Nottle

Something weird about the start to crate thing is that it makes Deus Ex a bad game... I'm ok with that.

Maybe this is a stretch but you probably own a PS2 or PS3. Most of the stuff you'd want on Vita, the Ps1/ Ps2 back catalogue people are talking about as well as Persona 4 are pretty easy to get on PSN or Amazon. You could get Persona 4 for 16 bucks for the ps2 on amazon. You'll probably miss some Psp games. But really nothing exclusive on the Vita seems worth getting.

The 3DS however looks like it is getting games. Fire Emblem is fantastic (and you can't get it anywhere else.) The Mario and Luigi RPG will probably be great like those games tend to be. 5 Pokemon games will probably come out if that is your thing. Isn't Shin Megami Tensei IV coming out eventually? Soul Hackers?

Play a Hideki Kamiya game. They still have unlockables. Sometimes they are even different characters with their own movesets. He knows whats up. Or maybe play a DS Castlevania. Plenty of reward there and you get other modes/ characters once you are done.

I'm no expert, I haven't played it, maybe you have. But I heard Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War has 12 chapters but all of them are huge.

Wait... What is that? An anime?

Now I really want a Castlevania game that is set in 2099. I know Aria of Sorrow took place in the future. But now I want cyber vampires.

@the_hiro_abides: I don't know. They seemed sort of serious.

@dungbootle:Yeah those games did have a lot of weird stuff. I want to say there was a steam punk Frankenstein... but that makes sense. That's just part of the series, you fight a big bat, Medusa, 2 mummies, Frankenstein, DEATH, and Dracula as bosses in the first game. Why were there Mummies and Medusa in Christian inspired Europe?

@riostarwind

:That sounds like some weird magic stuff though. Do you look out while you're climbing the clocktower and see Earth? Kind of as an inverse on that Castlevania trope? It's not like Jonathan and Charlotte got on rocket to go to space or anything, right?

@the_hiro_abides: I don't know. They seemed sort of serious.

@dungbootle: Yeah those games did have a lot of weird stuff. I want to say there was a steam punk Frankenstein... but that makes sense. That's just part of the series, you fight a big bat, Medusa, 2 mummies, Frankenstein, DEATH, and Dracula as bosses in the first game. Why were there Mummies and Medusa in Christian inspired Europe?

@riostarwind: That sounds like some weird magic stuff though. Do you look out while you're climbing the clocktower and see Earth? Kind of as an inverse on that Castlevania trope? It's not like Jonathan and Charlotte got on rocket to go to space or anything, right?

Brad and Ryan have mentioned that one of the later DS Castlevanias had a Cyborg Dracula and that you go to space at some point. I've played most of Portrait of Ruin, all of Aria of Sorrow, and all of Order of Eclasia, so is it in Dawn of Sorrow or the other two GBA games or is the cyberdracula and Space all just bullshit?

@secondpersonshooter: Yes the weird dream vampire thing. That was a cool easter egg too. But everything else is still in tact.

@ducksworth: Yes it does. Glad they included those.

Fire Emblem Awakening is amazing. I've played 2 entries in the series before Awakening and it is by far my favorite.

Just don't rely too much on Frederick and make sure you let your weaker guys get the killing blow. Really on Casual and normal you should have no problems getting though the game. At that point it may be impossible to fail.