Your favorite Castlevania, ever

This is a difficult one. :lol:

Definitely one of my favorites that comes to mind is Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness. There is just an incredible amount of nostalgia I feel picking up the N64 controller to play that game. It just really expanded upon what CV64 had already set out. Cornell was a really interesting character, and playing as Henry was a lot of fun. Reinhardt and Carrie both had better story modes and the music was great.

I could probably come back to this topic, and depending on my mood, pick a completely different Castlevania.

I still believe that you have to make a distinction between pre-SotN & post-SotN Castlevania games when choosing a favorite. With that said, I'd have to say my I'd pick Portrait of Ruin for post_SotN & Rondo of Blood for pre-SotN. Dracula X Chronicles if I had to pick only one game.

Portrait has eclipsed Harmony in post-SotN. Lots to explore without feeling constricted by strange barriers arround the castle. Crisp style to the castle that is graphically competent but not interfering. Storyline stands well in its own right but also ties up some loose ends in the overall series. Add to that a wonderful score & engaging gameplay and you have a high quality Castlevania title.

Rondo is the highlight of the pre-SotN for all the same reasons every specifies. Precise control, incredible score, branching paths, modifiable storyline, multiple playable heroes, etc. Overall a very fun game.

Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is my favorite, only because it marked the dawn of Castlevania's handheld dominance. The franchise hit its stride on the GBA, and save from a few setbacks in the form of crappy console incarnations, it has never been stronger. Circle of the Moon also had a compelling plot and unique card combination schematic.

The original Castlevania and Circle of the Moon.