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| From: Konami
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy Used: $17.00
You Save: $2.99 (15%)
New (20) Used (23) Collectible (2) from $17.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 2500
Platform: Nintendo Ds
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: Nintendo DS
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.7
MPN: 24112
Model: 083717241126
UPC: 083717241126
EAN: 0083717241126
ASIN: B000GIXIPK
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Pretty fun but it's beating a dead horse at this point. May 4, 2007
From the second I played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night I knew that I strongly desired a sequel to the game. I had really wanted something with top notch 2D work like Guilty Gear Isuka for PlayStation 2 and for it to be on a console but I suppose my hunger was sated by the various Gameboy titles. I've had mixed feelings about the series since Symphony of the Night, some of the titles seem to get close to being as good and others totally missed the mark but the fact stands that none of the additions are on par with Symphony of the Night yet. This game is no different.
You play with two characters which you can use individually, simultaneously, and you can switch around on the fly. This works rather well and adds some depth and strategy to your character set ups. I found the girl to be kind of boring on her own though. She only gets one weapon type and it's rather ineffective. Her spells can be pretty cool but they aren't particularly great for dispatching enemies and remaining mobile. The cool thing here though is that I didn't have to use her. I could use the male character and simply spam the girl for spells when the mood struck me. You can leave both characters out and the one you aren't controlling will attack automatically but if they get hit your magic bar is depleted much like your health would be. The bad news here is that eventually the dual character system begins to strike you as very gimmicky. I would much rather have had one character with all of those abilities rather than having to drag along a second character simply for the occasional puzzle. It starts off as a cool idea but eventually just becomes annoying and you'll most likely stick with one as the game goes on.
Both of the DS games have gone artistically downhill since Ayami Kojima (the character designer for many of the games) didn't work on them. Maybe some kids got spooked by the slightly dark theme to the games and they had to brighten it up but everything seems a little softer to me. The enemies aren't as demented. The environments are more colorful. The blood is toned down, long gone are the days of gushing zombie soldiers. Maybe some people appreciate this but I think it sucks. The ambiance of the series is something I always enjoyed and it's just not here anymore.
The level design is alright, they kind of pulled an upside-down castle move by repeating previous levels only slightly different. That is one of my only complaints with Symphony of the Night and it remains true here, flipping and barely altering a level is lazy. If it wasn't for different enemies you would be bored to tears. It's kind of neat that you go to some different corners of the world but I really don't feel that they belong in this game. It's CASTLEvania, not TRAVELvania.
The music is tinny, cliche, and certainly more upbeat than other Castlevania games. It ultimately doesn't fit well for me. The Symphony of the Night, and Curse of Darkness soundtrack are worth owning regardless of how good the games are. I know the DS is capable of playing good music becuase Meteos and Nanostray have some jams in them, but the quality is pretty junky here. I guess since you go to some different locations it probably makes sense but, again, it just doesn't feel right to be in a Castlevania game.
The game presents plenty of the replay value that the newer titles are known for along with plenty to do in a single play through. Things like this keep the game fun regardless of its shortcomings.
The addition of Wifi is really nice but I have yet to really do a whole lot with it. The game isn't hard enough to do co-op and you can get all the items yourself easy enough without having to buy them off of people. Still it stands as a cool addition especially if they choose to develop it a bit more in the future.
In summary, I think it's the bettter of the DS Castlevanias, but Aria Of Sorrow is still the best of the Gameboy entries. Symphony of the Night is still king. At the end of the day though I think this game is a little weak, fun, but nothing super special about it. I think they need to focus on making one killer Castlevania game rather than churning out Symphony of the Night clones ever other year.
 As enjoyable as Dawn Of Sorrow April 8, 2007
If you liked Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow (or any other Castlevania game for that matter) you will find much to love about this one. And even if you've never played a Castlevania game before this is a great time to jump in. The hand drawn graphics are amazing, and the gameplay feels fresh from the constant upgrading of weapons. I must own.
 Stylish platformer! April 3, 2007
Symphony of the Night was a masterpiece and it has set the standard for Castlevania games. Portrait of Ruin (PoR) is almost as good. The graphics and music are beautifully crafted, and the gameplay entices you to play just a little longer...
The only element missing from PoR is a likeable set of characters. Jonathan is no Alucard! But overall PoR is a superb effort and will be a worthy addition to your DS collection.
A great castlevania game. March 15, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Doesn't top the greats in the series: Castlevania III, Rondo, and Symphony. But it comes close with its storyline, lv.1 hard mode, and boss battles. Co-op should have been available through the entire game, but you cant have everything I guess.
Pretty generic in gameplay, rather disappointing graphics March 5, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
CPR, as this game has come to be known, is, frankly speaking, a generic game in the Castlevania series. I'm glad I played it as a rental instead of shelling out $30 of good money for it. The storyline is both nondescript and nonexistent, and the game plays straightforwardly. The graphics, like other Castlevania games, is rather poor, little improved over the old GBA versions. Overall it makes a worthwhile play for hardcore Castlevania fans -- and Amazon's super-low price is a big help.
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