More on Castlevania preorder goodie...

Previously I was having a deliberate discussion with why_79 trying to come up with a conclusion. Are we getting a physical copy of the Castlevania soundtrack or just a couple codes to access to the digital version?

Now that the game is released(have you got your copy?), our question is answered as well. Apparently this is some of the silliest business decisions that is gonna offend some of those who opted to preorder earlier. Instead of deciding whether those soundtracks should be distributed in digital form or physical copy, they have chosen to give away those soundtracks in both forms. Anyway to tell that you are gonna receive which of it? Not until you get either an email of the codes or just the cd itself with the game you order.

Apparently some Gamestop don't have the cd for grabs so if you are really interested in the cd itself, I would really suggest you to head down to a brick and mortar Gamestop now to find out whether they the cd. The cd should still be available at some shops so better be haste if you are really interested in it.

As for me, I am really glad that I didn't go through all the troubles just to discover that I am merely getting some numerical codes later(and not to forget the part where "the supplies last..." That is deplorable and unacceptable!).

For those who are unable to get hold of this cd, you might be tempted to see how the real deal is.

Preorder good of USA version of Castlevania Order of Ecclesia.(finally!!)

Remember when I complained about the lack of preorder goodie for Castlevania Order of Ecclesia unlike its Japan counterpart here? It seems like someone at Konami has heard our rantings and has been kind enough to include something for those who preorder it now at Gamestop. Even though it still pales in comparison with Japan version of preorder goodie, why should you complain when the whole thing is still retailed at normal price while you will be getting a free thing? You shouldn't, really.

Ok, for those who are gonna preorder it at Gamestop, you will be getting yourself a soundtrack cd. It is not gonna include all bgm available in the game(not sure whether the soundtrack included in Japan version is gonna feature all the bgm though), but still this should make a cool addition (and not to mention it is virtually free you know?). The track list could be found below.


The question now is should I even bother to get it? Trying to get something in USA now has been a hassle since my friend in USA has refused to help me anymore with all the purchases there(haha because apparently I have been getting lots of stuffs after she went there to further her study). Should I get it or more accurately how should I get it if I am interested? Why, what will you do?

GC 2008 Castlevania Order of Ecclesia official trailer

I cant wait, I cant wait, I cant wait. That is my true feeling after watching this trailer. It seems like Iga really honours his promise by not rehashing the old enemies design anymore. Even the usual enemies like Frankenstein and Axe Armours have seen different design. The graphics are prettier compared with Portrait Of Ruins. The voiceover is not shabby either. The artstyle is definitely much better. I cant wait to control Shanoa beating the hell out of various enemies. I am not sure why but for me this game is really reminiscent of Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow where you can use different abilities obtained from enemies too. Nevertheless, I like Dawn of Sorrow a lot and I think I am gonna love this one too.

Why_75, are you excited as well? I am still unsure of the release date but the Japanese version has been dated which is 23rd October, so I guess we will find out sooner or later.

New Suikoden game announced for NDS

Nintendo DS has been getting a really big slice of cake in terms of the numbers of Rpg appearing on this platform. Now, there will be another RPG that is going to pave its way to Nintendo DS.

As the title suggests, Nintendo DS will be seeing a latest entry in Suikoden series, which is Suikoden Tierkreis DS. This game is just like the Dragon Quest series, where the company decides to release the latest iteration on portable gaming console instead of the current next gen home consoles. I guess that is because Nintendo DS is currently the king of the gaming market and marketing a game on it may have a greater chance of selling more copies? Anyway, it is another great news for us, the Nintendo DS owners.

Looking at the scans of the latest Famitsu here, it seems like the game is similar to FF 3 and FF4 in terms of graphics style(developed by a same company? Who knows?). The battles scenes are just reminiscent of what I saw in FF3, it might be a good news for those who like cutting edge graphics on Nintendo DS. But I am not sure whether this game is related to the previous entries because I cant read japanese, so we will have to wait for someone to translate it later.

Even though the only Suikoden game that I ever played was Suikoden 2 on Play Station(and never managed to complete it), I am still excited for it as this game is famous for its grand storyline and 108 characters whom you can recruit(if not mistaken). Hopefully this game can make it to USA. Release date for this title in Japan still hasnt been announced yet.

PS. Wow, not long after I posted this, it appears that the info of this game has already popped up at neogaf. I will be listing out the additional info here for those who are interested.

- 50% complete
- Characters are 3d
- Backgrounds 2d
- Traditional rpg it looks like
- You tap the touch screen, making battles move at a fast pace
- The main headline of the article is "The Chosen 108 heroes have been destroyed?!" so maybe this game will be different from other Suikoden games in that regard?
- Only 4 party members in battle? Support characters return.
- New race. They're a race of porpoises.
- Apparently the game begins with the 108 heroes engaged in their final battle with the villain, and all the heroes being taken down except for four. This game's hero is not one of them, and his quest involves reassembling the 108, as opposed to discovering them.

Konami Style Limited Release of Castlevania Order of Ecclesia

While those USA gamers got themselves a sweet deal when they preordered Castlevania Portrain Of Ruins at Gamestop and EBGames, it looks like now it is time for Konami to give away some sweet preorder goodies for Japanese gamers who preorder the upcoming Castlevania Order Of Ecclesia at Konami Style.

For those who preorder this game at Konami Style, they will get the game itself, an original soundtrack cd and a leather jacket notebook.


This is how the notebook looks like. I bet you wont even write anything on it if you own this. I know I wont.

The only letdown of this preorder thing is it will set us back a whopping 8410 yen if you plan to get it. The preorder price of Castlevania Portrain Of Ruin was just only the normal retail price, USD29.90 and if you take this into comparison, you might find that the Castlevania Order of Ecclesia might be a little pricey.

This is what I get thanks to my friend help in USA. An original soundtrack CD, a stylus, timeline poster, deluxe art collection and a DS game case. Very nice limited release(and cheap too) and now I regret why I never get 2, one for collection sake, one for me to unwrap and go through everything inside.

But I guess for every Castlevania hardcore fan out there, they will just gobble up everything related to Castlevania, even if they have to pay premium price for it. For those who are interested, dont worry too much if you dont stay in Japan as Play Asia currently has a listing for this already here. Just prepare some dough for it as it is currently priced at usd119.90. I wont get it as it is too expensive and not to forget this is a Japan version, which is less tempting for me to get it. I guess I will just root for the USA version and keep my fingers crossed that the limited edition may head to USA.

Castlevania Order of Ecclesia boxart

Finally, a glimpse at the latest NDS castlevania boxart. Not too shabby huh? At least it looks nicer than the previous 2 games boxart on NDS. Even though I am not a fanatic boxart fan, I am glad that that it has taken the old drawing style and drastically changes the boxart of this iteration. I never think that the boxarts of Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruins are ugly, it is just that the whole package looks nicer if the they decide to go in the old direction for boxart. The game now itself certainly has the creepy and gothic feelings, which are nowhere to be found in the previous NDS games. I wonder what the inclusion of Wifi symbol means? Does it mean that we are still getting the same boss rush co op mode and buying stuffs online or there will be another tricks up in Konami sleeves? I guess we will never find out until the game itself is released and it is rumored that this may have something to do with Wii connectivity. Dont tell me it has anything to do with the upcoming Castlevania Judgment please!


Hehe both the boxarts above will never freak the hell out of you and you might think these maybe some anime games if you are just mere casual gamers but luckily the games still have the same solid gameplay. Definitely recommend for long time Castlevania hardcore fans.

Castlevania: Judgement

Rumours of the existence of Castlevania Wi have been circulating for months and Igarashi had teased us about the possibility of wii version in several interviews and we all know sooner or later there will be an announcement for Wii version of Castlevania.. Many fans are hoping that the Wii version will return to the form of 2d side scrolling action games instead of 3d versions of Castlevania that have not been successful in capturing the magic and essense of Castlevania series.

Finally, the curtain has been lifted and the recent article found in the latest issue of Nintendo Power reveals the recently registered "Judgement" trademark turns out to be the Wii version of Castlevania. But guess what, at the same time this announcement surely shatters the hearts of many fans. It turns out this latest iteration is neither 2d nor 3d action game, instead Igarashi decides to take a big risk to turn the side scrolling series into a fighting game!(yeah, you see it clearly, it is a fighting game)

Initially I was shocked too when I read this news and it made me wonder whether the risk will pay off since the change is too drastic and the stake is definitely higher than ever. The venture into the 3d realm has not been well received critically and commercially, so I dont know what makes Igarashi decide to create this game.

This news reminds me of another game on Wii which is Sould Calibur Legend. Like Castlevania Judgement, Wii version of Soul Calibur Legend is unlike the previous versions of the main series and well, it was ill received and this flop certainly serves as a reminder for those who are willing to take bold moves to try something diffferent. Ironically, Soul Calibur is a fighting game series while Soul Calibur Legend is an action game.

This game will include a roaster of protogonists from previous games like Simon, Dracula(finally we can manage to use this character. Oh please, controlling the feminine Soma is very different than controlling Dracula itself!) and shockingly, this game will feature motion controls. It is daring for the team to take another bold steo as it is certainly important to make the control spot on for a fighting game or the game will end up unplayable. For more info, kindly check here and here.

So what do you guys think of this latest Castlevania? Happy that it has taken a big step forward(backstep if it turns out to be horrible......) or upset that it does not stay to its root? Please drop your comments.

Great deal of the day!

It is hard not to recommend this ongoing deal at Play-Asia as it is a solid sequel to the hardcore action game series, Contra 4. With its price recently marked down to usd24.90(which is usd10 cheaper), this is simply a must get game for every Contra fan and I would sincerely recommend it to every hardcore action game fan out there. The difficulty curve has plenty reasons for you to come back and replay this game!

I guess the sale in USA has bombed partly because of the devilish difficulty that can scare off even the veteran gamers who get started on the default normal difficulty). But it is a great news for original gaming supporters as with the recent price, it is a real bargain and not only this game has the new sequel, Contra 4, it also has Contra(NES) and Super C(NES). It means that you are just paying merely usd8 for a game, which is a sweet deal indeed.

Never let the difficulty stop you from getting the game. Practice makes perfect. An advice for starters who are just into this series, you should start the game with easy mode and that mode really serves as a good tutorial mode for new players and after getting used to the gameplay, you will do better in the normal difficulty mode and hard difficulty mode(although I have yet to complete hard mode, that is plain insane!).

So what are you waiting for? Get it here now.

Metal Gear Retrospective

Well well, it has finally been the day that Metal Gear Solid fans have been waiting for. Fans can get their copies of Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns Of Patriots today. Hopefully this mega game lives up to their expectation. For those who are just caught up in the recent hype with Metal Gear Solid 4 and eager enough to secure yourself a copy, you might have some difficult time understanding the storyline if you never played any previous versions before although you might still be astonished by the intricate gameplay that this game provides and immediately hooked up by this game. But still, if you understand the story, you will indulge more in the series, right?

So I am here to provide you three ways to go through the history of this series and simultaneously have a grip of the intricately woven storyline. You will be amazed at how complicated the story is.

First of all, you can head to 1UP site to browse through the Gear Up!Metal Gear Solid Retrospective here. 7 pages in total but not really that much if you are interested to find out every game of the series. That makes a good reading but I dont think it can stand up to......

Watching it. What is the best way that you can get other than watching the whole retrospective from Game Trailer?It is easier to understand(at least for me, duh!) if I can listen to someone explaining and at the same time I can watch some pertinent videos. I myself have downloaded all the video clips and I have been watching them over and over again even though I wont have the chance to play MGS4. Well, this does not stop me from being a MGS fan right? Here are the links to download them.

• Part 1- Metal Gear, Snake Revenge, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
• Part 2- Metal Gear Solid, VR Missions, The Twin Snake
• Part 3- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and MGS2:Substance
• Part 4- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, MGS3: Subsistence and story of MGS Portable Ops
• Part 5- Some portable spinoffs that are not included in the canonical storyline but nevertheless still have amazing gameplays which are handheld missions of Ghost Babel, MGS Portable Ops and both MGS Acid 1 and Acid 2.
  

I would say dont bother to watch it online as the speed of Streamyx in Malaysia is not up to standard, so it will be extremely laggy and it does hamper the whole experience. Just download it as the speed is very fast and those videos certainly deserve a spot in your hard disk. Dont worry, they are certainly worthy enough to be stored.

Lastly, if you are those who cant bother to go through any reading or video watching and you would like to experience all the games by playing them, I have a good news for you. You can go here and purchase a copy of Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection which includes the original Metal Gear Solid for Playstation and director cut of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence for Playstation 2.

Well, if you plan to play MGS4, I am sure you will own a PS3 and since PS3 is compatible with PS1 and PS2 games, you wont have any problems accessing the game that you will get. It is only Usd 34.90 and even though unlike other games which have the free shipping option (maybe due to its larger-than-average game package), you will be charged usd10.40 for shipping but still it is still very cheap considering that you can get 3 greatest games of all time at usd45 only. That is practically usd15 per game only, so dont miss it.

So do you find the options I recommend above useful to you or you have other suggestions? Please drop by your comments so that others will have better alternatives.