Another problem this game shares with its pappy is that there just aren't that many enemies. While the bestiary says there are something like a hundred and fifty, it neglects to inform that many of those are just jacked-up versions of previous enemies or older enemies given a fresh coat of paint and one or two new moves. The 2-D Castlevanias are veritable breeding grounds of crazy-ass monsters, all of whom look and behave totally differently, so it seems strange to me that in both 3-D games they haven't been able to flesh out the roster of soul-consuming hell-fiends. So even though mowing through hordes of enemies is fun, the hundredth time you bash in the same zombie's head with a war hammer, it starts to get a little old. [Zombie head... getting a little old... He-he. Oh, the ways I amuse myself...! - ed.]

Hot new wrinkles

   All that being said, there are a fair amount of little twists that try to keep the endless monster slaughtering from getting too repetitive. Hector's status as a Devil Forgemaster plays a very important role in the game right from the beginning. Although there is one shop, Hector must make most of his own weapons, armor, and luxury sedans from scratch. Of course, our perpetually scowling hero needs some raw materials to build these mighty armaments, and the only ready source of said materials are the bottomless pockets of the fetid undead. Thus the game does reward you for putting up with the somewhat repetitive foes by having those foes periodically drop various minerals necessary to construct some awesome weapons and armor. This naturally begs questions like "What was a zombie doing carrying around a chunk of pure bronze?" and "Dude, where is my bar of copper?" But if you start asking things like that, you inevitably have to go all the way back to wondering just what about those mushrooms made Mario grow, which gets you in all kinds of trouble. All that aside, Hector must also occasionally resort to less legitimate means to obtain materials. While thievery in real life will likely wind up making you the "special friend" of a resident of a state correctional facility, stealing in Curse of Darkness results in frequently netting you some rare items. A successful attempt to steal depends upon equal measures timing and luck, again adding a layer of depth to combat.

Say hello to my little friend!

   Probably the coolest addition, though, is the Innocent Devil system. With this, Hector is able to create and carefully cultivate monster allies to help him during his rumbles in the morgues. There are several different breeds of Innocent Devils and each breed can be developed into a host of forms. Depending on what weapon-type Hector is using in combat, monsters will drop different colored crystals that direct the Innocent Devils' growth paths, thus necessitating some serious thought about what weapon to use at any given time. Sure, you could plow through an area with your super-strong sword, but if you want to get that really cool Innocent Devil you're going to need to make your foes feel the wrath of your board with a nail in it. [Don't worry - reports from the field are that the nail is rusty, thick, and hurts like a f***ing bitch - ed.]

   These little guys are more than just a novelty, too. They'll play a pretty significant roll in your battles and properly utilizing them can make the difference between getting drunk at the victory party or getting a tag put on your toe. Battle-type Devils are great for quickly smashing up crowds of enemies, while faerie-type Devils provide vital healing magic for prolonged boss battles. Many of the other types have special abilities (such as gliding, sliding through cracks in walls, opening beers with their belly buttons, etc.) that you will need to progress through certain areas and impress your geek friends. By the end of the game, you'll likely have crafted your pack of wee-beasties into a horde of bone-shattering, flesh-rending demons capable of causing a minor apocalypse. And really, what could be more rewarding than that?

Goth-fest 2000

   As one would expect from any Castlevania game, the soundtrack is excellent with a mixture of sweeping orchestral pieces and skull-pounding rock [which, incidentally, is also my favorite workplace appliance - ed.], all of which serves to accentuate the setting and the action taking place within it. While the settings themselves may bleed together a little bit, as they all have that sort of generic gothic-horror look going on, they do look pretty good if you pause to carefully examine them. The graphics overall are good but no huge improvement over Lament of Innocence, somewhat of a letdown considering that that game came out a couple of years ago. The cutscenes are pretty impressive although we all could have done without seeing a dude wearing Isaac's outfit. Yes, yes, vampires, androgyny, erotica, I get it, I get it. Now can the next villain be wearing actual pants, please? No? ...damn.

   Well, that disappointment aside, if you've liked most of the recent Castlevania offerings, there's nothing here that's going to make you forsake your fan-dom in disgust (unless you really have a problem seeing dudes in revealing attire, and I suppose I wouldn't blame you if you did), but neither is there anything that will convince you the series is in the midst of revolutionizing itself. It's a solid game, more so than Lament of Innocence, but still not quite as solid as all the 2-D Castlevania's we still remember and love. Hopefully Konami will again learn from the experience and next time we'll get a truly breathtaking 3-D Castlevania, possibly even on a next generation console. Then I could die a happy man. Providing I'd already constructed the world's largest Play-Doh giraffe. I really have to get going on that...

       ... Mike Zeller