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PSA: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 'Revelations' DLC now available
It's time to sharpen your fangs and fasten your finest cape, as Konami has released the Revelations DLC for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. Revelations follows Alucard immediately prior to the events of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, as he prepares for the return of his father, Dracula. Along with waifish good looks, Alucard comes equipped with his own unique slate of vampiric powers, including time control, and the ability to transform into a wolf or a swarm of bats. As an undying creature of the night, Alucard is fueled by the blood of his victims, forcing players to periodically drain vital fluids from his foes instead of simply annihilating anything dumb enough to stand against a magical, immortal killing machine. Revelations is now available for download on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, where it bears an $8 price tag. [Image: Konami]
See Alucard in the flesh in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 DLC trailer
He may not be the 2D sprite we all know and love, but the Alucard coming to Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 maintains the character's three crucial hallmarks: vampire magic, daddy issues and the prettiest hair this side of an Herbal Essences commercial. [Image: Konami]
Alucard returns in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 DLC this month [Update]
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 will receive a "Revelations" DLC pack on March 25 for Xbox 360 and PS3, Konami announced. The add-on content has players controlling series fan-favorite Alucard, learning more about his relationship with Dracula (aside from the whole name reversal thing). The DLC is set before the events in Lords of Shadow 2. In the add-on, players can use Alucard's "Glaciem" and "Igneas" powers and can morph into a wolf, a bunch of bats and can turn back time. Being the vampire he is, Alucard's thirst for the blood of his enemies also seemingly lends a boost in his powers. No price was given for the DLC and Konami did not list PC among the platforms the DLC will arrive on this month; we've reached out to the publisher to find out when the PC version will arrive. Update: Konami has informed Joystiq that the PC version of the game will receive the Revelations DLC on March 25 as well. [Image: Konami]
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.
Castlevania figures- now in color!
NECA is showing off the final (?) painted versions of their Castlevania figures at Comic-Con, and, judging by these pictures, they will soon be stealing fans' souls and making them their slaves. Simon Belmont's face looks a little too tenderized, but we suppose he's a tough guy and has taken countless beatings from undead whatevers.Alucard and Dracula look just awesome. Think you we would buy such a thing? Yes! And they all seem to come with little monster accessories! As cool as the succubus figure is, however, we just ... don't have a place to display it. Oh, and for those of us waiting for the update: the exclusive pixel-Simon is as terrible in production as it was in the early picture.
DS Daily: Whip it good
The morning light has vanquished the horrible night. What better time to talk about Castlevania? Well, if you're a frequent reader, you know that pretty much any time is a great time for us to talk about Castlevania, or Konami in general. No, it's no secret that we like our vampires whipped, and our piles of secrets miserable. It's also no secret that we've been more than pleased with the DS editions. But we have to wonder: after three GBA games in rapid succession and two DS games within a year of each other, is a steady diet of Castlevania a good thing? Is an annual release schedule too rushed? Is the franchise going to get stale, or, at least, is the current exploration-based Castlevania game type? Or is Castlevania ageless and immortal, like ... some kind of undead creature?
Castlevania action figures belong in this world
It was not by our hands that these action figures were given "flesh." They were brought here by NECA, who wished to pay Castlevania tribute. Simon Belmont, hero of Castlevanias I, II, and (Super) IV, and Alucard, of III, Symphony of the Night, and (spoiler alert, sort of!) Aria and Dawn of Sorrow, are shown here in unpainted, prototype glory. The link below has more views of Simon, but all we have of Alucard is this one shot-- for which we had to put our biohazard suits on and go into Myspace.They resemble the beefy character art of the first NES game more than Ayami Kojima's work, and Simon's stomach isn't something that should be looked at directly, but these are still awesome. We've been looking for some new decorative items, and these will do nicely. Our desks are as empty as our souls. Blogger-kind totally needs action figures such as these.
This Wednesday: Castlevania mania straight from Romania
It's, erm, insania. The gist of it being that the whip-wielding vampire-vanquishing adventure into androgyny, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, is going to vanquish vampires and wield whips on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday (when else?). An 800 MS Point ($10) expenditure will net you both the original version of the game and another that boasts improved HD visuals and sound.But enough talk, have at this gallery of Symphony of the Night images! Fans of Alucard (psst, it's Dracula backwards!) can venture further into the post for a special reminder of their time spent within the dark lord's domain.%Gallery-2156%
Castlevania's Koji Igarashi: 2D games will never die!
Bringing his GDC presentation, "The Light and Dark Sides of 2D Game Production," to a flag-waving close, Konami's Koji Igarashi defiantly declared (via an enthusiastically projected slide) that "2D games will never die!" Though the Castlevania designer's train of thought seemed to switch several times during the talk -- no doubt exacerbated by the wonky on-the-fly translation -- his point eventually emerged as a light at the end of the tunnel.Igarashi explained that as 3D games grow more complex and require greater effort from artists, 2D games provide an advantage by being easier and cheaper to design. Though he argued that the perspective generally allows players to better judge distance in action games, he was largely focused on the production side of things. Pixel art and backgrounds can be reused throughout multiple titles, he noted, allowing designers to spend more of their time on other aspects of the game.A unique challenge for modern consoles, however, is adapting to the much higher display resolutions. More on-screen pixels means more detailed art, in which case drawing beautiful 2D assets might become just as strenuous and laborious as creating 3D character models. As such, Igarashi is treating the upcoming 2.5D Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles as an experiment -- can the dynamic presentation of 3D titles and the cost-effective design of 2D gaming get along? We'll find out later this year.%Gallery-2095%
