Belmont
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Bill Gates firm puts $80 million behind ‘smart city’ in Arizona
One of Bill Gates' firms invested $80 million into nearly 25,000 acres of land west of Phoenix, Arizona to build a 'smart city' of the future. The proposed community, called Belmont, will have high-speed communications infrastructure, autonomous cars and data centers. In short, a hyper-connected place suitable for new companies to set up shop in.
The evolution of Castlevania's 'Vampire Killer' theme
A wave of nostalgia washes over us when we hear music from our favorite classic franchises. One of those iconic pieces is Castlevania's "Vampire Killer" series theme. The folks at Tiny Cartridge (specifically, Joystiq's own JC Fletcher) stumbled upon a YouTube clip featuring every version the classic track has spawned since the origin of the Castlevania franchise.While musical style and technology has evolved, this video showcases how Kinuyo Yamashita's original piece has lived on throughout nearly two dozen Castlevania games (as well as some non-Castlevania titles). Feel like taking a stroll down memory lane with us? Check out the comparison videos after the break ... but stop holding our hand. It's kind of weird.
Comic-Con 2009: James Wan whipping up Castlevania film
James Wan would like to play a game -- and then convert it into a film. Bloody Disgusting reports that the writer and director – who helped construct the "Saw" horror movie factory – will bring Konami's storied Castlevania series to the big screen for producer Paul W.S. Anderson. "I'll be working on the script with a writer to give it a new spin, different to the previous versions," said Wan. "This will have my stamp on it which Konami is very excited about." Though we worry that Wan's stamp will be so large as to obscure all the cool action in the movie, he at least exhibits some familiarity with the franchise's androgynous protagonists. "For once, the human hero is as sexy and dangerous as the vampire villain, and his weapon of choice was what attracted me to the project in the first place – The Vampire Killer Whip." Oh yes, the whip, that's important. No matter how the project turns out (if it even turns up), we at least hope to be in the cinema when it's revealed to general audiences that "Alucard" is really "Dracula" backwards. What a twist! [Image: Bloody Disgusting]
DS Daily: Simon says 'whip Dracula'
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia was (for real) revealed this week, as was its heroine, a member of the Dracula-hunting (in the absence of a Belmont) sect from which the game gets its title. She seems like a pretty good protagonist, with her imposing boots and ability to equip three attacks at a time, but she is no Belmont. She may kill vampires, but she doesn't have Vampire Killer.Are you at all disappointed when a Castlevania game features a non-Belmont? Or did Symphony of the Night convince you that switching up the formula is worth the lack of familiarity? Does it still feel like Castlevania if you're not some musclebound dude with a whip?%Gallery-22992%
Breakfast Topic: Resolutions
Veronica Belmont recently thought of some New Year's resolutions she felt would be firmly within reach. (If you remember, she was the lovely lady who interviewed Leeroy Jenkins at Blizzcon). Number 2 on her list was to reach level 70 in WoW. Have you made any New Year's resolutions related to WoW? Or are resolutions a "strictly real-life" sort of thing to you?
Konami ad plays Ellis Island; changes Belmonts to Beaumonts
An official Konami advertisement for Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles in magazines talks about "the Beaumont family's quest to destroy Dracula," the only problem being that anybody who has played a Castlevania game in the last 20 years would know it should be the Belmont family. Oops! The error is kind of funny considering the amount of eyes that probably saw the ad before it was sent out, and it's not like we're talking about a new franchise here.We could go into a spiel right now about the incredible amount of people in the industry who know next to nothing about the products they're hawking -- but why bother getting serious. This reminds us of another hilarious ad from earlier this year for Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam on the Sony Wii. Good times in advertising.[Via Wired]
Castlevania pre-orders escorted by 8-bit Belmont
At least 4 times more powerful than your average, two-bit vampire slayer, the pixelated protagonist of early Castlevania adventures will accompany Gamestop and EB pre-orders of Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles. An "8-bit Simon Belmont figure" not only makes the PSP's Rondo of Blood remake more desirable, but also illustrates how far the series has come, shifting from side-scrolling vampire killer to... prettier, side-scrolling vampire killer.Oh well, if $30 doesn't net you any change on October 23rd, at least it grants you access to Dracula X Chronicles' bonus game, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Fang you very much, Konami.[Via PSP Fanboy]
What a horrible summer not to be going to Comic-Con
NECA, the company responsible for the awesome Castlevania figure prototypes, has a new Simon Belmont figure on the way. It's a somewhat more faithful sculpture of Simon as he appeared in the first Castlevania on the NES. Unfortunately, only 1,000 units will be produced, and it will only be available at the San Diego Comic-Con.We totally want this, and we are all about pixel art, but we must say that this figure, with its rounded edges and inexact paint job, looks a little more like a cookie to us than an action figure. Which actually gives us an idea! [Via NeoGAF]
Fan-made Castlevania game for those stuck at a computer
This might be a bit out of the norm for us, but we know plenty of you read the site here from your boring cubicle job or what have you, so we figured since Castlevania is available on the GBA and DS in many forms, and we're such huge fans of the series, why not post this fan-made Flash installment in the series. Called Castlevania: The Blood Way, it's actually a pretty darn fun time. So, if you're stuck away from your DS for a bit, you might want to check it out.[Via Game|Life]
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.
The return of Richter Belmont in Rondo of Blood
Ever since Castlevania was announced for PSP, many people have been asking a few questions. Firstly, why remake Rondo of Blood? Easy: it's the only Castlevania game to never have met a US release. As revealed in an IGN interview with Castlevania's producer, Rondo of Blood is the crucial "turning point" in the series. While many loved the changes made in Symphony of the Night, most gamers have missed out on many of the finer details of the classic's story, simply because Rondo of Blood was never released. (Castlevania X for the SNES was a "port" of sorts. However, it strayed significantly from its origins.)Rondo of Blood takes place 5 years before Symphony of the Night, and explains many origins of the characters found in the revered PS1 classic. Players will be treated to seeing Richter Belmont, "the last Belmont," fighting Dracula himself. Who is Shaft and how does he control Richter in Symphony of the Night? Who is Maria Renard? These questions will be unearthed through Rondo of Blood.While Nintendo's handhelds have met great additions to the Castlevania franchise, the future of the series may stay on the PSP. When speaking to IGN, Koji Igarashi revealed his love of the platform. "If the PSP version of Castlevania does great ... [doing sequels] is something I'd love to take a look at."See also:Tales From the Crypt: Castlevania 20th Anniversary Blowout from 1UPPlaying Dirty: Dracula wears eyeliner: Part 1 & Part 2
Whip it good at the Belmont Hotel
You could almost convince yourself that the name of this British bed and breakfast is a coincidence, but just look at that sign. We would be utterly unsurprised to see a whip or three hanging on the wall inside. In fact, if there's not a whip, we'd consider it time well spent to travel to High Wycombe and hang one there ourselves. We bet they have a lot of braziers, and that they do a ripping good business in turkey and pot roast.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin anime intro video
We aren't experts in the fine art that is speaking Japanese, if you hadn't already noticed. On top of that, translated pages aren't exactly the best place to get info either. If you've ever doubted that a sentence in English could not make sense, spend five minutes trying to read one of Google's translated pages. They could make Winnie The Pooh look like a perverted old bear. From what we gathered, this is the intro to Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. There's lots of ass kicking and no monster gets spared. We were surprised to not hear any voice acting but we are hoping to see that get worked on in the extra months Konami has taken to improve the game. As always, the video is after the break unless you want to wait and see the intro for yourself when the game is released like a sissy. Enjoy! [Via QJ Net]
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin delayed [update 1]
With all the buzz about the newest Castlevania for DS, it was a huge disappointment to hear that it was delayed until February of next year. The good news is that Konami plans on fully utilizing these extra months to make the game better. They are adding a few online features to beef it up. Players will be able to trade spells online, sell their spells in an online shop and engage in battles against bosses in a two-player co-op Wi-Fi mode. We smell friend codes coming! To hold your attention until February, check out the bad ass stuff you get for pre-ordering the game. Not even a moderate Castlevania fan could say no to that beautiful bundle of Belmont joy. [Via News 4 Gamers] [update: Reader Daroga pointed out that this delay is in Europe only. We called our local GameStop and they still have the US release date as December 13. Thanks Daroga!]
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Japanese site up
There are few people allowed to crack whips other than Devo (they just do it so well). Fortunately for the gaming world we are more than happy to see a member of the Belmont family authoritatively crack one in the name of beating down one of time's most ferocious night stalkers -- vampires. Even though being able to live forever would be pretty cool, we aren't huge fans of sucking blood or having our blood sucked, so they must ultimately be destroyed. The poor Belmont family has been trying to do this for years and they do it so well, it almost looks like an art. Then again, if they were to ever fully succeed in killing off these blood suckers, what or who would they fight next? We see where you are going with this and no, cowboy-space-vampires riding pink mechanical horses across the galaxy is not a good idea. Sorry. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is really catching our eye and we recently found out that the Japanese site for the game is up. As usual, knowing Japanese would help while exploring it.
Symphony of the Night to be heard on XBLA
At last, every miserable little pile of secrets that owns an Xbox 360 will be able to experience Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, a game considered by many to be the best in Konami's esteemed franchise. According to the September issue of EGM, the game is scheduled to hit Xbox Live Arcade in early 2007. It'll be a torturously long wait, though it leaves us time to ponder how exactly a Playstation (and Saturn!) classic will slip under XBLA's 50MB Limbo pole. It seems likely that by next year, the size requirement will have been given a significant bump by larger memory cards and hard drives. After all, we doubt fans would be pleased if anything were to happen to the game's wonderful soundtrack in order to cut down on space.But enough talk. Have at you![Thanks soco and doomx24!]
Castlevania celebrates 20th year of vampire violence
Aside from usually being an absolute blast to play, the Castlevania games can have the strange effect of prompting one to engage in rather dubious debates regarding some of its more colorful traditions. Certainly, the startling presence of gold coins inside candles and chandeliers is a popular topic, as is the nebulous gender of whatever whip-wielding protagonist winds up exploring Dracula's anarchic abode. There's also the more obvious question as to whether or not Castlevania works in 3D, a question which once lured me into the following (and very real) conversation:"Hey what did you think about Castlevania: Lament of Innocence? I thought it was a bit crap.""Well, the level design was far too repetitive, but the atmosphere was really true to the series. As an action game, it works pretty well -- I must admit, it has an ace combat system.""It has an Ace Combat system?""That's what I just said.""Meaning you fly your Belmont around and shoot down vampires?"Luckily (?), that particular version of Lament of Innocence never saw the light of day, though if it did, it would likely be mentioned in 1UP's great series retrospective. To celebrate Castlevania's 20th year of existence, the article delves into the pivotal points, the exacerbating enemies and the obscure oddities that litter Dracula's castle. It's well worth a read, especially if you enjoy masterfully written subtitles. Castlevania: Waltz of Discontentedness -- where are you?
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin in action
We couldn't be filled with more envy right now as we watch the above video where a human being, a human being who is not one of the DS Fanboy staff, was able to play a build of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. This occurred during a supposed Nintendo press event held this month. Highlights of the video include tag-team gameplay, acquisition of beef jerky, and running from Behemos.
