Castlevania Judgment

Lords of Shadow is the latest Castlevania in over two decades of games which encompass ten centuries of the past and eight thousand years of the future. Since the eleventh century Count Dracula has walked the Earth, rising every hundred years to spread his evil influence across the world, and at every resurrection he has been foiled by a descendant of the Belmont bloodline.

Just a few weeks ago we celebrated the very best of 2008 with our Platinum Chalice Awards.Today though, we must temper our merriment with disdain and head-sagging shame, for these are the moments that truly made our stomachs turn.

In examining the best gaming franchises in recent years, we’ve found the best titles to be those that tweaked a significant portion of the core mechanics. On the surface, gameplay is largely the same, yet with different environments (see: Halo or almost every Nintendo game from Twilight Princess to Mario Galaxy).

On December 26th, the healing process can finally begin. Many will make their yearly pilgrimage to crowded malls in order to return all the unwanted presents they politely pretended to like the day before. Garbage cans will overflow with ravaged wrapping paper. Thoughts will turn towards the inevitable packing away of oversized Santa Clauses, gaudy strings of lights, and wilting Douglas firs.

Then we thought, “why stop with Street Fighter?” There’ve got to be a billion goddam skeletons creeping through virtual graveyards just begging to have their toothy visage slapped on the immortal internet. Who are we to deny them such a privilege? So, without further yammering, we present, just in time for Halloween (y Dia de los Muertos), the biggest batch of skelleys you’ve ever seen...

You’ll often hear about games lauded for their exceptional soundtracks. Some succeeded with NES-style bleeps, others had orchestral scores or fully licensed songs that lent credibility to a medium struggling to be more than a toy.

Nintendo Power crossed the 20-year mark in June, a milestone that most bundles of dead trees never reach. To celebrate the occasion, Nintendo and GamesRadar baby daddy Future held a super special party benefiting the Starlight Children’s Foundation.