Only thing that keeps it from a 10 is the lame poke'mon esque move yelling "GREATEST FIVE GREATEST FIVE!!"
User Rating: 9.5 | Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin DS
Castlevania Portrait of Ruin is undoubtedly one of the best Castlevania, sidescroller, and even ds games yet. It features a great premise along with the classic Castlevania gameplay. Lets get started! The game features two vampire hunters: Jonathan Morris, heir to the famed Belmont Clan, and Charlotte Aulin, a powerful spellcaster. They team up to crush Dracula once again, but get sidelined. Waaayyyyy sidelined. The core gameplay has you controlling both of them. Jonathan is obviously the strength, while Charlotte backs him up with her spells. Luckily, you don't have to go through some horrible process to switch them. You can call one to help you, though their taking damage comes from your magic supply and not health, or you can switch them off. Though it may seem complicated, it works very well and doesn't take very long to learn. The game feels a lot like a castlevania, however, but opposed to just drac's castle, you get different paintings you go in, VERY similar to mario 64. They have their own individual map, boss and rewards. The meat of the game is 4 paintings, then if you don't want the lame ending and feel like going ahead, 4 more paintings, though they are just rejects of the aforementioned ones. Most of the time though, you will be simply slicing, smashing, or whipping your foes down. The game features a dual crush spell system that has powerful spells to harm everything on the screen. Unfortunetly, most bosses you just constantly spam with it, and easily fend off otherwise. Still, the game has some moments where you really have to gear up and think on your feet. For instance, the part where you relearn the "true" power of the vampire killer, a battle with the ferocious Whip's Memory boss (it takes the form of richter belmont) can be a real kick in the knickers. Also, the Nest of Evil, a large battle arena type mode, can truly maul you by pitting you against unfamiliar enemies from other castlevanias, as well as some punishing bosses. The game, by other Castlevania standards, is quite large. The map of the castle is average, but combined with the 9 portraits makes a true challenge. Overall, I would suggest you get this whether you are a fan of...well...any game. It is just that great. 
