Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Castlevania Symphony of the Night did many things for the Castlevania franchise. It spawned a period of exploration-heavy, non-linear titles in the franchise. Most of them being hand-held releases, hitting Nintendos GBA and eventually the DS. Each one of these portable entries are rewarding experience in their own rights and should be experienced by gamers. Problem is, theyre kind of hard to get your hands on nowadays. So what better way to reach the masses than by offering digital re-releases of these games, just how Symphony of the Night received one on the XBLA, consequentially raising the memory limit of XBLAs releases that followed it. Fans have been clamoring for such a possibility, to be able to play these great games, with enhanced visuals on a home console. Judging by this excerpt from Nowgamers article on the making of Symphony of the Night, it seems possible

Back in ye olde days of 8-bit gaming, we didn't have teh interwebs or in-depth FAQs to get us through hours of repetitive dungeons and mindless enemies. We had to do it all ourselves, patiently praying for a wave of cheat codes to come in the next issue of Nintendo Power. Then, after countless hours (literally, because no game would count the hours) we'd see the ending... just to view another 8-bit sunset. Seriously. Another one. How many games do you think end with a scene of the main

Gamerzines, who have already launched free Xbox 360 and PC games magazines, have just published the first issue of HGZine. Handheld Gamerzine covers Nintendo DS and Sony PSP games, and the first issue is packed with reviews of Sid Meier's Pirates, Mario vs Donkey Kong 2, Ghost Rider, Castlevania, Dungeon Siege and more. There are previews of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Zelda Phantom Hourglass, Manhunt 2, Driver 76 and an exclusive interview with Burnout Detonator Senior Producer, Nick Channon. As with other Gamerzines, the magazine is written by professional games journalists and published for free in PDF format. The magazine is enhanced with video and multimedia.

Another year, another Castlevania, right? Aside from a few brief lapses, we've been enjoying a quality castle quest every year since 1997's Symphony of the Night. With that one game, the entire series changed - instead of a straightforward action-slashfest, the games became an open-ended exploration of Dracula's castle, riddled with secret passageways, hidden bosses and an untold number of bonus features. That tradition continues with Portrait of Ruin. Even though we've long since finished the

What began as a bizarre shot in the dark has fast become one of the biggest success stories in video games. Even though its first six months were rough and questionable, the DS currently owns the handheld market, and with good reason. There's literally something for everyone on the dual-screened portable, and its beautiful cosmetic makeover (known as the DS Lite) made the device all the more palatable to hardcore and casual gamers alike. With its mixture of brain teasing puzzle games,

Portrait of Ruin had been expected to arrive this year for the DS, but in order to implement some new features the game's release has now been put back until February 2007. A Konami Europe spokesperson said that the team working on Portrait of Ruin can now use the extra months to add new online modes such as online spell-trading, an online shop for selling spells, plus a two-player Wi-Fi co-op mode against the game's bosses.

It's gotten to the point where we can't even walk to the mailbox without an EB Games employee asking us to pre-order a game or buy a strategy guide. Usually you can tune them out and politely say "Hell no," but when the incentive is as bad ass as the one for Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, there's no acceptable answer other than "please, may I order two?" Those who dip into the vast well of this bonus will receive a 48-page art book, a soundtrack CD collecting some of the series' best music

If you've been a happy Game Boy or DS owner at any point in the past five years, you're likely a fan of the immortal Castlevania series. Each one pits a lone hero against the forces of Dracula, but the latest entry in the series, Portrait of Ruin, bucks that trend by teaming you up with a magical young girl. To get the straight talk on the change, and just generally gush a little praise, we sat down with series creator Koji "IGA" Igarashi and composer Michiru Yamane. GamesRadar: Portrait of

If you pre-order Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for the Nintendo DS at GameStop/EB Games, you'll receive a Castlevania 20th Anniversary Soundtrack music CD for free!

Dracula seems to rise up every year now. Hey, we're not about to complain - every time he shows up, the world is treated to another adventurous vampire hunt that trumps practically every other 2D game out there. Portrait of Ruin already feels like it won't be the exception to the Castlevania rule. You can switch between whip-wielding Jonathan Morris and magical sorceress Charlotte Orlean. With a simple button press, you can switch between these two any time, and even summon the other down to