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Filed under: News, Virtual Console

Evidently, Konami ill needs logic or sequential order when releasing Castlevania games on the Virtual Console — which is probably why Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse has only just been rated by Australian regulators at the OFLC.

The game, a former star of Virtually Overlooked no less (if you can hear celebratory gunshots being fired into the air, that’ll be Alisha), now looks like a certainty to join Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, and Super Castlevania IV on the download service. If you read this, you’ll be reminded of why that’s very special, fist pump-worthy news indeed.

But enough talk. Have at you!

[Via Go Nintendo]

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Filed under: News, WiiWare

Another E3 interview with Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi has surfaced, this time from Nintendo World Report. After justifying Castlevania Judgment yet again, Igarashi gave a tenuous, noncommittal, but still interesting statement regarding future Castlevania games: “With regards to WiiWare, I’m evaluating that right now, and to be honest, I think a 2D Castlevania game on WiiWare might be the right approach.”

He has previously said that he was interested in how things turned out for Mega Man 9, and he has said that WiiWare was an interesting service, but this is the most direct Igarashi has been yet about a WiiWare entry in the franchise. He also confirmed the nature of the Order of Ecclesia connection bonus: as we expected, Shanoa is unlocked in Judgment by connecting with a DS running Order of Ecclesia.

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Filed under: News

As part of a ton of Castlevania Judgment coverage, IGN interviewed the man in charge of the franchise, Koji “IGA” Igarashi. You can probably guess the content of the first question.

IGA explained what possessed him to make a 3D fighter with some fairly smart reasoning: people want to swing the Wiimote to whip, and he decided it would be best to implement those kinds of mechanics in a shorter-session game. “… I realized, with the 3D action style, I would be able to incorporate intervals so that players can rest and this would allow players to enjoy the swinging action of the Wii Remote.” IGA also mentioned that part of the Elebits/Dewy team is working on Judgment, which should at least ensure lovely visuals.

IGN’s hands-on with the game gave us a bit of morning light to vanquish the horrible night of our skepticism, describing Judgment as more of a Power Stone free-roaming vs. action game than a traditional Tekken or Virtua Fighter-like game.

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What are the best-selling games in America, Japan, and Europe (UK) this week? Thanks to Amazon online sales data here are the games that are the most popular now.

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo), 2. Wii Play (Nintendo), 3. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega), 4. Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party (Konami), 5. Game Party (Midway).

Japan: 1. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo), 2. Wii Sports (Nintendo), 3. Mario & Sonic at Bejing Olympics (Sega), 4. Hajimete no Wii (Nintendo), 5. Swing Golf Pangya 2nd Shot! (Tecmo).

Europe: 1. Big Brain Academy for Wii (Nintendo), 2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega), 3. Carnival Funfair Games (2K Games), 4. Mario Party 8 (Nintendo), 5. FIFA 08 (EA Sports).

Xbox 360
North America: 1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 2. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft), 3. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 4. Halo 3: Legendary Edition (Microsoft), 5. Mass Effect (Microsoft).

Japan: 1. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft), 2. Dead Rising / Gears of War — Xbox 360 Platinum Double Pack (Capcom / Microsoft), 3. The Idol M@ster — Xbox 360 Platinum Collection (Namco), 4. Guilty Gear 2: Overture (Arc System Works), 5. Ace Combat 6: Kaihou e no Senka (Namco).

Europe: 1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 2. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 3. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft), 4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 5. Mass Effect (Microsoft).

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 2. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft), 3. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (SCEA), 4. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (SCEA), 5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision).

Japan: 1. World Soccer Winning Eleven 2008 (Konami), 2. Shin Sangoku Musou 5 (Koei), 3. Ratchet & Clank Future (SCEI), 4. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Spike), 5. Tony Hawk’s Project 8 (Spike).

Europe: 1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 2. Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction (SCEE), 3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 4. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft), 5. FIFA 08 (EA Sports).

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What are the best-selling games in America, Japan, and Europe (UK) this week? Thanks to Amazon online sales data here are the games that are the most popular now.

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Wii Play (Nintendo), 2. Carnival Games (Global Star), 3. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega), 4. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts), 5. Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party (Konami).

Japan: 1. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo), 2. Wii Sports (Nintendo), 3. Ghost Squad (Sega), 4. Dragon Quest Swords: Kamen no Joou to Kagami no Tou (Square Enix), 5. Hajimete no Wii (Nintendo).

Europe: 1. Big Brain Academy for Wii (Nintendo), 2. The Simpsons Game (EA Games), 3. Carnival Funfair Games (2K Games), 4. Mario Party 8 (Nintendo), 5. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo).

Xbox 360
North America: 1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 2. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 3. Madden NFL 08 (EA Sports), 4. The Orange Box (EA Games), 5. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Activision).

Japan: 1. Ace Combat 6: Kaihou e no Senka (Namco), 2. The Idol M@ster — Xbox 360 Platinum Collection (Namco), 3. Just Cause: Viva Revolution (EA Games), 4. Chikyuu Boueigun 3 — Xbox 360 Platinum Collection (D3 Publisher), 5. Dead Rising / Gears of War — Xbox 360 Platinum Double Pack (Capcom / Microsoft).

Europe: 1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 2. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 3. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare — Special Edition (Activision), 5. The Orange Box (EA Games).

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 2. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (SCEA), 3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 4. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts), 5. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEA).

Japan: 1. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (Ubisoft), 2. Minna no Golf 5 (SCEI), 3. The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion (SCEI), 4. Imabikisou (Spike), 5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Spike).

Europe: 1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision), 2. Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction (SCEE), 3. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 4. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 5. Sega Rally (Sega).

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What are the best-selling games in America, Japan, and Europe (UK) this week? Thanks to Amazon online sales data here are the games that are the most popular now.

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Wii Play (Nintendo), 2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 3. Carnival Games (Global Star), 4. Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party (Konami), 5. Mario Party 8 (Nintendo).

Japan: 1. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo), 2. Wii Sports (Nintendo), 3. Ghost Squad (Sega), 4. Dragon Quest Swords: Kamen no Joou to Kagami no Tou (Square Enix), 5. Takarajima Z: Barbaros no Hihou (Capcom).

Europe: 1. Big Brain Academy for Wii (Nintendo), 2. Carnival Funfair Games (2K Games), 3. The Simpsons Game (EA Games), 4. Mario Party 8 (Nintendo), 5. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo).

Xbox 360
North America: 1. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Activision), 4. The Orange Box (EA Games), 5. BioShock (2K Games).

Japan: 1. Ace Combat 6: Kaihou e no Senka (Namco), 2. The Idol M@ster — Xbox 360 Platinum Collection (Namco), 3. Chikyuu Boueigun 3 — Xbox 360 Platinum Collection (D3 Publisher), 4. Dead Rising / Gears of War — Xbox 360 Platinum Double Pack (Capcom / Microsoft), 5. Gears of War — Xbox 360 Platinum Collection (Microsoft).

Europe: 1. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 2. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 3. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 4. The Orange Box (EA Games), 5. Project Gotham Racing 4 (Microsoft).

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (SCEA), 2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (Activision), 3. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEA), 4. The Simpsons Game (EA Games), 5. FIFA Soccer 08 (EA Sports).

Japan: 1. Imabikisou (Japan), 2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Spike), 3. The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion (SCEI), 4. Rise from Lair (SCEI), 5. Minna no Golf 5 (SCEI).

Europe: 1. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEE), 2. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 3. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 4. MotorStorm (SCEE), 5. Heavenly Sword (SCEE).

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Filed under: Virtual Console

The internet has made it easy to find cheats for games, but we miss the tips pages from game magazines, when the discovery of a new code could inspire you to go back to an old game. These codes aren't exactly new, but oldness is the essence of the Virtual Console! We're bringing back the classic codes every week on The VC Advantage.

Today is the perfect day to look at some of the spookier games on the Virtual Console, and then help you face your fears and take them on. It would certainly have been a good day to talk about Ghosts 'n Goblins games, as well, but ... we already did that. Uh, as part of our Halloween special, here's a link to that old VC Advantage! It's ... uh, back from the dead!

Luckily, awkward backlinks aren't the only thing we can present for our Halloween edition of The VC Advantage. There are still some gruesome games we have yet to cover!

And that means that it's now totally scary time! Turn out all the lights and stuff! We're making weird "oooooo" spooky noises, but you can't hear it, because we'll have written this hours ago by the time you're reading it, and also we're not in the same room as you!

Splatterhouse (TG16)
Hard mode: What's scarier than a game in which the main character dies, over and over and over again, forced to relive the same horrific period of a few seconds before he's ripped apart yet again by disgusting, nightmarish monsters? Probably a lot of stuff. Dentistry comes to mind. Loneliness. But what's scarier in the context of video game alterations caused by input of preprogrammed button sequences? Probably still some stuff. To access hard mode, hold Select at the title screen until the word HARD appears.

Castlevania (NES)
Hard mode: Yes, it's another hard mode, but this one seems pretty notable. We had no idea that Castlevania even had one of these, and we doubt anyone else ever would have were it not for cheat devices and ROM hacking-- because you access Castlevania's hard mode by completing the game, and that is impossible. Of all the games to put a hard mode in. Also we heard that if you finish the hard mode, Koji Igarashi will ride a Medusa head to your house and give you a million dollars. And nobody will ever know if that's true.

Kid Chameleon (GEN)
Level skip: Kid Chameleon isn't really that scary, but it is about dressing up in costumes. And that is the true meaning of Halloween (also, candy, which is delicious, when eaten.) To skip straight to the last boss, find some blogs above the flag in the Blue Lake Woods level and jump to the last one. Then press down, right, jump, and special.

[Codes via GameFAQs]

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Filed under: VC Monday Madness

Oh, how we love Mondays. Our wallets, however, have a whole different idea regarding the start of the work week. And, this week, our wallets hate us that much more as the titles on offer cost their fair share of dough. Lucky for us, and for you all, this week's available titles are more good than bad.


Simon's Quest is a very different title from the first game. It offers the player more choice and freedom, trading in a linear path of levels to be completed for a large game world that must be explored and discovered at the own player's whim. It's very different, but still very good by Castlevania standards.


You do not question the Magician Lord. You will only speak to the Magician Lord when spoken to. You will not make eye contact with the Magician Lord. If the Magician Lord hits you with a projectile attack, you will cease to exist and explode into a fine powder. The first rule of the Magician Lord is you do not speak of the Magician Lord.

Look. Just download it.


As we said in our video coverage, this title is highly reminiscent of China Warrior in both art direction and utter lack of fun. It's a straightforward affair, tasking the player with fleeing unknown dangers off the left side of the screen for those in front of said player on the right. It's rinse-and-repeat throughout.

That concludes our look at this week's Virtual Console games. As always, if you have any tips or rumors regarding Nintendo's Virtual Console service, be sure to let us know and come back next week when we take a look at the latest titles available on the Nintendo Wii.

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Filed under: VC Monday Madness

Another week, another Virtual Console update. And, with this week's update, we've got three new titles to check out. The obvious high-profile game here is Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, which you all likely remember (whether you enjoyed it or not). That doesn't mean we should forget about the other two games, though.

This week's releases are:

• Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (NES, 1 player, 500 Wii Points)
• Samurai-Ghost (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
• Magician Lord (Neo Geo, 1 - 2 players, 900 Wii Points)

And, as usual, be sure to stop back later for our video wrap-up of today's releases.

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What are the best-selling games in America, Japan, and Europe (UK) this week? Thanks to Amazon online sales data here are the games that are the most popular now.

Nintendo Wii
North America: 1. Wii Play (Nintendo), 2. Carnival Games (Global Star), 3. Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party (Konami), 4. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure (Capcom), 5. Mario Party 8 (Nintendo).

Japan: 1. Ghost Squad (Sega), 2. Gintama: Banji Oku Chuubu (Bandai), 3. Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party (Konami), 4. Takarajima Z: Barbaros no Hihou (Capcom), 5. Dragon Quest Swords: Kamen no Joou to Kagami no Tou (Square Enix).

Europe: 1. Carnival Funfair Games (2K Games), 2. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Nintendo), 3. Big Brain Academy for Wii (Nintendo), 4. Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (Rockstar), 5. MySims (EA Games).

Xbox 360
North America: 1. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 2. The Orange Box (EA Games), 3. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (Namco Bandai), 4. BioShock (2K Games), 5. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation — Flightstick Bundle (Namco Bandai).

Japan: 1. Beautiful Katamari Damacy (Namco), 2. Blade Storm: Hyakunen Sensou (Koei), 3. Halo 3: Limited Edition (Microsoft), 4. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Spike).

Europe: 1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 2. Halo 3 (Microsoft), 3. The Orange Box (EA Games), 4. BioShock (2K Games), 5. Project Gotham Racing 4 (Microsoft).

PlayStation 3
North America: 1. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (SCEA), 2. The Eye of Judgment — PlayStation Eye Camera Bundle (SCEA), 3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda), 4. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEA), 5. FIFA Soccer 08 (EA Sports).

Japan: 1. Imabikisou (Japan), 2. The Eye of Judgment: Biolith Rebellion (SCEI), 3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Spike), 4. The Godfather: The Don’s Edition (EA Games), 5. Minna no Golf 5 (SCEI).

Europe: 1. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami), 2. Resistance: Fall of Man (SCEE), 3. FIFA 08 (EA Sports), 4. MotorStorm (SCEE), 5. Formula One Championship Edition (SCEE).

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