castlevania
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Go buy the Castlevania Double Pack this weekend
Seriously. Go to GameStop and pick up at least one copy. It'll be $15, which is $7.50 per 'Vania. That's only one (or two, kind of) of the games you'll be fighting CAG users for this weekend, as GameStop is marking down a bunch of stuff by 25-50% during their Game Days sale. On the DS, you'll be able to get reduced-price copies of Phoenix Wright and Sonic Rush. There's some other stuff, too-- we've posted the whole list after the break. For more convenient browsing, DS games have SKU numbers starting with 18 and GBA games start with 16.[Via CAG]
SGD '07: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
Konami's Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles is just one of the many third-party software titles coming to PSP later this year. This Rondo of Blood remake looks nothing like its predecessor -- and for good reason. The graphics on this game are incredible. Certainly, this will move a good number of PSP systems to Castlevania fans that have long played on Nintendo handhelds. Check out the new images below:%Gallery-3224%
Konami makes iTunes useful
For years, we've been crying bloody tears over the lack of availability of game soundtracks in the US. With the rise of music download services, that situation has changed. First we had some Final Fantasy soundtracks on iTunes, then the Mother 3 OST, and now the best news of all: Konami has made a deal with Sony BMG to make their entire music catalog available on download services.Naturally, we'll be loading up with Castlevania music, but Konami has a very large collection of notable game soundtracks that at least deserve a previewing: the Metal Gear Solid series, Contra, Goemon/Mystical Ninja, and Akira Yamaoka's brilliant Silent Hill work. We don't know when Konami will start releasing music on iTunes/Rhapsody/your favorite download service, and we don't know what the order of releases will be. One thing we can confirm: this is hot.[Via Dot Matrix with Stereo Sound]
BMG to distribute Konami's music online
The place may be overrun with deadly monstrosities and the overwhelming powers of darkness, but the tunes that echo throughout the hallways of Dracula's castle usually make the vampire killing ordeal worth it. Sensing that others might share the dark lord's fine taste in orchestral compositions, Konami has announced an agreement with Sony BMG Music to distribute its library of tunes through mobile service providers and online music retailers, including iTunes and Rhapsody. The deal encompasses soundtracks beyond those belonging to the obvious Dance Dance Revolution franchise, even catering to those that find the clanging pipes and grating gears of Silent Hill preferable to the latest Ashlee Simpson squealfest.Konami also promises to make its vast history of music available for purchase on its official website, though specific release dates have yet to be announced. [Via Konami press release]
Virtually Overlooked: Castlevania (X68000)
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative. Fans of Castlevania already have the option to play the first game on Virtual Console in either of two forms: the NES version or the Super NES remake. Both are excellent games and should be in your collection. But our lust for Castlevania cannot be satiated. The best-- and hardest-- version of Castlevania has yet to appear on the Virtual Console.
Warren Ellis planning on three Castlevania films
The official blog of the straight-to-DVD animated Castlevania film that Warren Ellis is writing has become a veritable minefield of information for fans to stagger across and then be blown up by. For example: Ellis (the genius behind comics like Planetary and Transmetropolitan) feels that the story of the film, which is based on Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse, should be broken into three chunks. Also, pirate Grant DeNasty won't be included, or at least not in the first 80-minute film.There's a lot of encouraging info here, especially the post about making a film for adults, and it's well worth poring over. While there's still not a really clear picture of what sort of film this will be, it's already looking better than any videogame adaptation Uwe Boll has ever made. Of course, the same could be said of The Garbage Pail Kids Movie and it was based on trading cards. So hopefully Ellis has set his sights a bit higher than beating Boll.[via GameSetWatch]
Warren Ellis blogs about Castlevania animated movie
Comic book legend Warren Ellis has been keeping a production blog to update fans on his script work for Castlevania: Dracula's Curse, an animated adaptation of Konami's Castlevania III for the NES. The Transmetropolitan author has been candid with details about the 80-minute, direct-to-DVD film, discussing characters he will be cutting out of the film (e.g. Grant DaNasty) and plans to make the story a trilogy. Reassuring us that he won't be butchering the franchise with an Uwe Boll approach, Warren made it a point to emphasize Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi's bothersome involvement: "He remains absolutely passionate about Castlevania. After eight rewrites of pre-production material, I remain absolutely passionate about beating the crap out of IGA in a dark alleyway one day."[Via GameSetWatch]
DS Daily: What is a man?
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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]
VC Monday Madness: Hot whipping action
If you dig games from Konami, than this week's offerings on the Virtual Console are sure to tickle your fancy. Personally, one of our favorite games of all time is available this week and it's not the title you may think it is. Without further ado, here's what you can get your hands on: Castlevania (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Shockman (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) In case you were wondering, that game we love so much is The Legend of the Mystical Ninja. That little Goemon is such a hoot! We can still remember getting the game on our birthday, squealing with joy as we inserted it into our SNES. Of course, be sure to stop back later for our video wrap-up.
Castlevania, Mystical Ninja, Shockman whip Virtual Console
Another Monday, another beating unleashed upon the Wii's Virtual Console service. Who's responsible this time? Castlevania's Simon Belmont is breaking out the trusty whip, The Legend of the Mystical Ninja's Kid Ying and Dr. Yang break out their ninja-ing skills, while Shockman, uh, shocks it? We're not sure if this trio of titles is going to reverse the Virtual Console's downward trend, but the break down is like this: Castlevania (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) The Legend of the Mystical Ninja (Super NES, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Shockman (TurboGrafx16, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) Anyone spending $5 to $8 on these classics?
The $1 GameCube and other yard sale steals
Yard sales are one of the few places where you'll find items people hate so much that they'd trade them to you for a quarter. But they can also, as Cheap Ass Gamer reminds us, be a place to find some video game steals. Now, as spring has sprung in the U.S. and yard sales dot suburban streets, CAG has left a pan of hot, freshly-baked yard sale finds on their digital windowsill for you to drool over. Most tantalizing: The above cluster of 10 mint NES games like Castlevania II: Simon's Quest and Bayou Billy for the low, low price of $8, less than two NES games on the Virtual Console. Then again, you don't have to wake up at 7am to buy games on the VC, so it's really a matter of priorities. If you weren't aware that "Early bird gets the worm" is the only axiom yard sale nuts hold dearer than "I'm not going to pay more than two dollars for this Monopoly game," you're probably going to need CAG's helpful yard sale tip wiki as well. Happy hunting!
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.
Critic's choice: The top five DS games
All week, we've been sharing our favorite games with you, as well as snippets of our personalities outside the fanboy sphere. Now you know that some of us weren't really huge handheld fans before the DS, that at least one of us is terribly silly, and most of us seem to dig cats, in some way or another. But forget the trivial details -- how do our favorite games stack up against the critical darlings? We offer this side-by-side comparison to wrap up Fanboy Favorites week, and we hope you've enjoyed this closer look at not only the DS Fanboy staff, but some of the best that the DS has to offer.
DS Daily: The best ever
Continuing this week's theme, we've got a big question: what's your favorite game ever? Yes, ever -- not just on the DS, but all time. That's a tough one, and we'll look the other way (just this once) if you guys can't narrow it down to just done. You little scamps tend to cheat and slip in ties for first place anyway.We expect to hear about several Zelda titles, and perhaps a few Metroids, and hope for a Castlevania or two, but it's the offbeat favorites that are always interesting, so be prepared to explain.
DS Fanboy Favorites: Alisha's top five
All this week, the DS Fanboy staff is letting you in on a few of their favorite titles. Each day, a different member of the staff will present their personal top five DS games along with a snapshot of their gaming paraphernalia and habits, in an effort to provide our readers with a little more information on the tastes and personalities of our writers.If there's anything that can be said about my life -- and that includes my gaming life -- it's that it's messy. I'm messy. I have all this organizational garbage that's supposed to make it easier to store and find all my stuff, but see, I keep accumulating more stuff, and so I need more organizational items ... it's a vicious cycle, and it's part of why I love cartridges. I know where the box is for Clubhouse Games. It's about three feet away as I type this. I could get it, but why? Clubhouse Games goes in and out of my beloved handheld so often, I usually just leave it here on my desk along with the other games I'm interested in at the moment, and I don't have to worry about it getting all scratched up because it isn't delicate like some pansy disc. This makes me happy. I have to be more careful with CDs and DVDs ... but that doesn't mean there aren't a few stacks of discs around my workspace. Believe me, if it's at all stackable, I'm gonna stack it, and to hell with the consequences.Of course, the problem with the size of DS carts means that sometimes I lose my Clubhouse for a while, and that makes me unhappy to the extreme. Luckily, there are other games that can distract me ....
Zelda, Metroid, Castlevania ... roguelikes?!
Santiago Zapata has done something horribly, horribly geeky. As if The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Castlevania weren't retro enough, Zapata has re-created each game as an ASCII roguelike. Now, instead of hopping across pools of lava to collect an energy tank, you press "D" to jump, then tap the arrow keys to scoot across slightly darker characters that symbolize higher ground. Despite the obvious limitations the roguelike style presents, Zapata has managed to accurately emulate the feel of each game. You know, even though Link is a purple @ symbol.All three games include a full arsenal of music and sound effects, and CastlevaniaRL packs its own graphical tileset. Very little documentation is provided at the moment (the games are still works-in-progress), so start pressing buttons and you'll get the gist of things. Fortunately they aren't nearly as complex as most roguelikes, so you don't need to remember that "Q" stands for "quaff" which means "drink".
Castlevania music hits it really, really big
Our lives are officially forfeit. At a recent Video Games Live show at Yale's Woolsey Hall, classic Castlevania music was performed on a three-story pipe organ, like it was always meant to be. And we were nowhere near it. What is there to live for now? Oh, right, playing this video of it over and over again. Check out the video after the break, and gasp along with us as Vampire Killer kicks in. We feel bad for the poor pipe organ, having gotten a taste of Vania music and forced now to return to its former life.[Via Joystiq]
Castlevania themes played on massive pipe organ
Add this to your list of things you never knew you needed to see: The music of Castlevania played on a three-story pipe organ. The video was taken during a Video Games Live performance at Yale's Woolsey Hall this past weekend. The century-old organ is apparently famous ... if, you know, you're a pipe organ aficionado. Oh, who are we kidding? Attempting to be cynical in the face of something this rad is pretty futile.That being said, check out the guy unable to keep himself from applauding at 28 seconds in when he realizes what's going on. Don't laugh too hard though; wouldn't we all do the same?
