First off, the opening. This is the only game I know of that so effectively and completely recaps the end of the previous game. In this case, the opening stage is Richter Belmont's final battle against Dracula from the PC Engine game Dracula X. Much easier this time, of course, but also a lot flashier and more impressive. Not only is it an easy fight, but also impossible to lose. If you do badly enough, you will be healed and made invincible. I guess you can't lose a fight that took place in an earlier game. This part is a lot of fun, and sometimes I play through the intro even if I have no intention of starting a new game. Great way to start off with a bang. After this, you're given a brief story explanation and introduced to the main character, Alucard, Dracula's forgotten half-human son.

Oh my god, the animation in this game is incredible. I've been playing this game on and off for years and I am still fascinated by Alucard's movements. Considering this is a primarily 2D game running on the Playstation One, it's quite amazing how much impressive animation they were able to pull off using the PS1's paltry 2MB of RAM.

The map system of this game is often compared to that of Super Metroid, and for good reason, since the maps look very much the same. The castle is divided into several interconnected sections, each marked by its own backgrounds, music, and monsters. You can travel back and forth between any of the sections at any time, and it's a case of finding relics that increase Alucard's abilities, which allow him into previously unexplored areas of the castle, where you will hopefully find more items, increase your abilities even more, which in turn allows you into even more unexplored areas.

This game is ridiculously fun. Alucard controls so well that he almost feels like an extension of my soul! It's a game that I never get tired of, and I remember the first time I played it, I would save my progress and stop every so often. Not because I needed a break, but to savor the experience. There was so much great music, beautiful graphics, and a new surprise or plot twist around every corner that I didn't want it to end. And the more you play, the sooner you will get to the end, and then...there's no more new Castlevania to explore. I remember actually feeling a bit sad the first time I completed this game. Sure, it had taken a while to go everywhere and do everything, find every secret room, and I loved the hidden "inverted castle" which doubles the size of the game, but now it was over. I would have to find a new hobby. Or start over and do it all over again. Boo hoo. It's almost like some kind of withdrawal. I guess the first step towards addiction recovery is admitting that you have a problem.

Anyway, what else? The music! Oh yes, to date, this is still one of the very best video game soundtracks, or soundtracks period that I have ever heard. It's got "Symphony" in the title for a reason. Sad that the recent Gameboy Advance title "Harmony of Dissonance" didn't live up to its name music-wise, but it just goes to show that it's hard to duplicate a masterpiece. There are all kinds of different styles and flavors of music here, and they're all very well done. There are hints of the classic Castlevania tunes from the old days mixed into the new music. The Saturn version actually had several remixes of the classic theme songs from Castlevania I, II, and III.

There are all kinds of nice little touches that fans like me will pick up on, that other folks might not. For example, towards the end of the game you must find and defeat the five sub-bosses from the very first Castlevania: the Phantom Bat, Medusa, the mummy, Death, and, yep, good old Frank. Each one of them possesses one of Dracula's body parts from Castlevania II, which are needed to open the final room and confront the Count. In the collisseum, you can see the corpse of the giant undead bull which attacked you in Dracula X, and at one point you must battle zombie versions of the other three playable characters from Castlevania III, of which Alucard himself was the fourth. Also, the castle entrance is actually stage one of the original NES Castlevania. This game was obviously a labor of love.

Ah, one more thing, the story. There's enough there to keep you asking questions, and the game would be fun to play even without any story(such as in the secret mode where you can play the entire game as Richter Belmont). Sure, it ends a bit predictably...Dracula comes back, you must venture through his castle and kill him. But who cares. Part of the fun of Castlevania is fighting your way through the monster-infested castle, and arriving at the final battle against Dracula, even though we all know it is not the "final" battle by any means. He's kinda like Jason Voorhees, he always comes back, no matter how many times you kill him for the "final" time, once and for all. And you wouldn't want it to be the final time. You love fighting Dracula and you hate fighting Dracula. I really must hand it to the Dracster. We have one of those Dr. Loomis/Michael Myers-type adversarial relationships. He has my respect for having the balls to come back and fight with all he has, so many times, and in so many different ways...Even if he always loses in the end.

I do, surprise, have a complaint about this game. The god damn voice acting. Oh lord, it is so bad. You would be wise to mute the volume any time a dialogue box pops up. Actually, the voices for Death and Alucard are not that bad, but the rest are awful. Just awful. Especially Richter, who is the first voice you hear in the game. I really can't hold this against the makers of the game, since I have heard the original Japanese voices and they are quite good. This was a blunder on Konami of America's part, along with the crappy cover art, which is not nearly as good as the Japanese cover art. I can imagine the details of the casting decision at Konami of America:

Konami Man: Hey you?
13¢ Bob: Duh?
Konami Man: Yeah, you. Can you act?
13¢ Bob: No, but I can fake it.
Konami Man: Great! You're playing Dracula. Got that?
13¢ Bob: Duh?
Konami Man: Let's hear your Dracula voice.
13¢ Bob: Got 13 cents?
Konami Man: Perfect!

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night! Best! Game! Ever! Even if it doesn't match Sony's desired image for the Playstation and its 3D power, like Kileak: The DNA Imperative. This is the reason I bought a Playstation.

Rating: 10 out of 10. It's doper than 18 copies of HALO and a side of Kileak!