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'Castlevania' creator just funded a 'Symphony' successor
In case that two-hour commentary video featuring Castlevania: Symphony of the Night from over the weekend stoked a new fire in you for another side-scrolling dungeon romp, boy have I got some good news. Co-designer Koji Igarashi's taken to Kickstarter for help funding his new game Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, that, by all appearances, looks like the Symphony sequel we've been waiting for for 18 years. You play as a girl exploring gothic castle and uncovering its secrets while a curse changes your skin from flesh to crystal. Gameplay focuses on exploration with role-playing and crafting elements sprinkled in for good measure. Sounds pretty familiar, yeah? Unsurprisingly it's proving wildly popular so far. The funding goal is $500,000 and as of this writing it's already hit $510,032.
'Castlevania' designer explains what made 'Symphony' so special
There's plenty I could say about Castlevania: Symphony of the Night but in the interest of time I'll keep it short and sweet: it's one of the most influential games ever made. Don't believe me? Eighteen years later, its core design conceit (read: explore a gigantic environment at will, uncovering hidden-in-plain-sight secrets in previously traversed areas thanks to a cascading set of power-ups that grant new abilities) is still being used today. So with that in mind, watching co-designer Koji "IGA' Igarashi offer commentary while Double Fine Productions' senior gameplay programmer Anna Kipnis plays through over two hours of the game in the latest Devs Play episode is an incredible treat. Oh, and there's blood-red wine involved because of course there is.
Lighty paints real lighting Photoshop-style, minus the overdone lens flare (video)
It's not hard to find smart lightbulbs that bow to our every whim. Creating a well-coordinated light scheme can be difficult without tweaking elements one by one, however, which makes the Japan Science and Technology Agency's Lighty project that much more elegant. The approach lets would-be interior coordinators paint degrees of light and shadow through an app, much as they would create a magnum opus in Photoshop or a similar image editor. Its robotic lighting system sorts out the rest: a GPU-assisted computer steers a grid of gimbal-mounted lightbulbs until their positions and intensity match the effect produced on the screen. While Lighty currently exists just as a scale model, the developers plan to work with life-sized rooms, and potentially large halls, from now on. We're all for the newfound creativity in our lighting, as long as we can't mess it up with a Gaussian Blur filter.
Koji Igarashi and Simon Belmont team up to sell Castlevania Judgment
Rest assured: when we reviewed Konami's Castlevania Judgment, we did so completely free of influence from external factors like whip-wielding producers in cowboy hats or vampire hunter cosplayers. Had there been somebody in our office whipping at us and cosplaying at us, we'd like to think the score would have remained firm, but we have yet to be tested in such a way to find out. Mostly we'd have been happy to suddenly have an office!That's right, the time-altering ability of Aeon brought Simon Belmont into the modern age, specifically the day of Castlevania Judgment's Japanese release. The legendary vampire hunter joined forces with Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi to bother Dengeki staffers, with a truly amusing set of photos as a result. Will it sell Castlevania? No idea.We thought there was no way to make the outfits Takeshi Obata designed for the characters look any more ridiculous, but Konami found a way: putting them on real people.%Gallery-27187%
Top 5: Castlevania Games
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Top_5_Castlevania_Games'; This week marks the release of the highly anticipated Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. Poised to be more than the usual Metroidvania-romp, Ecclesia's glyph system coupled with great diversity in environments and level layout (we're apparently not stuck inside the castle anymore) has all of us whip-enthusiasts drooling with anticipation. To be honest, Konami could slap the word "Castlevania" on a box of assorted animal feces and we'd still pre-order. Here's the part where I'm supposed take a cheap shot at Castlevania Judgment, but admit it: no matter how many times we all spit on the brawler, we never seem to stop checking out movies or screenshots. Castlevania has us whipped; pardon the hideous pun. Assuming I haven't lost all credibility after the Mega Man list, here's another stab at ranking the best of a legendary franchise. Unlike most other Top 5's, this list is not necessarily Nintendo-specific. Take a gander, and try to pretend that you don't know what number one is. NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } The Top 5 is a weekly feature that provides us with a forum to share our opinions on various aspects of the video game culture, and provides you with a forum to tell us how wrong we are. To further voice your opinions, submit a vote in the Wii Fanboy Poll, and take part in the daily discussions of Wii Warm Up.
TGS08: Castlevania: Order of Awesome Trailer
With Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia due out in Japan and the U.S. later this month, the Tokyo Game Show represents the last major event at which Konami can show the game off; and shown it off they have, with this spectacular trailer.The first minute and thirteen seconds consists of Order of Ecclesia character/location art, so if it's gameplay you're after, you'll want to skip to around one-third of the way through. Though why you'd want to skip Castlevania art is utterly beyond us.%Gallery-22992% Like Castlevania? We do -- to an embarrassing degree. Check out our impressions of Order of Ecclesia from E3, settle in for a trailer, or go Behind the Boxart with a Konami graphic designer. But enough talk -- have at you!
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.%Gallery-22992% NEXT >> #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; }
GC 2008: Castlevania Judgment reserved for 2009, mysterious character appears
The latest Castlevania Judgment screens, fresh from the Leipzig showfloor, feature a new character not previously seen in the title. "Aeon" is probably one of the fighters produced by manga artist Takeshi Obata, who was drafted in by Konami to provide character designs. Alternatively, he could be from the DS's Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. "Aeon" is not a name we're familiar with from previous instalments of the franchise, and neither Google or the Castlevania Wiki could shed any light on our confusion. Shanoa, the heroine of Order of Ecclesia, is already accessible in Judgment, so we wouldn't rule it out.Whoever Aeon is, you can see more of him here, here and here. In other news, Koji Igarashi confirmed to IGN that the title will now ship to the U.S. in 2009. Grab your stake, hit up our gallery for new shots, and then trek past the break for a new trailer.%Gallery-27187%
Igarashi: WiiWare Castlevania 'might be the right approach'
Another E3 interview with Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi has surfaced, this time from Nintendo World Report. After justifying Castlevania Judgment yet again, Igarashi gave a tenuous, noncommittal, but still interesting statement regarding future Castlevania games: "With regards to WiiWare, I'm evaluating that right now, and to be honest, I think a 2D Castlevania game on WiiWare might be the right approach."He has previously said that he was interested in how things turned out for Mega Man 9, and he has said that WiiWare was an interesting service, but this is the most direct Igarashi has been yet about a WiiWare entry in the franchise. He also confirmed the nature of the Order of Ecclesia connection bonus: as we expected, Shanoa is unlocked in Judgment by connecting with a DS running Order of Ecclesia.%Gallery-27187% Talking about Castlevania is a bit of a cottage industry for Wii Fanboy. Not only do we want the 2D games on Wii, we've made it happen -- though not the amazing Dracula X, which Japan has on VC. We've expressed our bemusement about Judgment and tried to gauge yours. In fact, we pretty much bring up Castlevania whenever possible.
Igarashi talks Castlevania Judgment, doesn't explain why the game exists
Click for larger image Back at E3, Spencer over at Siliconera got the chance to chat with Koji Igarashi, the man behind Castlevania (from Symphony of the Night on, he's been like, the main dude). Instead of asking questions like "Are you on drugs to have come up with Judgment?" or "Am I being Punk'd, is this game seriously real?" Spencer took the time to be a professional and ask some serious questions about the game.For one, Igarashi is not happy with the media labeling Castlevania Judgment a "fighting game." Instead, he thinks of it more as a 3D action game. Labeling aside, there are some cool things you can do in the game. Apparently, different characters can interact with environmental objects in their own unique way. For example, Simon can use his whip to fling candelabras. While we played the same game at E3, we sadly didn't have Igarashi to chat with. Head on over and read the rest of the write-up for some other fun facts about the upcoming fighter.%Gallery-27187%
Next 2D Castlevania could crack whip on WiiWare
While Konami is already exercising options with Gradius Rebirth, Castlevania stalwart Koji Igarashi has now expressed interest in dipping his own whip into the Wii's digital waters. Given that 3D fighter Castlevania Judgment promises to take face-to-palm when it's released, Iga's interest in WiiWare looks to rekindle fans' triple-shot prayers for a traditional 2D Castlevania for consoles."I'm definitely interested in WiiWare and I think it's one of the areas that 2D can still be very strong at," Igarashi told MTV Multiplayer. In a separate interview with Wired's Game|Life blog, he also noted that he's watching Capcom's decidedly retro Mega Man 9 "very closely" to see how it's received once it debuts later this year, noting that "if it is successful that definitely opens up doors for what I can do." Now all there's left to do is wait, though if you get hungry we hear that there's some delicious turkey hidden inside the wall.
Igarashi on Castlevania Judgment and budget concerns
Poor Koji Igarashi seems to be getting the same question a lot: Why is Castlevania Judgment a 3D fighting game? He had his stock answer about short-session Wiimote whipping at the ready when Wired's Chris Kohler asked him. He also had other, shockingly new things to say in relation to Judgment, which sadly reveal the kinds of budgets Konami offers Castlevania games these days. In response to a question about the environment for third-party games on the Wii, Igarashi said the following, which lays bare the approach taken by Konami:"I think there are two roads you can take: Create a game for the core fans with as low a development cost as possible; the other is to just find a different market for these consoles outside the core gamer." There is hope for more real Castlevania games on a smaller budget, and that hope is called Mega Man 9. "I'm watching that very closely to see how it does," IGA told Wired. "Myself, I'm a big retro gaming fan, so if it is successful that definitely opens up doors for what I can do." It's no wonder that Igarashi would be interested in a console game that reuses 8-bit sprites.%Gallery-27187%
E308: Castlevania (aka Shanoa the vampire slayer)
Those of you who want to get to know Shanoa a little better should check out the vid up top, which features her kicking some undead butt. She might not bring too many new things to the Castlevania-verse, but she still looks like a pretty badass character. Besides, she "shall become the sword that clears away evil" -- what more do you want? Order of Ecclesia is currently one of our most anticipated DS games, though, so do we really need another reason to convince you to watch this trailer? Just look at the footage.
Spotted@E3: Igarashi hard at work on next Castlevania sequel
The poor guy must have been tuckered out from carrying that whip around all day. The last three press events we've been to that he was at, he was wearing the same white shirt, cowboy hat, boot and whip getup. Do you think he opens his closet in the morning and just has dozens of duplicates of that outfit all lined up and ready to go?We just hope he's not tired from all the Castlevania Judgement Wii-mote shaking action. That can really take quite a toll on the body.
E308: DS Fanboy hands-on with Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
What can I say about Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia? You've played this game plenty of times before. Sure, there are some slight changes here and there, but, ultimately, this is pretty much the same as every other DS Castlevania title released. Don't take that as a bad thing, though.%Gallery-22992%
Interview with the (director of games about a) Vampire
As part of a ton of Castlevania Judgment coverage, IGN interviewed the man in charge of the franchise, Koji "IGA" Igarashi. You can probably guess the content of the first question.IGA explained what possessed him to make a 3D fighter with some fairly smart reasoning: people want to swing the Wiimote to whip, and he decided it would be best to implement those kinds of mechanics in a shorter-session game. "... I realized, with the 3D action style, I would be able to incorporate intervals so that players can rest and this would allow players to enjoy the swinging action of the Wii Remote." IGA also mentioned that part of the Elebits/Dewy team is working on Judgment, which should at least ensure lovely visuals.IGN's hands-on with the game gave us a bit of morning light to vanquish the horrible night of our skepticism, describing Judgment as more of a Power Stone free-roaming vs. action game than a traditional Tekken or Virtua Fighter-like game.%Gallery-27187%
IGA: 2D still 'somewhat alive,' more Castlevania on the way
Gamasutra spoke to Koji "IGA" Igarashi, the current steward of the Castlevania franchise, after the Konami Gamers Day announcement of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, about his status as one of the last 2D stalwarts. Last year he declared in a defiant PowerPoint slide that "2D games will never die!" This year? "I'm glad that 2D is still somewhat alive. It's been fun."It looks like IGA might be branching out just a bit in the future -- still in 2D, but he hinted that he had something new on the way. Something ... maybe not on the DS. "This time, I announced a DS title, but I definitely want to grow the franchise. It's something I'm really focused on. You guys will probably be hearing something from me."It sounds like whatever the project is, it'll still be the "Igavania" style we know, since according to IGA, the more linear Rondo of Blood PSP port was good, but "not something that I can jump up and down and enjoy like I do with the DS titles."
Igarashi talks Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
With the confirmation of a new Castlevania game with Koji Igarashi behind the helm, you can imagine our excitement. It's even greater than the time we first saw the last Castlevania game. If it builds upon all of the amazing features of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, we'll probably just die right then and there after playing it. We'll have seen everything we've needed to see and be able to die a nice, peaceful death.Until that day, though, you can bet we're salivating for every single juicy morsel of Castlevania news we can get our grubby little mitts on. This latest interview with Koji Igarashi is no exception, as he details some of the things about Ecclesia. Like, why did he go with a female protagonist? Hint: it's because the fans wanted it!Believe us, we've far from ruined the interview for you. It's got some interesting stuff in there, so give it a watch.%Gallery-22992%
Images of Igarashi's new Castlevania leaked, look absolutely gorgeous
When the scans got leaked online showing off a new Castlevania title, we don't have to tell you how exciting it was. Our staff was all kinds of happy, sipping on champagne and even a few were making copies of their butt on the Xerox machine. Now, you have to prepare yourself, because looking at scans is nothing like getting your eyes all up on some direct-feed screens, right? Right.Well, thanks to a post over at NeoGAF, that's what we're looking at right here. And, we'll do you one more solid. We'll save you the trouble of having to say it: those sprites look utterly fantastic.%Gallery-22992%
Igarashi favors Xbox 360 for next Castlevania
Castlevania guru Koji Igarashi in a Game Informer interview says he's leaning toward Xbox 360 for the next console version of Castlevania. He says that he's focusing on "the best platform for the U.S. market" and that would be in his opinion the Xbox 360. He goes on to the say that the US market is the "biggest market" for the series, so he's giving priority to the Xbox 360. He doesn't rule out dual development but says it "would be very tough" and that if Metal Gear Solid 4 expands the PS3 market they may release the next Castlevania on PS3 as well.Still in business mode, Igarashi went on to explain Castlevania for the Wii. He says that Nintendo dominates their own console and third party titles are not so great in sales. He says he's researching how to make Castlevania work on the system in the future and it's about getting the whip motion to work properly instead of having players waggle like Zelda. Igarashi finishes by saying that the next DS Castlevania should be announced in the "near future."
