Castlevania
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The Toy Maker in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is a play-date of terror
The Toy Maker from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate makes a return appearance in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, though neither he nor Gabriel seem too pleased about it. Konami has released footage of the boss fight that occurs when Gabriel meets up with the pudgy amnesiac for all to enjoy, and possibly use as a strategy guide when the game comes out. Lords of Shadow 2 takes place in modern day, but we get the feeling Gabriel hasn't gotten out much over the past couple thousand years. Had he watched movies like Child's Play, The Woman in Black, or Dead Silence, he'd have known right away that a lover of toys in a spooky castle is just screaming "red flag." [Image: Konami]
'Blood is everything' in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (but this sword is cool too)
Because being an undying creature of the night is apparently not enough to impress people these days, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 equips Dracula with the void sword, a sharp utensil that looks like an icicle but cuts through enemies like a hot chain whip. [Image: Konami]
Mega Man anniversary, Symphony of the Night remix albums released [update]
Update: This post's lede is meant to reference the absence of a new Mega Man game, but is written in a way that suggests Capcom was not involved in the production of these albums. Capcom Community Manager Brett Elston pitched and oversaw the production of both albums, meaning both are a collaboration between the publisher and fans of the series. Capcom didn't do much for the 25th anniversary of Mega Man, but its fans sure did! Two new albums celebrating the series' sonic history, MM25: Mega Man Rocks and For Everlasting Peace: 25 Years of Mega Man, are ready to bring back fond memories of the blue bomber's legacy via waveforms. MM25: Mega Man Rocks is an 18-track effort from six bands; Armcannon, The Megas, Mega Ran, X-Hunters, The Protomen and Bit Brigade. MM25 also features new songs - The Protomen's "Built to Last" and Mega Ran's "20XX" - so there should be something here for you even if you've recently been to a show. For Everlasting Peace: 25 Years of Mega Man boasts 21 remixes from the fine musicians at OC Remix, all of which originate from the first game in a Mega Man series. To be specific, the album features re-imagined tracks from Mega Man, Mega Man X, Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Battle Network, Mega Man Zero, Mega Man ZX and Mega Man Star Force. Both of these albums are available on iTunes for $9.99. If you've spent more of your time whipping Medusa heads out of the air and eating questionably-stored chickens, Dj Cutman has released Nerdcore Instrumentals, a free remix album dedicated to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's soundtrack. Cutman writes on the album's site that the involved beats were produced by Sammus and mastered by himself, describing the venture as an "experiment" to use techniques he would typically "reserve for dance music on hiphop instrumentals." [Thanks, Dj Cutman!]
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 Premium Edition for Europe, new trailer and screens for all
Konami announced two collector's edition bundles for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 for European players today. The Premium Edition comes with a tomb-like case and includes four figurines, a hardcover art book, a steelbook case and a copy of the game, while the steelbook edition includes the metal case and either two alternate Dracula costumes or a "Relic Rune" pack, depending on where the collector's edition is pre-ordered from. Those looking to pre-order the Premium Edition need to act fast, as it is limited to 30,000 copies across GAME stores in the UK. Additionally, Konami unveiled a new trailer for Lords of Shadow 2 and new screens, which features Dracula, Carmilla and a whole bunch of shouting. Well, the trailer includes shouting, but not the screens. Though if screenshots could yell, the ones in this gallery would. The game will launch February 25 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Jukebox Heroes: Super Adventure Box's soundtrack
OK, yeah, how could I not do this? I know that we at Massively have gone a little ga-ga over ArenaNet's stellar April Fools' Day prank-slash-massive update, but when I saw that the team released a half-hour of original score in addition to all of the pixelated monkey mayhem, I knew I had to review it. Your enjoyment of Guild Wars 2's Super Adventure Box and its score will largely depend on your memories or feelings about old-school video games. For a kid who grew up on 8-bit and 16-bit games, the sound of SAB is pure nostalgia (even if it is original composition). I think it's also as catchy as cooties. Composers Maclaine Diemer and Leif Chappelle put in a lot of effort to not just make a classic-sounding soundtrack here but specifically reference and pay homage to plenty of old-school hits. Hang with me as I highlight the best of Super Adventure Box, and I promise that next week we'll get back to serious business.
New Nintendo eShop releases: Toki Tori 2, Castlevania
Two Tribes has let its baby bird leave the nest; Toki Tori 2, the subject of a sudden delay last year, will be available today on the Wii U eShop.Meanwhile on 3DS, the biggest release is a game from 1987, the original Castlevania. It's out on the eShop just in time to be a few weeks late to promote Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate. A couple of former retail games, including the adorable Gabrielle's Ghostly Groove, are also available, as is some DLC for Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity.
Preorder Castlevania: Mirror of Fate at GameStop, get 3DS case
By preordering Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate at GameStop, you'll receive a transparent (translucent?) 3DS case. There's nothing in the GameStop listing that notes a 3DS XL case as an option in the preorder bonus, however.
Castlevania: Hymn of Blood is a fanmade web series about Simon Belmont
The Castlevania movie project alluded to by actor Michael Dorn turned out not to be the resurrection of any of the past "official" movie works. Castlevania: Hymn of Blood is a fan series on the "START" channel on YouTube, produced by Warp Factor 2; it just happens to be a fan series with Michael Dorn in it.As an unofficial fan series, Hymn of Blood is able to remix the Castlevania canon however it sees fit, which begins right from this first episode. You can see two more after the break.
The Castlevania movie returns from the grave, with Michael Dorn
The Castlevania movie is back. Actually, it's unclear which Castlevania movie is back, whether it's the Paul W.S. Anderson version, the James Wan version, the animated movie, or something else entirely. All we know is that there is one, and Michael Dorn from Star Trek: The Next Generation plays a werewolf in it."It's a fun little part. It's four days, and I'm playing a werewolf that's been around for a gajillion years who works for this vampire," Dorn told Startrek.com. "It's not too far from Worf because there's a lot of killing and jumping and sword fights and everything." Dorn said that fellow Star Trek alum Marina Sirtis got him involved with the surprisingly existing film project.We've contacted Konami to learn more about this film project, but the publisher said it could not confirm anything about the project. We'll let you know as soon as we can verify the presence of waiter skeletons.
Rumor: New 3DS Castlevania to debut at E3
A new Castlevania game will be announced for the 3DS during E3 next month, according to Dutch site n1ntendo, as translated by neoGAF. The project will reportedly be exclusive to Nintendo's handheld and already has Castlevania: Lords of Shadow producer David Cox and director Enric Alvarez attached – according to information that supposedly comes from a leaked E3 schedule for Konami.Cox did tease that he was spending time "in the land of Dracul" last April, though his Twitter responses to this latest rumor call the idea "misinformed," reiterating that "the truth is ALWAYS better than fiction!"
Castlevania whipped up in Minecraft
Nick Hagman took a break from his hobby of performing incredible retro gaming feats with a dance pad, to perform an incredible retro gaming feat in Minecraft. Why yes, that is the entire world of Castlevania explorable in pseudo-3D, and yes, it does make us want to play some Vania right now.
Egoraptor's Sequelitis analyses Super Castlevania IV
The art of game design is a subtle, delicate craft that requires expertise, dedication and ingenuity to truly master. It's a skill that also goes largely uncelebrated, considering that the best game design is often unnoticeable when properly implemented.Sequelitis, a new YouTube series from Awesome Series creator/animator Egoraptor, takes a hilarious look at the philosophy behind game design by comparing an original title to one of its sequels. The latest episode (above) takes a look at the differences between Castlevania and Super Castlevania IV, and how changing the whip and jumping mechanics fundamentally altered the game's structural underpinnings. It's a fascinating and remarkably entertaining way to learn about game design, so be sure and check out the first two episodes when you're done here.
Super Mario Bros. Crossover gets a makeover in Version 2.0
The 2.0 update for Super Mario Bros. Crossover, coming in Q1 2012, gives the homemade blend-em-up a bit more flash and a wider spectrum of nostalgia. And the new SNES and Gameboy visuals don't detract from the game's real purpose, which is to destroy that aloof minion Lakitu in new and interesting ways.
Castlevania: A miserable little pile of minutiae
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the very first Castlevania game -- one you likely didn't play, since it came out only on the Japanese MSX computer. But luckily for millions of fans worldwide, it was ported to the NES, a system with much wider appeal, and touched off a franchise that has enraptured fans of movie monsters, whip-wielding barbarians, fur-coated bishounen, and frustration. In honor of that anniversary, and the relative obscurity built into its circumstances, we've rounded up some aspects of the series that may have gotten lost in the labyrinthine reaches of your brain, like a delicious pot roast hidden behind a brick wall. [Image via The Arcade Flyer Archive]
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra gets in the video game concert game
Hey, Video Games Live isn't the only contender in the market for orchestral performances of ludological accompaniment, you know. The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra -- for those unfamiliar with their Midwest geography, that's Dayton, Ohio -- is putting together a game-themed show, aptly titled PLAY.
Hyperspace Beacon: Homage to we hope this never makes it into SWTOR, but knowing our luck, it probably will
One of the best compliments you can give a creator is to make an homage to his work. The title of one of the Hyperspace Beacons was an homage to TOROCast articles. It's a way to tell the creator, "You're doing a good job. Keep up the good work." Not to mention, homages are a lot of fun. In fact, my first published work was an homage to the work of Charles Dickens. I wrote a story about what happened to the Cratchit children. But what happens when an homage goes too far? Every once in a while, the Hyperspace Beacon takes a side track and asks about ideas that should end up on the cutting room floor. We all know games have concepts that just don't work. Star Wars: The Old Republic will be no exception. This little humorous segment is called We hope this never makes it into SWTOR, but knowing our luck, it probably will -- or WHTNMIISWTORBKOLIPW, for short. Follow me after the break to see what "homageneous" ideas should never make it into the release of SWTOR, but knowing our luck, they will anyway.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair DLC adds pyramid power
If you and your band of vampire hunters have completely mastered everything Dracula has to throw at you in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Konami has the cure for your terminal success: DLC! This week, a new pyramid-themed level is available from the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 Microsoft Points. And if you were concerned that the game wasn't gothy enough, more good news! The level is called "Beauty, Desire, Situation Dire." Konami also announced that more playable characters would be forthcoming as DLC. Seasoned whipmaster Julius Belmont, magic user Yoko Belnades, and animal tamer Maria Renard will be added to the game at an unspecified later date. They'll be a sacred gift when they arrive!%Gallery-104035%
Mega64 tickles Dracula's rib with Simon's Quest parody
As Castlevania: Lords of Shadow approaches, Mega64 celebrates the series with a tribute to the crystal-tradingest, corpse-huntingest game in the series, Simon's Quest. The "villagers" are as incomprehensible in real life as in the game, but one "extra" still manages to steal the show.
How disc swapping works in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow for Xbox 360
If you haven't heard, the Xbox 360 version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will ship on two discs (Limited Edition pictured above). Here's a tip: You can save yourself some precious disc-swapping time if you install at least Disc One to your hard drive. Although Lords of Shadow's story is told in an episodic, linear fashion, you'll want to revisit earlier levels to find missing collectibles and beat any additional challenges. Without installing, you'll have to swap discs every time you want to revisit earlier levels. However, if you've installed the data, you won't ever have to swap discs again; you'll be able to continue playing with just Disc Two in the drive. It's an interesting way of overcoming the DVD format's size limitation -- a clever trick that could be employed by future multi-disc releases.
Amazon: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow LE out in October
Amazon sent out word of a Castlevania: Lords of Shadow limited edition a bit early this week by releasing a mockup image of the package. Now the retailer has boldly tweeted (if one can do something called "tweeting" in a bold manner) release info for the limited edition, pricing it at $79.99 on PS3 and Xbox 360. The image is exactly the same as this week's mockup, meaning that we will get that nice hand-painted artwork on the box (that looks a lot like the work of longtime Castlevania artist Ayami Kojima) along with the soundtrack and artbook, that were shown before. The Amazon listings also show a Halloween release date for both the standard and limited editions, though we're hesitant to confirm any release dates from retailers as "official" without checking in with Konami -- which we're doing now.
