Konami has just released their 2003 lineup, and many of them are new games in some well known series.
Castlevania:
One of the main series that Konami is focusing on is the Castlevania line with two new titles, Castlevania: Aria of Shadow and Castlevania: Lament of Innocence.
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is going to be a 3D PlayStation 2 exclusive game. In this version, you take on the role of Leon Belmont, the first in the Belmont line to take up vampire hunting. You begin the game armed only with a dagger, but before you can really get started, an alchemist gives you a whip. Once inside Dracula?s castle, the player will face five doors. Behind each door is an area of the castle that Leon must get through. Fans are rejoicing now that the Castlevania series is finally making a leap into the 3D realm, so be watching for this one.
The other Castlevania game, Aria of Shadow, was released for the GameBoy Advance shortly before E3, takes place in 2035 and the first solar eclipse of the 21st century. Using more than just a whip in this version, you are able to learn new attacks through the souls of your enemies.
The GameBoy Advance Castlevania title was released May 6th, with a shelf price of $29.99, while the PlayStation 2 game will come out in November 2003.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
Along with the Castlevania games, Konami has revived the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle license. Konami is preparing to release new TMNT games for the next-generation consoles.
The games will include a Story Mode that will pit you up against many of the villains from the new TV series as well as use the voices from the show. After much practice in the Story Mode, players will be able to go head-to-head in a Versus Mode. The Versus Mode doesn?t just limit you to playing as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, or Raphael, but will also allow you to play as many of the other characters and villains from the game.
Scheduled for release this October, the TMNT games are hitting the streets for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, GameBoy Advance and PC-CD ROM.
Frogger:
To continue to bring back classic characters, Konami will be releasing two new games featuring the 8-bit wonder, Frogger. In Frogger?s Adventure: The Rescue and Frogger?s Journey: The Forgotten Relic players will need to rescue someone who is dear to Frogger.
In The Rescue, Frogger must find his girlfriend who has been captured by a band of evil henchmen. Frogger must travel across seven worlds in order to get clues for puzzles in the classic ?hop-n-dodge? style.
The Lost Relic on the other hand has the ?hop-n-dodge? aspect, but also includes an RPG element. In search of his grandfather, Frogger comes across an abject called the ?OPART?, and with this, players are able to use moves like Warp, Time Stop, Grappling Hook and more. Players will be able to interact with town-folk in side quests as well as partake in mini-games.
The Forgotten Relic will be out on the GameBoy Advance, while The Rescue is scheduled to come out for the PlayStation 2, GameCube and PC CD-ROM. Both games will be released in November 2003.
Dance Dance Revolution:
The revolutionary game, Dance Dance Revolution is coming out with new versions this year, DDR: Max 2 and DDR: Ultramix. The first major change in Ultramix, an exclusive for Xbox, is the ability to download new songs online. This version will also contain the typical modes like Workout and Edit, as well as a new mode, Challenge Mode.
Dance Dance Revolution: Max 2, coming out for the PS2 this September, will include a new graphical interface that will showcase music videos and add a new visual element to the DDR craze. Both new versions of the game will include new tracks that are exclusive to the U.S., while Max 2 will include new modes like Beginner, Nonstop and Endless Mode.
Silent Hill:
To bring out more games that the public wants, Konami is releasing a third Silent Hill game. The PlayStation 2 exclusive, Silent Hill 3 will be released this August. With a new graphics engine and playable character, this latest rendition of the hit series is bound to be a major plus for the Konami line.
As Heather Morris, the player travels around the alternate reality of Silent Hill looking for a way to escape the horror filled town using only a handful of weapons and wits.
Metal Gear Solid:
Two new Metal Gear Solid games are about to be released. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, for the PS2, and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, a prequel exclusive for the GameCube.
Snake Eater will sport new highly detailed levels and continue the espionage action that started off the stealth-action genre. The game will also include a large variety of weapons, plot twists and cinematics.
The Twin Snakes takes you into an Alaskan nuclear missile disposal facility that has been taken over by terrorists called FOXHOUND. Your mission is to infiltrate the base, take out the terrorists and retrieve Metal Gear, the weapon of mass destruction hidden within. You will be able to aim and shoot weapons in first person view, hang from ledges and open lockers.
McFarlane
The series of action figures made under the McFarlane name is now being brought to life in an action-fighter called McFarlane?s Evil Prophecy. In the 19th Century, six evil forces have awakened and you are to take control of four monster hunters, designed by McFarlane himself, of course. As these four characters, you will have to face more than 150 monsters as well as six creatures from McFarlane?s Monsters, the action-figure line the game was inspired by. These monsters are: Dracula, Mummy, Werewolf, Frankenstein, Sea Creature and Voodoo Queen.
McFarlane?s Evil Prophecy is being released for the PS2 alone and will hit the shelves this November.
