Seeing as how October is upon us, I’m going to make it my mission to do as many Halloween and horror-esque themed articles as possible for the entirety of the month. This rendition of OFotW is hardly obscure nor a recent find for me, but worthy of making note of nonetheless.

For the month of October, the Dwelling of Duels is holding a Castlevania-themed contest in honor of the Halloween season that is upon us!

For those who are unaware of what the Dwelling of Duels is exactly – it’s a long-running online competition for those who are skilled in the art of music making to test their skills out on remixing video game music, and is generously hosted by VGmix. Each month features a new theme of the contest, with a “Free Month” happening every so often. Competitors are required to have produced at least one live-made instrument as part of the composition, and to make their entry as unique as possible, whist still adhering to the original tune their basing their song off of.

The site’s regular participants include some of the internet’s most well-known VG remixers, such as Norg, Snappleman, and Goat, and showcases serious talent in the genre of gaming remixes. This will mark the first time a Castlevania themed contest has ever been attempted in the 4 known years it’s been running. Perfect for the running of the October colors. The contest entry acceptance runs until the 26th, and a listening party is scheduled for the following night. It’s very much the type of thing to keep your eye on if you’re a fan of gaming music remixes.

Because we can’t get enough Iron Man teasers:

Consider me teased! Bring on the movie already!

Via Blogs@Newsarama

Seems as though last weeks rumors were true, and Bungie has indeed split from Microsoft to pursue other opportunities. The Microsoft press release reads:

“REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 5, 2007 — Microsoft Corp. today announced a plan for Bungie Studios, the developers of the “Halo®” franchise, to embark on a path to become an independent company. Microsoft will retain an equity interest in Bungie, at the same time continuing its long-standing publishing agreement between Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie for the Microsoft-owned “Halo” intellectual property as well as other future properties developed by Bungie.

The critically acclaimed Xbox 360®-exclusive “Halo 3” achieved $300 million in global sales in its first week. Released on Tuesday, Sept. 25, “Halo 3” is the fastest-selling video game ever and already one of the most successful entertainment properties in history.

“Our collaboration with Bungie has resulted in ‘Halo’ becoming an enduring mainstream hit,” said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. “While we are supporting Bungie’s desire to return to its independent roots, we will continue to invest in our ‘Halo’ entertainment property with Bungie and other partners, such as Peter Jackson, on a new interactive series set in the ‘Halo’ universe. We look forward to great success with Bungie as our long-term relationship continues to evolve through ‘Halo’-related titles and new IP created by Bungie.”

“This exciting evolution of our relationship with Microsoft will enable us to expand both creatively and organizationally in our mission to create world-class games,” said Harold Ryan, studio head for Bungie. “We will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft® platforms; we greatly value our mutually prosperous relationship with our publisher, Microsoft Game Studios; and we look forward to continuing that affiliation through ‘Halo’ and beyond.”

Bungie Studios will remain in its current location in Kirkland, Wash….”

What this means for Microsoft competitors Sony and Nintendo remains to be seen, but this is big news any way you slice it. More info as it becomes available.