My first experience with Castlevania was the N64 game, which, endowed with some monstrous controls and lousy 3D camera angles, sadly turned me away from the series for way too long. That said, I’ve recently gotten into this long-running franchise and I’ve decided to share my joy with you in this week’s Bargain Bin. The adventures might be cheap, but the games are all of excellent quality, so grab your cross and whip and come on in for a little gothic fun!

Castlevania X: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)

I know, I know, who plays a PSP anymore, right? Well, you should! Especially when it has quality stuff like this on it! Castlevania X is a remake of Rondo of Blood, a rare Castlevania game that originally never made it out of Japan. It’s updated here and ready to play in sublime glory with new graphics, an enhanced soundtrack and all the same lovely trappings that make the Castlevania games so much fun.

Better yet, Castlevania X goes the extra mile to pack in the value. While Rondo of Blood is the main game, by completing it you can unlock both the original version of the game, and Symphony of the Night, which is a sequel to the main game. Three (well, sort of three) great Castlevania games for this price is a deal in every sense of the world, and if you’re a fan of the series who happens to own a PSP, you should already have this game.

Amazon (Note: Used Amazon.com prices are subject to change)

New - $29.79

Used - $14.99

Gamestop

Used-17.99

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (DS)

Between the recent release of Order of Ecclesia and the relative availability of Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin is hardly the only Castlevania game available on the DS, and by most gamers’ standards is the most inferior of the three. But as any frequent reader of the Bargain Bin should know by now, sometimes the utmost quality isn’t the first thing on our list of priorities.

That isn’t even saying that Portrait of Ruin is a bad game. It got relatively good reviews, features many of the same fine qualities of the rest of the series, and is the cheapest of the three DS releases. It also has a number of things that make it unique. Portrait of Ruin is the first game in the series to allow the player to switch between its two main protagonists, Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Orlean, at will. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses, and it makes the game a little more interesting to have different abilities to play with.

That said, the game does suffer from some uninspired level design, and it doesn’t do much to separate itself from the games that came before it. For fans of the series, however, this is a solid buy and will offer hours of entertainment, albeit the same sort that you’ve probably been playing for years.

Amazon (Note: Used Amzon.com prices are subject to change)

Used - $20.99