Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH has announced that it will release a Windows PC version of its stunning Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 alongside the versions for PlayStation3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

The Windows PC version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 is being simultaneously developed by Madrid-based Mercury Steam, and builds on its critically acclaimed predecessor in every way. The new game features an all-new storyline, a larger cast of characters, huge open world environments and breath-taking visuals delivered via a much more powerful, brand new in house game engine called Mercury Engine 2.

Whereas the first game detailed the origin of Dracula and his legendary connection with the Belmonts, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, acts as a shocking finale to the Lords of Shadow saga, as Dracula returns once again; weakened and yearning for release from his immortal bonds. Facing a new and powerful threat, the vampire lord must amass his old powers – and his castle is central to regaining his abilities.

“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow successfully rebooted the franchise but now we want to go further and exceed people’s expectations on what to expect from the sequel,” commented Dave Cox, Producer of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 and Head of Product Planning and Development for Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH. “This new game tells a much broader tale and one that spans centuries. It is a game that pushes whatever format it is on to the absolute limit, and we are delighted that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2’s rich blend of first-class fighting, deep exploration and rich storytelling are set to delight and enthrall PC users, too. There’s a darkness coming and with our new game engine, we hope to deliver something truly special across multiple formats that will set new standards for action adventure games …”

• Release Date: 2013
• Formats: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows PC
• Studio: Mercury Steam
• Contact: Steve Merrett, Voltage PR. 020 7502 4462, steve@voltagepr.com
• URL: www.castlevania-lordsofshadow.com

The article Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 swoops to PC appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Those fearing vampires will now forever be associated with the awful “Twilight” brand name are in for a treat. Konami announced at E3 they are working on two new Castlevania games: Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2. Both are set after the events of Castlevania: Lords of Shadows, released in 2010 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. Taking place in 11^th century medieval Europe with a plot concerned with the beginning of the Belmont/Dracula feud, Lords of Shadow served as a reboot to the series featuring the new character Gabriel Belmont.

Originally revealed by Nintendo Power a few days before E3, Mirror of Fate is being developed for the 3DS by MercurySteam, the studio that made Lords of Shadow. Set 25 years after Lords of Shadow, the plot follows Trevor Belmont as he tries to discover what happened to his father, Gabriel Belmont. Trevor, however, is far from being the only playable character. Simon Belmont, Alucard and one other yet to be revealed character will all be controllable, with the player switching between characters in predetermined areas in the game.

Interestingly, many of these characters have already appeared in the franchise, although under different circumstances. Trevor Belmont was the main character of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse on the Nintendo Entertainment System and also featured in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness on the Playstation 2 and Xbox, both of which were set in the late 15^th century. Simon Belmont is probably the most famous of all Belmonts, having been in several Castlevania games, including the first two, and was born in 1667. Alucard, the son of Dracula, has also been playable in several games, with his most noteworthy appearances being in Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse alongside Simon, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

It is unclear whether these characters in Mirror of Fate are meant to represent the characters listed above in an alternate universe, or are simply completely different people. Perhaps Konami is trying to ease fans into this reboot by including familiar characters.

Also uncertain is the style of the game: although it is known the game will be set in 2D, it is not known if it will feature different levels, as was the case of Lords of Shadow, or just have one big playing area, with certain areas requiring special abilities for access. Previous games that have fallen into the latter category have been nicknamed “Metroidvania” for their gameplay reminiscent of Metroid. Since Symphony of the Night, all major 2D Castlevania games have been this way.  However, with the reboot and a different story may come a different style of gameplay.

Mirror of Fate is meant as a prequel to Lords of Shadow 2, setting up the events for its console counterpart, and is due for release this fall.

Although details are scarce about Lords of Shadow 2, some elements of the plot were revealed. The game will star Gabriel Belmont, now a vampire, as he deals with a new threat in addition to his former family hunting him down. The debut trailer showed Alucard, although at this time it is unknown whether or not he will be a playable character.

The article Two New Castlevania Games in Development appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Following the Nintendo Press Conference on Tuesday, Nintendo offered a web follow up on Wednesday with the Nintendo All-Access 3DS Software Showcase. The 3DS Software Showcase offered some new, and not so new, insight to up and coming games for the 3DS, as well as some features for the Nintendo eStore. Though the showcase was insightful and entertaining, it still felt like Nintendo was holding back some details and they did not produce anything to ‘wow’ anyone. With that out of the way, let us take a look at the hits and misses of Nintendo’s All-Access 3DS Software Showcase.

Hosting the showcase was Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President in charge of Sales and Marketing, Scott Moffitt. Moffitt opens the night by stating that the “best portable gaming is found on the 3DS console” and goes on to introduce future games to come by starting off with Konami’s Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate.

The latest installment of the Castlevania series, Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate is part of the reboot of the Castlevania series. Features introduced for the game were the revival of whip swinging, secondary weapons such as the boomerang, map navigation via the touch screen, and four playable characters which currently include Trevor and Alucard. The gameplay really gives the game a retro feel going back to the original game series along with blending this style with the later games found on the DS. The game was announced to be released in the Fall of 2012.

Warren Spector and Peter Ong introduced Epic Mickey Power of Illusion. The game is its own story with no connection to the previous Epic Mickey title, but is in fact based off the classic Disney game Castle of Illusion (remarked as the best Mickey game to date). The game introduces a team up between Mickey and Oswald along with the ability to paint in object and the ability to erase enemies via the touch pad. The game is scheduled to be released November 16th of this year.

Nate Bihldorff discussed Paper Mario Sticker Star. Like Luigi’s Mansion, much of what was described about the game was mentioned in Nintendo’s previous Press Conference, with an addition of a few new examples. The new Paper Mario game heavily revolves around the new sticker system. Stickers are Mario’s means of attack, from basic attacks to item attacks, they are all sticker based. The RPG element has also been updated, which does not involve attacking enemies to earn XP. This time Mario must earn his health boost and attack boost by completing tasks or by finding hidden passages. The game is scheduled to be released during the holiday season.

Nate also discussed information on the New Super Mario Bros 2. The new Mario Bros game for the 3DS, as detailed in Nintendo’s Press Conference, is heavily coin based. Along with the usual game mode, a special counter has been added which keeps track of Mario’s coin count. This coin counter will play a heavy role in the new challenge mode that has been introduced, Coin Rush.

Coin Rush is a speed run mode with a twist, the twist being that the player must collect as much coins as he can while trying to make record time to add to their coin count. The game also introduces a co-op mode, in which the player and a friend can team up to beat the story. The last announcement is the return of the Tanooki suit and the ability to fly. New Super Mario Bros 2 is scheduled to be released August 19th in store and as a download.

The showcase also announced that the new Pokemon games Black and White 2 will be released on the 3DS. The games will also be able to function with Pokemon Dream Radar and Pokedex 3D Pro (both are exclusive releases through the Nintendo eStore). The release dates for the games have not yet been released.

Besides other third party games, again previously announced, the Showcase went into some new details about what’s new with the Nintendo eStore. The Nintendo eStore is looking to bridge the gap between stores and web purchases, by further expanding their catalog of games available for download and giving people the option of purchasing the game in a store or the option of purchasing a download card.

Overall, it was nice to see some more details about some of the hot games coming out for the 3DS, but a lot of it felt rehashed from the first press conference, with an exception of a few new details for Paper Mario and New Super Mario Bros 2. One game that Nintendo continued to leave out was Animal Crossing for the 3DS, a popular series that has had its share of success was yet again left out of Nintendo’s E3 showcase. In the end, the 3DS showcase was better than the Nintendo Press Conference, but still lacked a lot of game details and surprises that Nintendo really need at E3 this year.

Image Courtesey of  Sklathill

The article Nintendo All-Access 3DS Software Showcase Overview appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.