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Visits from Kojima as terrifying as you'd think
Dave Cox, producer of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, admits it's a tad nerve-racking when Hideo Kojima, who's overseeing the project, comes to visit. Or, as Cox put it to Videogamer.com, "... we're shitting ourselves! You got to make sure that the quality of what you deliver is very very high. You're constantly saying to yourself, is that really good enough? Is that really going to be good enough?"It's hard to blame Cox for his metaphorical incontinence. We're sure it's the same thing for basketball players getting coached by Michael Jordan or pickle makers when they meet that giant stork.
Producer: Lords of Shadow was always a Castlevania title (also: new trailer!)
We were a bit perplexed when Konami announced Castlevania: Lords of Shadow at E3 earlier this year. The reason: Konami announced the exact same game last year, minus the "Castlevania" in the title. Many of us here at the 'Stiq had assumed that Konami had seen an opportunity to raise the profile of the title by attaching the Castlevania name but, according to producer David Cox, that wasn't the case.Cox tells 1UP that the game was always meant to be a Castlevania title, but the association was removed when it was first announced at E3 2008. It seems Konami didn't want to steal any thunder from its then upcoming Castlevania: Judgment. Probably a good call, considering Judgment's nominal thunder could be stolen by a reasonably large rubber ball.Cox also revealed some fresh details on the game, most importantly saying that it will not follow the design of most of the recent titles in the theory, abandoning Metroid-esque exploration in favor of more linear action. In response to franchise purists, Cox pointed out that some of the best entries in the series (notably Castlevania II and IV) have been action-only affairs. Of course, it helps that the main character, Gabriel, is actually a Belmont. Head over to 1UP for more details and be absolutely certain to watch the new, extended trailer above.
New Castlevania: Lords of Shadow screens are bloody, awesome
Holy crap! We've been connoisseurs of vampire-centric media for quite some time now (thankfully, we've managed to avoid those dreadful books), but we never knew that vampires were made entirely out of blood. At least, that's the conclusion we've drawn from the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow screenshot you see above -- one of a handful of pieces of media we just got our hands on. You can see the whole batch in the gallery below.None of the others feature this bizarre phenomenon -- however, we suppose it's equally amazing that the vestments of Gabriel (the game's protagonist) remain so hemoglobin-free while he's running around, popping dudes like bloated mosquitoes.%Gallery-70457%
Kojima finally explains his wacky countdown site
Remember when Kojima's countdown ended ... and started another countdown? Man, that was fun! The creator of the Metal Gear series seemingly had a big laugh as he teased gamers all the way to his E3 announcements: Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for PSP, Metal Gear Solid: Rising for PS3 and Xbox 360, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.As the countdown continued, the site featured a number of symbols that flashed on the screen. Many of you attempted to break the code ... but were you successful? Kojima just revealed what each of those symbols was supposed to mean: 5 = it is an MGS5 class game S = Snake 巳＝snake in Kanji E = E3 R = Raiden 3 = 3 from 360 and E3 6 = 6 from 360 P and S = PSP and adding 3 makes it PS3 Once again, Kojima asks gamers: "Did you like it?" We think we can speak for most gamers when we say ... "no."
Kojima Productions in 'support role' for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Hideo Kojima has further reiterated his supporting role in Castlevania: Lord of Shadow in a new interview with Weekly Famitsu, reports 1UP. "This has become a big project, one with the idea that we needed to make a Castlevania which had that same kind of feverish Western support, and that's why Kojima Productions came in to help," Kojima told the Japanese publication.With his Metal Gear Solid games beloved by everyone the world over (everyone with taste, anyway), Kojima's the right man for the job. But seeing as how this game is being developed by Madrid-based Mercury Steam Entertainment, Kojima obviously won't be on-site to aid in development. Instead, the team comes up with concepts to run by Kojima and he has them "fix things based on my objective viewpoint." An example given is the initial model for the hero's face, which Kojima had them redesign to be, well, more heroic looking. See, people, this is the kind of thing only Kojima can bring to the table!
E3 2009 highlights: The Xbox roundup
E3 was brütal! If you blinked, for a split/second, you missed something. Even if you were trine to keep up, it was a blur -- staying a.wake like that, you only pushed yourself to the brink of your own dark void. That's where Joystiq comes in; to crackdown on the madness; to reach out ... with conviction -- phew! Crysis averted. We've scoured the dark corners and survived the inferno to piece together this roundup of all things Xbox at E3. Why? Just 'cause we love you. So, draw nier and shift your eyes past the break.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, minus the 'Castlevania'
Lords of Shadow's Gabriel, circa 2008 If Castlevania: Lords of Shadow -- announced today during Konami's E3 press conference -- seems ... familiar, it should. The game was actually announced at last year's E3 -- by Konami -- as Lords of Shadow, minus the Castlevania. But, as far as we can tell by comparing what we saw today versus a year ago, that's the only difference.Lords of Shadow was a gothic action-adventure game starring a character named Gabriel, who just so happened to wield a whip -- iconic weapon of Castlevania heroes -- that emerged from a crucifix. Castlevania: Lord of Shadows is -- in keeping with the series -- a gothic adventure, starring a crucifix/whip-wielding character named Gabriel (who, like the rest of the game, looks exactly as he did last year). Both years' trailers even feature the same giant, stone golem boss character. Oh, and look amazing. Only now, Kojima Productions is steering MercurySteam along the development path.2009, where everything old is new again -- and carrying the Castlevania name. Check out the game as it appeared a year ago in trailer form after the break (and in original concept art below).%Gallery-65063%
Feast your eyes on the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow trailer
Konami's whipped Castlevania fans into a furor with the announcement of Lords of Shadow for PS3 and Xbox 360. Oh, and the fact that its development is being overseen by Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions. But Konami -- and we -- can only say so much about the game; you really have to see it in action for yourself to achieve the absolute height of excitement. Drop. Dead. Gorgeous.
Kojima's 'Castlevania: Lords of Shadow' unmasked
click to enlarge The next Castlevania isn't being made by series legend Koji Igarashi -- it's coming from Metal Gear masters Kojima Productions. The game teased as "MASK" on the developer's E3 countdown site is, in reality, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. A 3D actioneer reminiscent of God of War, the game is under development at MercurySteam Entertainment, the studio behind American McGee's Scrapland and Clive Barker's Jericho, with Kojima Productions ... producing it.There's already some Hollywood talent attached, including British actor Patrick Stewart, best known for his role as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Kojima is not directly producing the game; rather, he's there to "support" MercurySteam on the game, which is slated for 2010 on PS3 and Xbox 360. Looks like Mr. Metal Gear is wasting no time fulfilling his wish to work with Western developers.%Gallery-65043%
Rumor: Listing reveals Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and new console Castlevania
Konami's press event won't start until June 3rd, but it looks like some of the company's line-up may already been spoiled. A seemingly careless listing on Gamespress (a resource for video game-related press releases) suggests that two of Konami/Kojima Production's new titles could be Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for PSP and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for Xbox 360 and PS3.The mention of a second new MGS follows assumptions we had previously (and could be the name of the already confirmed PSP title), while the addition of "Castlevania" to the already known Lords of Shadow is something that was unexpected. Although, on second thought ... it does look a bit like a Castelvania title (see the concept art after the break). Lord of Shadows has been an object of attention lately and was presumed to be the game teased in Kojima's other teaser website. Meanwhile, one last revelation suggests Metal Gear Solid: Rising is not a 360 exclusive but will be going to PC and PS3 as well. Considering, the non-use of the word "exclusive" in Microsoft's press conference where Hideo Kojima personally unveiled Rising, it left many to speculate whether the game was exclusive to the platform. Keep in mind, however, that this listing does not confirm anything and might be a database entry mistake.
