SOTN is an absolute masterpiece. Get past the steep learning curve and experience its brilliance. After you complete the first castle, you'll be extremely happy at your purchase. When you figure out that you missed the second half of the game, amazement sets in.

How can anybody hate this game? They don't make games of this caliber anymore.The time and effort that have gone in this game shouldn ' t go unnoticed. The only thing i can complain about is at first the controls can be weird, I don't know how many times I would accidentally keep freezing time, or throwing holy waters. Maybe it's just me?lol..The music is great, The way Alucard walks looks like some funky disco/walking/dance, I felt gay playing as Alucard because of the way he walks but when you figure out the "Y" trick you don't need to see him walk like that anymore.lol. The acting is horrible,but who cares about that anyway? I have played many games in my day and this game to me is a 2nd favorite of mine, right next to Chrono Trigger.… Expand

This game was pretty good. It felt a bit short though, I dunno I think i missed some secrets maybe.

I think this was a classic sinse the PS1 was what the school groopies were yapping about. The game itself tells a story in it's mindless side scrolling, which is pretty impressive, and the fighting is well crafted. Worth spending your X360 points on.

This game keeps being as amazing as it was more than a decade ago, this port is everything that we needed since it keeps the gameplay unchanged and controls adapted perfectly and it has a really classic feel to it which is refreshing. There are many secrets to find in this game extending the gameplay and replay value and the RPG elements are great. The only issue I had with this game was the really difficult learning curve since its not the best game for starters. Overall this is an amazing game just like before at 800 microsoft points its easy to recommend.… Expand

Excellent atmosphere, huge non-linear platforming game, great graphics that still hold up to this day, a huge assortment of weapons and enemies, giant bosses and one of the best video game soundtracks of all time. On the downside, the D-Pad controls are WAY too sensitive (e.g. you'll accidentally use subweapons or the spell "dark metamorphosis" constantly) and the game is painfully easy. When confronted with a difficult situation there's always an easier way through, such as turning to mist, a bat, leveling up or equipping some weapon that improves your resistances. Even without that, Alucard is just immensely powerful and most enemies take so little health upon impact that it's a wonder if you'll ever die.… Expand

Game is awesome. i still have the psx version of the game and have it on Arcade now. (i have no ps2 :( )
still playing it now years later and love still finding out new things about the game

Simply excellent gaming for those who enjoy a bit of old school! Brilliant, lenghty and memorable. Highly recommended.

Amazing game. I have never played a Castlevania game before, but after the first hour(steep learning curve and almost no instructions on sub-weapons, spells, or anything), I was hooked.

I couldn't quite see what the fuss was about when I first played this, but it began to grow and grow on me. It has two things - an addictive quality and above all charm. Although a PS1 game, it reminds me more of some of the best SNES side-scrollers. Game-play is varied and challenging and the limited RPG element of levelling up weapons adds depth. The graphics aren't outstanding even for a PS1 game, but they have character and a great level of variety and detail. Sound is first-rate with some suitably gothic soundtracks. Being 38, I love the idea of retro games because they remind me of happy times when I played them first time around, but usually once the rose tinted spectacles of nostalgia come off I don't tend to return to them for extended play. This game is very addictive though and now I'm finding myself snatching a half hour on it every morning between my girlfriend leaving for work and me having to do the same. Overall, it… Expand

Buy it if you've never played it on the PSX. Buy it if you have. It's that good. SOTN is a testament to the longevity of excellent game design. A decade has done nothing to taint this game's appeal. After playing it...I'm eagerly anticipating the PSP release of Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles...thanks in large part to a new version of SOTN packaged in. 360 owners...do your Arcade library a favour and just get it.… Expand

A great PSX game comes tot he 360 and what a what a welcome addition it is too. The controls carried over perfectly as did the graphics, music and the all important gameplay. Faultless execution linked with a lovely new hi-res graphic (you have choice to play is hi-res or original mode) makes this one of the best purchases on Live thus far.

For me, Castlevania was my greatest experience ever on XBLA. Until the release I had never actually played it, but many people I knew told me how great it is and I decided to spend those 800 microsoft points for this masterpiece. The game is incredible, there are so many items to collect and it has a nice feeling to it, the style, the music, the funny dialog & all... The "levels" have been incredibly well designed, as you see from the different areas and how well they work in both the regular and inverted castle. In my eyes, it's a great reason to spend 800 Microsoft points and it is most definitely worth every single one of them! So far I've played the game for 20 hours, nearly as long as I've played a few of my full-priced $70 games so you can't complain about pricing issues on this one, unlike other (more) retro titles like Gyruss & co.… Expand

Although I didn't have the original on playstation or Saturn, (playstation version suppose to be superior) I brought it on xbox live and as i played the game from its pretty lame introduction at the beginning I got into it. The speech surprised me and makes all the difference to the text, which would otherwise be dull. Musically this game is very very good and has themes all around the castle as you explore, from organs to 80's like pop music. The conversion has an option to switch to original or enhanced graphics. Enhanced graphics will be much preferred because it blurs the blocky graphics, something that the n64 did and playstation didn't. The game progress is help't by a map that is utterly ecential and gives much need ideas of where to go next. The lifespan is good as the completion of the normal castle will take something like 7-9 hours and theres even an ingenious inverted castle with completely different boss fights. Once this game is completed and done (which is very difficult) theres nothing to do. I give this 9/10 because of this.… Expand

There are plenty of games you come back to after 10 years that aren't quite as good as you remember them. Usually you've built them up in your head and have an unrealistic view of how great they were. Symphony of the Night is not one of those games. Exploring Dracula's castle as the slightly-mysterious Alucard really is superb, possibly even better than I remembered. Why better? Well, even 10 years later it still feels like one of the best action/adventure games you've ever played. The graphics technology might be a bit dated but the artistic quality is without question and still stands up today. It's an absolutely beautiful 2D game and finally on Xbox 360 it can be played without any slowdown. Apart from some slightly dodgy voice acting, the sound is awesome and there is some of the best music you'll ever hear in a game. Basically, nearly every aspect of this game can still hold its own against any modern rival. It's the only game ever to take on Metroid at its own game and match it. It also has a great surprise in store for anyone thorough enough to explore the castle properly rather than just rush to the end. It's maybe not a surprise these days (partly because the Achievements on this version actually give it away) but 10 years ago it really stunned me like no other plot twist in any game I'd played. It's not perfect. Playing through a second time with the unlockable extra character is very tiresome because the game wasn't designed for him. There's a 'bug' that results in a couple of places where the map doesn't register that you have visited a location unless you turn into wolf form. However, these are minor gripes and without them I would be tempted to give this game 11 out of 10 anyway - it's that good. That this was the 13th game in the Castlevania series is even more impressive. It was a complete and brave transformation for the series at a time when it was actually doing rather well anyway and could probably have been left alone. The extent of the redesign is thrown right in your face at the start, with an opening sequence that actually has you playing the end of the previous game. Every subsequent game has lived in its shadow but also been inspired by its genius. And it really is a work of genius. One of those very rare games where everything seems right, clearly the work of a singular visionary on one of his best days. This would be good value as a proper boxed release but at 800 points (about £6.80) it's an unbelievable bargain and clearly the best Xbox Live Arcade game so far. It's also one of the best games of any kind anywhere.… Expand

I'm embarrassed to say I have never played this game before. I went in without any expectations and wow is it good. The music is amazing and the addictive gameplay keeps you coming back to explore more of the castle. If you are on the fence about this one don't be. It's worth every penny.

Never have I played a side-scroller with so much depth. I did not have the pleasure of played the original Castlevania:SOTN back on the PS1, but I am glad Konami decided to port this to XBLA. Everyone should get this, it's arcade game out there.

I admit, I have never played a Castlevania game before. However, after purchasing Castlevania: SotN I am now a fan of this series. A solid side scrolling action title. Buy it. Even if you have never heard of Castlevania before, just buy it.