Remember The Game? #196 - Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

A few months ago, we reviewed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I didn't really like it, and I took a lot of shit for that opinion (which I stand by, screw that stupid inverted castle). This week, we're looking another Castlevania - Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. And I'm happy (and relieved) to say that it was everything I wanted SOTN to be. This game is outstanding.    From the bad-ass soul sucking (and you can suck EVERY enemy in the game!), to the simplified inventory system, to the lack of a hidden second half of the game without fucking telling you it's there, Aria of Sorrow absolutely blew my expectations out of the water. I'm no Castlevania expert, but in my limited experience with the series, I'd probably place Sorrow atop my official Vania of Castle rankings.    Plus, what kind of beast was the GBA? Such a powerhouse of a console!   My buddy Bradley McCue returns to the show this week, (he was actually my guest on the Symphony of the Night episode as well), and we didn't butt heads nearly as much this time around. He had a couple more nitpicks than I did, but at the end of the day we both agreed that Aria of Sorrow is just a damned fine piece of video game.    And before we talk Sorrowing Arias, I roll out another edition of the 'Remember The Game? Infamous Intro'!   This week, we talk about what's a better investment of your gaming dollar: a AAA game, or a handful of random indie titles? We talk about Achievements/Trophies for retro games via the website RetroAchivements. And what's the toughest game I've played in the past year or so?   PLUS, we have another round of 'Play One, Remake One, Erase One', featuring three Castlevania Classics: Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, Super Castlevania IV, and Castlevania: Bloodlines.    Are you on social media? Of course you are. So follow us!    Twitter: @MemberTheGame Instagram: @MemberTheGame Twitch.tv/MemberTheGame   And if you want access to over 200 bonus podcasts, along with multiple new shows EVERY WEEK, consider showing us some love over at Patreon. Subscriptions start at just $2/month, and 5% of our patreon income every month will be donated to our 24 hour Extra-Life charity stream at the end of the year!   Patreon.com/RememberTheGame Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices