what spotty track record? 1, 3, 4, Dracula X, and Bloodlines are all worth playing. 2 is too, if only for the novelty. Classic Vania, if you throw in Rebirth, is far more consistent than Metroidvania. It was reinventing the series, but the way you articulated, it made it seem all side scrollers had to reinvent the entire genre, so I read you wrong.