What if Konami would resurrect some of their old associated "brands" like Vampire Killer, Haunted Castle or Kid Dracula? I somehow think it should've been done ages ago. Just look at Shin Megami Tensei which has multiple branches, one of which (yes, Persona) is arguably more popular than the mainline series.
I think Lords of Shadow could've been a Vampire Killer trilogy instead of using the Castlevania name. That would've made a lot of the haters less upset. And it could expand into its very own thing to cater to fans of more mainstream 3D action games, while leaving Castlevania to the nostalgic hardcore oldschool fans.
And as cheesy as it is, the name Vampire Killer is probably easier to market than Castlevania too.
Maybe the Metroidvanias could've been Haunted Castle games. Dunno. Or maybe they're a more natural evolution of the Vampire Killer formula. Doesn't matter, it's just names.
But what I'm most excited about is the idea of a new Kid Dracula game. It could be marketed more towards the Mario/Kirby crowd. Heck, it could even be a Zeldaesque game. If Konami announced KID DRACULA REBOOT for the 3DS it would actually be one of the cooler things they've done in years. It is very unlikely, I know, but still.
My point is that there're so many things that could've been done with the franchise. Fun things!