Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles

"Many have hailed it as the greatest Castlevania of all time, bemoaning its lack of a U.S. release. Well, now they can finally shut the hell up and go back to ogling underage anime girls on bootleg DVDs in their parents' basements, because this Dracula-killing goodness has finally reached our shores."

Taken together, the three games included in Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles make up a compelling package.

"On paper the reworked game sounds like a winner, and after playing through the first level at Konami's press event, I can certainly attest that it seems to be on the road to happy town. Though Rondo lacks the more advanced controls or RPG elements of today's Castlevania titles, it still feels like a modern 2D Belmont adventure. Granted, it is slower and less flashy than something like Aria of Sorrow or Portrait of Ruin (you can't dash), but the controls are intuitive and fully functional."

If you're a Castlevania fan and you think that the somewhat short Rondo of Blood is enough to satisfy you (assuming you've already played Symphony of the Night), you may as well pick this one up. Besides the difficulty and somewhat finicky jumping mechanics, it’s an impressive game with a lot going for it. And if you're new to the series, this compilation may be even more worth your attention because of its strong components. Just remember the nature of the challenge, because things can get real tricky, real fast.