What do you think? How are your hype levels for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, particularly after having seen this Dracula underling? I'm more excited than I have been for any of the 3D Castlevania games, but I've also played three 3D Castlevania games, so it won't take much at this point.

Early Christmas Present... [Twitpic]

David Cox, producer on the Konami Europe side, tells Videogamer that visits from Mr. Kojima inspire a level of fear amongst the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow that no level of bowel control could possibly withstand.

"Yeah we're shitting ourselves! You got to make sure that the quality of what you deliver is very very high," Cox says of Kojima pop-ins. "You're constantly saying to yourself, is that really good enough? Is that really going to be good enough? It's funny, because sometimes you think, no, he's not going to like that and he loves it, and then other times you think, check this out, it's amazing, and he'll go, hmm don't know. It's shit. So it's swings and roundabouts."

Cox calms some of our own fears about Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, noting that the game's cut scenes last no longer than 15 minutes, despite Kojima's involvement.

"Story is important but it's not the most important element in the game," he says. "The most important element in the game is the combat, the exploration, the platforming, the puzzle solving, all those kinds of things, the atmosphere, that kind of stuff. That's more important."

Agreed!

Dave Cox: When Kojima visits we sh*t ourselves [Videogamer]

Inside these pages you'll find the full letter from Hideo Kojima saying that Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker on the PSP is so full of content it will take hundreds of hours to complete. You'll also discover details on Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, The Tower of Shadow and much more.

Enjoy your Monday read.

But we have something... better? Screen shots!! Yes, fresh Gamescom-exclusive stills of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, showing whip-wielder Gabriel in action. Watch out, because there's a bit of gore ahead in the form of an exploding pool of blood. Gruesome!

So what is KP doing? Lending moral support, it seems.

"Kojima Productions is playing more of a support role," explains Kojima. "Castlevania is one of Konami's most important brands, one that's seen many releases since the original, and they've all been received warmly, but there's never been a Castlevania created to really satisfy Western gamers. This has become a big project, one with the idea that we needed to make a Castlevania which had that same kind of feverish Western support, and that's why Kojima Productions came in to help."

Oh. Okay, then! Not sure if we agree that "there's never been a Castlevania created to really satisfy Western gamers". Our next question, why is Konami pushing Hideo Kojima into the limelight and not series producer Koji Igarashi?

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will be out next year on the PS3 and the Xbox 360. "It's got great gameplay and great action," says Kojima, "and the graphics are good even to Japanese eyes." Because Japanese eyes are the gold standard, yo.

Kojima Discusses Castlevania Involvement [1Up]

Instead, meet MercurySteam, pictured here with Hideo Kojima, who will be "helping out" on the project. MercurySteam are Spanish developers, who are probably best known for their work on... Clive Barker's Jericho. And American McGee's Scrapland. Not the finest pedigree, we admit, but everyone's gotta start somewhere!

Looks like Iga's going to need a new business card...

Lords of Shadow was actually announced at last year's Games Convention, a title to be developed by Madrid-based Mercury Steam and originally pitched as the foundation of a new "action-adventure IP." Looks like that might have changed, as the game may have been retrofitted to be a new Castlevania game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Not that difficult of a retrofit maybe, as the game's first trailer showed a cast that looked very much at home in the Castlevania universe, with a protagonist named Gabriel wielding the hilt of a weapon—known as the Combat Cross—that's part whip, part stabbing weapon.

The Castlevania: Lords of Shadow connection comes as part of a triumvirate of Gamespress leaks and may be tied to Kojima Productions "Mask" project. Will Mr. Kojima have another sneaky announcement planned for Sony's E3 press conference tomorrow? Tune in and find out!