I have to give credit where credit is due and thank Saruman1719 for inspiring me to create this list. Please check out Saruman1719's blog for a list on favorite Castlevania tunes that is completely different than this one.

Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge is the best title for the original Gameboy, and that means that many of the game's compositions are no slouch either. The best of the compositions is "Ripe Seeds" in my opinion. It's just a really catchy tune that is upbeat and inspiring. This is one of those examples where the composition goes beyond it's hardware limitations. There was a bonus sountrack disc (Dracula Battle Perfect) released with the Japanese version of Symphony of the Night which contained a remix of this track.

#19 Castle Centre from Legacy of Darkness

While I refuse to acknowledge the existence of Castlevania 64 as a complete game, it successor "Legacy of Darkness" was an excellent chapter in the Castlevania series. To the surprise of many, it is actually my favorite 3D Castlevania...even outranking the recent PS2 releases. While the game is not known for it's music, it does have one original track that is just outstanding. One of the few good Castlevania tracks not composed by Michiru Yamane, Castle Centre is a forboding dark trck with an excellent beat.

#18 Battle of the Holy from Adventure

There was a time in my life where video game music in stereo was a big deal. Yes, that makes me feel very, very old. In 1989, when the original Gameboy launched...the "Castlevania Adventure" came not long after. The Castlevania Adventure may now be considered one of the worst games in the series, but at the time it was amazing to have this close to NES experience in the palm of your hand. It was also amazing to hear Castlevania quality music in stereo for the first time too. Many of us bought Gameboys because of this jump in music quality, even though you could barely see the screen. Christopher Belmont's theme is the most memorable track from this game, and due to the games punishing difficulty, the only track many players ever heard.

#17 Jail of Jewels from Portrait of Ruin

Personally, I consider Portrait of Ruin to be the best thing that has happened to the Castlevania series since Symphony of the Night. While this game also has many, many outstanding tracks, the one that resonates the most with me is Jail of Jewels. An upbeat tune that is surprisingly longer and more varied than most Castlevania tracks, yet still undeniably "Castlevania". There is another excellent remix that was included in the original soundtrack bonus disc.

#16 Horrible Curse from Simon's Quest

From Simon's Quest, "Bloody Tears" is most often picked as the fan favorite. While this is justified, Horrible Curse is often overlooked. The perfect antithesis to Bloody Tears, Horrible Curse is a forboding, dark yet upbeat track at the same time.

#15 Riddle from Dracula's Curse

Found in the final stages on this game, it's doubtful that many players have heard this one. If you have made it to the end of Dracula's Curse then chances are you spent a bit of time listening to this song due to the final stages punishing difficulty. Luckily this track provides the stamina needed to see these difficult stages through. It has been remixed in Order of Ecclesia and The Adventure Rebirth as well.

#14 Sinking of the Old Sancutary from Bloodlines

While the sound chip in the Genesis could never match the that of the Super NES', the compositions found in Bloodlines are not to be overlooked. This track has that definate Castlevania feel while taking the music to some new and interesting places, just like the stage in which it's based on. This track's staying power is expressed with remixs appearing in Legacy of Darkness and Circle of the Moon.

#13 Clockwork Mansion from Super Castlevania IV

Super Castlevania IV was the greatest Castlevania game ever released before Symphony of the Night, and a large part of that was due to music. Another part of it was mind-bending "Mode 7" effects which blew our minds back in 1991. I think this track holds it's own without those effects, even though it was played during the most effect heavy part of the game. Others must think so as well since this track also appears in Circle of the Moon.

#12 The Pinnacle from Dawn of Sorrow

While Aria of Sorrow's tracks are technically competent, I didn't think any of them where memorable enough to make my list. Dawn of Sorrow on the other hand was a different story. This game has some really inspiring tracks with the power of the DS hardware to show them off. The Pinnacle is an excellent track that comes so close to Symphony of the Night quality. Castlevania's first DS game showed us that musically, Castlevania games had a bright future on that platform.

#11 Dracula's Castle from Order of Ecclesia

Of all of the wonderful tracks in Order of Ecclesia, Dracula's Castle is the one that continues to stick out above the rest. While the in-game track is excellent in its own right, the pace of the music in this opening sequence creates an emotional effect that very few tracks can.

#10 Simon's Theme from Super Castlevania IV

There is so much that is perfect about this track it's hard to know where to begin. First, it was the first Castlevania track that wasn't 8-bit sound that most of us ever heard. Second, it defines the series' music in such complete way that anyone listening to it can almost immediately guess which series of games it's from. This track has been remixed in various games, including Bloodlines , Dracula X and Portrait of Ruin, where Simon is conspicuously absent. It is also remixed in Castlevania Chronicles, a remake of the original game for the PSX. One of my favorite versions is from the bonus soundtrack disc that came with the Japanese version of Symphony of the Night, "Dracula Battle Perfect".

#9 Bloody Tears from Simon's Quest

Bloody Tears is the best of a trio of music that will forever define Castlevania, Vampire Killer, Bloody Tears and The Beginning, all legendary tracks hailing from the original Castlevania NES trilogy. I feel that of these three amazing tracks "Bloody Tears" is by far the best one in regards to composition. It has reappeared in many, many Castlevania games. These games include Super Castlevania IV, Dracula X, Castlevania Legends, Castlevania Chronicles and Dawn of Sorrow. It could easily be said that this is the "fan favorite" Castlevania track, and deservingly so.

#8 Successor of Fate from Harmony of Dissanance

Successor of Fate is a clear example of when the composition is better than the technical platform in which it was played. How important is music in Castlevania games? Harmony of Dissanance sets out to answer this question by delivering an adventure that is clearly on par in visuals and design as Symphony of the Night, but given the limitations of the Gameboy Advance hardware gives us one of the worst soundtracks in the franchise. While 8-bit sound never impeded Castlevania games before, the tracks from this game were unmemorable, save Successor of Fate composed by Michiru Yamane. To add insult to injury, the end credits plays a version of Successor of Fate that shows us what it could have sounded like if Nintendo had built the Gameboy Advance with a dedicated sound chip. When all is said and done though, Successor of Fate is a phenominal track that ranks high in Castlevania's musical legacy.

#7 Requium for the Gods from Symphony of the Night

As Symphony of the Night took Castlevania to a new level, Requium of the Gods took Castlevania's music to a new level as well. The eerie church choir theme takes Castlevania from "Monster Squad" to something feeling a little more adult, dark and sinister. In a game where almost every track can be included in top 100 best video game music of all time lists, this one had an incredible inpact in my opinion.

#6 Wicked Child from the original Castlevania

Vampire Killer, Heart of Fire, Stalker and Out of time were all amazing tracks that defined the original NES game, but the track that stood head and shoulders above the rest was Wicked Child. Strangely enough, Wicked Child has not been remixed in many other games. It was remixed in Castlevania Chronicles, but that version of Wicked Child is not close to the original to be instantly recognizable. The best remixes seem to be from soundtracks and what is available on the internet.

#5 After Confession from Dawn of Sorrow

All of the Gameboy Advance Castlevanias had some problems with music, whether it was from not enough original tracks, technical problems concerning hardware, or an overall mediocre composition. The first title for the DS changed all that, with a number of excellent tracks that used the hardware wisely. After Confession brings the soundtrack back to the rock-pipe organ origins of the series 16-bit entries, while updating the technical aspects of the sound accordingly. The result is nothing short of amazing, and distinctly Castlevania.

#4 Iron Blue Intention from Bloodlines

For years, I didn't give Bloodlines the respect it deserved. Iron Blue Intention is a superb composition and one of the best Castlevania tunes ever. It's haunting yet upbeat, nostalgic yet new...everything you'd want in a Castlevania tune. The remix from Portrait of Ruin was superb, but the greatness of the tune stands out even when it's being played on the keyboard in some random Youtube video. This is Castlevania at it's finest.

#3 Baljhet Mountains from Curse of Darkness

Let's be clear...Lament of Innocence and Curse of Darkness have great music. Many of those pieces deserve to be on this list, but my personal bias gets in the way; I can't stand those games.Baljhet Mountainsis an amazing track that is perfect from beginning to end while retaining a feeling that the aforementioned games could not. It feels distinctly Castlevania.

#2 Aquarius from Dracula's Curse

Aquarius is the most overlooked definative Castlevania song. Play it to anyone who knows games, they'll be able to tell you that the tune comes from a Castlevania game, but fail to point out which one. It has been remixed in Circle of the Moon and The Adventure Rebirthtoo. I think it's the second best Castlevania composition of all time.

#1 Dance of Pales from Symphony of the Night

When a composition is so good that people wouldn't guess that it came from a game, but was composed in the 18th or 19th century...it's quality. Dance of Pales transcends all of the stereotypes of video game music and stands as the best Castlevania composition of all time. At the very least, that's my opinion. A deeply moving track from one of the best Castlevania games ever created.

...I will be moving over to http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/LordelX/ as I had been planning to do for some months. All of my major activity concerning games will be there. I will continue to check this page everyone once in a while for updates concerning friends.

I doubt I'll be the only one making the switch. See you all over there.

Oblivion. With midnight fast approaching, it was time to keep my appointment with Jiv Hiriel. He was the only resident of the town of Hackdirt willing to speak to me, and it was quickly apparent that I was running out of time in locating Dar-ma. Now with her horse "Blossom" standing infront of me, looking as though it had been abandoned...it became clear that the residents of Hackdirt had known exactly what had been done with the young maiden. Her mother, Seed Neeus had mentioned previously that Dar-ma doesn't go anywhere without her beloved horse. She had to be close by.

As I passed by Hackdirt's General Store, Moslin's Dry Goods, I was surprised to see that it was still open. I had lost alot of arrows taking down the vampires in the ruins to the north, so this was a good opportunity to pick up some more; another chance to inquire about Dar-ma as well. As I entered, the proprietor of the store, Etira Moslin and her comrade, Marlena Brussiner, were getting ready to leave. I could see that she was in no mood to sell me any Iron arrows, so I asked Etira about "Blossom", Dar-ma's horse. Etira replied that it was her horse and that she had "owned it for years" a little too quickly for me to believe her. When I asked Marlena about Dar-ma she simply said that in good time I would meet "the Brethren" and that I would be sorry.

I wasn't sure whether Marlena was threatening me or whether she had been waiting for the opportunity to use her expanded vocabulary, so I bid the women farewell without saying anything more. As I left Moslin's Dry Goods, I met Natch Pinder again who was as friendly now as he was the first time I talked to him; it was taking all the restraint he could muster to not strike me down there and then. I let him be on his way, and walked out of town to take the long way around to Jiv Hiriel's place. I didn't want to get him into trouble, especially if he had useful information.

Jiv was nervous and looked as though he was at wit's end when I entered his house. He said that he needed to get down to the chapel before he was missed; he explained that the residents of Hackdirt had taken to worshipping "the dark ones" in an attempt to acquire their power. I wondered for a moment if "the dark ones" he spoke of were the vampires I had previously met, but it mattered little. He elaborated that Dar-ma had been captured so that she could be offered as a sacrifice in hopes appeasing these demigods. Jiv was obviously the only person in Hackdirt with a conscience, he handed me a key that would allow me entry into the trap doors I had seen all around Hackdirt; he said he couldn't bear to see Dar-ma killed in such a manner. I promised I'd take her to safety and quickly bid Jiv farewell, we both had places that we had to be. As I left he told me that the closest trapdoor to Dar-ma's position was inside the Moslin Inn. I left Jiv's house I made my way towards Moslin's Inn at a full sprint.

I snuck around to the entrance of the Inn and contemplated what I should do with the Innkeeper if he halted my progress, but upon entering the Inn I was relieved to see that there was no one in sight. Everyone was obviously at the chapel, so I had to move quickly before they suspected what Jiv and I had planned. I found the trapdoor in the Inn without much effort; it was tucked away in a corner but not concealed. I used to key, and made my way down...

It was quite impressive and a little disturbing that an entire labyrinth of caverns existed under Hackdirt. I paused for a moment to wonder if the resident I had met over the course on the day had a hand in creating them, but that line of thought was broken when I noticed Dar-ma caged a few meters away. I quickly opened her cage with key Jiv gave me, and told her who I was and why I was there. She was completely aware that something horrible was about to be done to her by these simpletons, and offered no resistance to the idea of leaving immediately. I managed to get her up into the Inn without being discovered, much to my surprise.

As we made our way outside, Dar-ma told me that she couldn't leave without Blossom. That was fine with me; if we needed to run it would be best if Dar-ma was on horseback. We found Blossom and left Hackdirt with everyone being none the wiser. The journey to Chorral took until morning but was surprisingly incident free. Seed Neeus was absolutely ecstatic to see her daughter return unharmed. I received more praise from the both of them than I could bear, but I felt satisfied that I was able to do some good. Yet, how long could it last? Hackdirt's lust for "the dark ones" power may never harm Dar-ma again, but someone was surely to fall victim to this sacrifice. I spend the rest of the day in Chorral, slept a few hours at the Mage's Guild and arose as the sun set. I set back out for Hackdirt, my work was not yet finished.

I had to be cautious. It would be obvious to everyone that I was responsible for Dar-ma's escape, so I approached the town while hiding in the shadows. I stayed close to the outer walls of the houses while moving around the edge of Hackdirt, Thinking I wouldn't be seen. When I peered around the corner to get a look at the town's central square, I was more than a little shocked to see Natch Pinder staring straight back at me. He drew his weapon and came charging at me. I drew my steel long sword, and the battle begun.

For a man that had all the power of hate behind him, it wasn't too difficult to run him through. Soon, Natch's blood decorated the walls in which I had previously sought secrecy. That secrecy had been compromised, for I soon found myself face to face with two members of "the Brethren". These shirtless romance novel clones didn't believe in the benefits of armor, so with very little effort I was able to educate them. As I searched their corpses for clues as to where they originated, I found the same stomach turning material that I had found on the corpse infront of the ruins...mort flesh.

It was midnight again; everyone must be gathered at the chapel. Enough was enough. I grew tired of this town's arrogant and dangerous population, and the ridiculous dogma in which they followed. I felt no remorse as I stood over my latest meat carvings, and a terrible anticipation overtook me. I drew my sword, enraged, embittered and justified, and began walking slowly towards the chapel...

Oblivion. It wasn't the first time I'd met Seed-Neeus, proprietor of the "Northern Goods and Trade" General Store in Chorral. Her daughter Dar-ma had invited me to browse her mother's wares only a few days earlier, and while I couldn't afford to purchase anything then, I certainly didn't have time to purchase anything now. Seed-Neeus was in a state of panic. Dar-ma had apparently gone to the nearby settlement of Hackdirt on an errand for her mother and never returned. I quickly reassured Seed-Neeus that I would help; I was in need of some form of redemption.

I set out for Hackdirt the same morning. The settlement is due south of Chorral and after passing through a number of interesting, yet decrepit ruins, I arrive in Hackdirt to find that it isn't in much better condition. A number of the houses have been torched and by the looks of the overgrowth, it had happened years earlier. Upon closer inspection I find that there are a few residents lingering. I approach one and he tells me to leave immediately; they do not take well to outsiders. If outsiders had burned down his home, I could hardly argue against those sentiments. When I asked him about Dar-ma, he merely looked annoyed as if I were fishing for a reason to justify my presence.

My purpose was to find out what had happened to Dar-ma, so I looked for someone else to question that hopefully had a happier disposition. The next man I met wondering around town was a man by the name of Jiv Hiriel, and when I questioned him he was quite forthcoming. He said that he couldn't be seen talking to me, so I should come find him at his home around midnight tonight. With that, I let him be. It was still mid-morning so I had quite a bit of time to look around. I decided I'd check out the local General Store, since they had to get their goods from Chorral, I figured they might actually know Dar-ma. Upon entering the store, I received the same warm welcome that the first man I had met in Hackdirt had given me. I was immediately told to buy something or leave, from a woman of whom the age of her skin did not match the age of her hair.

I inquired to the woman about Dar-ma and she said she'd never seen anyone like that. Strange, Seed-Neeus mentioned that Dar-ma had been to Hackdirt many times before. It became clear that the conversation was going nowhere, so I thought I'd head over to the chapel to see if any of the congregation could explain what had happened here. Upon entering the chapel I was surprised to find it deserted, but even more surprised to find it in pristine condition. I thought that was curious as I continued to walk around town, soliciting angry glares from all whom I passed. I then noticed something strange when I passed by an old burnt out house; a trapdoor, which looks to lead underground. Though no one was watching, I give up on picking the locks after breaking three lock picks. I decided to head out of town and take a closer look at those ruins, since I had a lot of time until midnight.

While heading north to inspect the ruins I had passed through previously, I noticed the shape of what looked to be a stone fort not far to the west. I decided to explore this discovery and arrived at its entry only to discover something quite shocking. Looking through the overgrown courtyard, I could see two mutilated corpses deliberately placed on either side of the fort's inner entrance about a meter from the ground. As I approached this gruesome scene, I unwittingly stepped over the remains of some sort of zombie. A quick search of these remains yielded objects I didn't have the stomach to carry, namely mort flesh. Against my better judgment yet in line with my curiosity, I proceeded through the corpse-draped inner entrance door. An eerily quiet, dank yet extravagant catacomb was revealed to me.

It wasn't long before I found the lifeless body of a previous adventurer slumped against the wall, bloody and defeated. It looked as though he had set up a bedroll here, and was attacked in his sleep. I know that Hackdirt isn't exactly hospitable, but setting up camp here takes a special kind of stupidity. If the meat ornaments on either side of the courtyard side of the inner entrance weren't indication enough, what I could see peering through the open doorway should accentuate that notion tenfold. Coffins, elevated on either side of the next room. Perhaps he just didn't want to spring for the price of the Hackdirt Inn. A quick search of his body revealed that he died not from being robbed; he had a decent amount of gold on him. My thoughts again turned to that of gold, for a treasure chest at the foot of one of the coffins in the next room caught my eye.

While I had acquired better weapons during my time in Chorral, the prospect of more wealth was too good to pass up. It should have been for as I was picking the lock of the treasure chest, I was attacked. Vampires! I don't know where both of them came from, but I drew my sword and returned the attacked carefully keeping as much distance as I could. I was fearful of becoming a vampire myself, according to I8bitz it isn't a pleasant experience. I was able to dispose of the first vampire rather easily, but the second vampire was draining me of all my magicka somehow. I had to escape, without the ability to heal magically and no potions; it was only a matter of time before this vampire took me down. I had to put some distance between us. I made for the door, which lead into a long corridor. As I tried to put some distance between the remaining vampire and myself, he continued to drain my magicka. I equipped my bow, Elvin in design with arrows to match, and managed to keep the vampire at a distance with a constant volley of shots. The magical lightning which was sending my way was easy to sidestep, and it wasn't long before I dropped the vampire with a well placed arrow to the forehead. As my magicka returned, I healed myself as quickly as possible, I had to get out of here and I didn't want to cross paths with anything else undead. Soon I was outside, running back through the forest towards Hackdirt.

It was now almost midnight. It was time to find Jiv Hiriel, but something caught my eye in the corner of one of the burnt out houses. Darma's horse Blossom stood there alone, unharmed and unattended.

Oblivion. I entered the town of Chorrol a few days ago; previously I had been wandering the wilderness around the town of Skingrad. I was interested in buying a house there, but apart from having no money I couldn't even get someone to have a decent conversation with me about it. At any rate, my travels around Skingrad had brought me up to a novice yet comfortable seventh level of experience, so I arrived in Chorrol ready for anything. Yet when you're ready for anything, you're prepared for nothing.

What first set me off in the direction of Chorrol was the aspect of joining the Fighter's Guild, so I was more than a little surprised that there was no work to be had in Chorrol after I joined. So I concentrated on getting my recommendation from the Mage's Guild. While achieving this recommendation ended up being incredibly simple, it wasn't very profitable. While I now have the means to learn an incredibly specialized spell, it doesn't help me get rid of the shoddy armor I had been wearing. Although a young girl named Dar-ma introduced herself to me and told me to come to her mother's General Store for some good deals, I needed to line my pockets with gold first. I set off to look around in the caves of the surrounding area, hoping to find some unwitting goblin that had horded more money that it had the means to protect.

Perhaps I should have been a little more thoughtful about entering a cave named "Liar of the Titans", but my thirst for gold dominated my common sense. Even though the cave was just a ways up the hill outside of the south gate of town, on a road constantly patrolled by the Imperial Guard, it wasn't long before I met a pair of Ogres and a Minotaur within the caverns. I was no match for one them of my own, let alone three. I decided it would be best if I run for my life. I reached the door leading back to the outside world, and exited the cave thinking that I was safely back in the forest with the road in my sight. Monsters don't open cave doors and come into the overworld...yet these ones did.

When I recovered from the Ogre punching me unsuspectingly in the back of the head, which promptly drained most of my hit points, I quickly fled down the road, only pausing to throw a few magical fireballs at my pursuers. Before the gates of Chorrol came into view, I was surprised to see an Imperial Guard jump down from his horse and run straight for my pursuers, sword drawn. Of course, with the odds more than even, I joined the fight. The fight nearly drained me of all of my life, but finally the Imperial Guard and I saw victory. While I had taken alot of damage in this fight, so had he. A terrible, yet practical plan started to form in my head, especially after I noticed the Imperial Guard didn't heal himself.

After healing my wounds I was back up the hill and into the cave, as quickly as I could possibly go. I didn't even get as far into the caverns as I had been before when I met another angry Ogre. I was running for the cave door again, and soon running down the mountain with the Ogre in pursuit. I wasn't quite as frantic this time, more leading than fleeing. Sure enough, my Imperial Guard friend found me and leapt to my assistance again...and to my surprise, a dark elf archer from within the woods also joined in the fight. These were great odds...too good for my plan, so I sat back and watched my would-be companions fight the good fight...as I betrayed them to their death.

The first one to go down was the already wounded Imperial Guard. He did a surprising amount of damage to the Ogre compared to the little bit of life he had left. The Dark Elf ranger did alot more damage, for a time I was quite concerned that he was going to take down the Ogre. I was relieved when the Ogre finally beat down the archer and turned on me, now we could get to business. A few well placed fireballs finally took the Ogre down, but not without me receiving an obscene amount of damage first. I quickly turned my attention to the fallen Imperial Guard. I took everything I could carry.

As I stood over him, armor and weapons stripped and his naked corpse on the side of the road, I felt ashamed about what I did. While there would be no repercussions from authorities because I did not land the blows that killed these men, I nevertheless felt perhaps there would have been a better way to do this. A way that didn't have to involve the death of innocents, especially those who were good enough to rush to my aid.

Yet the Imperial Guard's armor was vastly superior to what I had been wearing...and I also acquired a beautiful Silver Longsword, much better than my previous Steel Shortsword. Upon entering Chorrol, none of the town guards said anything to me about wearing Imperial Armor. It looks as though I had gotten away with it, scot free. I vowed to myself that I would make good use of this opportunity; I would use this armor and sword to stay on the straight and narrow. As I pondered my epiphany further, I made my way to the General Store to sell the Ogre's teeth. After I arrived at the General Store, I quickly found that my newfound vigilance would be put to the test sooner than expected. Dar-ma had gone missing.

It's true. I was able to get in an hour or two of DiRT in before I went to bed last night, and I've sunk alot of time into Oblivion, which I'm in love with right now. Oblivion was basically the game that drove me into this generation...I honestly would've been happy with my Cube collection for the next decade if it wasn't for this game. It truly is an RPG experience like nothing I have ever experienced before. One of the reasons I like it so much is that you can put it down for a while and spend some time away from the game without worrying to much about forgetting what you were supposed to do next. If you forget, there is so much to do that you can simply start doing something else, and from there you can slowly be lead back to the main quest. But enough about Oblivion, I could go on and on about how great it is until the end of time.

The real surprise I've had with my PS3 is how much I'm enjoying revisiting PS1 games. And if I may be so bold, the PS3 really cleans up the 3D graphics in PS1 games and outputs at higher resolutions than the original PS1 did. I'm having a blast going through Symphony of the Night again, and to my surprise, I've gotten into Final Fantasy VII. I don't remember it looking near this good on my old PS1, and even though I still find the story largely confusing and derivative, I'm blown away by how good it looks. I'm not talking about the horribly aged CG cutscenes either, that are clearly not even in stardard resolution. For some reason, I've played alot more Tekken 2 then I care to admit (mostly to unlock all of the characters), but that game also looks almost on par with an N64 game now, in terms of anti-aliasing.

So oddly enough, I've found myself a little more than stoked to scour the internet for deals on old PS1 games more than I'm interested in PS3 games. Here just a few I'd like to pick up:

Final Fantasy IXwhy not complete this part of the series? This game is by far the best PS1 FF in my opinion.

Chrono TriggerI just want to play it on a television, legally.

Chrono CrossThis game scored a 10 from Gamespot. Perhaps worth looking into.

Soul BladeI love the Soul Caliber series. This game was a fitting beginning.

Persona 2: Eternal PunishmentI like the first one, the second one seems to have alot of going for it too.

Silent Hill When it comes to survival horror, the Silent Hill series cannot be topped.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver I had this game for my Dreamcast. Could my PS3 make the PS1 version look as good as that? (Answer: NO)

Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete I have to admit it, I just love the music in this game

Command & Conquer I know the PC is better suited for this, but I have fond memories of the PS1 version

Street Fighter: The Movie Because when a game gets this bad, it's good

That's about it for PS1 games that I'd love to get my hands on. Anyone else have any ideas?

There are PS3 games that I would like as well, Call of Duty 4 springs to mind easily. But with Oblivion, I think most of my current generation needs are satisfied.

First of all, thank you to everyone for all of your input regarding my decision to jump into this generation of gaming. All of your opinions were extremely valuable in helping me reach a decision.

While I was on holidays this year I was finally able to play all three current generation systems. The Xbox 360 is an incredible machine, the online features are amazing and the games are unbelievable. Two games that really stood out to me was the now year old Gears of War, and the recently released Bioshock. Both are games that I could play happily continously for years to come. Even though all of my friends back home and over here have an Xbox 360, and I would love to play online with them, I just can't bring myself to take the risk. The high price of importing games due to region lock out and the constant worry of three red rings of death was like watching the Xbox 360 shoot itself in the foot. Mod Chipping the system is out of the question, it potentially locks you out of system updates and screws you on the warrenty if you Xbox 360 does fade out.

I also got to spend alot of hands on time with the Nintendo Wii. Unfortunately, the only games I was able to play was Wii Sports and Wii Play, but I'm thinking that perhaps these two games can give a person a pretty decent idea of the uniqueness of the system. And unique it was. When I first started playing the Wii I wasn't enjoying it as much as I was frustrated with the controls, but I used to them after a sort time and was able to appreciate them. I finally understood the true greatness of the Wii when I had an experience that has been talked about in the gaming world since the Wii was released time and time again. My mother, who I couldn't get to play a game with me ever since the days of Atari 2600, kicked my proverbial ass at Wii Bowling. I then watched my father best my score at Wii Baseball. My sister-in-law faired much better than me in Wii Boxing, and her husband, my brother and advid gamer, schooled me at Wii Golf. Truly, this is something everyone can play. I have great interest in the Nintendo Wii, but there were a few factors in the way of me emulating this experience back home. First off, region lock out. It's really expensive to import games in English n the first place, so I'd be interested in buying most of my software in Japanese, but my Japanese is not at the level where I could enjoy something like Fire Emblem or Metriod Prime. Choosing to import all my software or not play the most important games on the system was not a choice I was willing to make just yet. Secondly, no space. I imagine it's very difficult for North Americans to imagine a fully fuctioning living room about the size of a North American bathroom, yet that's what I have to deal with. I'm fine with that, but I don't want to move the coffee table everytime I want to play Wii. I know the gestures can be made sitting down and in very small movements, but doesn't that take the fun out of it? Finally, no Wiis. Simple enough concept, I couldn't find one to buy even if I did make the decision to buy one.

I made the decision to buy myself a 40 GB, $399.00 Playstation 3. The benefits to me were crystal clear, even though I'm sure my logic is flawed to some. Region free games. Such an important feature to me....I can play most games in Japanese and the ones that are too difficult for me, I can play English imports. Another thing that was important to me was Wireless internet straight out of the box. I don't want to have wires all over my already small Japanese apartment, so this feature will be a great benefit to me. Also, by buying a PS3 in North America, I now have access to my North American DVD and PS1 game collection. I don't intend on using the PS3 as a DVD player very often, but it's nice to be able to watch all of my DVD's on my television.

I must say that I'm loving the Playstation 3. I'm the only person I know that owns one, but it certainly is a very nice system. There are a few things I don't care for though. First is Blu-Ray. I got Spiderman 3 on Blu-Ray for free when I bought the system. Aside from it being a fairly terrible movie in the first place, you'd figure that with 50 GB of storage space they would have a subtitle option for every language on the planet right? Nope. No Japanese subtitles. Chinese, French, Spanish, Thai and even Portuguese are there....yet no Japanese, the mothertongue of the Soony corperation itself. Ridiculous. Looks like I was doomed to watch the movie alone, but considering the quality of it, that's not such a bad thing. Secondly, the online features. While great, still pale in comparison to the Xbox 360. The benefit is that the service is free though. I guess you get what you pay for.

A system is only as good as it's games right? While there has been much said about the exclusivity of Sony's titles, the multi-platform titles that are out there really are of as high quality as they are on any other system. I picked up two games for the Playstation 3 and I love them both. The first,

Oblivion: Game of the Year edition. This was actually a Xmas gift from my brother, but this is the reason I wanted to get a current generation system in the first place. Forget Final Fantasy XIII, this is the definative roleplaying experience of this generation. I feel as though I'm in an interactive Lord of the Rings film, and the amount of content in this game is overwhelming. If I don't buy another game for the rest of the year, this game will most certainly keep me occupied for years to come. I'd like to write a review about it, but I've only logged in 20-25 hours or so to the game and I've only barely scratched the surface. In fact, I've just been running around the country-side exploring and such, and I still haven't got to step 2 in the main storyline's quest. This is truly an amazing game that you must experience if you haven't yet. No having this game in it's library also made it easy for me not to choose a Wii.

DiRT. I love rally racing, and that was the one type of game I couldn't get in my immense collection of Gamecube games. DiRT is such an amazing racing game in so many ways. The visuals, control and car damage are all things that I have not experienced before; the in cockpit veiw, while stolen directly from Project Gotham Racing 3, looks absolutely amazing. Often, I get the sensation that I'm really driving in a real place, which I can't say has happened too many times before. While light on the online options, the single player campaign should keep me occupied for a long,long time. I'm not very good at this game, hopefully that changes.

Even though I always considered the N64 to be a superior gaming experience to the Playstation 1, there were a fewimportant PS1 games that I wanted to add to my collection, and I'm delighted to see that the Playstation 3 emulates them all perfectly. For better or for worse, I have added these games to my collection which definately have a soft spot in my heart.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. A true gem, and a pleasure to play through again. I love this game, this was a defining moment for 2D side scrollers in my opinion.

Castlevania Chronicles. A lesser Castlevania game that harkens back to the older days of the series, but a fun distraction and a collector's item none the less.

Final Fantasy VII. Years later, I'm still trying to figure out why people love this game more than life itself. Even though I don't find it to be the most influential RPG I've ever played, the historical relevance of this game demands my attention. Especially since this was the game that put Sony on the map.

Final Fantasy VIII. I don't particlarily like this game, and although the visuals are amazing for a PS1 game, the story is ridiculous. Still this game was really popular in Japan, and I'm determined to figure out why.

Metal Gear Solid: The VR Missions. I have the real MGS for Gamecube, but this puzzle game spin-off is both fun and relevant. It's surprisingly difficult too. Good practice for Metal Gear Solid 4 perhaps?

Metal Slug X.An excellentNeo Geo side scrolling shooter that's fun. A nice looking arcade shooter PS1 game.

Street Fighter Alpha 3. Agreat fighting game. Though the load times are a little long, and I don't like the PS pad for Street Fighter games, this is definately a good version of a great game.

Persona. Here is an old, unique PS1 RPG. It's definately an unknown game, but it may be more fun than Final Fantasy VII in my opinion. Although the story is ridiculous, it doesn't take itself enough seriously for anyone to care.

Tekken 2. I downloaded this terrible fighting game from the Playstation store because I have good memories of playing it back in my first year of university. It doesn't hold up now, but back in the day it was fairly impressive...although broken.

So here is the latest additions to my game collection, all thanks to the PS3. I also scored Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the Gamecube and Contra 4 for the DS as Christmas presents. Double Agent for the Gamecube is surprisingly good and easy to control, and not all bad as Gamespot's review would have you believe. A worthy addition to my Gamecube collection. Contra 4 is an intense, awesome sequel to Contra III: The Alien Wars for Super Nes, that reminds me that I actually suckat these sort of games. Still, I'll go through it until I have every bullet memorized, as copies of the original NES Contra and Super C are unlockable bonuses.

Damn, I got alot of gaming to do. Happy times.

Well, now that all is said and done, I'm going to stick around. The true nature of Jeff's departure we'll probably never know, but I think that's just as well. I think there was alot more going on than just the Kain & Lynch review. The response from the rest of the staff and their disappointment in the community's reaction towards their integrity is enough for me. Besides, I don't want to waste anymore of my time on this...even if things went down the way the conspiracy theorists say, integrity in game journalism is such a frivilous concept in the big scheme of things. If the people at Gamestop put this much time and effort into more pressing problems like Global Warming, Energy consumption and even their own education...well, that surely would be something. Bottomline is, I like the rest of the Gamespot staff, and I like the friends I've made here, and the explaination was good enough. If the game reviews seem "bought" I'll simply give my business to the sites that don't seem that way.

I've been lucky enough to come across some extra money as of lately. A wiser man would probably save the money to pay off debts, but I am not that man. I have been thinking about getting a PS3 or a Wii. I'm really torn between the two. Why not an Xbox360? Because I don't want to have to deal with hardware failures, even though the 360 has the best games of this generation. The Wii has Super Mario Galaxy and Metriod Prime: Corruption, but the PS3 is region free. That feature is so important to me. So I'm really torn....what to do?

Well, here's a link to what seems to be the most detailed account of what happened...says alot about Gamespot's management and the cryptic replies of many of the Gamespot's staff in regards to Mr. Gerstmann's departure all fit the story told there. I'm not going to say anymore...I await more responses from Alex, Brad, Ryan, Tor, Brendan, Matt, Aaron...and many other of the still valued personalities still here before I decide my future on this site. Until then, I'll see all of you at my new profile on Gametrailers.com. Same bat name. Same bat channel. I took my Gamecube badge with me. Peace.

Not that people's employment situations or choices are any of my business, but the outcry from users and Gamespot staff along with Gamespot's silence on the issue of Jeff Gerstmann really doesn't bode well. I wasn't a huge fan of Mr. Gerstmann, but the personality and integrity he brought to the site put it head and shoulders above anything else out there. Over the last year with the departure of Rich, Greg, Bob and Carrie the chemistry of all of the video/audio content on the site changed; yet there was always some reassurances of quality due to the presence of Mr. Gerstmann.

While his departure is disappointing to say the least, the speculation that his termination was caused from his Kain & Lynch review along with his comments about it in his final episode of the "Hotspot", has put the very integrity of the site into serious question. Many of you have already experienced an extreme drop in quality regarding some services, in certain cases legitamately thoughtful user reviews have been moderated. Video Reviews as of late are not as frequent of as long as they need to be in order to be truly helpful, and the forums are stale; real debate is a thing of the past. To sum it all up, the weather has been pretty terrible on this site for a while now.

I'm not sure how this will play out, pending on the remaining staff's official comments about the truth of Mr. Gerstmann's untimely departure, I will then make a decision on whether to stick around or not. I guess this site and Mr. Gerstmann's contributions meant more to me then even I realized, for even I'm surprised this has stirred up a response in me. I'm even more surprised that I feel genuinely angered by this.

I've created a profile that mirrors this one over at Gametrailers.com. I invite all of you to join me, if it interests you. I'll listen to next weeks Hotspot and see if there is any real reason to continue participating at this site.

But I don't think I'll find the reason I'm looking for.