1-26-1999		3-11-1999
	1999		-

The people of Wallachia, Transylvania thought they would never face the unexpected once more. Throughout history, the famous Belmont clan had always been successful in restoring tranquility to these lands. After the last defeat of Count Dracula a century ago, the local townsfolk have been living a life filled with peace and prosperity. This now seemed like a delusion, as the shadows of evil are haunting the lives of many innocent victims anew. Revived from his termination by your ancestors, the Count is ready to seek the destruction and misery of many once again. Those who aligned with him had to live fearsome lives, and others who opposed him died horrible deaths. After hearing word of horrific events some townsfolk are experiencing, two brave warriors are ready to destroy all evil and restore peace to the lives of many.

Casltevania (Castlevania 64 as it is more known) is the first of the series to hit the then new 3-D world. And usually such a monster title in the gaming industry is certain to hit big with such a change. Anyone remember Final Fantasy VII, Super Mario 64, or the Ocarina of Time? Huge leaps into the 3-D world with smash sucess. Final fantasy VII alone has been toted as the greatest game ever made at the time. Castlevania would be no different right?
WRONG!
Ok, first the good. The levels are some great ones. New and exciting 3-D enviroments were very well done. Forests, garden hedges, villa's, what is there not to like? They were nicely colored, and very well done for the time. Sprites were fantastic, and moved with reality. And they were some fantastic ones too. I mean who could forget Frankenstein coming at you with a massive chainsaw on his arm?!
Now bad. Camera, Camera, CAMERA!!!! This is perhaps the worst possible point in the game. Running throught he stage, trying to flee a massive monster ready to kick your butt, and you have to jump over a pit of acid, while the camera is in front of you. WTF! Shouldn't the camera be behind you in this point so you can see where you are going? The camera has no true fixed location, and thus is all over the place. This caused more accidental deaths to falling, than from getting stomped all voer the place. Most people could not even get into the game because the camera difficulties pissed them off way too much.
The targeting system, similar to the Ocarina of Time was a nice addition to the 3-D challenge, and made fighting a little easier. But even that was flawed. Rather than targeting the enemy you want it to it will go to the first enemy you see. If this is one far off, the closer ones that appear after the fact will kick your butt while you are still locked on to furthest one you targeted first. Big pain there.
Also if you are thinking you are going to get the endless onslaught of enemies, like previous titles before...think again. Most times you are presented with overly difficult challenges galore, rather than dark hordes. Most times, you will get the feeling of being alone, when there should be more enemies trying to end your journey. The villa is prime example. With the exception of a few Vampires, it is completely undead dark foe free.
Unlike its predecessors, dazzling music in Castlevania 64 is almost nonexistent...well actually it is just not here at all. Some stages like the “Forest of Silence” and “Villa” contain no background music at all. You basically get the feeling that you're actually playing the game on mute when venturing through these levels. Other stages contain music that can barely be heard, such as the “Tunnel” stage, where almost silent tunes are played throughout. At least the boss music is pretty decent; it completely highlights the intensity and fierceness of every challenging battle.
Castlevania 64 was a bold step into the next generation of console gaming, but it was not done well, and the fans of the series revolted. With the release of the unpopular Legends, and Legacy of Darkness, it seemed like this was the beginning of the end. Thankfully releases like Symphony of the Night kept it going until their return to fame in the new century.