Well, it’s been confirmed by several accounts, including Konami’s official website that Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia was indeed the game that featured screenshots that were leaked some time ago. Slated for a fall release, Order of Ecclesia features newcomer protagonist Shanoa as a member of the elusive Order, who has been trained as an agent to be used against Dracula’s forces when the Belmont family mysteriously vanishes. New tidbits featured are, as mentioned, a female main character, which is a first since IGA took over the series and eliminated Gameboy’s Castlevania Legends from canon for the same reason. The other new feature is a glyph system of fighting, which is mentioned as akin to Aria of Sorrow’s tactical-soul system.
An interview with series producer IGA maps out these new fighting systems and a few other interesting aspects of the new game, including new artwork not of the anime-genre of Dawn of Sorrow or Portrait of Ruin, but neither from series’ usual artist Ayami Kojima.

Another interesting bit of Castlevania news has been rumored as to the next Castlevania game after Ecclesia, which has been confirmed as being for a console. The title “Castlevania: Judgment” has been registered by Konami almost right on the heels of Ecclesia, and whispers from Japan hint that the console of choice very well might be the Nintendo Wii. The real reason this is interesting is because IGA had stated long ago that he was frowning at the idea of having a Castlevania on the Wii due to obvious gimmicks that would be associated with the Wiimote and a whip-weapon system. Only time will tell if these rumors, like the ones for Ecclesia, prove to be true.

Quick bit of news from the resident Castlevaniac; it would appear that Konami has registered a title and logo for their supposed upcoming new Nintendo DS title – Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. Though no official word has been announced by the gaming giant, Konami has indeed been confirmed to have registered the title name. (screenshot courtesy of Gamefront) This is, of course, all speculation until Konami actually releases an official statement.

The term Ecclesia means “a gathering of those summoned”, though as is well known with other Castlevania games, a title doesn’t need to necessarily have anything to do with the actual game. (Harmony of Dissonance for example had neither). There is also no account of this having anything to do with the supposed leaked game images that I reported on a few months ago, though the silvery design of the logo does match up with the previous images in Japanese.

Late April Fools? Konami holding out on fans? Who knows. All I hope is that this is a precursor to actual official news on *any* Castlevania game in the works being released in the very near future. Any tidbit I find out about I’ll be sure to pass on to you.

Today, we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, a man who has dedicated his life to equality between people of all races. In the 1960s, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the X-men, a comic book about a team of superheroes dedicated to equality between human and mutant. Even though the cast was all Caucasian at the time, the book explored race relations in a profoundly brilliant manner without the material being heavy handed. Over time, the team’s roster would expand to include heroes from many different backgrounds, from the Jewish Kitty Pryde and the African Storm to the Native American Mirage. Throughout their 40+ year history, the X-men have seen many ups and downs, both in and out of comics, and video gaming is no different. What better way is there to celebrate Dr King’s dream than to have a look back at the interactive adventures of Xavier’s finest? In the first part of this two part special, we’ll take a look at some of the earliest games starring the children of the atom. The second part, coming later this week, will feature the Marvel vs Capcom games as well as Activision’s X-men titles.
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It’s that time of the year again folks! The scariest night of the year, October 31st is upon us once again, and in between the candy, costumes, and practical jokes, we got a dose of some of the scariest games that have ever graced a console. One of which is an unknown chapter of a well-known franchise, and the other is a modern-day update to one of the most prolific titles in gaming. So without further ado, turn down the lights, keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times, and try not to wet yourself.
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I featured this game’s sequel as this week’s $20 GOTW, so with Halloween less than a week away and Dracula X Chronicles hitting the PSP this week, lets take a look at this classic but overlooked installment of Konami’s signature horror series. While it had the look and style of earlier Castlevania games, Bloodlines introduced some subtle changes in the formula that made it stand out from the rest of the series.
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Later this month, Konami will be bringing Dracula X to the US for the first time ever as a PSP remake of the original PC Engine game. The original version of the game, as well as Symphony of the Night, will both be available as hidden extras on the disc. No time like the present to look at the most recent entry in the series. This follow up to 2005’s Dawn of Sorrow, sticks closely to the franchise’s more recent “Metroidvania” style of gameplay while adding in some new twists of its own. Not the least of which is that you’ll be controlling two characters at once, each with their own skills and abilities. Features such as this help keep the formula as enjoyable as it has been in the past several entries in the series.
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Okay, I realize I shouldn’t like this game as much as I do, but in spite of its over emphasis on the female form, slightly sluggish yet simple play control, and lack of variety in its play modes, it can actually become a bit enjoyable if you don’t expect much from it. Developed by Yuke’s Future Media Creators (you know them from the Smackdown games) and published by Konami (you know them from Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, Contra, and dozens of other great franchises), RRXX is a sequel to 2004’s Rumble Roses, a Playstation 2 wrestling game. The game’s big hook is that it features an all-female cast. Each of them scantily clad to boot. This game clearly isn’t for everyone.
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Light gun shooters, fighting games, and Dance Dance Revolution are pretty much the only reasons people visit arcades these days. Even so, with so many gun games available, it takes more than just pasting a gun onto a cabinet to get a gamer’s attention, and Konami has never disappointed in this regard. Even back in the days with Lethal Enforcers and its realistic digitized graphics, Konami created many innovative entries in the genre. One of its best additions is the Silent Scope. It featured a huge sniper-rifle peripheral attached to the cabinet, and it simulated the experience of being a real anti-terrorist sniper (to a certain extent of course). You had to use strategy and planning in taking your shots. Shooting erratically like in other shooters will only alert the enemy to your presence quicker and make your mission that much harder. This tense atmosphere made Silent Scope unique from other light gun games. Several versions of the game have appeared on Dreamcast, Playstation 2, and even the Game Boy Advance. However, Konami has put all the games from the series on this Xbox compilation. It contains Silent Scope 1 and 2, EX (the exclusive arcade game) and Silent Scope 3 (a Playstation 2 exclusive entry featuring a stage select). Like most shooters, the games tend to be short. However, the games contain several unlockable extras that should extend the replay value some. There is also a light gun available for use with this compilation. Although its a bit hard to find, it should act as a suitable replacement for the arcade game’s huge gun. Even without it, the controls work quite responsively. Getting 4 games on one disc isn’t a bad thing, and its one of the best gun franchises besides Time Crisis. Fans of the genre should check it out.