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Short gameplay video
Castlevania: Resurrection Soundtrack
Castlevania: Resurrection Petition
Story: "Drac is back! Summoning all the powers of Hell, the dark Countess of Castlevania has created a portal for Dracula to re-enter our world, along with a raft of foul demons anxious to do his bidding. Together with the Countess, he intends to have his final victory over the Belmont clan and claim the world as his own!" Players can choose between Sonia and Victor Belmont. Not much is known about this game, because konami has officially cancelled it. Just look at the screenshots! It looked to be magnificient, but konami has refused us even so much as a demo so we can see how it was shaping up for ourselves. If you want it to come out, click on the petition link above. Here is a review of a playable demo copied from ign.com (all rights reserved):"So of course, like any good journalist who was looking for a good reason to take a day off from work and play some games, we simply had to make a second trip down to the Belmont exit (creepy, eh?) off the 101 in Redwood City to Konami HQ to see how Ressurection was coming along. After we tore away the cob webs and ducked a flock of evil blood-sucking bats, we managed to make our way into the Castlevania team's area, where we were treated to an early playable experience of the game, in which we got to whip and slash our way through the game's second level. While the game was still rough, one thing is for sure, the genre has never seen art direction of this caliber. The characters are looking incredible and they're matched by the game's innovative level design. All this is brought together by the Dreamcast's special brand of texture magic. The levels we saw were all looking quite realistic, matching the likes of Sega Rally 2 and Soul Calibur in terms of the game's impressive look of tangibility. You can practically feel the cold stone walls and heat from torches. Though some of the screens presented in today's update don't do the best job of conveying this, be sure to check out some of the larger renders taken directly from the kit, as they are a great indication of what the game looks like running on a VGA monitor. Awesome. As much as we enjoyed drooling over the game's visuals, we also had a good time checking out the first real implementation of gameplay elements, as the E3 build was more of a tech demo than anything else. This go round we could actually take Sonia for a spin, and what we found showed a great deal of promise. Enemies were in place, and all the classic are here, from bone-tossing skeletons to those pesky totem poles of fire breathing dragon skulls, and of course, so was our trusty whip. We even got to go toe-to-toe with Medusa, which was pretty slick. We're told that there will be a big emphasis on boss encounters in the game, and that the camera will cut out to a more fixed angle that will allow for some killer scenes. The battle between Drac himself was one example we got to take a look at, and though I don't want to spoil it, let's just say that it will be a big deal, both figuratively and literally. And to help you take on the big boys, Konami is making sure you're carrying the big guns. Well, the big whip, anyways. You can charge up both your primary and secondary weapons, which will let you unleash a super-attack, depending on the weapon in use. We got to take everything from the boomerang (which actually looks like a boomerang, believe it or not) to holy Water, and each special attack is accompanied by a visual explosion that will make you stand up and take notice. Other old elements from whipping candles for power-ups to increasing the power of your whip are also back in full force, which is also a welcome change. One thing I should tell you is that even though a lot of the old school enemies are in the house, there are a ton of new elements to Resurrection, most importantly the addition of scripted action events that can best be described as focused, story-driven minigames. For example, we got chased by the rather frightening three-headed green fellow you'll see in the screens below through a corridor filled with lava pits and uprooting zombie hands in a race for our lives. Not only did you have to avoid the evil beastie that was set on gobbling you up, but you had to worry about the pits while trying your damndest not to get slowed down by the hands. The result was a frantic dash that both tense and engrossing. Konami promises many more of these bad boys in the final, and if they live up to the sequence we just described, we could be in for a very exciting romp through everyone's favorite castle. And with a few tweaks, this romp could also be a dream to control. As it stands now, Castlevania is running in to a common problem for 3-D action titles, in that you have to do a lot of running around to put the whip on the bad guys. I couldn't help but thing of Expendable while playing in that you always had to run away and then turn around once you had created enough distance to attack without getting pounded. However, we really hope Konami takes a cue from the likes of Zelda and Shadowman and implements some sort of character lock, because outside of this, the game is controlling like a dream. Castlevania Resurrection is currently around 25% complete, and is still slated to hit some time early next year, so the chances of a number of tweaks being implemented between now and its release are pretty good. We'll be checking in a bit further down the line with the team to see how it is coming along, but as of this visit, things are moving along quite nicely. We'll keep you posted. -- Brandon Justice, IGNDC -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Resurrection. Heh, what an appropriate title. The arrival of Castlvania on the Nintendo 64 seemed like the death of 2-D purity in a once-great series to many a fanatic, but apparently, the series has no plans to fade into darkness. At least not in a negative sense... Yeah, I too had my doubts after learning that the Dreamcast iteration of everyone's favorite vampire hunter was going to once again come to us from the 3rd dimension. But, after getting a first hand-glimpse at the latest build of the game, I must confess that Castlvania is indeed alive and well, and is poised to take the Dreamcast by storm this January. For just a few moments, try reeeeaaaaal hard to forget the unintentionally nightmarish experience that was Castlevania 64, and envision a world where a 3-D Castlevania means not the loss of gameplay and blissful detail that we’ve all come to know and love from previous tales of the Belmonts' eternal battle with 'ole Drac. Pretend that there is a system out there that can bring the wonderfully detailed world of this storied series to life in full 3-D without dumbing it down for the Tomb Raider generation. Dare to dream that there is a team out there dedicated to making the noble idea reality. Are you starting to feel me yet? If so, then leave your justifiable cynicism at the door and prepare yourselves for what could very well be the coming of a new level of gaming brilliance from our friends at Konami. If all goes according to plan, Castlevania Resurrection will be the title that gamers deserved in the last generation; the first game in the series that adequately transitions Castlevania into the realm of 3-D viability seen in such titles as Mario 64 and Sonic Adventure. I know, I know. It sounds too good to be true…maybe even a little bit crazy. But trust me, if you played Casltevania 64 and wished they had managed to capture the 2-D spirit in a 3-D world, you may not need to look any further than Resurrection, which is shaping up to be the redemptive execution of a generation full of wasted hopes. Now that I've gotten that lengthy but necessary disclaimer out of the way, let's sink our teeth into the story that sets the stage for this latest journey into the realms of the undead. Resurrection introduces us to a new evil in the form of the Countess, a female vampire whose plot for vengeance leads to the return of everyone's favorite blood sucker via a trans-dimensional portal that allows Drac to make his way back to the land of the living, along with a host of creepy cronies who exist only to serve their dark master and his lover in the ultimate destruction of the pesky Belmont clan. But what would the good fight be without a little Belmont resistance. Thankfully (?), all this meddlin' with the space-time continuum has upset the balance of good and evil, and threatens to throw the world into eternal chaos if the Countess and her minions are not stopped. So of course, to help restore the balance, two of history's finest have been called into service by the forces of light. Both the first of the Belmont clan, Sonia, and Victor, a renown vampire hunter from the 1800's have been brought to this pivotal point in history to put an end to the madness, and that's where you come in. CR will allow gamers to take control of either member of the Belmont family in an effort to wipe out this evil scourge that plagues the land. OK, so it's not like this one is a huge departure from every other Castlevania, but you've gotta give them credit for at least trying to make things interesting with the whole time thingy, right? Thankfully, while the story may be a little lacking, the visuals are nothing short of revolutionary for the series, and if you're a die-hard Castlevania fan, you should know that such a distinction can not be taken lightly. I'm sure some of you are convinced that Castlevania's visual brilliance just can't make the transition to 3-D, but let me tell you that after getting a taste of this game in action, you had best leave your prejudice behind you, because you will be beside yourself when you experience this game for the first time. During our recent visit to Konami, we were quite simply left speechless. By all accounts, the game looked admittedly rough behind closed doors at E3, so you can imagine our shock when we were treated to a run through of the first level, which was easily one of the most atmospheric experiences of our gaming lives. Real-time specular lighting, fog that served only to set the mood, and amazingly complex architecture solidified by some of the most detailed textures this side of Unreal were all brought together by the seamless transition between a host of creepy areas that took nearly 5 minutes to cover on foot without the interference of enemies! I swear, it just left me giggling like a school boy. After the run-through, the thought of causing a little trouble in Transelvania was about all I could focus on outside of a few distinguishable syllables that bared a slight resemblance to "Good lord, that is incredible!" Thing is, words just can't describe how amazing this was. Trust me, though, when I say that this game will easily make you accept the move to 3-D with unbridled glee. But the thing is, as good as this game looks, visuals will not be enough for the die-hard Castlevania fan, as many are as bloodthirsty for revenge as our friend Dracula after the series' last attempt at 3-D "gameplay." Of course, the first question to leave the lips of the crew at IGNDC during our sit down with project leader Norio Takemoto was to inquire as to the direction of Resurrection from a this standpoint. Could we expect another 3-D flop, or would they attempt to return the series to it's roots? We managed to breathe a collective sigh of relief when we discovered that not only did Takemoto-san worship the PlayStation's exemplary Symphony of the Night, but also had a significant hand in the Genesis' Bloodlines. To top it all off, his key goal with CR is to bring back the action-oriented feel that made the series what it is today. Early impressions indicate that Resurrection is well on it's way to doing just that. We'll see the return of a more linear focus to the levels, as well as upgradable secondary weapons which should serve as an excellent springboard into the action. Items like Holy Water and the mighty Axe will be back, and depending on the number of hearts used in your attacks, you'll actually be able to vary the power of each attack. Cool, eh? Along with this return to relentless whip-wielding action, CR marks the rebirth of many a favorite enemy. The gang's all here, from Skeletons to Seamen, and they've never looked more frightening. Each enemy will have a host of individual attacks and animations, and we're told that they will also feature advanced group dynamics, gnashing and bashing in unison and running when in trouble in order to re-group or get help. These actions will all be dependant upon the level of enemy, of which there are four main levels of sophistication: basic, advanced, sub-boss, and boss. While this is standard fair in the genre at present, it should mark an interesting moment in Castlvania history. Even more interesting is that developers have promised that the variety in their behavior is a mere foreshadowing of what we can expect in terms of the differences in the enemies themselves. Resurection sports 5 themed levels, and each will have it's own set of advanced enemies out of the game's total of over 30 distinct creatures which will both help set the mood and find new and interesting ways to impede your progress. We got see a number of models in action, and not only must we confess that these guys have a whole mess of moves, but man…they look incredible! To help round out the package and satisfy the Castlevania hardcore, the audio of Resurrection will have to be one hell of a masterpiece. True to form on the title, it looks as if Konami is well on their way to holding up this end of the bargain, as well. Haunting sound effects coupled with a driving techno-classical score nearly got the IGNDC crew in trouble during our visit, as we let slip our plans to snipe a copy of the early tracks sampled in "the cave," where the Ressurection sound crew was hard at work on the eerily moving tunes for the title. We managed to keep our noses out of trouble, and we're clinging desperately to the hope that they'll see fit to include the soundtrack with this one, because it is shaping up to be a winner. Actually, with regards to almost every aspect of Castlevania Resurrection, I have to say I am completely taken aback by its overall level of excellence. The Konami of America-based team knows they have a lot to prove with this title in many senses. If what we witnessed is any indication, they will make raving fanboys out of the cynical masses who feel Castlenvania has no business in the third dimension. We only got a little taste, but hopefully the game will stay on track and deliver a full dose of the hauntingly intense experience we were left craving. We'll be back with more info in a few months, but till then, check out these new screens and as a special treat, a quick video clip of the game in action! Killer."---- See? a rave review. Konami, please listen to the fans and release Resurrection!*note I COMPLETELY dissagree with the Castlevania 64 bashing, but it is the authors review, not mine. I loved both Castlevania 64 AND Legacy of Darkness, and you should try them yourself. I only left that in there so those who disliked the n64 installments would not immieadetly dislike Resurrection simply because it is 3d. Play them all and judge for yourself.
