Point/Counterpoint: Does Castlevania need new blood?

We're about a month away from getting our hands on the third Castlevania game on the DS, and yes, we are enthused. We loved the last DS game, as we did the one before it ... and the three Game Boy Advance games before that.

Producer Koji Igarashi has definitely found his recipe for Vanias, and he's changed very little since hitting upon the combination of side-scrolling action, free-roaming exploration, and light RPG elements that made Symphony of the Night such a startlingly new experience ... back in 1997.

Let's be clear: both of the bloggers participating in this debate love them some Castlevania. But the issue of the series' increasing potential for staleness is a real one, and worth discussing even just as a thought exercise. Has Metroidvania run its course? Read on and find out ... what two people think.