Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow - Initial Impression.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow marks the fourth game in the current line of portable versions of the series and is actually the sequel to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. The first thing readily apparent about the game is its dual screen nature. The bottom window is where the game plays out like a traditional Game Boy Advance Castlevania entry. Nothing much different about it there, except some touch use. The top screen however is used very well with it displaying either the constant map, or a combination character status and active enemy encyclopedia. The controls seem tight and responsive, as all the others in the GBA line. Hopefully the touch aspects will be the same. The stereo sound booms from the NDS speakers. The story, it seems is like all the others in the series. Luckily, you don't play Castlevania for the story. Well, I should say most people don't play Castlevania for the story. It seems as if Koji Igarashi hasn't strayed from his winning portable Castlevania strategy at all and has merely made use of the NDS features in a simple and solid way. This should play out to be one of the better games this season, or at least it seems so at this point.  As always, we'll see...