2. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
Published by Konami in 1997, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was initially the victim of poor publicising - especially in America, but it became a sleeper hit through word of mouth and is widely considered as one of the PSX's greatest games. Your objective is to steer Alucard through several levels to defeat the vampire Dracula. It is, like its predecessors, a 2D scrolling game but it contains elements of an RPG and the environment is much more interactive than previous Castlevania games. Alucard possesses the gift of shapeshifting and he can pick up lots of interesting weapons such as javelins and neutron bombs. He can restore his health and the viewer can see the RPG influence with Alucard gaining experience points through defeating enemies and going up a level each time the requisite points are gained. This affects his level of attack and physical strength. There are also some other RPG elements like the gaining of magic points to cast spells and the ability to summon familiars to assist Alucard when he is exploring and fighting enemies. Copies of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night are very rare and very valuable. Its launch in Japan was met with critical acclaim and success, but its publicity upon release in the States was muted. It was thought that because the game was a 2D scroller, it would flop in the face of all of the 3D games being produced by the 32 bit generation. The reality was somewhat different. Western critics and game players adored the game and gave it many awards and accolades. It was considered the best ever Castlevania game and not just one of the best PSX games, but one of the greatest videogames ever. Praise is still being heaped upon the game and it is certainly a timeless classic that will continue to be enjoyed for years to come.