Castlevania Dungeon Forums
The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Topic started by: Ahasverus on July 24, 2009, 01:16:13 PM
-
Castlevania Icon Koji Igarashi Still At Konami, Working On New Project
By Stephen Totilo, 1:40 PM on Fri Jul 24 2009, 941 views
At E3, it was legendary Metal Gear developer Hideo Kojima who took the stage to announce his oversight of the next Castlevania game, not the man long associated with the series. Today, series publisher Konami addressed that curiosity with Kotaku.
Koji Igarashi, who has overseen three critically-lauded Nintendo DS Castlevanias and has been involved with the franchise since 1997's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, is still with Konami, company spokesman Jay Boor told me during a phone call from the San Diego Comic-Con.
"He is still at Konami, and he is still working on projects," Boor said.
The spokesman said that press questions about Igarashi's status have been common since Igarashi failed to appear during the E3 debut of the Kojima-overseen Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. That new Castlevania game is being developed by Madrid-based MercurySteam with involvement from Kojima Productions. The new title was the first major Castlevania project announced without an apparent connection to Igarashi in years.
Boor declined to address questions of Igarashi's potential involvement in Lords of Shadow, neither confirming or denying that the developer would be working on that project.
Konami hopes to announce the next Igarashi project at the Tokyo Game Show.
Castlevania games have been released in 2005, 2006 ad 2008 on the DS, but no such project has yet been announced for 2009. Each of those games has been overseen and promoted by Igarashi. Asked by Kotaku if there would be a new DS Castlevania this year, Boor said, "I can't say anything."
We'll look to TGS for the next chapter of this story, which will hopefully illuminate Koji Igarashi's path at Konami and whether there will be any further intersections with the storied Castlevania series.
Taken from Kotaku.com.
Do you think that that (mm) "New project" to be revealed at TGS (September 24... TOO DAMN FAR) is the AlucardVania? Another Castlevania? A non-Castlevania? Nanobreaker 2?
-
I, for one, am very happy at this information. I do like IGA and am glad to hear that he is still with Konami. I'm hoping that he's still working on that Alucard game, but I am willing to try anything else he may be working on.
-
In Reply To #1
Curious....
-
Well it's about damn time.
Why is this sad news?
-
I just read this on Kotaku, too.
I'm glad he's still with the series. So if it turns out I don't like LoS, I can always fall back on IGA-produced games, even if they do sometimes vary in quality.
-
Why is this sad news?
Because some of us wanted a change, even in CV Japan, and are tired of the lack of new ideas and deep storytelling and innovative gameplay of IGA.
Still, it's nice in some sense, at least we'll know what happened in those 3 big plot holes
- Post SOTN events (Evanescence of Belmont clan, Alucard Spear to Lecardes, Barlowe with Dracula's vessel...)
- 1999 (Belmont again with the whip, dracula's kicked ass...)
- Post Sorrow (Unknown... oh, I forgot Rycordanza of God's Abyss)
-
But you're already getting the change you desire with lords of shadow. Your grudge against iga shouldn't matter anymore.
-
So, Dracula was right when he said " the curse will not be lifted".
Welcome back Iga. I miss you already.
-
In Reply To #7
Not really, I also want a change in CV Japan.
So, Dracula was right when he said " the curse will not be lifted".
;D :lol: perfect ha ha.
-
That's good news for me. I'm awaiting his next 2D project. Ecclesia was such a great step in the right direction. I'm eager to see if he can take that next step and make a truly epic game.
-
Not really, I also want a change in CV Japan.
Stop being so greedy. You're getting what you want, so get out of Iga's asshole. Ignore him for all I care.
-
Yeah, I won't mind if the CV series splits up into two franchises(the one Lords of Shadow is forging and the Akumajou Dracula series).
-
Stop being so greedy. You're getting what you want, so get out of Iga's asshole. Ignore him for all I care.
No! I really like the Japan storyline I love the Belmont clan and all that Alucard Stuff, I want the best for it, and certainly, IGa isn't.
Yeah, I won't mind if the CV series splits up into two franchises(the one Lords of Shadow is forging and the Akumajou Dracula series).
As far as we know, that's the way it's working. The Castle Europe saga (LOS) and the Castle Japan saga (IGA)
-
Yay!!! I love IGA-sama :D :D :D I'm glad to hear he's not gone. ^^
-
And not everybody agrees with that sentiment, Ahas. I certainly disagree, I believe that as of right now Iga is one of the best people we could possibly have on the series. Certainly better then anyone from Mercury Steam could do.
I doubt many people could have done what he's done with the series
-
In Reply To #15
I understand what are you saying.
You are right, his first games were great (AOS is the 2nd best Castlevania of all time, IMO, the best is still CVIII) except HOD (I just can't love it, I mean, God, it's a disguised SOTN, and Juste with white hair...hmmmmm... oh, and don't forget the ultra original plot about the maid in troubles...) Two of the DS games were excellent too (POR sucks, a good idea, a bad development) and the 3D games were... deccent.
But the point is, IGA just can't think in anything new and as shocking as SOTN was. He can make more un-justified games with the same formula and perhaps I would love them anyway, but I'm just getting tired of the same metroidvania thing, oh, and don't forget the God-Alucard and the weak downgraded Belmonts.
What I like from IGA is that certainly he loves the saga, and, in the paper, all his games are strong and with all the good intentions in the world, but in the end he's uncapable of striving for making a new shocking experience that could make said "OMG, is that Castlevania? IMpossible!, is too great and beautiful to be it" and the lack of vision kills his work. I hate when he says things like this:
I can make many games with the same formula, anyway, fans will love it
And certainly, some fans are REALLY TIRED of the same formula.
Ecclesia is a great game, is almost perfect, the only thing that I don't like is the fact that was so predictable, but what I really liked was the fusion between old and new school, I had faith in IGA at those times, but there came the Judgment, and i said to myself "That's it, that's what IGA consideres a great game" and I lost all my faith.
For his games, I'm just expecting another MetroidVania with no sense at all (Historically) that tries to be tied with the storyline and in the end isn't at all.
Oh, and I forgot about the main 3 things
- Alucard is the hero after all (Or he appears or he's mentioned
-
I am so happy he's still there.. and hopefully working on the Alucard CV PS3 game :)
-
Goddamn :S when is the curse going to finish?
(https://castlevaniadungeon.net/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogcdn.com%2Fnintendo.joystiq.com%2Fmedia%2F2008%2F08%2Figa061708%255B1%255D.jpg&hash=552654d4513bd94f4a7e22c059074e6e)
He needs to make the Alucard-O's Cereal to finally have enough of him?
-
Well hey, we finally know when we're going to get the answer to the burning questions "is Iga still involved with Castlevania in some form?" and "is the Alucard game still on?".
-
Hopefully he'll announce a new, epicly-long 2D classic-vania for DS or PSP.
-
The mysterious Alucard game may very well still be in production. If so, it's probably the only game IGA's involved with right now. But I also believe that Konami wants IGA to make another DS game in the series as soon as possible, so that's another possibility. Or maybe he's not even working on a CV anymore? After all, he hasn't created an original game since Nanobreaker, and as awful as that game was I'm sure he'd like to have another go. I know I would if I was him. I mean, Castlevania is great and all, but sometimes you just wanna make a game about... dunno... robots.
-
OoE was a step in the right direction (after PoR) so let's see how IGA carries this new momentum with a new game. I'm glad he wasn't just ditched like we all wondered he might have been, but I hope he starts taking a little more risk where innovation is concerned. Then again, I guess we do have LoS for that.
If anything if LoS turns out to change too much about the series' formula, we KNOW we can at least rely on IGA to support these classic themes.
I doubt the Alucard thing is still int he works as it would directly conflict with the interest and awareness of LoS, and since Kojima was even brought in to assure attention, I really doubt they'd want to threaten all of that.
IGA is likely working on the next 2D game, only I'm hoping it's that classic-formula "Wii-make" he's mentioned wanting to do.
At least we finally get some closure on his status. Don't know why their PR group danced around the issue so long.
-
Interesting information. I'm actually happy he isn't leaving because I do love his handheld games. If the series does branch off (the 'rebirth' with LoS and what may come after going one way while his own version of CV going the other), I think everyone wins in a sense.
-
I doubt the Alucard thing is still int he works as it would directly conflict with the interest and awareness of LoS, and since Kojima was even brought in to assure attention, I really doubt they'd want to threaten all of that.
It's just that the Alucard teaser was released AFTER LoS was announced the first time, wasn't it? We already know Mercurysteam has been working on LoS for quite some time, which makes me think that the IGA game is, in fact, a newer project. I've heard IGA wasn't too happy that the teaser was even shown at last years TGS. So maybe the game is actually under development as we speak, but Konami won't talk about it right now since they want to focus on LoS first. The Alucard game may very well be 2 years away for all we know. Time will tell...
-
i hope we dont see him for a while because if he is working on a new vania i want him to take the time to develop and polish it. The only problem with his games is that they need more time to bake.
-
In Reply To #24
That's an interesting point you brought up. LoS was already an existing title(Castlevania title) BEFORE IGA unveiled the Alucard teaser. Had Konami JUST wanted LoS to corner the market on 3D CV action, they would certainly not allow IGA to show it, let alone make a teaser or a game for that matter.
-
That's an interesting point you brought up. LoS was already an existing title(Castlevania title) BEFORE IGA unveiled the Alucard teaser. Had Konami JUST wanted LoS to corner the market on 3D CV action, they would certainly not allow IGA to show it, let alone make a teaser or a game for that matter.
I think you are being too optimistic. If you remember, there were news kind of 2 days ago, saying that Konami wasn't very happy with IGA's work and they could fire him (Searching for the link right now) and also remember that when IGA was asked about LOS long ago his answer wasn't very deep, and, he wasn't very pleasant with the question, I can even say that he was uncomfortable. You can be sure that no IGA gamewill have the budget of LOS (because Kojima Produtcion$ have many "resources") Konami's support or media coverage. Remember than even ecclesia had less budget than LOS, and Judgment was made in 6 months.
So, I think IGA will NEVER make a PS3-360 3D game, I think he's in charge of 2D and Wii games that aren't that ambtious.
IGa is not castlevania God anymore.
-
If the Alucard game is still going, then...
CASTLEVANIA
EAST VS WEST
-
In Reply To #28
There's a nice side:
FUN x2! ;D
Do you know what could piss me off?
If the AlucardVania is developed for the Wii. Damn it, only thinking about it makes me feel bad (NOte: I have a 360 :))
-
In Reply To #27
I need links to what you mentioned up there. I've never read anyhting about Konami thinking of firing him or being not happy with him. Also, I can't recall anything related to Iga's comment on LOS.
-
In Reply To #30
Yeah, I can't say I recall hearing anything else about IGA and Konami stance on him other than the Kotaku article. I mean, that's the first real ANYTHING we've heard regarding IGA still being at Konami in a long while. Wasn't he, like, MIA since the whole "sick" thing?
-
That's good. I'd be sad if there were no more of IGA's DS Castlevanias.
-
Most Japanese corporations would never speak of their own employees that way. It is just too disrespectful.
And I highly doubt Konami ever would.
I agree I have never ever heard of this article stating Konami said such harsh things about IGA.
-
When I saw the title, I thought out loud: "give me a break".
He has either minimal or zero involvement with LoS. That should be enough for even the fiercest haters.
I mean, what do you want? What would suffice? To see him fired and rolled in tar and feathers?
-
Not really a fan of the Metroid style(I like the style in general, just not how it's generally done with this series), but I don't want the guy to lose his position for it or something.
Which isn't very likely anyway. They have this thing in Japan where once you've got a job, you have said job for life(not sure how it's handled when a company goes under, though).
-
PLease guys, help me to find the interview when IGA talked about LOS, it was from september, or something like that. I just can't find it, but I'm SURE he was asked.
And about he being fired, I saw it in a spanish forum (Not the ever-trustable Castlemaniacs) and I must to find it.
But please, help ,e to search the interview where he was asked about LOS, was only one question; he was promoting Judgment
-
In Reply To #36
Please, provide us with the link to Eurogamer interview with Iga. Not that I don't believe you, but I'd like to read the complete interview. As per the line "Konami is not OK with Iga and thinks of firing him" where you found at a Spanish forum , I'd like to call it "a fan's post " till I've got a more credible source.
Waiting...
-
Ok, I will, but it's in spanish :P Another spaniard can confirm my translation http://www.eurogamer.es/articles/koji-igarashi-entrevista
-
Thanks. Well, I don't speak Spanish. However, God knows how Google language tool is so valuable nowadays lol.
Eurogamer: We've seen the video of Lord of Shadows, the game just introduced Konami and that may take many elements of Castlevania. Got a relationship with this game?
Koji Igarashi: I'm not related to this game. But the truth is that I really want to know more details, appeals to me a game of such action but developed in Europe. [Recall that Lord of Shadows is being developed by Mercury Steam studying Spanish for Konami].
This proves one thing which is that he had no idea about LOS and what LOS would be... at least at that time. Well, maybe it was much bigger than that. I mean, could it be that Konami Japan didn't know about this game till Dave Cox "from Konami Europe" presented it lately to them then they decided to cancel Iga's game ( or at least hold the project ) ? I know it's still a speculation, but we know that Konami had a history of doing these things " cancellation of Castlevania : Resurrection ".
God I hate this.
-
Now reading this, I have a :irony:little:irony off: impression, he didn't knew that LOS was a Castlevania
-
I don't know, the interview is set December 8th. It could be very weird if IGA didn't know at that time that LOS was a Castlevania. But God, Konami has no good referenes. Perhaps it was like:
-Iga walked to his office early in the morning ready to continue with his beloved AlucadVania, but found a letter on his desk. The letter said:
"Hi IGA pal, you know? I have been involved in some games here and there, and I found a good game in Spain, is a sort of action game and the hero has a whip. So i went with the boss and talked about how much I liked that game and that I could put my seal on it; The Boss was very happy, he thought that my seal could expand the sales of the game and it could
-
Eurogamer: We've seen the video of Lord of Shadows, the game just introduced Konami and that may take many elements of Castlevania. Got a relationship with this game?
Koji Igarashi: I'm not related to this game. But the truth is that I really want to know more details, appeals to me a game of such action but developed in Europe. [Recall that Lord of Shadows is being developed by Mercury Steam studying Spanish for Konami].
All that proves is he didn't know the details at the time. It was entirely possible that he knew full well that it was a Castlevania at the time, and he was under orders from the powers that be to not mention it was a Castlevania.
Or it really wasn't a Castlevania at the time, or he really didn't know. I imagine the first scenario to be the most likely.
-
In Reply To #42
Konami likes to keep its secrets, it does... :o
-
In Reply To #43
All companies do. Not every team knows what the others are doing. That happens with every company. It was made clear whenever I heard various production teams at Square Enix comment about other teams within the company. It's not like Kawazu and Tanaka know what Kitase or Tokita are doing. They might have some idea, but I'm sure the production team for the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series doesn't know what the Fabula Nova Crystallis compilation has in store for us.
I don't think it would be far-fetched that Konami does this too. I doubt the Castlevania people know what the Silent Hill people are doing, or the Contra and Gradius teams know what Kojima's doing.
-
In Reply To #44
True. But I think Hideo Kojima would know if a new, non-Kojima Metal Gear was in the making. Same goes for Igarashi. And who knows, Igarashi might be partly responsible for LoS not fitting the official CV timeline. Maybe LoS was initially going to be connected with the other games, but Igarashi didn't want them to interfer? This is only speculation, of course. But perhaps he suggested them to stay away from his timeline and come up with something different? Maybe he already have plans for his storyline.
Lol, speculations are teh shit.
-
Man, hearing that Iga's still around really bums me out. Hopefully, the projects that he is working on are unrelated to Castlevania. Highly unlikely, but here's to hoping.
-
I'll reserve my Judgement, but I'm not expecting anything different than what we got before. I think it's really funny that Iga is praised for reviving the CV series with SotN, and yet the same people who praise him for that are bashing Mercury Steam/Kojima for attempting to do the same thing, because let's be honest, if CV was starting to get stale before SotN came a long, it's certainly gotten stale enough with the latest Igavania's to warrant another revival.
The word of the day: hypocrisy.
-
I dont' see it like that. The reason a lot of people are wary about LoS because they fear it's going to turn it's back on the classic series themes completely. While IGA changed the gameplay up and switched the series over from a stage-based on to a castletroid, he kept a lot of the things from the older games(hell, he went out of his way to bring back Alucard, and makes references to past titles). The change in gameplay was different, yet it was still roaming around the castle, killing zombies, fleamen, fishmen, candles with hearts, subweapons and Dracula.
-
But right now, it's like jumping from a airplane, sky diving over an area with a dense jungle. There's some clear patches to land, and the overall surrounds are BEAUTIFUL, but you just don't know what's down there.
That's exactly why I'm so excited about this game. 8) It's better to take that leap than just let the series grow stale with the same formula over and over until Konami closes the lid forever. And I still think LoS will be a familiar experience to CV fans, albeit not stuck in the 90's anymore.
-
Awww cmon dude, just look at the situation like this:
We had 9 years of breathtaking classic action
Then we got 12 YEARS of the same formula of the castleroid and the fail of PS2 by Iga
Its time for another change or in this case, reborn and we cannot underestimate the power of the action games, it have many potential is just that there are not enough brain to make it work to the 1OO%
-
But right now, it's like jumping from a airplane, sky diving over an area with a dense jungle. There's some clear patches to land, and the overall surrounds are BEAUTIFUL, but you just don't know what's down there.
That's exactly what happened with SotN, but no one complained then, did they? Watch the trailer again, and look closely. I did, and I saw torches with blue flames that probably serve the same classic purpose we expect them to, gothic castles, Gabriel using a subweapon of sorts, creatures born out of European mythology, etc etc.
Besides, I'd rather jump from the plane now and land somewhere new than stay on the plane and land in the same ol' territory.
And by the way, I believe I read somewhere that this is part of a planned Trilogy. With a film on the way, which is going to use the classic plot of a vampire killer facing Dracula, do you really think Konami is going to release a game, or several, in conjunction with the film that would ditch that basic plot? People who weren't fans before the film are going to walk out of the theater wanting to play the games, so I doubt Konami would do something so stupid as to release new Castlevania games that have don't have anything to do with the Dracula-based storyline at the same time as a film that does.
-
Yeah, I don't know where everybody's getting the idea about a trilogy. The first I heard about it was in the movie thread.
-
The only trilogy I've heard about was the one for the Dracula's Curse animated films. They said they wanted to do 3, but it doesn't seem like we're going to get any now...
-
I predict IGA will take this opportunity to introduce a new female character who dies / has everyone she knows and loves die / is useless for the entire game.
C'mon. You know he's going to.
-
Or maybe there'll be a surprise unveiling at the end of the game, whereby the main protagonist was actually a girl with a-cups. If Iga's that keen on metroid, maybe he's finally going to give it the ultimate tip of his wide-brimmed hat? :-*
-
In Reply To #55
I dunno which Metroid you played but Samus is definitely not an acup =D
-
Women have no business in Castlevania unless they're being saved by a male Belmont. That's right! I said it!
-
Awww cmon dude, just look at the situation like this:
We had 9 years of breathtaking classic action
Then we got 12 YEARS of the same formula of the castleroid and the fail of PS2 by Iga
Its time for another change or in this case, reborn and we cannot underestimate the power of the action games, it have many potential is just that there are not enough brain to make it work to the 1OO%
Uh. Your numbers are off. Castlevania debuted in 1986. Symphony came out in 1997. That's 11 years. Unless of course, you don't want to count the time-frame between the '95 release of Dracula X for the SNES and SOTN, in which case we've only had 11 years of Castleroid, because the last release was in late 08. And ultimately, we've had more classic/other style games then we have Castleroids (approximately 9 out of 29 games are metroidvania style).
Castlevania has always been partially action game at heart, so I don't see why you're going on about that. The complaints about it not being castlevania are less about gameplay and more about style and the visible lack of actual Castlevania elements.
-
I think it's really funny that Iga is praised for reviving the CV series with SotN, and yet the same people who praise him for that are bashing Mercury Steam/Kojima for attempting to do the same thing, because let's be honest, if CV was starting to get stale before SotN came a long, it's certainly gotten stale enough with the latest Igavania's to warrant another revival.
The word of the day: hypocrisy.
Amen to that. I don't understand why there is such resistance to change, when we saw the exact same thing happen with SotN, and at the time it was good for Castlevania. To people criticizing the perceived gameplay similarities to God of War... How is that any different than slapping Castlevania themes over Super Metroid? And stylistically, there were a great deal of changes in SotN as well. The elegant and romantic look of the characters that has become so commonplace to Castlevania was a huge departure from the norm when SotN came out.
I mean, if you guys are really pessimistic about this because you haven't seen fleamen or candles yet, all I can say is be patient and stop nitpicking. Don't judge a book by its cover, and don't judge a game by its trailer.
-
We're judging the game by what we've seen thus far - the trailer, interviews, concept art, all of that. That's the entire point of them showing you these things. To give people an opinion on it, and hopefully drum up some anticipation.
And stylistically, there were a great deal of changes in SotN as well.
-
Gameplay is unimportant to many of those complaining about the title (unless they're drawing 'sold out' type conclusions which I must say isn't exactly invalid). If the game was literally Lament of Innocence, except with this gameplay, I'm sure the amount of complaints you'd be seeing would dwindle greatly.
I have to say I agree here. Along with the removal of hearts and such. Lament and Curse are good examples of how hearts don't diminish the game's feel. They even added metal frames for them to make them look more interesting and less kiddy.
-
In Reply To #61
The LoI and CoD hearts always reminded me of the Legend of Zelda and Kid Icarus Heart Containers, which was always gave me an nostalgic feel. Sure, Konami =/= Nintendo, but nonetheless, those little things remind me of the early NES days when Mario, Link, Simon, Pit, among others of the NES were all-stars together.
-
I'm telling you, if you watch the gameplay segments of the trailer, you can spot some torches, or candles, whatever you want to call them. Blue flames.
-
I'm all for LoS thus far. That is, I'm all for it as long as it's castlevania. Dracula MUST have a focal point in the story. Enough said. We call agree to that, yes? I mean, we don't NEED candles. Simon's Quest didn't have candles. Speaking of simon's quest, why do people keep referring to SOTN as the big major departure from the formula when all it did was take simon's quest's gameplay and make it much better?
-
In Reply To #64
Well I think it's harder to say Simon's Quest made a major leap in the gameplay for the series when it's only the second game in the series.
Anywho, I agree, if it has Dracula and other things from the series, candles aren't necessarily a must have feature
-
In Reply To #64
as much as I wish my fav game of all time could take credit for the metroidvania beginning it cant. It was just one of those odd NES games where the 2nd was completely different from the first along with the 2 other biggest series Nintendos ever seen... Zelda and Mario. Altho technically Mario 2 wasnt actually Mario 2 in japan... But here it was and thus my point =D
-
In Reply To #64
Depending on how far away they take the continuity, Adam, they may be throwing out Dracula as well...I mean, the original games were going for that delightfully campy monster-movie feel (look at the credits, crediting people like "Christopher Bee" and "Boris Karloffice"). If they're trying to get away from that with LoS, it's possible we won't see any Dracula at all... :'(
-
Yeah, I won't mind if the CV series splits up into two franchises(the one Lords of Shadow is forging and the Akumajou Dracula series).
I feel the same. It would probably be best for the fans. This way the ones that like the series the way it is stay satisfied while the ones that are unhappy get to try something different. Personally, I like Iga's games and I would love for there to be another game overseen by him (as long as it contributes to the official timeline).
-
In Reply To #1
My bets are on a PSP Castlevania. Why?
1. Lords of Shadow is coming to PS3/360. Two next gen titles is crazy.
2. Judgement-Did poorly so Wii is more unlikly but still possible.
3. There are already 3 DS Castlevanias. Plus the DS titles are forced into a more kiddish realm--still enjoyable games nevertheless.
4. Sony seems to be pushing their PSP more after E3.
5. IGA has proven success on the portables moreso than on the consoles.
As a side note, I have a PS3, Wii, DS and PSP, so I'm not partial to the PSP.
-
In Reply To #69
I actually think two next-gen titles are possible. First of all, Lords of Shadow is coming next year and the IGA one (with Alucard) could very well be 2 years away. The games would not interfer with each other in terms of release dates. Also, Konami wouldn't wanna close the door completely on IGA. Maybe they want to see which game is better and then go from there in the future? Also, the IGA game from last years TGS was appearently shown too early which suggests that it wasn't supposed to be revelead until after LoS. Or something. Well, at least that's how I see it.
-
I don't know. Why would Konami release Lords of Shadow, a game that's rebooting the series due to the confusing time line, and then release a game later on that takes place in the confusing time line? If Iga's game is still in the works, it will most likely be for a handheld. And judging by the teaser trailer, it'll probably be for the PSP.
-
I don't know. Why would Konami release Lords of Shadow, a game that's rebooting the series due to the confusing time line, and then release a game later on that takes place in the confusing time line? If Iga's game is still in the works, it will most likely be for a handheld. And judging by the teaser trailer, it'll probably be for the PSP.
Well no body ever said that Konami is doing LoS to replace the old timeline. And whats so confusing about that timeline anyways? Its pretty straight forward.
I'm still hoping for two console titles...no handhelds..
-
Well no body ever said that Konami is doing LoS to replace the old timeline. And whats so confusing about that timeline anyways? Its pretty straight forward.
I'm still hoping for two console titles...no handhelds..
I thought I read that somewhere. Maybe it's just my assumption though. Why else would they reboot it and say "...forget all you know about Castlevania?" You do have to admit, the time line could be pretty overwhelming for people who would like to get into the series or who haven't played since the NES era.
-
In Reply To #73
It could be overwhelming if you dwell on it too much, though there are a lot of people who choose to ignore IGA's retcons and accept the full timeline(with Legends, CV64, LoD and CotM reinstated) and are perfectly content with it. Actually, it's pretty easier than it sounds.
-
CV fans are way too obsessed with the timeline anyway. It's only a series of video games, and it should be judged by how fun the games are, not if they're connected or not. Look at Zelda, Mario, Mega Man or whatever... A good game is a good game, and a bad game is a bad game regardless if they "fit" with the rest of the games or not. Gimme 150 different timelines that make no sense whatsoever and I'll still play them (as long as the games are good). ;D
-
In Reply To #75
Agree wholeheartedly.
-
In Reply To #75
I will say that timeline can play an important part in establishing the game world and adding a fair amount of mystery--though mystery is better established when the timeline is unclear like the Zelda series which has a timeline but isn't known.
However, in Castlevania, as well as many other games, the game world is built on elements and generalities that exist between games such as mythological creatures/horror movies, a gothic-medieval atmosphere, and gameplay elements like candles in the universe strangely drop hearts.
The Castlevania games are so isolated from eachother timewise anyway where you can still have game lore while taking a few creative liberties with them. I don't care how the Vampire Killer whip was created as much as I do that it exists. My point is as long as a Castlevania has the guts of the game I see no reason why it fit into the preestablished universe.
Also the more crap they add, typically, the more it can diminish atmosphere. I don't think game developers understand the great value in the "unknown". It's what made games like Metroid and Silent Hill so compelling.
-
CV fans are way too obsessed with the timeline anyway. It's only a series of video games, and it should be judged by how fun the games are, not if they're connected or not. Look at Zelda, Mario, Mega Man or whatever... A good game is a good game, and a bad game is a bad game regardless if they "fit" with the rest of the games or not. Gimme 150 different timelines that make no sense whatsoever and I'll still play them (as long as the games are good).
-
In Reply To #78
Well, the problem is that people would eventually start to wonder why we've had the same gothic environments for 500+ games. When are the Belmonts ever gonna start using machine guns? Space ships? Regardless of what year it is, things would change DRASTICALLY in each game and it would be hard to justify another medieval village after only a handfull of games..
It would work if the games only took place inside Dracula's Castle. I can totally see why things haven't changed much in there. But Castlevania also likes to take place outside the castle walls, and what will the transylvanian countryside look like in, say, 500 years? It would take only 5 games to get there. I don't want there to be flying cars and cyborgs wandering the villages, but at the same time it wouldn't be believable if NOTHING whatsoever had changed in all that time. I dunno... I like the 100 years rule, but I'm just pointing out some problems with it..
Maybe if the games took place in an alternate dimension were humans weren't making any industrial or technical progress whatsoever..
As far as I'm concerned the IGA timeline is close to finished. LoS or not - CV needs a reboot sooner or later.
-
As far as I'm concerned the IGA timeline is close to finished.
There's still 300 years of monster slaying the Belmonts must engage in. The timeline has PLENTY of room for more games!
-
Mega Man
Mega Man has a very established timeline that makes sense, albeit there are still some holes in the plot that need to be filled.
Also the more crap they add, typically, the more it can diminish atmosphere. I don't think game developers understand the great value in the "unknown". It's what made games like Metroid and Silent Hill so compelling.
I do somewhat agree with this, despite how convenient it may be to have an easily accesable database with enemy information and item drops and the like.
-
I want to hear some opinions, about what do you expect IGA is going to show at Gamescon? A new metroidvania for DS? The Aloucard project or something that has nothing to do with Castlevania at all? Let's put our bets!!!! I personally believe it's going to be a Castlevania for the DSi. What do you think people?
-
In Reply To #82
I don't think he's going to show anything at Gamescon. If they are planning to show more of Lords of Shadow at Gamescon, I think Konami will want all eyes to be on that (for Castlevania fans, anyway). I don't think you will hear from Iga until TGS.
-
In Reply To #82
I still think IGA is working on the Alucardvania, and it's not gonna be shown for another 6 months or so. Having said that we won't see IGA at Gamescom. In the unlikely event of him NOT working on the Alucardvania anymore, he's probably doing;
A) A new DS Castlevania.
B) A new IP with cyborgs, though not Nanobreaker 2.
C) A new Chronicles title for the PSP and/or XBLA, possibly one that deals with Dracula's Curse. It's gonna happen and you know it.
D) Something completely unexpected, like, Cooking Papa.
:D
I honestly don't believe he's working on a new DS Castlevania though. I mean, the man needs a break from that formula.
-
In Reply To #84
Yeah, but what if nintendo forces him to make a Castlevania game for DSi, to push the sales of the console?
-
In Reply To #85
I highly doubt Nintendo would force him to do anything - he's not even working for Nintendo. But I'm sure they've probably already asked Konami to bring CV to DSi. After all, it's a very strong franchise on the handheld. But maybe Konami will have someone else make the next DS game anyway, much like they're trying MercurySteam for LoS? Time will tell...
-
In Reply To #86
Since IGA for me is the master of 2D sprites, i doubt that Konami will put someone else to make a Castlevania for DSi.
No IGA at Gamescon:
Konami - Gamescom lineup
August 17, 2009 by RawmeatCowboy Filed Under: Wii
Playable
- PES 2010 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)
- Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii)
- DanceDanceRevolution HOTTEST PARTY 2 (Wii)
- pop
-
I predict that if he is currently working on something, it is any of the following:
1) The 3D game with Alucard we saw that teaser trailer for months ago
2) Another chronicles game (hopefully CV3 in 2.5D for PSP)
3) A 2D for DS (or DSi)
4) a 2D (or 2.5D) game for PSP
I hope that if this is the case, he is working on either item one or two on the list above.
-
If he's not working on a new Igavania, it will be really hard for him to show his face after what happened, and be hard to promote this new thing he's working on.
-
Since IGA for me is the master of 2D sprites, i doubt that Konami will put someone else to make a Castlevania for DSi.
Um.
How?
He didn't sprite any of the graphics, "he" consistently reuses sprites and in many of the later CV games - like PoR and OoE especially - there isn't even a consistent graphical style. There are so many different conflicting sprite styles in those games that it's downright atrocious, and the new sprites generally range from terrible to acceptable, with the occasional 'awesome'.
Several of the bosses from OoE look terrible - Wallman and Blackmore, specifically. The first boss, Arthroverta, is awkward. Almost all of the new enemies from PoR are terrible.
Even if there were some consistency, despite the generally very smooth animations and nice backgrounds, I've seen much better sprites out there then what Iga's teams have had to offer.
-
Hey, don't knock Blackmore. He was awesome in a quirky way and one of the most refreshing bosses in a long time.
-
In Reply To #90
Then name some of the other, that they are better, because making a game like OoE for the DS with such low hardware power and only 256 thousands colors display and a very low resolution, i don't think is something that everyone can make and OoE has few reuse enemies and all the bosses are new and challenging. Playing OoE for the first time, i felt that feeling that i was having, when i was playing the old school Castlevanias. I got that feeling, because of the high difficulty it has.
-
Hey, don't knock Blackmore.
-
In Reply To #93
I agree. I've always had problems understanding the Blackmore sprite. He kind of reminds me from HoD, where pixel art as a whole is a bloody mess. Aside from that, the battle is AWESOME. I personally think the boss battles from OoE are the game's highest point.
Sprite inconsistency is an issue that exists as far as SotN. This happens mainly because of recycling sprites from game to game, and every game has its own artistic approach.
For instance, the Dhurons, Slogra & Gaibon are sprites from Super Castlevania IV, the bloody skeletons are from the X68000 game, the normal skeletons, medusa heads and many others are from Rondo of Blood, and so on.
The enemies native to SotN commonly fall into the multi-joint type (Diplocephalus, Gurkha, Galamoth), or the large, highly detailed frame by frame ones (Owl Knights, Guardians, Snipers of Goth, Skull Lords).
At this point I think they already know about the sprite issues but the pixel artists involved are not looking for consistency anymore. In Portrait of Ruin, as an example, we have in one hand Lerajie (harpies with rifles) and in the other Zacchino (the guy who loves you), probable made by different artists.
-
Actually SOTN is pretty consistent for the most part; even the imported sprites from SCIV still look pretty nice alongside all the other Rondo/new ones. It looks good enough that it isn't really distracting at all, and most of the old sprites were revamped with extra frames and the like.
Whereas in OoE, I don't think they're even trying anymore - there's no way you can justify that kind of inconsistency.
And hey, HoD's sprites were actually pretty decent for the most part. The backgrounds were much better, but there were still some nice sprites in there, and the color usage and shading isn't even comparable to how awful blackmore is. The only real 'drawback' for HoD is that they're all bright and colorful, but ultimately that was a necessity, given the medium.