Koji Igarashi will resurface to talk about Metroidvanias

http://schedule.gdconf.com/session-id/828360

It's a speech titled "There and Back Again: Koji Igarashi's Metroidvania Tale".

I am going to love this!

I'm getting another free 3DS game with the "So Many Games!" promotion

So Nintendo of Europe has this new promo thing you can see here:

http://www.nintendo.co.uk/Misc-/Nintendo-3DS-So-Many-Games-Promotion/Overview/Overview-750393.html

I already got games free in previous promotions and now here's another one!

It looks like I'm applicable for this one too. I just need to think about which one of these games I'll choose to download for free.

Luigi's Mansion 2 is a lovely cosy adventure game

I've been playing this since I bought it earlier in the week :)

I like it a lot. The box itself glows in the dark and has the PEGI spider symbol for fear.

It's fun to go around and try out everything and experience everything.

The most amazing thing about the game is the sound. The sound effects are really satisfying and realistic and hearing Luigi hum the level tune just makes you grin from ear to ear. The noises the ghosts make when they speak sound just awesome.

This is a stark contrast to another recent 3DS release, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate, which has very low quality tinny sound. It doesn't even have the PEGI spider symbol! That's right, Luigi's Mansion 2 is considered scarier than a Castlevania game!

Castlevania on 3DS VC in full 60 Hz

If you have any interest at all in Mirror of Fate, you should play the original NES game first. It came out over here in Europe on the 3DS VC on Valentines Day. It's also the first time we get to officially play it at the proper 60 Hz speed.

If you were to compare Castlevania on the NES to the Mirror of Fate demo, you'll see why many people prefer retro games!

One cool thing about Mirror of Fate

I like the way you come across scrolls and it contains someone's dying words or their lament or whatever. It's a nice little touch.

Playing the Mirror of Fate demo. Ugh

Poor Mirror of Fate. It's on a Nintendo handheld and therefore has to live up to the legacy of the six excellent Castlevania games that came before it. The character is a clunky tanky type and the visual aesthetic you have to just be a fan of but it's ok, I just don't think it's as awesome as the ones that came before it. The gameplay is alright if you think you'd like the "Lords of Shadow" style in 2D.

All that is a matter of taste. The actual problems this game has is the quality of its sound and picture. The sound issue comes from the game's audio being almost completely incompatible with the 3DS' speakers-- a common problem that makes the audio sound all tinny and it's easily remedied by simply using a pair of headphones.

The graphics then look all jaggy which seems really weird because it doesn't complement the art style very well. It's a pity there's no way to remedy this. I mean, it looks like it wasn't made for the 3DS' screen at all and it makes me kind of suspicious. The fact that the demo is out on the exact same day as the demo for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate -- an absolutely flawless looking 3DS game -- is very unfortunate.

Castlevania: The Adventure is coming to 3DS VC this week

Saw this listed on Nintendo's site. I never played the game before. Nowadays of course we have the reimagining on WiiWare called "Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth", either of which I haven't played.

So which to get if at all? We'll see what else is available this Thursday for downloadable stuff.

Castlevania [COLON] Lords of Shadow [N-DASH] Mirror of Fate

FUCK. THAT. NAME.

I've been playing Castlevania III all day

This is one of those games that's so hard but keeps you coming back for more, whether you like it or not. I've given up and gotten back into this game several times after it kicked my ass time and time again. Right now I've reached the Grim Reaper. He's tough to avoid but I've sussed out his pattern. I love the fact that this level plays a certain nostalgic tune if you know what I mean? :) Makes me not want to move on!