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Bit players hit it big in Castlevania Judgment
Camilla seems like a minor character in the Castlevania storyline, one of the "other" vampires who appeared as a boss in a few games. She's typically portrayed as a nude, winged woman atop a giant skull. And Golem makes Camilla seem vital -- Golem is nothing more than a vaguely memorable normal enemy! You know, the big guy from Aria of Sorrow who looks like he's made out of logs.Well, they've both been honored with places in the Castlevania Judgment roster. Camilla's been redesigned so that she's in some clothes, though barely, and Golem is a giant, grotesque science experiment with ampoules sticking out of his back. We have screens of both in action in our gallery.We haven't seen the latest issue of Nintendo Power, but according to NeoGAF, the remaining Castlevania III characters (Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades, and Grant DaNasty), as well as Cornell the werewolf from Legacy of Darkness, will also be playable.That transcript also notes that the GameCube controller and Classic Controller will both be supported by Judgment. Considering how much it relies on motion controls, using one of those should basically turn it into a different game.%Gallery-27187%
TGS08: Bouncing beatdowns in Castlevania Judgment
Oh, if only we could always start the morning with hot Death on Death action ... well, we'd at least be more inclined to like Castlevania Judgment. Alas, it's only shiny and new this once, and hereafter, all Death v. Death deathmatches will be, as they say, played out.But for a moment, for one bright, shining, purply-explosions moment, Castlevania Judgment was beautiful. Now we're back to bursting muscles, wacky shorts, and flawed gameplay. But buck up, little campers: there's a bit of news on the Order of Ecclesia/Judgment DS-Wii connectivity front. We knew the DS title's heroine, Shanoa, was unlockable in Castlevania Judgment, and as we speculated, so is Aeon -- both through the DS/Wii game connection. In the DS game, Wii connectivity adds a hard mode and raises your level cap in one mode to a whopping 255. Do we need to be so badass? Oh yes. Yes, we do. Gallery: Castlevania Judgment
DS Daily: Castlevania: Double Order of Games
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia looks to be another in a long line of perfectly wonderful side-scrolling handheld Castlevanias -- possibly, even, a slightly fresh take on the series. Pretty much the best thing we can say about Castlevania: Judgment on the Wii is that it connects with Order of Ecclesia. In fact, even as ridiculous Castlevania fans, we're on the fence about Judgment, yet we're tempted to buy it just because it gives us bonuses in Ecclesia.Does the promise of Ecclesia's awesomeness make Judgment any more of a purchase candidate for you? Or are you willing to do without the connection bonuses? %Gallery-22992%
Potential motivation to buy Castlevania Judgment
Konami appears to be really pleased with Simon Belmont's little shorts. They have -- well, he has, we suppose -- become an unofficial mascot for Castlevania Judgment, first as a rather expensive figurine sold through Konamistyle, and now as the focal point of this "laser cel" being given away as a preorder bonus by GameStop.The background, featuring Aeon, certainly looks cool, as does the color scheme in general. You can see Alucard in his new finery standing back-to-back with Simon. But it's clear that the star of the show is Simon Belmont and his shorts. And his big apelike arms.%Gallery-27187%
Stare Death in the face in Castlevania Judgment
The official site for Castlevania Judgment has profiled two new characters for the fighting game, adding an obscure hero and one of the most common baddies to the cast.Eric Lecarde was playable in only one Castlevania game, Castlevania: Bloodlines for the Genesis (though he did pop up as a helpful ghost in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin), and in Judgment he'll look every bit as effeminate as he did in the character art for Bloodlines. What is a man? Answer: not Eric Lecarde.The second new combatant is familiar foe and all-round cheery chap Death, whose design in Judgment actually looks totally badass and is our favorite rendering of the character so far, even beating his design in Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. We're guessing you can expect to have many a spinning scythe lobbed at your face.%Gallery-27187%[Via Go Nintendo]
Simon Belmont's shorts immortalized in new figurine
The little shorts. The multi-buckled, open vest that looks kind of like an empty life preserver. The Gene Simmons boots. After all the cool Castlevania characters, dressed in various finery, it is Simon Belmont (or "Belmondo" as he's known in Japan), dressed in Takeshi Obata's newly-designed Castlevania: Judgment style that Konami has decided to make into a figure. Although, of course, the other most recent Simon look wouldn't have been much better of a choice. And it's not Dracula in his dress.We must admit that the sculptors have made Simon look damn cool, even if he is dressed like a Tetsuya Nomura Final Fantasy hero. Japan's Konamistyle store is taking preorders on (the final painted version of) this figure, to be released on February 6 for 7,140 yen ($66.50).%Gallery-27187%[Via Famitsu]
Castlevania Poor Fashion Judgment returns
It's been a while since we wrote anything about Castlevania Judgment. You might think this has something to do with the lack of news on the subject, but oh no, that isn't the case. Really, we're just embarrassed for everyone on the fashion front. Oh, and kinda by the game in general. It'll be just like Konami to actually make it good and force us to buy it.* Jerks.There are all-new fashion disasters (okay, really, new shots of old disasters) and a lot of explosions of bright, streaky lighting in the gallery below.*Probably not, but we're afeared of this possibility.%Gallery-27187%
Castlevania Judgment: It's like Soulcalibur Legends (but better?)
Castlevania Judgment. When we first heard of this title, we immediately conjured up memories of Soulcalibur Legends (read the preview that got us blacklisted by Namco Bandai here). Somehow, Konami is daring to tread the same path by re-imagining the Castlevania franchise as a waggle-filled fighting game with subpar (even for Wii) graphics and shallow gameplay. We'd feel sorry for poor ol' Castlevania for being treated this way -- but we've been through this before.At the very least, Judgment is much more competent and fun than Soulcalibur Legends. Graphically speaking, Judgment is rather unattractive, featuring awkward character models that certainly don't belong in the Castlevania universe. Textures are low-res, environments are uninspired and character models are poorly constructed with flat textures and low poly counts. Sadly, it doesn't match the visual fidelity of the 3D Castlevania titles on the PS2.Thankfully, the gameplay in Judgment isn't as shallow as you may expect. Yes, you can swing your Wiimote every which way, but you won't be able to win with blind waggling. Perhaps it's because Judgment is being touted as a fighting game and not an adventure game, but the fighting engine does feature a bit more depth than the one found in Soulcalibur Legends. A huge change, for example, is that you'll actually have to block attacks (!). Players will also be able to equip various Castlevania-themed secondary weapons to unleash upon opponents. For example, I equipped the trusty cross with Simon. A press of the A-button throws it like a boomerang. It's perfect to use after knocking an opponent to the ground. As they get up, it smacks them in the back. Yeah, it's a dirty trick.%Gallery-27218%
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%
Revolutionary: Whip it good
What is it about Castlevania that gamers have found so appealing for more than twenty years? Is it the story? The atmosphere? The visceral sense of fulfillment from whipping all manner of damned creatures back to the infernal depths? Is it the one-on-one arena battles in Boy George makeup, steam-punk corsets and leather-daddy fetishware? Yeah, it's probably not that last thing. We had in mind a traditional sidescroller for Castlevania on the Wii, with waggle-enhanced whip cracking, so that's why this week, I've set out to capture that fun that we've so desperately desired.
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: A respectable little pile of Castlevania Judgment videos
We've already documented our feelings about Castlevania's transformation into a 3D fighting game, but it wasn't until this morning that we got a proper look at the game in motion. It's not actually all that bad! Okay, so the lip-synching is a bit off, most of the lines positively reek of cheese ("I'm a Belmont -- that's my job"), and some of the voice acting makes the guy behind Leon Kennedy seem almost De Niro-esque.Such quibbles aside, we suppose this is the best that could be done with a Castlevania fighting game. Environments and characters are solidly built, there are some pleasant enough effects, the music is great, and we're pleased they opted for a free-roaming style, if only because it reminds us of Power Stone. Make the jump for a trailer and some direct-feed footage.
E308: Wii Fanboy takes the whip to Castlevania Judgment
Click to take a photo tour of Konami's E3 booth I don't have to tell you how odd it is to see the Castlevania franchise make a leap into the 3D fighter space. It's not so much odd as it's completely unbelievable. Now, I'm willing to give anything the benefit of the doubt, and I did just that going into my play session. The first few minutes with the game weren't bad, but the longer I spent time with it, the more its flaws started to rise to the surface.%Gallery-27187%
E308: Konami booth tour in photos
Click to take the photo tour We stopped by the Konami booth today, to check out all of their titles (and stand around, looking all cool like we do). Surprisingly, the folks at Konami did not object to us taking some photos of their space. We'd like to say our tour includes several shots of Igarashi, but he was on a break while we were there. Our horrible streak of being unlucky continues.Hit up the photos below to check out the space and get an idea of what to expect in the way of impressions later.%Gallery-27870%
Pass your Castlevaniastic Judgment on these new screens
The judgment of a Fanboy is brutal, terrifying and often accompanied by various LOLs and ZOMGs. In fact, the revelation that Castlevania: Judgment for the Wii was to be a fighting game resulted in the biggest ZOMG of them all. Hey, Konami may be tampering with a classic formula, and pitting classic characters against each other for no excuse but to witness a violent showdown -- but what the heck is wrong with that?Bring down your gavel of screenshot-hating justice after viewing the latest images in the gallery. An empty excuse for a cash cow Wii title or not -- it looks very pretty.%Gallery-27187%[Via press release]
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%
Wii Fanboy Weekly: July 3 - July 9
It's been a busy week in the Wii world, but when isn't it? We've got lots of great homegrown content for you, as well as some of the most popular pages on the site over the last week. Don't dip your toes, dive in! And check out the new images from Castlevania Judgment.Oh, and don't forget: we're giving away another free Virtual Console game. Check it out!Features Wii Fanboy Review: SPOGS RacingWe check out the WiiWare title Wii Fanboy Review: Top Spin 3We take 2K's title to the court Brawl Stage of the Week: Freezer RoomOur weekly spotlight of user-generated content for Smash Bros. Brawl Born for Wii: Beyond Good and EvilThis deserves a Wii-specific port! Top Five: Anticipated WiiWare gameOur new features look at the top 5 hottest upcoming WiiWare games It's-a Mario World: Mario's Many Professions part 1 of 2We delve into all of Mario's past employment VC Monday Madness video wrap-up 7/7/08This week's Virtual Console games, in direct-feed video form Virtually Overlooked: Star Wars (Famicom)We tell you why it should be on the Virtual Console Another Week in SalesOur weekly analysis of the different region's game sales Other Items of Interest Mod plays NES in a NES cartridgeThe world just exploded Midna, Rosalina expertly cosplayed by Nintendo convertYou'll be surprised at how good their costumes are Mega Man 9 looks great, sounds great, did we mention it looks great?Seriously Super Smash Bros. Brawl community screensSome wacky screens from the community Sakurai: I had a lot more characters in BrawlMore? Wha?
