Topic: Operation Akumajo

[cecil-kain]

By now, I'm sure many of you have heard about Operation Rainfall.  To make a long story short, hardcore gamers came together to demand Nintendo of America release Xenoblade, Last Story, and Pandora's Tower for the Wii.  Remarkably, Nintendo issued a public statement refusing to cave to their demands --and I've watched the backlash unfold with some amusement.

On the surface, this has nothing to do with Castlevania.  But I thought to myself "are WE any less passionate?"  Over the past few years, I've seen many complaints about Konami's treatment of Castlevania on this very forum --with Lords of Shadow being just the most recent example.  Once the 25th Anniversary became a non-event,  I setup a poll to measure Konami's overall approval rating, and the consensus has been quite remarkable.  Out of 56 polled --only 1 strongly approved of Konami.  11 approved.  17 disapproved.  18 strongly disapproved.  And 9 additional votes declined to take a stand.  Taken altogether, that's a solid, NEGATIVE approval rating of -41.1%.

So what can be done to make sure Konami gets the message?  I suggest we follow Operation Rainfall's example, and build a coalition of like-minded, hardcore fans --and then use social media to put pressure on Konami.  Priority 1 is to rebuke their emerging failure to celebrate Castlevania's 25th Anniversary, and then explain what they must do to make things right.

Months of talk and recent polling suggests that we want to see Dracula's Curse revisited and updated much like the Dracula X Chronicles.  Many of us also want to see IGA given the chance to produce Julius' Demon Castle War.  I think demanding these games would be a terrific cause.  Make no mistake, Konami sees no reason to continue 2D Castlevania, and they clearly have no intentions to support the mythos we've enjoyed for these past 25 years.  As far as they're concerned, we should buy Lords of Shadow 2 and STFU.  I repeat --anyone who wants to see 2D Castlevania continue, in any meaningful way, needs to speak out now --or we'll be missing the days of cannibalized code and recycled sprites before we know it..

Clearly, nothing is going to change without a massive outpouring on the part of the fanbase.  What do you think?  Do you have the talent and the passion to make it all happen?  Join me.  Sept 26 is Castlevania's 25th Anniversary --that's 2 months to organize a movement and take it to `em.  Operation Akumajo lives or dies in this very topic --the next step is up to you.

[whitedragon_nall]

As a supporter of Rainfall, I support this as well. What do you propose we do? Should we go about in a similar fashion that Rainfall does with letters and flooding Facebook? Just keep pressuring Konami and maybe we too can garner some kind of response .

[Nagumo]

Not to sound negative, but I don't think you'll ever got enough people for this. I'm not sure how many people were involved in that protest you talked about, but even if you would manage to get a whole lot, the "casual fan" would still outnumber them by far. And Konami is obviously catering to that group with Lords of Shadow, so why would they give a damn about old fans?

To be fair, I think this operation is going to be futile, but I'd like to join.       

[cecil-kain]

I have created a Facebook Page with the following mission statement.

We are dedicated to the preservation of Castlevania as we have known it for 25 years --with 2D action-platforming in both the "ClassicVania" and the "Castleroid" formats --and a storyline grounded by the rivalry between Count Dracula and the Belmont Clan.

We are outraged Konami is failing to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of this landmark video game series in any meaningful way whatsoever.  Therefore, we are joining together with one voice to make our displeasure known and demand the following concessions.

1.  We demand Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse redesigned and remastered in high definition, with state of the art graphics and production values for all HD home consoles.

2.  We also demand Koji Igarashi be reinstated to produce a new 2D Castlevania game detailing the "1999 Demon Castle War" as originally described by Aria of Sorrow.  We expect this game in high definition, with state of the art graphics and production vales on all HD home consoles.

If you want to join the cause, search for Operation Akumajo on Facebook and "like" the page.

[Ahasverus]

Not to sound negative, but the difference between OA and OR is that OR gameas were already made and finished, even if Konami /heard/ us still if there are no games in development we won't get anything anyway, that or a super rushed recycled game, want HoD2? Super Judgement? Castlevania Deadly Racers? Go on!

[darkwzrd4]

Not to sound negative, but the difference between OA and OR is that OR gameas were already made and finished, even if Konami /heard/ us still if there are no games in development we won't get anything anyway, that or a super rushed recycled game, want HoD2? Super Judgement? Castlevania Deadly Racers? Go on!

No one ever said that it would be easy to get what we want.  I say that we not only complain, but we also should give them our ideas of what should go into the games. 

[cecil-kain]

Not to sound negative, but the difference between OA and OR is that OR gameas were already made and finished, even if Konami /heard/ us still if there are no games in development we won't get anything anyway, that or a super rushed recycled game, want HoD2? Super Judgement? Castlevania Deadly Racers? Go on!

Any professional negotiator will tell you to demand more than you actually expect.  Take operation Rainfall, will they get all 3 games that they're demanding from Nintendo?  Probably not, but with the negative publicity hurting Nintendo's Wii-U message --I'd be very surprised if NOTHING came from it.  In our case, the Anniversary looks more and more like a non-event, that's why the demands are phrased as concessions.  Will Konami give us everything we want?  Probably not.  But it's even more likely we'll get nothing if we demand nothing.

[Odile Kuronuma]

Wish I could help, but I'm not on Facebook anymore. Also I don't think that Konami will feel pressured by this kind of operation. After all it didn't work with Nintendo. The only way to pressure Konami and any other game company is by boycotting their games. It's a little extreme, but if the sales break down, I think there's a chance to make them reconsider their position.
It's up to us fans to fight for our series, even if it means we'll have to stop buying Castlevania games, or at least the ones that we consider aren't fit to be part of the franchise.

[DragonSlayr81]

After Operation: Rainfall's failure, and crappy 25th Anniversary, I've totally given up hope. I know it's definitely not enough hope to muster up any strength or will to fight for this series. My enthusiasm's at a standstill, and frankly, I couldn't care less if it's the end. All I know is that a post-LoS CV series is not one I'll be participating in(have no interest, what-so-ever). Unless Konami gets their head out of their ass and comes up with something REALLY good, it's the end for me. 1987-2011 was a good run.

[Munchy]

Wish I could help, but I'm not on Facebook anymore. Also I don't think that Konami will feel pressured by this kind of operation. After all it didn't work with Nintendo. The only way to pressure Konami and any other game company is by boycotting their games. It's a little extreme, but if the sales break down, I think there's a chance to make them reconsider their position.
It's up to us fans to fight for our series, even if it means we'll have to stop buying Castlevania games, or at least the ones that we consider aren't fit to be part of the franchise.

That's an interesting idea, but it assumes Konami has desirable products to boycott.

ZIIIIING

[cecil-kain]

After Operation: Rainfall's failure, and crappy 25th Anniversary, I've totally given up hope. I know it's definitely not enough hope to muster up any strength or will to fight for this series. My enthusiasm's at a standstill, and frankly, I couldn't care less if it's the end. All I know is that a post-LoS CV series is not one I'll be participating in(have no interest, what-so-ever). Unless Konami gets their head out of their ass and comes up with something REALLY good, it's the end for me. 1987-2011 was a good run.

I wouldn't call Rainfall a failure --not exactly...  Nintendo DID respond, and that in itself is a remarkable achievement.  10 years ago, Nintendo would have snubbed such an effort --but now the social media like Facebook, Youtube, and Fan Forums have broken the corporate PR monopoly.  Even now, Nintendo is still being inundated by dedicated followers of Operation Rainfall --something may still come of it.

And about the malaise you're feeling --I get it.  But rest assured, you're not alone in your disappointment.  We could all lay down and let Konami do what they will --but I won't let Castlevania go without a fight.  I hope enough of you feel the same way to get this off the ground.

Wish I could help, but I'm not on Facebook anymore. Also I don't think that Konami will feel pressured by this kind of operation. After all it didn't work with Nintendo. The only way to pressure Konami and any other game company is by boycotting their games. It's a little extreme, but if the sales break down, I think there's a chance to make them reconsider their position.
It's up to us fans to fight for our series, even if it means we'll have to stop buying Castlevania games, or at least the ones that we consider aren't fit to be part of the franchise.

That's an interesting idea, but it assumes Konami has desirable products to boycott.

ZIIIIING

I don't think boycotting Konami products would send the correct message.  Boycotts are something to do when you're demanding a company to STOP something that they're already doing.  In this case we're demanding Konami START something that they are NOT already doing.  It will cost Konami them time, energy, resources, and yes --money-- to meet our demands for high quality 2D Castlevania.  So this movement needs to be about our passion and loyalty to traditional Castlevania --this way we encourage their investment.  Threatening their bottom line will not take Castlevania to a good place.

[Beowulf]

wait wait wait! ~cracks open a beer~ NOW lets go kick some ass!

[Flame]

I support some form of castlvania love from Konami, but I disagree on Lords of shadow, AND on the 2D stuff.

it isnt "arrogant" if Cox simply wants to show his vision of castlevania. much like IGA showed his own. Cox simply thought that it would be better received by the fanbase than it was. (instead it garnered a serious case of mixed opinions) and do remmeber, he never intended to take over the franchise, he doesnt want a long running thing going on.

also, the reason they seem to have forgotten 2Dvanias is because IGA cant help but make the same game over again- or just makes bad decisions. and they have gotten sort of stale, especially with his hard on for confining gameplay to within the castle. 2D vanias are not without their problems.

all because 2d works is no excuse to skimp on the 3D. IF castlevania was as well funded as koijima, or had the budget and power o mercury steam with LoS, they could make a great 3D vania.

[JR]

I like the idea of this, but I'm not sure how I feel about the demands. I'm kind of indifferent to a Dracula's Curse remake, or the idea of demanding a game from them at all. Same thing about IGA: I'd just like to know the current situation with him before demanding his reinstatement or anything like that.

I mean, I'm just as annoyed as anyone else that there's no 25th anniversary stuff (especially with Metal Gear having exponentially higher priority, as usual), but I'd just like to be a little more in the loop of what's happening with the series. I'd like to hear Konami explain exactly why they felt that Castlevania's 25th wasn't worth celebrating, or if IGA will be making any more CV games in the future, or what the future holds for the series in general. If anything, all I really want is for Konami to pass on a little bit of information to us fans, instead of keeping us in the friggin' dark. I think that's the biggest thing for me right now...just the non-promotion of the series and the total lack of info or news of any kind.

(And as far as boycotting, I don't think I'd ever do that with this series, but maybe I'd boycott their precious Metal Gear. :p )

[cecil-kain]

I support some form of castlvania love from Konami, but I disagree on Lords of shadow, AND on the 2D stuff.

it isnt "arrogant" if Cox simply wants to show his vision of castlevania. much like IGA showed his own. Cox simply thought that it would be better received by the fanbase than it was. (instead it garnered a serious case of mixed opinions) and do remmeber, he never intended to take over the franchise, he doesnt want a long running thing going on.

also, the reason they seem to have forgotten 2Dvanias is because IGA cant help but make the same game over again- or just makes bad decisions. and they have gotten sort of stale, especially with his hard on for confining gameplay to within the castle. 2D vanias are not without their problems.

all because 2d works is no excuse to skimp on the 3D. IF castlevania was as well funded as koijima, or had the budget and power o mercury steam with LoS, they could make a great 3D vania.

This isn't about Cox, Lords of Shadow, or even 3D for that matter.  It's about the very real possibility that 2D Castlevania and the traditional mythos are both finished.  David Cox said "Forget what you know about Castlevania" not because he personally wanted to take over the franchise, but because Konami intends to replace Castlevania (as we have known it) with a new IP by the same name.  And yes, IMO the delivery and demeanor of the sales pitch was indeed arrogant.

There are legitimate complaints with many of the recent 2D games.  Harmony of despair is a colossal example of the recycled sprites and environments fans have complained about for years.  The knee-jerk reaction is to blame IGA, which I understand.  But the fact of the matter is that Konami has insisted on giving Castlevania D-list treatment by condemning the 2-D series to technically inferior portables for nearly 14 years.  And rather than investing in those games to reach their full potential, Konami clearly put quantity ahead of quality --and gave us a "cookie-cutter" experience.  The Dracula X Chronicles was a BIG step in the right direction but Konami made a couple of BIG mistakes.  First they released the game on the PSP instead of giving it the full HD treatment of a console release.  And secondly, the gameplay was a tad too retro for mass consuption --a little tweaking to loosen Richter's tight controls would have gone a long way to improve the reviews and ultimately the sales.

As for 3D Castlevania --it's clearly not for everyone.  I don't mind seeing Lords of Shadow continue, but not as 2D Castlevania's replacement.

I like the idea of this, but I'm not sure how I feel about the demands. I'm kind of indifferent to a Dracula's Curse remake, or the idea of demanding a game from them at all. Same thing about IGA: I'd just like to know the current situation with him before demanding his reinstatement or anything like that.

I mean, I'm just as annoyed as anyone else that there's no 25th anniversary stuff (especially with Metal Gear having exponentially higher priority, as usual), but I'd just like to be a little more in the loop of what's happening with the series. I'd like to hear Konami explain exactly why they felt that Castlevania's 25th wasn't worth celebrating, or if IGA will be making any more CV games in the future, or what the future holds for the series in general. If anything, all I really want is for Konami to pass on a little bit of information to us fans, instead of keeping us in the friggin' dark. I think that's the biggest thing for me right now...just the non-promotion of the series and the total lack of info or news of any kind.

(And as far as boycotting, I don't think I'd ever do that with this series, but maybe I'd boycott their precious Metal Gear. :p )

There's plenty of time to build consensus on specific demands.  But based on the polls and various conversations on this very forum, I think Dracula's Curse and the Demon Castle War would go over VERY well if given the proper treatment.  But you're right --there's a lot we don't know.  Unfortunately, Konami's recent statements and activities give us little cause for faith.