See Igarashi whip a Dengeki Online staffer for not playing Castlevania Judgment. See Simon Belmont learn to use a computer, answer a telephone.

We're pretty sure if these photos were put on a Wii disc, people would buy them. Hey, we'd buy them.

As a bonus, check out the Castlevania Judgment Simon Belmont figurine. Yours for ¥7,140 from Konami Style.

『ドラキュラ ジャッジメント』に出演中のヴァンパイアハンターが編集部に参上！ [Dengeki Online]

But will fans? Pitting thirteen Castlevania mainstays (and one newcomer) from over two decades against each other in a time-bending brawl may not seem like the best fit for series, known for its action adventure bent, but, to some degree, it works. A minor degree? Unfortunately, yes, but rabid fans may find some meat on these bones. See how we weighed in on Castlevania Judgment for the Wii in our review.

Loved
King of the Castle: Castlevania Judgment's Story mode is dull and lacking in actual story (Spoiler alert: You fight!) but the Castle mode makes up for it. This series of battles through Dracula's dwelling forces you to complete a few dozen fights with varying challenges. Some are simple, tasking the player with smashing a set number of crates, for example. Others throw a few Iron Gladiators at you or give your enemy handicaps — some of which are actually positive. Castle mode gives you the opportunity to score dozens of accessories with which to customize your character as well as unlock music and artwork. It's fun for completionists and Castlevania diehards.

Keep It Classic: While the Wii remote and Nunchuk control scheme works better than I'd expected, the option for GameCube and Wii Classic controller is a godsend. After beating Story mode with wrist-wrecking waggling, I went Classic and never went back. The button layout is awkward in its design, requiring double button presses to pull off stock moves, but you'll soon get used to it.

It's Better Than Martial Champion: There is a degree of depth to Castlevania Judgment's fighting system, allowing for guard crushes, unblockable moves, quick recoveries, "object actions" and tiered power moves. Pulling some of this stuff off in the heat of battle, particularly with a Wii remote and Nunchuk, often feels like an exercise in futility — it's sometimes better just to try to guard crush with a standard combo. Don't skip the Tutorial mode.

Hated
Damn These Eyes: Character designer Takeshi Obata, illustrator of the Death Note manga, re-imagines classic and not-so-classic Castlevania to mixed, usually hideous, results. The game is dripping with spiked shoulder pads and garter belts — yes, even on the men — with Simon Belmont and Death bearing the brunt of the garish design. The only saving grace here is that you can slap on bunny ears, bonnets and more to make these awful looking characters even more ridiculous.

Is It Really This Imbalanced?: For giggles, I made it through more than six levels of Survival mode in a row with Cornell from Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness by doing nothing but jamming the B button on the Classic controller — I didn't move or block once. Grant Danasty's second level finisher move feels horribly overpowered. These are just a few examples of how some Castlevania Judgment contenders feel out of whack with others.

A Miserable Little Pile of Graphics: As bad as the character designs are, the line-up suffers further in their transition to 3D models. The gargantuan breasts on Carmilla and Sypha may make for an amusing visual gag in Maria's story mode, but they look as monstrous and unappealing as Golem. There's plenty of aliasing and flickering, something the game tries to make up for by providing a blurrier option. The game's ten arenas, while detailed, are stale and dreary.

Bad Camera: It's not always a problem, but "intelligent" is not how one would describe Castlevania Judgment's camera. It will occasionally give you a worthless worm's eye view of the battle and often obscure one of the characters completely when pulled behind his or her opponent. There are times when you simply can't see your fighter of choice at all. During a long battle with one character, the bouncing camera made me feel motion sick — a rarity.

Is There Anybody Out There?: If you really want to play Castlevania Judgment online, make sure to have some friends handy. There are no lobbies, so you'll have no clue how easy it will be to score a random fight. You'll be waiting a while if you want to play a ranked match. The online battles are generally smooth — when they work — but it's just not worth waiting around for.

Castlevania Judgment is a decent fighter, one that feels more like fan disservice rather than fan service. While there's plenty to scrape through and unlock for the serious series fan, one willing to overlook the game's flaws for another hit of Castlevania, there's a lot to dislike about what Konami and company have done to some of these classic characters.

The mechanics are sound, if shallower than many other fighters, and Wii owners desperate for a new fighting game may find a few hours of fun here — there are plenty of modes to play through and things to collect. For everyone else though, Castlevania Judgment is hard to recommend.

Castlevania Judgment was developed and published by Konami, released in North America on Nov. 18 for the Wii. Retails for $49.99. Unlocked all characters through Story mode, played through Castle mode, Survival and Arcade, tested online multiplayer.

Confused by our reviews? Read our review FAQ.

Coming in last is Cornell, whom the luckier among us might not remember as the man-beast protagonist from Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness for the Nintendo 64. In Judgment, Cornell is stuck in werewolf form, unable to change back into human form. Poor guy. Hit the jump for screens featuring the final three, along with character bios for those of you hungry for more information who can't be bothered to just hit up Wikipedia.

Character Biographies:

Grant Danasty
Grant Danasty used to live as a noble thief (much like Robin Hood) all the while aspiring to become a vampire hunter like Trevor. As the most agile man in Transylvania, Grant Danasty joined forces with Trevor to defeat Dracula. Since overpowering Dracula, Grant Danasty has become a true champion of good, devoting his time to restoring the town to the days before Dracula's rule.

Cornell
Cornell, a proud werewolf whose martial arts are said to be invincible, has come to rescue his younger sister Ada, who was kidnapped and taken to Dracula's castle. With the blood of beast-men in his veins, in Castlevania Judgment, Cornell is transformed into a wolf and unable to change back.

Sypha
Sypha is a tough, strong-willed witch who uses fire, lightning and ice magic. Affiliated with the church, Sypha hides her true nature by wearing priestly clothes. While Sypha has not yet met Trevor, fate has determined that they will defeat Dracula together and then marry.

Joining the cast from Castlevania: Bloodlines is Eric Lecarde, lance man extroidinaire. Representing the ladies we have Shanoa from Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. Finally, from every Castlevania game, the end all and be all, Mr. Death himself. Well there goes play balance. You can't win over Death.

The Castlevania Judgment release points out that the Wii game will feature head-to-head battles via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Fans of wireless signals will also be thrilled to learn that Castlevania Judgment can wirelessly connect to the Nintendo DS via Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, unlocking "bonus gameplay content." Guess that confirms this little rumor, eh?

Full release is after this.

Release Marks Iconic Franchise’s Next Generation Debut on Wii and its Entry Into the Fighting Game Genre

Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced that Castlevania Judgment, the first Castlevania title in the fighting game genre, is currently in development exclusively for Wii. Developed by legendary Castlevania series producer Koji "Iga" Igarashi, Castlevania Judgment bridges the past with the present as it pits several generations of the Belmont clan against a host of characters that span the franchise's 22-year history.

"We wanted to take this addition to the signature Konami franchise in a direction that really sets it apart from the previous Castlevania titles in the series," said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "The Wii Remote and Nunchuk capabilities, along with the iconic characters, make this game the ideal entry point into the fighting game genre. This combination is certain to thrill old and new fans of the franchise. "

With 3D environments rendered on Wii, players can choose sides in an epic battle of good versus evil using iconic Castlevania characters designed by famed manga artist Takeshi Obata. Using the motion-sensing controls of the Nunchuk and Wii Remote, players can slash, stab and whip their way across a variety of stages and environmental elements with various surrounding objects as weapons. Select characters can also set traps and make use of monsters on the field to achieve victory in a clash of epic proportions. As an added bonus, players are also able to compete head-to-head using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and connect with Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia on the Nintendo DS to unlock bonus gameplay content.



Castlevania Judgment will be released in North America Fall 2008 on Wii.

GoNintendo's report from the mag hints at appearances from characters like Simon Belmont and Alucard, the use of sub-weapons like holy water and boomerangs, and (surprise!) motion controls.

Odd, yes, but while Konami may not be known for its fighting games — outside of Yie Ar Kung Fu — it had dabbled in 3D fighters when they were in their heyday. It was also responsible for one-third of the line-up Dream Mix TV World Fighters, a Japan-only fighting game that featured Simon Belmont and Solid Snake and was terrible.

Nintendo Power reveals Castlevania Judgement for Wii…a 3d fighter?! [GoNintendo]