RipTen Videogame Blog » castlevania

Lords of Shadow Producer Working on Two Unannounced Projects

Dave Oshry — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 07:31:45 +0000

You all remember David Cox, yes? The man at Mercury Steam who spearheaded a 3D Castlevania game that was so solid even Hideo Kojima got on board?

Well, Coxy has been very busy and according to his twitter feed, he’s working on not one, but two new projects

I noticed his tweet at my buddy Dave from NowGamer and replied thusly:

Psh, why would I be in bed when I can be stalking you on twitter?!

Anyway, who knows what these projects could be…

It could be a much welcomed sequel to Lords of Shadow, or perhaps he’s even involved with the Contra reboot we all know is coming thanks to Konami’s tease at E3.

One thing is for sure, if Cox is involved, these projects have promise.

Stay tuned to RipTen as this story unfolds.

Konami (Finally) Announces Castlevania: Harmony of Despair for the PS3

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:34:09 +0000

Konami today announced that Castlevania: Harmony of Despair will be coming to the PSN later this summer. Players will now have the opportunity to be reunited with Dracula with the fast-paced, 2D side scrolling action that the series has become known for. New local 4 player co-op mode added to compliment the excising 6 player online co-op mode already in place.

Also added into the PlayStation version is the “Beauty, Desire, Situation Dire” Map pack, which is known as the Pyramid of Ruin level as well as downloadable characters Julius Belmont and Yoko Belnades, all available with the regular purchase of the game.

All I’ve got to say is it’s about time. The game has only been available for Xbox Live for what … a year now?

Read our Review of the Xbox Live Version.

Castlevania Games Discounted on XBLA – SOTN Only 400 MS Points!

Dave Oshry — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:47:02 +0000

If you don’t already own Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in some form, then shame on you. You should turn in your gamer card right now because you’ve missed out not only on arguably the best game in the Castlevania franchise, but one of the greatest video games of all time.

Better yet, all week every downloadable Cvania game is on sale, GET!

Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (full game) – 600 Microsoft points
Castlevania Symphony of the Night (full game) – 400 Microsoft points
Harmony of Despair extra stage: Lord of Flies – 160 Microsoft points
Harmony of Despair extra stage: The Legend of Fuma – 120 Microsoft points
Harmony of Despair extra stage: The One Who Is Many – 160 Microsoft points
Harmony of Despair extra stage: Origins – 120 Microsoft points
Harmony of Despair extra stage: Beauty, Desire, Situation Dire – 200 Microsoft points

What are you waiting for? Check out our review of Harmony of Despair and don’t even bother asking around, get Symphony of the Night NOW!!

Reverie’s Upload to PSN Was an “Error” Says Lords of Shadow Producer

Matthew Sims — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:52:07 +0000

Many gamers have been asking the same question, why was the Castlevania Lords of Shadow DLC entitled Reverie only released for the PSN? Well an irate fan posted the question to David Cox, the producer of the game, and his response was different than expected.

“That was put up there in error and it’s too late to take it down. I sympathise it’s not the best situation.”

The PS3 version was supposed to be delayed along with the Xbox 360 version but the PS3 received it last week with a Playstation Store update. Seems to me that if it wasn’t supposed to be up, you could just take it down, but I don’t claim to have any idea how the Playstation Store works.

Reverie extends the plot of Lords of Shadow beyond the main plot line and takes place after the conclusion of the main game.

If you have a PS3 you should check out Ripten’s review of the new DLC and see if it’s worth your time.

Source: [Joystiq]

The King Nintendo Fanboy’s Collectors Journal 3/18/2011

Justin Berube — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 19:38:28 +0000

Many people know that I’m a big Nintendo Fanboy and that I collect Nintendo games, goods, memorabilia, and more. If it says Nintendo on it, and it’s official, I want it. That’s what the Nintendo Collectors Journal is all about. From this point on I’ll be documenting all the exciting Nintendo items I gather on my travels. I come across things both new and old so be sure to check back to see what I’ve come across.

Previous: The King Nintendo Fanboy’s Collectors Journal 3/8/2011

Next: The King Nintendo Fanboy’s Collectors Journal 4/1/2011

This time I have some items from the Nintendo World Store as well as some items donated to my Nintendo collection from my friend Stephen. The Nintendo World Store items include Nintendo posters, t-shirts, shot glasses, a puzzle, and more. Stephen gave me an XBAND, many instruction manuals, Mario cards, and much much more. Thank you Stephen! I really appreciate all this awesome stuff!

If anyone has any questions regarding the items shown this week feel free to ask!

Want to see when I add new items to my Nintendo collection? Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like Me on Facebook for updates on the next Nintendo Collectors Journal. Be sure to give me tips on where to get some sweet Nintendo swag as well!

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Gets “Reverie” DLC at the End of March

Matthew Sims — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:49:14 +0000

Konami has announced today that it will release the first DLC for the surprisingly refreshing Castlevania: Lords of Shadow at the end of March.

The first of two planned DLC packs for the game, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Reverie sees players return to the castle as Gabriel seeks to help Laura, the former servant to the vampire Camilla. The death of the vampire Queen has unleashed an ancient evil that threatens the land, and Gabriel must restore balance in these two additional chapters for players to enjoy.

The DLC will be priced at 800 Microsoft Points or $10 on the Playstation Network.

New Castlevania: Lords of Shadow DLC Teased

Ripten Staff — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 19:59:37 +0000

From Contributer Matt Sims:

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow definitely created a rift between fans of the franchise, with some liking the new direction and others scoffing at the changes (we call them Castlevania Hipsters.) In either event the latest title has earned itself some DLC. Konami teased the new downloadable content named “Reverie” on its Facebook page with a simple tagline:

“What if anything, could stop Gabriel?”

Of course, we know nothing about it except for the name. We don’t have a price point, we don’t have any key plot points, and we don’t have anything more than that picture on the page and the tagline. Until Ripten knows more, I will leave you to froth at the mouth in anticipation. You’re welcome.

Is Konami Developing a Castlevania For 3DS?

Aaron Alexander — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 22:27:02 +0000

Konami already has a slew of titles coming to the 3DS, including franchises such as Contra and the revered Metal Gear series. Though its not official, we may also see Castlevania join the ranks.

According to to industry writer Paul Gale, sources are indicating that Konami’s, “3D modelers have already begun work on then next Castlevania game and that it’s for 3DS.” Gale also mentions that the new title could take advantage of the 3D camera.

Koji Igarashi has previously let it be known that Konami has the 3DS Development kit in-house, and that he is quite fond of the technology.

Castlevania games always do very well on handheld platforms such as the GBA or DS – So given the track-record, I’d say the question is not if Castlevania will come to the 3DS, but when.

Source: Dtoid

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Ships One Million

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:22:22 +0000

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is no doubt a great game. Read our review, we loved it. So it makes for great news that one million units have been shipped in North America and Europe. Great news for Konami and the Castlevania franchise.

Shinji Hirano, President of Konami, had this to say about Lords of Shadow’s success:

“Castlevania has truly reinvented itself with its move to next gen platforms and we’re extremely pleased at the positive response we’ve seen toward Castlevania: Lords of Shadow globally, mainly due to the dedicated fans who have supported the series for so long, the remarkable sales achieved in such a short time are a true testament of the work and dedication that went into this project, and we’re very grateful to have partnered with such fine talent in the rebirth of one of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.’s most successful franchises.”

When games do well, normally you can look forward to a sequel. Anyone who has played Lords of Shadow and watched the ending credits should know there’s much to look foward to.

Australian Release of Castlevania: LoS and Pro Evo Soccer 2011 Delayed

Bryce Wilson — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:35:22 +0000

For any of my Australian friends holding out for the release of either game, I’m sorry to say but there’s going to be another slight amendment to the release date. Due to an unforseen error with shipping the games across the world, both are now expected in retailers in the country over on October 19th (Next Tuesday).

I have been assured though that this is the “definite release and it won’t change again”, so go out and buy Medal of Honor in two days to keep yourself occupied until the 19th!

RipTen Review: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (PS3)

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:05:53 +0000

First and foremost, I will start this review with my opinion: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is the series first triumph in three dimensions. It’s an Epic adventure, not limited to one castle as many previous iterations have been, this is a game that will take you through a world so grand in scale and artistically and visually stunning that you’ll have no desire to leave. Konami and Mercury Steam have revitalized one of gaming’s oldest and most celebrated franchises and set an impressive blueprint for future sequels to follow. While Lords of Shadow is certainly not perfect, it’s an epic adventure - a roller coaster ride which will easily keep you engrossed for the 20+ hours of gameplay required to complete its story.

Premise

The year is 1047 and the outlook is bleak for humanity. The Earth’s alliance with the Heavens has been threatened by a malevolent triumvirate known as the Lords of Shadow. As their power grows, humanity is being pushed to the brink. Undead creatures roam the land and a dark spell is cast which prevents the very souls of the deceased from entering heaven. The few survivors of the Brotherhood of Light, an elite order of holy knights, are all that that’s stands in the way of extinction. Humanity calls for a savior to deliver them from evil.

Enter Gabriel Belmont, a powerful and fearless knight mourning the recent murder of his wife Marie. Unable to enter heaven, Marie’s soul is trapped in Limbo and as an apparition she appears to send Belmont on his quest. The only object capable of bringing her back to the land of the living is the legendary ‘God Mask’ which lies in the possession of these Lords of Shadow. A mask rumored to be so powerful as to give the wearer power equal to that of God’s. Pure of heart, Belmont begins his journey to put an end to the Lords of Shadow and retrieve the mask so he can once again be reunited with his love.

Presentation

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is quite the visual stunner. You’ll be treated to visual landscapes in the J.R.R. Tolkien tradition. Through Belmont’s quest, you will experience lush and enchantingly rich landscapes such as forests, snow-covered mountains, decrepit graveyards, deserts, bogs, haunting castles and more. Each setting is original and masterfully rendered. Every enemy from the smallest troll to the largest boss is designed with an amazing level of artistic detail. This is a very well-realized fantasy world that even Guillermo del Toro would be proud of.

This is not to say the graphics are perfect. You’ll notice right away an abundance of “jaggies” as it seems the developers decided to go without antialiasing. The frame rate is inconsistent and prone to sudden drops and slowdown. While these issues exist, they are relatively minor, seldom distracting from Lords of Shadow’s immersive world.

The voice acting is exceptional with top talent all around. Gabriel is played quite well by Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) while Sir Patrick Stewart is perfect as Zobek. The orchestral soundtrack is quite elegant, matching the mood, tone and storyline consistently throughout the game.

Gameplay

One of the first things you’ll notice with Lords of Shadow is that it’s very much in the same vein as well known slashers such as Bayonetta, Devil May Cry and more specifically, God of War 3. While there are no doubt many similarities with God of War 3, Castlevania does distinguish itself quite well. It’s not quite the button masher God of War is nor will you be bogged down by endless outrageous combos as in Bayonetta. Lords of Shadow finds a happy medium and it makes for a game that’s very enjoyable to play.

Belmont’s main weapon is the Combat Cross (Vampire Killer) and it may not be as versatile or exciting as Kratos’ Blades of Chaos, but it’s still a very well designed and balanced weapon. A cross shaped retractable pyrokinetic chain whip, the combat cross can be used with 40 different combos along with weapons and magic. It’s capable of defensive maneuvers and also serves an important role as a grappling hook in platforming situations. In the early part of the game you can find power ups for the Combat Cross enabling the player to backtrack and access previously inaccessible areas.

Control wise you have the requisite light attack, heavy attack, jump, block and dodge maneuvers. The combat is further developed through unlockable combos, four types of support weapons (daggers, fairies, summon crystals and holy water) and later through the management of both Light and Dark magic. Striking enemies when equipped with Light magic heals your character, while Dark Magic embues your strikes with more power. Killing enemies earns XP which can then be used to purchase combos. Magic energy is stored in separate light and dark meters which are replenished by absorbing downed enemies’ life essence. Life essence orbs are neutral and it’s up to the player to decide which meter to fill.

Blocking also plays a huge part to this game and a successful parry block will instantly fill your focus meter. The focus meter exists as another way to get enemies to drop neutral orbs. Mixing up combos without being hit will fill the focus meter, or a successful parry block will fill it instantly. Once the meter is full, every hit you land against an enemy will release neutral orbs, but should you take a hit the meter will be reset to start over. While holding down the block button you can also roll around the screen to dodge incoming attacks. Note that you cannot fill the focus meter while light or dark magic are active.

Grabbing enemies is also a very important gameplay mechanic in Lords of Shadow, as certain enemy types can only be be defeated with this function. Usually highlighted by a pulsing yellow glow, once grabbed, the enemy will prompt a Quick Time Event and successful button presses will finish them off. QTE button presses are common during boss battles and present during cutscenes as well, so one must always be on guard.

Keep in mind this is not an easy game. Even at the default level of difficulty (there are four in total) you’ll find yourself dying a little more than you’d like (This is Castlevania after all). Many of the well designed enemies have a developed AI and will block and counter many of your attacks. You’ll be forced to learn patterns and adjust your gameplan accordingly.

Combat can be a little bland and tedious the first few hours, but as you progress and become more powerful it becomes more enjoyable and ultimately satisfying. More than likely, you’ll become accustomed to a few of the more useful combos and use them repeatedly against the appropriate enemies.

Boss battles are amazing and perhaps the strongest aspect of the game. Bosses vary in size from human-sized enemies to screen dominating behemoths and these battles are often quite entertaining. There is just so much variety in these climatic encounters that each are fresh and enjoyable, even when mind-numbingly difficult. This is one function of many functions in which master Hideo Kojima’s influence is apparent. Thankfully, the autosave function establishes checkpoints which include boss battles. While sometimes flawed, checkpoints during the battles sure beat starting the from the beginning each time.

Relics gained by defeating a few of the more important bosses will give Gabriel new abilities: There are boots which enable Belmont to run faster and jump higher, angel wings which allow for a double jump, and a gauntlet that allows for a powerful punch.

In keeping with tradition, Lords of Shadow is most definitely a platformer. Gabriel can climb, jump and swing with the best of them. Even Nathan Drake has to be impressed with Belmont’s grip strength as he climbs mountains, castle towers, and giant moving Titans. While these Titans definitely received much pre-launch attention, they exist as a relatively small part of the game. While impressive to behold, I viewed these titans as more of an obstacle which required simple climb, hold, strike gameplay mechanic and one of the weaker aspects of the game.

Another interesting aspect of the gameplay is the puzzle challenges, and Lords of Shadow presents many interesting and engaging variations. My favorite was easily the Vampire Wargame. This puzzle involves playing a chess like game with animated figures. It’s both interesting and deep as I found myself returning to play several times after unlocking the challenge. Nearby scrolls will give you hints on how to accomplish each puzzle challenge but if you don’t like having to think your way through, you can purchase the solution, which will make the player ineligible from receiving the challenge reward.

One enitrely new Castlevania gameplay device is the use of various mounts. Mounts are the larger creatures such as the Warg, Giant Spider or War Pig. When these enemies are close to being defeated, Gabriel can can grab, mount, and then use these creatures to defeat other enemies and pass specific obstacles. While fun to ride, often when you find a mount there is a reason, such as a long jump or a wall which can’t be passed without the use of a giant beast to knock it down. Nothing really to complain about, but it does seem a little lazy.

One of the problems with the gameplay is the fixed camera. While not uncommon in this genre, Castlevania’s camera can be both unforgiving and completely inflexible. The player is often at the mercy of the camera and you’ll often find yourself fighting enemies off screen with no way to change your view. Furthermore, many environments look expansive and areas seem accessible, but you’ll soon find your character stopped by an ‘invisible wall’. Hopefully these problems are corrected by more creative solutions in future installments.

Verdict

One thing I refuse to hide is that I’ve been a longtime fan of Castlevania. The original and later Sympony of the Night are arguably some of the greatest games ever created. They still haunt me with pleasant memories of great gameplay mechanics blended with a solid adventure story. While 3D has never been kind to Castlevania, Mercury Steam and Konami have finally hit a home run.

While some people complain the story is outside of Castlevania cannon and actually comes from a completely different point of origin, it would be ignorant to dismiss the game simply because of this. Konami promised a reboot and although one singular encompassing castle may not dominate this game, there are more than enough recognizable elements to identify this as a true Castlevania game.

As I stated in my introduction, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a triumph – not simply for the Castlevania franchise but for the industry as a whole. It’s not a perfect game by any means but does enough so many things well enough to be a classic.

Castlevania is back, it feels fresh, and there’s no doubt that millions of fans will eagerly await the next installment in this series.

Here’s The Rundown:

+ Stunning graphics with detailed environments and character models
+ 20 hours of solid gameplay
+ Excellent voice acting with a stirring musical score
+ Epic gameplay including riveting boss battles
- Frame rate and antialiasing issues
- Game starts slowly
- Camera is static and inflexible

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was developed by MercurySteam and Kojima Productions and published by Konami for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. The game released in the United States on October 5th, 2010 with a retail price of $59.99. The copy used in this review was for the PlayStation 3 and given to us by Konami for review consideration. The game was played til completion (about 20 hours).

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Sequel’s Development Confirmed

Dave Ernst — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:09:38 +0000

A sequel for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has been confirmed and is already in development.

Oscar Araujo, composer of the game’s soundtrack, spoke about the game a little too early for Konami’s liking. On a Spanish radio, Araujo confirmed a sequel and went on to say MercurySteam has already begun development of it.

“If you liked the first [game], hope that the second is even more spectacular,” said Araujo.

When creating the soundtrack for the game, Konami asked Oscar Araujo for a “rough” and “aggressive” score to shed the series’ old style.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow released last week and seems to be doing well with critics. Be sure to check out our review of the game coming very soon.

Source: Eurogamer

Castlevania’s Familiar Konami Cheat Codes

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:07:02 +0000

October 5th has arrived! A great day for vampire hunters worldwide as Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has finally been released. So you want to know the cheat codes? I’ll give you a hint: you’ve probably used them before.

That’s right…the familiar Contra code:

XBOX 360 Version
U, U, D, D, L R, L R, B, A

PS3 Version
U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, O, X

By entering the familiar, players will be able to unlock a list of cheats which can be enabled. Unfortunately, entering the code disables acheivements/trophies – Nothing comes easy.

Simply press the buttons at the loading screen before the mission starts.

CHEATS Unlocked:

All Relics – Discover all Relics
All Combos – Activates all Combos without purchasing
All Gems – Discoverall Magic Gems
All Upgrades- Discover all Weapon and Relic upgrades
No Damage- Invicibility

Sorry, no Solid Snake.

Have fun storming the castle!

Play as Solid Snake in Castlevania? David Cox says “No”

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 19:12:51 +0000

Last night various different websites claimed Solid Snake as a playable character in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Thanks to a Tweet by David Cox, we know it not to be true:

“No not true you do not play as Solid Snake but there is an unlockable that is Kojima related :)”

Hmmm? Well, there is something Kojima related. A Solid Snake costume? Definitely likely.

Let’s just hope it isn’t the notoriously gassy Johnny Sasaki.

Source

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Demo Available Now on Xbox Live

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:57:31 +0000

Yep, for those of you wishing to demo Castlevania: Lords of Shadow before purchasing the game, Xbox Live has it for you a full day early. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is now available on Xbox Live to Demo!

Castlevania:Lords of Shadow is a dark and re-imagining of the Castlevania Mythology. Popular because of it’s stiunning visuals and the involvement of video game legend Hideo Kojima.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will be released in North America on October 5th. Look for the Ripten review soon.

Lords of Shadow Gameplay Trailer (Almost) Tells All

Dave Oshry — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 06:20:34 +0000

With Castlevania: Lords of Shadow ready to hit stores next week, Konami and G4 have teamed up to bring you this epic trailer which literally tells you (almost) everything you need to know about the game. Shame this video wasn’t around when I was writing my hands on preview and interview titled, “Everything you Need to Know About Lords of Shadow”

Anyhow, enjoy as Jason Isaacs goes into great detail about the story and gameplay and almost reveals a thing or two in the process ;-)

The obvious reveal here is that Jason Isaacs is indeed Dracula and that Dracula is the final boss!! . . . or is he? I for one, am not so sure . . .

Look for Lords of Shadow as well as the RipTen review on October 5th.

10 Minutes of New Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Gameplay Footage Narrated By Kojima & Friends

Dave Oshry — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:23:14 +0000

Think you’ve seen all Kojima-san had to offer at TGS 2010? Think again …

We’ve already learned all about Kojima’s involvement with the game, but it’s good to see him being a bit more hands on with the game in front of us.

In case you haven’t already, check out our EPIC hands-on preview of Lords of Shadow and Interview with Producer David Cox from Mercury Steam.

There was also this TGS 2010 trailer that surfaced last week.

But today check out this brand new footage from the special Kojima Productions presentation in Tokyo. Unless you speak Japanese, the commentary will be useless to you. However, rest assured, the footage makes up for it in spades. Enjoy:

Seeing as I’ve had extensive hands on time with the game and it’s producers, perhaps you’d like to ask me more about it? Feel free to do so at Dave@ripten.com or @DaveOshry on Twitter

Kojima’s New Castlevania: Lords of Shadow TGS Trailer is Awesome

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 05:45:54 +0000

Wow!! I need someone to teach me to say Awesome in Japanese. The new Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Trailer is just that.

Thank God for Kojima-san and may he and Mercury Steam bring 3D Castlevania back from the dead! I certainly can’t wait for it.

Watch the epic new trailer below:

If you haven’t already, check out Ripten’s epic preview of Lords of Shadow that includes new footage and an in-depth interview with producer David Cox!!

How Kojima Redesigned Gabriel Belmont and Shaped Lords of Shadow

Dave Oshry — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:57:05 +0000

The other day, Ripten brought you some, “Colossal” new footage from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Well today we are going to answer a question that many of you have been asking over and over again … “Exactly how did Hideo Kojima influence this game!?” Luckily for you, in an excerpt from our upcoming interview with executive producer David Cox, he tells us just that.

You can read the full interview within my upcoming preview, but for now, let’s get right into what you want to know . . .

DO: Was there any point where they loved what they saw but wanted to call it something else because they weren’t sure that this was the next Castlevania game?

DC: Absolutely. It was greenlit as a Castlevania title, but then we were told it was going to be an original IP. We said, “Ok we can work around that, we’ve got a great game here either way.” Then we showed it as Lords Of Shadow at a senior managers meeting in Japan. Kojima-san was in the room, all the senior managers were in the room. When they saw the game . . . you could tell there was a change in the room, you could feel it. There had been some resistance up until this point, but once they saw what we’d been doing, they were finally on board.

It was after that meeting that Kojima-san came up to me and said, “I really like what you’ve shown today, I want to help in some way.” Now, I thought it would end there, I thought he was just being nice. So I went back to England and then I got a call from him saying he wanted to come to Mercury Steam and visit the team. He got on board at that point, about two and a half years ago. I was surprised when Kojima-san came on board. He’s a bit of a geek like me. He could see us struggling a bit and just wanted to lend a hand.

DO: What does his involvement mean for the title? What does it mean having his validation on a game like this?

DC: It was reassuring, but at times a bit scary. It was reassuring because it opened doors and gave us freedom to do what we wanted to do. Also, it’s my first big title so having his advice and mentoring on the project was invaluable. At the same time it’s a double edged sword because of the fact that we’re a bit nervous when it comes to pleasing him. We’d ask ourselves, “Is it good enough?” Sometimes he’d say, “Well no you need to fix this or work on that“, and having his feedback was great. Other times he’d say to me, “It’s your call, you’re the producer who fought long and hard to get it off the ground, i’m going to let you run with it.”

DO: Gabriel was a totally different character before Kojima got involved, what was he like, was he like Kratos?

DC: No, not like Kratos . . . Do you remember Schneider from the N64 game?

DO: Sort of . . . really bad ass, kid of brash, a bit suicidal?

DC: Yeah he was a bit like that, kind of this furry big armor, very brash, very one dimensional . . .

DO: Gabriel seems very vulnerable, like a lost soul . . . but a man to be feared and respected just the same

DC: Exactly, exactly, and that’s what Kojima-san said was missing from our character design. He said Gabriel himself needed to be worked on more. He said, “you’ve got this deep and emotional and tragic story, but yet you’ve got this very barbaric character.” So he thought we should redesign Gabriel. At that point we thought Gabriel was great, but he said, “No no no, you have to change him.” So we went back and turned Gabriel into much more of an everyman. He’s not a one dimensional action hero anymore. He’s much more of a real person now. I think Kojima’s input on that really helped us, and you can see it in the character.

DO: Other than redesign Gabriel, what else did Kojima-san do to help you along the way?

DC: Well other than that, a lot of small things. For instance, we were having problems with mocap. We didn’t capture the faces properly, and we had a lot problems with lip sync, so he sent out the team from Kojima productions with all the Metal Gear Solid rigs. They showed us how they did facials and it helped us tremendously. In fact, one of the more interesting bits . . . you know how in videogames all the characters have very white teeth?

DO: Yeah . . .

DC: Well, Kojima-san said, “When you get the textures lay them out, and then shade the back teeth blacker, and shade the tongue, so when they are actually in the mouth they look much more realistic.” It sounds kind of basic . . .

DO: Well yeah, but it’s not something you’d normally think to do, and it makes the characters look more realistic.

DC: Exactly, it’s the kind of thing where we all sat around thinking, “Why didn’t we think of that?”

DO: Well that’s why he is who he is, and why he’s regarded in such a way.

DC: Exactly, it’s simply experience, so he helped us with a ton of little things like that. He really oversaw the entire project nearly from beginning to end, and his input and experience were invaluable.

So there you have it. Not only did Hideo Kojima have Mercury Steam completely change the main character of Lords of Shadow, but he helped with even the smallest details.

At this point, anyone who still thinks that Kojima-san only had a passing influence on this game and simply stamped his name on it is lying to themselves.

If you ask me, this game screams, “Kojima!” in every scene. But it also screams of passion and love for the Castlevania series and fans from people like producer David Cox and the team at Mercury Steam.

Look for the full interview as well as my complete hands on preview and new footage very soon right here at Ripten.com!!

What did Mr. Cox and I do after this interview you ask? Well, being true Englishmen … we went to the pub!!

Yes, That's Kirin We're Drinking . . . Kojima-San Would Approve!!

Want to see the rest!? Want to know why they put mounted combat in Lords of Shadow!? Well you’ll have to wait!!

New Castlevania to Include Topless Enemies?

Brandon Fenty — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:56:52 +0000

With Castlevania: Lords of Shadow getting ready to drop, it’s interesting to take a look at its rating: M for Blood and Gore, Nudity and Violence. Did they just say “Nudity”?

“This is an action-adventure game in which players control a warrior named Gabriel as he battles the forces of darkness. Gabriel uses a bladed whip as well as large hammers, swords, spears, and axes to kill human and fantasy creatures (e.g., werewolves, vampires, goblins, demons). Combat includes depictions of repeated punching, slashing, and occasional stabbing or breaking of bones. Blood-splatter effects occur during battle, and blood stains can be seen in the environment. One scene depicts a butcher chopping up corpses and feeding them to vampire creatures; boss fights may also contain instances of gore, including dismemberment of a monster?s arm. Some female creatures (e.g., green fairies and a dragon-like female) appear topless throughout the game.”

Personally, I think this is just a ploy to promote the game. Why does an already great-looking game need topless females? I’m not sure, but it seems a little classless. Still, I’m sure there are plenty of horny fanboys out there who can’t wait to see a topless dragon-woman.