July 27, 2007 - Folks who have been playing the recent Castlevania releases might have the wrong idea as to what this franchise is all about. So, allow us to refresh your memory. Castlevania is about whipping things and beating the hell out Dracula's minions in 2D.

http://media.psp.ign.com/media/882/882267/img_4745788.html
Buy this guy an umbrella already!

http://psp.ign.com/objects/882/882267.html is the epitome of what makes a good Castlevania game. In fact, Chronicles is three good Castlevania games -- including the remastering of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood -- rolled into one. Today on the show floor of the San Diego Comic-Con, we got to play Dracula X Chronicles and see the handiwork of the count first hand.

Stage one -- "Dinner of Flames" -- opens with the immediate world in ruins. The countryside is aflame, there is smoke everywhere, and there's a rickety skeleton shambling towards you. Things are bad, but you're Richter Belmont. Clad in a smart blue and white number, you ain't scared of no ghost and simply break out your whip to best the bad guys in front of you.

The traditional elements of the franchise are intact. You see candles, you whip them for hearts. You see floating bad guys, you whip them to survive, and when you see collapsible walls you whip them for special weapons such as axes and holy water. The X button jumps, square cracks that whip and pressing up along with square deploys your special items.

The special weapons were pretty much a luxury as we made our way through the first level. We beat on skeletons coming at us, we beat on skeletons throwing things at us, we climbed stairs, and eventually made it through a brick building filled with falling embers. However, once we got back outside, the weapons came into use. Blocking our path was an enormous, fire-spitting rock creature and a bunch of bats.

As the major bad guy spewed three flames, we had to dodge the attack and land our own on the creature's vulnerable right arm. If we got to close, he'd slam his fist into out soft, squishy body. He went down, we went on, and just went we thought Richter was going to have a chance to catch his breath, a giant purple dragon showed up.

Did we call those special items a luxury? Uh, we'd like to rephrase ...

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