I’ve been playing Castlevania: Lament of Innocence again, which I have not done since January. I love the game. The music, graphic, and atmosphere are absolutely awesome. The one problem, however, is that the game is 3D and suffers from some horrible camera angles. It’s not Leon Bellmont’s fault, though. The truth is, I just don’t fair well in 3D games, particuarily those in 3^rd person (like Castlevania). I don’t know what it is about 3D that gives me fits. Adding the third dimension has certainly made games much more realistic and immersive, but for the most part, I just get frustrated. Jumping puzzles were so much easier when all I had to worry about was x and y. I have literally spent and extra hour and a half in my latest Castlevania quest doing nothing but trying to make jumps. It takes a lot of the fun out of it.

I long for the days of 2D Mario, where controlling him meant nothing more than pressing 2 buttons and a D-Pad. Hardcore gamers of today love the analog stick because they say it gives them control. All it gives me is a headache. Modern games are impressive, but for those of us with the hand-eye coordination of a 10 year old, they have taken the game out of it. I thank God for my Game Boy Advance. They haven’t figured out a way to make portable games analog…yet.