The Legacy of Kain series was one of last generation’s most prolific franchises. Ever since Blood Omen on the original Playstation, gamers everywhere enjoyed the exploits of Kain, the nobleman who was unjustly killed and turned into a vampire. Being able to kill enemies by drinking blood and using an array of evil powers provided a refreshing change of pace from usual action games of it’s time. However, each succeeding entry in the series, from Blood Omen 2 to the Soul Reaver games, would have a few little things holding it back from being on the level of Castlevania and Mega Man in terms of gaming franchises. 2003s Defiance went a long way to addressing these problems.
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If this game had been released over here, it would have been known as Secret of Mana 2. However translation problems, as well as the decreasing support for the Super Nintendo, kept this game from being released over here. However, I have it on good authority that an English translation may be floating around on the net. Because I don’t want the game companies coming down on us, that’s all I’ll say.

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Ever since Symphony of the Night, the Castlevania series has taken a heavy inspiration from Nintendo’s Metroid, particularly the portable entries. Even though they are all cut from similar cloth, the exploration-heavy format manages to keep itself fresh throughout each entry. The first DS entry in the series is no different. Springing from the events in 2003’s Aria of Sorrow, the game stars Soma Cruz, who must take down a cult out to resurrect Dracula. Once again players make use of the soul stealing system, which allows them to gain new attacks by stealing them from enemies. After beating a boss, players must quickly draw a arcane symbol in order to seal its power. If this isn’t done in time, then players must battle the enemy again. While this mechanic seems added in as an afterthought, it’s a fairly decent application of the DS’s touch screen capabilities. By now Castlevania fans will have made their way through this game’s sequel, Portrait of Ruin, so this review is dedicated to newer Castlevania players. This game is another solid entry in a solid franchise, but I long for the day when the series brings back the level-based format of the previous games.

It won’t be out on this side of the ocean until June 22nd 2007 but this movie was released in Australia and many parts of Europe last year. Here’s a look at what we can expect from what will surely be this summer’s greatest blockbuster.

If you really can’t wait to check out this great movie you can go ahead and import the Dead or Alive DVD from Amazon UK. Note that this movie is region 2 and PAL encoded so it won’t work in all DVD players. If importing’s not your thing then you should just get yourself in the mood by buying a Dead or Alive video game from the normal Amazon and help support the site.

Learn about how Hitomi is technically a guy and other trivia about this movie after the jump.

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We live in an age where the subject of Evolution brings about heated debate.  There are those who believe it to be the true orgin of man while others believe it to be part of an anti-religious conspiracy.  Few forms of entertainment would dare touch upon subject matter this sensitive.  In 1993 however, Enix (long before merging with Square) would release a game that would not only take on this subject matter, but also made it fun by incorporating it into the gameplay.

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These days, we don’t hold Electronic Arts with very high regard. They eat up smaller game developers and rehash thier key franchises year after year. Besides thier sports games, Battlefield games, and Def Jam fighters, there isn’t a whole lot to expect from EA. However, during the 16 bit days, they released some fairly awesome stuff, particulary on the Sega Genesis. Who can forget such underrated gems like Desert Strike, Road Rash, and Mutant League Football?

Last fall, EA released this surprising collection of 14 games from their past. Most of these games are based off the SNES and Genesis ports instead of the original PC games (I.E Ultima and Wing Commander), but they still manage to hold up fairly well. The presentation is bare-bones compared to other classic gaming collections, but you can save anywhere mid-game, view tips and hints about each game, and unlock artwork and other features. I’m a huge sucker for classic gaming compilations, this one included. If you own a PSP and want to get a glimpse of what EA was like before pumping out Madden each year, then grab this disc. EA might not have been Capcom, but they still made some solid titles.

Before Knights of the Old Republic, Battlefront, Republic Commando, heck, even X-Wing vs Tie Fighter, there was the Super Star Wars trilogy. Solid 2-d platforming action similar to Super Castlevania, multiple playable characters, a near-perfect recreation of the film’s original score, and mode 7 vehicle sequences helped to bring the original trilogy to gaming consoles in a way that couldn’t be matched to this day. The difficulty was high, but it was on a Ninja Gaiden level where your pitfalls would only make you want to try that much harder to get through the games. Yeah, we rave about how good Lego Star Wars, but this is the best interpretation of the original trilogy that doesn’t involve kid’s toys or advanced gaming technologies.

Instead of simply porting over Unreal Championship 2004 on the PC, Epic Games (you know them from “Gears of War”) decided to take a different approach to the next Xbox iteration of its Xbox FPS fragfest. From Doom’s chainsaw to Halo’s energy sword, melee combat has always been a part of FPS combat. This time however, hand-to-hand combat skills are just as important as your l33t sniper skills. Shooting at your opponent isn’t enough, now you have to learn how to pull off combos, reflect shots, and use special attacks just like in a fighting game. There are several characters to choose from, each with different abilities and techniques. Along with the standard deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag modes, there is also the new nali slaughter mode, in which you have to kill more Nali creatures than your opponent. Single player modes include tournament ladders for each character, challenge mode, and the story based “Rites of Ascension”, which tells the story of Anubis, one of the game’s characters. Of course, you can also take the game on Xbox Live as well, and you can even grab the free downloadable content (including new characters and arenas) while you’re at it.