night.
Here's overall the storylines without spoilers from wikipedia:
Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance is chronologically set 50 years after Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and 44 years before Demon Castle Dracula X: Rondo of Blood.
Two years prior to the game's beginning, Maxim Kischine left on a training expedition in order to cope with his self doubt after Juste Belmont was chosen over him to receive the legendary whip of the Belmont Clan, the Vampire Killer. Two years later, Maxim returned from his training expedition, badly wounded and with startling news: a childhood friend of Juste and Maxim by the name of Lydie Erlanger had been kidnapped. Maxim had also lost a great deal of his memory of the events of the past 2 years. Even so, he was able to lead Juste to the site of the disappearance, where they encountered a castle that hadn't been there previously. Juste hurried into the castle as Maxim recuperated in the entry way, promising to join Juste later.
Aria of Sorrow
The game takes place in the year 2035 and stars Soma Cruz, a high school exchange student in Japan. While visiting the Hakuba Shrine with his friend Mina Hakuba to see the solar eclipse, Soma is transported into Castlevania (Dracula's castle) along with her. The Castlevania was sealed into the eclipse in 1999, when Dracula faced his final downfall at the hands of Julius Belmont, who also makes an appearance. There, Soma meets Genya Arikado, a mysterious man with an unearthly beauty, who explains to Soma that he yields a magical power to absorb monster's souls. As Soma begins to get more aquainted with this power, he soon falls prey to the evil plans of a man named Graham Jones, a sect leader bent on claiming the power of Dracula, he himself believing that he's the reincarnation of Dracula, since he was not only born the same day Dracula fell, but also due to the fact that he has the same power as Soma.
![Very Happy :D](./images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif)
I hope this helps Sylphi. I'm really rooting for you to get these games. I'm an avid Castlevania fan, and love the series almost as much as I do Ghost in the Shell, and just as equally as Tekken! I can guarantee you'll love them!
mm