[ziran]

Nintendo Europe Koji Igarashi interview from Leipzig Games Convention:

IGA (full name Koji Igarashi) is here at the Leipzig Games Convention to give us an update on his latest (and early word is, greatest) production yet - Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for Nintendo DS. Portrait of Ruin takes place in Europe at the time of the Second World War, as an evil artist, Brauner, plots to use the souls of war victims to resurrect Dracula. Two heroes - Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin - must infiltrate Brauner's castle and dive into magical paintings (the portraits of the game's title) which transport them to new worlds rife with demons. If you're wondering where IGA gets such gothic ideas, we soon find out. He begins by telling us, through his translator, how he came to Germany via Romania. Holiday? No, a research trip to Dracula's homeland. This man is serious about his work. We last spoke to IGA about Portrait of Ruin at E3 in May, so we're curious to know how the game has progressed since then. "In the E3 version not so many weapons were available but in the Games Convention version many weapons can be carried by the character. More weapons and attacks are available to the enemies, too, and more magic. Furthermore, cooperation attacks are now available." Cooperation is going to play a major part in Portrait of Ruin because, instead of controlling a single vampire hunter, you control two of them. "The two characters have different strong points," says IGA. "Jonathan is good at physical attacks and Charlotte is good at magical attacks, so for instance if the enemy is weak against physical attacks, the player should choose Jonathan more. Basically, the player can have two options to attack the enemy. "The player can switch between characters but another option is available which is that one character can accompany the other character, behind them. We have prepared various attacks by using this cooperation." IGA explains that if, for instance, Jonathan is poisoned by an enemy, you can switch control to Charlotte, curing Jonathan in the process. Also, if a character is turned to stone by an enemy's magic attack, the other character can jump in and smash the stone to set their partner free. Cooperative gameplay in single-player mode is all well and good, but what about online? Has IGA been able to fulfil the promise of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection gameplay? "It's almost 100% confirmed," he tells us. "Not only Wi-Fi Connection but also local wireless. We have two new elements: the items that the character has obtained can be exchanged with other users, and cooperation play with another player can be available to clear the difficult areas such as Boss Rushes. [Face the game's bosses one after the other - Ed.] "Due to the restriction of Wi-Fi Connection there are more elements available in local wireless. The biggest difference [between Wi-Fi and local wireless] is in the cooperative play mode. We have one co-op stage available in the Wi-Fi mode and several levels on local wireless mode." While IGA is reluctant to give more details about the cooperative online mode, we manage to probe deeper into the intriguing 'item exchange' function. "Item exchange is available in Wi-Fi and local wireless," says IGA. "It's not really an exchange, though: one user copies items to the other. The user who gets the copied item will lose money but the player who sold the item will not gain the money because it's copied, not traded." IGA explains that players who sell copies of their weapons online through the item exchange system will earn 'secret points' which can be used to buy new items. The rarer the weapon you sell, the more points you earn, so it will pay to be a good player and hunt down all the secrets the game has to offer. As well as using the DS's wireless function, Portrait of Ruin will also use the stylus and touch screen, though not as extensively as its predecessor Dawn of Sorrow. "We have fewer points to use the stylus in this version," says IGA. "The magic seal system which was in the previous version was popular but some users complained about it because writing magic seals would affect the smooth gameplay. The strongest point of DS hardware is two screens so we will make full use of them." IGA explains that the majority of character control is done with the D-pad but you can use the stylus to point to areas of the screen where you want your CPU-controlled partner to attack. Normally, though, the CPU is intelligent enough to do what is necessary by itself, he adds. It seems that IGA and his team have made a lot of progress since E3. We ask how much more he has to do before the game's planned release in November. "Now is the peak time. I shouldn't have come to the Games Convention actually because I still have a lot to do," he says, laughing. Sadly we're out of time, but we manage to squeeze in one more question. At E3 IGA said he couldn't envision a Castlevania game working on Wii ("You cannot keep on whipping with the Wii Remote; you would get tired within five minutes," he said back in May). Has he had any more thoughts on the subject? "We still can't think about anything other than this DS version because we are so busy but of course we would like to think of something interesting and pleasant for Wii. I have some ideas for Castlevania for Wii." With that enigmatic answer hanging in the air, we wonder where IGA's imagination will take us next… Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin comes exclusively to Nintendo DS in November.

The dual character play and co-op is sounding more and more fun.

Also sounds like we might see a Castlevania from Igarashi on Wii after all.

[ivysaur12]

Wait, I feel like something was said before about Castlevania not fitting the Wii demographic. Am I just making things up or was that said?

[AniHawk]

Please god, no more 3D Castlevanias. They only bring false hope and heartache.

[SantaC]

Castlevania FTW :D

Please god, no more 3D Castlevanias. They only bring false hope and heartache.

You're correct sir!

[sprsk]

Well, so much for that whole no castlevania on wii thing.

[SantaC]

Well, so much for that whole no castlevania on wii thing.

I think IGA realized that Wii is cheaper to develop for (like DS is cheaper than PSP), and castlevania is usually not a high budget game.

[Kabuki Waq]

i wish the main missions had co-op play.

[SantaC]

i wish the main missions had co-op play.

agree, that would been cool.

[Error]

make Castlevania Wii 2.5D!

[Pureauthor]

i wish the main missions had co-op play.

'I get to push the block!'

'No, I do! Back off!'

'Screw you!' *disconnects*

...Nah.

[Kabuki Waq]

'I get to push the block!' 'No, I do! Back off!' 'Screw you!' *disconnects* ...Nah.

clearly you are a social outcast.

[Pureauthor]

In terms of friends who know what Castlevania is, yes.

[InsertCredit]

make Castlevania Wii 2.5D!

Add in an aiming system like Abuse and it's a wiinner.

[radcliff]

Wait, I feel like something was said before about Castlevania not fitting the Wii demographic. Am I just making things up or was that said?

It wasn't the demographic, it was that he didn't think players would want to swing the whip (Wiimote) for hours at a time.

[Xellotah]

'I get to push the block!' 'No, I do! Back off!' 'Screw you!' *disconnects* ...Nah.

Reminds me of FF:CC

[Gigglepoo]

Reminds me of FF:CC

Oh man, I love co-op and thought that game was ridiculous. "Carry the god damned bucket and shut up!"

[pitt_norton]

"We still can't think about anything other than this DS version because we are so busy but of course we would like to think of something interesting and pleasant for Wii. I have some ideas for Castlevania for Wii."

Super Castlevania IV Virtual Console remake... that or let me wield a whip with the wiimote! I just want the simple things with Castlevania. I just couldn't get into these new ones.

[jarosh]

make Castlevania Wii 2.5D!

YES

[Tokubetsu]

I don't think we'd see a 2.5d castlevania anytime soon. IGA, up to this point, Is a consistent man. It's either 2D or 3D with him. Lament of Innocence to Curse of Darkness wasn't a big leap and SOTN to Dawn of Sorrow is still the tried and true Metroidvania formula. I'm betting it's a LoI/CoD clone with wii controls. If it IS something new though, expect him to whore the forumla.

[Aurora]

One of my most anticipated games ever just got better. Wow.

[Magicpaint]

This 2 character thing sounds awesome!

[thetrin]

I hadn't heard the premise of the game before (just the portrait mechanic). I like the idea a lot. Interest +100

[jarosh]

I don't think we'd see a 2.5d castlevania anytime soon. IGA, up to this point, Is a consistent man. It's either 2D or 3D with him.

that... doesn't make any sense. really. it doesn't. you conclude that there won't be a 2.5d castlevania because there hasn't been one so far. uhm. okay.

[LOCK]

make Castlevania Wii 2.5D!

He speaks truth.

[Conrad Link]

BUT NINTENDO SYSTEM IS FOR THE KIDDIES!!!!!THE DEMOGRAPHIC IS ALL WRONG!!

IGA NO!!! YOU CANT BE SERIOUS, WHY WOULD NINTENDO FANS SUPPORT A MYSTERY SERIES LIKE CASTLEVANIA (SURELY WE'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT!)?!? WE'RE ALL THE YOUNGER AUDIENCE NOT SUITED FOR SUCH ADULT GAMES!!!



Don't get me wrong I love Castlevania and are greatly pleased by this titbit, but his attitude has been one of the worst around when it comes to this topic.... now the tunes changed?

Still either Nintendo are making progress with stubborn attitudes like this or they smell money to be made in the face of Wii's growing hype.

Happy news.

[ethelred]

make Castlevania Wii 2.5D!

Yes please!

[TreIII]

make Castlevania Wii 2.5D!

Nothing would make me happier if this came to pass. :D

Still...the last interview I read said something about how Iga wanted to keep going with 3D CVs until he felt "they got it right".

I say, screw that! CV has had like 3 3D iterations as of now, and none of them have garnered as much positive praise as any of the 2D ones. Is it really such a crime to "stick with what works" in this case? CV is never going to be a series that will have as massive a following like say, Metal Gear...so how about focusing on just appeasing the faithful demographic you got before you stand to turn even US away after a while?

And while they're at it...hopefully they can administer as many old school games over the VC as possible. I'd like to see even the MSX classic Vampire Killer, along with some of my faves like SCV4, Bloodlines, and Rondo of Blood, if it was possible...

[cartman414]

I was talking to Dave Halverson of Play at Comic-Con, and he said that Igarashi was kicking around the idea of an old-school style 2.5d Castlevania for PS3 and 360. Whatever system it comes out for, I hope he really does take inspiration from Dracula's Curse and Rondo of Blood, his, as well as mine, favorite non-Metroidvanias in the series.

[Roders5]

Whipmote

[PolyGone]

they need to make a 2D game for the wii with the same idea as Psychic Warlock Assassin Taromaru (saturn jp). oh man would that ever rule!

[=W=]

who needs all these dimensions? 1d ftw. it will lower production costs, development time, and can still look nice with good art direction behind it.

the ds games would look a lot better if they stuck to .5d though. this 2d shit has got to go.

[godofcookery]

they need to make a 2D game for the wii with the same idea as Psychic Warlock Assassin Taromaru (saturn jp). oh man would that ever rule!

I have been looking to play that game for a long time... I am guessing it was quite good?

[ziran]

It wasn't the demographic, it was that he didn't think players would want to swing the whip (Wiimote) for hours at a time.

yeah, i think his concerns were, like you said, about becoming tired when using the controller. if cv does come to wii i hope the wiimote uses are woven into the game well.

still, good to hear igarashi sounding more positive about wii.

[Schnicktick]

Controlling two characters sounds good. I liked that in RE:0. Gave me the creeps sometimes.

[sixteen-bit]

they need to make a 2D game for the wii with the same idea as Psychic Warlock Assassin Taromaru (saturn jp). oh man would that ever rule!

Definitely. No IGA though. None other than Hiroshi Iuchi could direct a sucessesor to his original.

[soundwave05]

Castlevania and Contra on the Wii please.

Famicom 2006 ftw.

Having to snap the controller every time you want to use the whip would be a bad idea, but there's no reason a Castlevania on the Wii couldn't work well using the controller in different ways.

[Chris Remo]

I don't think we'd see a 2.5d castlevania anytime soon. IGA, up to this point, Is a consistent man. It's either 2D or 3D with him. Lament of Innocence to Curse of Darkness wasn't a big leap and SOTN to Dawn of Sorrow is still the tried and true Metroidvania formula. I'm betting it's a LoI/CoD clone with wii controls. If it IS something new though, expect him to whore the forumla.

That makes no sense at all. Until there was a 3D Castlevania, there were only 2D Castlevanias. Until somebody first made a 2.5D game, there were only 2D or 3D games. Do you have any actual comments from Igarashi that suggest 2.5D would be too "inconsistent" for him or something?

[castle007]

who needs all these dimensions? 1d ftw. it will lower production costs, development time, and can still look nice with good art direction behind it. the ds games would look a lot better if they stuck to .5d though. this 2d shit has got to go.

:lol

[castle007]

BTW This game is going to rock my world :D

[Skilotonn]

Good stuff - can't wait for this game to come out!

[linsivvi]

"We still can't think about anything other than this DS version because we are so busy but of course we would like to think of something interesting and pleasant for Wii. I have some ideas for Castlevania for Wii."

Virtual Console Castlevania for N64. :D :D :D

[soundwave05]

I think we've seen in the last few months that developers are starting to come around to the Wii, especailly since E3.

I also think the reality of the PS3 ... high price, high dev costs, low supply/low userbase early on, is also starting to sink in with developers, and now they're starting to look at the lower cost Wii platform as a more realistic option.

It'd be cool if the Wii was the home of Megaman and Castlevania in the future IMO since those franchises really became popularized on the Famicom/NES to begin with.

[Cheerilee]

"Item exchange is available in Wi-Fi and local wireless," says IGA. "It's not really an exchange, though: one user copies items to the other. The user who gets the copied item will lose money but the player who sold the item will not gain the money because it's copied, not traded." IGA explains that players who sell copies of their weapons online through the item exchange system will earn 'secret points' which can be used to buy new items. The rarer the weapon you sell, the more points you earn, so it will pay to be a good player and hunt down all the secrets the game has to offer.

That doesn't sound like fun to me.

Buy the game on launch day or sooner. Play it as much as possible ASAP. Spam the internet with messages saying "Spend all of your in-game money, buy one of my infinite Crissagrims and break your gameplay, that way I can earn Secret Points and get the final weapons in the game, which you will probably never see because nobody will buy your weapons if I played the game before you did!"

[AndoCalrissian]

Oh man, I love co-op and thought that game was ridiculous. "Carry the god damned bucket and shut up!"

See... none of my friends ever complained about carrying the bucket. You are an instrumental part of the game and the only time you couldn't really set it down to fight was in boss battles.

[nathkenn]

That makes no sense at all. Until there was a 3D Castlevania, there were only 2D Castlevanias. Until somebody first made a 2.5D game, there were only 2D or 3D games. Do you have any actual comments from Igarashi that suggest 2.5D would be too "inconsistent" for him or something?

We've had ****ing Contra, Ghosts N Goblins, Gradius, where is my damn 2.5D castlevania.

[beelzebozo]

so... i really like lament of innocence.
there, i said it.

as big a mess as i've heard curse of darkness was, i do hope we get more 3d castlevania. i guess there are many differing camps of opinion on this, but i'm of the camp that just wants them to do it and do it right. people on the other side--those who aren't really too pumped about the notion of more 3d castlevania--chastise the people who are jazzed about it as if they believe people presume 3d castlevania will be of the same quality as past efforts.

so what if they keep trying and eventually get it right? wouldn't that be worth the trial and error? it's unlikely (and i know the comparison won't resonate with everyone) but if i eventually play the castlevania series' metroid prime--a quality, immersive experience set in the castlevania universe that follows the spirit of the series (which lately has been following the spirit of metroid, funny enough)--if i get the opportunity to play that game, i will be more than happy to let iga make a few crappy 3d castlevanias in between.

though, again, i really like lament of innocence.

[thetrin]

so... i really like lament of innocence. there, i said it.

I liked Lament too. It`s a solid title, and had some great boss fights.

[jko]

i hearby would like to request more smilies on GAF :D

[Pureauthor]

so... i really like lament of innocence. there, i said it. as big a mess as i've heard curse of darkness was, i do hope we get more 3d castlevania. i guess there are many differing camps of opinion on this, but i'm of the camp that just wants them to do it and do it right. people on the other side--those who aren't really too pumped about the notion of more 3d castlevania--chastise the people who are jazzed about it as if they believe people presume 3d castlevania will be of the same quality as past efforts. so what if they keep trying and eventually get it right? wouldn't that be worth the trial and error? it's unlikely (and i know the comparison won't resonate with everyone) but if i eventually play the castlevania series' metroid prime--a quality, immersive experience set in the castlevania universe that follows the spirit of the series (which lately has been following the spirit of metroid, funny enough)--if i get the opportunity to play that game, i will be more than happy to let iga make a few crappy 3d castlevanias in between. though, again, i really like lament of innocence.

Sacrilege! :D

I personally think that the biggest problem with 3D Castlevanias is that they were designed too much like 2D Castlevanias.

[Symytry]

In terms of friends who know what Castlevania is, yes.

That's gotta suck.