Not only do American Wii owners get the pleasant surprise of Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth on WiiWare and The Oregon Trail on DSiWare, but PilotWings - the original, Super Nintendo great - is now available on the Virtual Console.

First Smash Bros., now PilotWings...it's like the Virtual Console is suddenly relevant/appealing again!

Here's the full line-up for this week:

WiiWare

Castlevania The Adventure ReBirth
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) - Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points™
Description: Another 100 years have passed since the death of Count Dracula, but his curse has emerged once again within the realms of Transylvania. Play the role of the ultimate gothic hero from the long lineage of vampire hunters, the Belmont clan, and rid the universe of Dracula's legion of darkness and doom. Based on the classic 1989 original Castlevania: The Adventure, this WiiWare version will allow players of a new generation - and older fans - to experience one of the most popular games within the storied Castlevania timeline from a new perspective.

Eat! Fat! FIGHT!
Publisher: TECMO
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Forget about being healthy. Here's a game that celebrates eating, getting fat and fighting. Hold the Wii Remote controller horizontally and tilt it left, right, up or down to perform all kinds of lifts and throws just like in real sumo. There are also hidden moves like suplexes and scrapbusters thrown in for fun. Use all the moves you learn in tournaments around the world to reach the peak of sumo and become a yokozuna. In ONE PLAYER mode, play eating or sparring mini-games to make your wrestler stronger and change his look. You can also use your own Mii™ character's face on your wrestler. In TWO PLAYER mode, take on another person using default wrestlers or the wrestlers that you have created. (Additional accessories are required for two-player mode and are sold separately.) Chow down, bulk up and fight on to become the strongest sumo wrestler ever.

RABBIDS LAB
Publisher: Ubisoft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: A raving Rabbid is stuck inside the Wii Remote controller. Come play with him. First, try interacting with him by moving the Wii Remote or pressing the buttons and seeing how much he loves it. Once you've gotten to know the crazy guy, it's time to change his appearance in the Lab. Mess with his head and place seasonal accessories on him, or change his look entirely with the painting module. When you've made your raving Rabbid completely unique, you can take a photo and send it in a Wii™ message to show your Wii Friends (broadband Internet connection required).

The Magic Obelisk
Publisher: GAME ARTS Co., Ltd.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Comic Mischief
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: The Magic Obelisk is an action-adventure game in which you become Popo, a light spirit. Your mission is to guide Lukus, a tree spirit, to each stage's goal while moving only within the shadow. You can help him do this by shining your light near the mysterious magic obelisks, allowing you to create and connect shadows to solve tricks and gimmicks along the way. Join Lukus as he travels through a light-filled realm filled with quirky creatures and spirits, trying to find the perfect spot to become a tree. Experience meaningful encounters and partings, climb hills, cross rivers and traverse a vast desert on your way to the very edge of the world.

Virtual Console

PilotWings
Original platform: Super NES™
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) - Mild Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Join the Flight Club to take to the skies and experience a variety of aerial activities. Take off and pilot a biplane through rings along a predetermined flight path, or drift serenely in a hang glider, catching thermal currents to gain altitude. In either case, just be sure to stick the landing. Looking for more speed? Strap on the rocket belt to blast your way around an obstacle course. If that's not enough, reach maximum velocity as you tackle a skydiving lesson at 3,800 feet. Complete specific objectives within a set time limit to score points (and maybe even a bonus chance) and obtain certification in eight different lessons. Your goals will become more challenging, and weather conditions will make controlling your vehicle more difficult as you progress. If you succeed, you will be rewarded with the opportunity to pilot an attack helicopter on a daring rescue mission. It's time to earn your wings.

Nintendo DSiWare

The Oregon Trail
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) - Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence, Use of Tobacco
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points™
Description: Westward, ho! Your favorite pioneering adventure game takes you on an exciting, historic, side-scrolling adventure with your Nintendo DSi™ system. Take the Oregon Trail experience further than ever before with all of the decision-making and problem-solving fun of the original game plus additional challenges. Leave your mark on America's history. Take a picture of yourself at each landmark with the Nintendo DSi system's built-in camera. You'll have your portrait and party's name printed in the Daily Oregon Trail newspaper in the game. Play eight skill-based mini-games that will impact your resources: Hunting, Fishing, River Crossing, Rafting, Wagon Repairing, Telegraph, Berry Picking and Gold Panning. Random events faced by real pioneers - such as disease, bandits and hitchhikers - and side missions add more excitement to your westward trek.

SUDOKU SENSEI
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Introducing 100 "Super Hard Puzzles" for the hardened sudoku veteran. All puzzles are skillfully designed for a level of satisfaction that computer-generated puzzles just can't offer. You can play through puzzles to learn about rules and controls in Tutorials mode. Other handy features include Write Mode and Temp Number for an easier, more enjoyable sudoku experience.

Glow Artisan
Publisher: Powerhead Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Solve mind-bending puzzles in this unique and colorful game. Use your wits and ingenuity to solve more than 100 puzzles and earn more than 300 medals. Play Time Trial, Randomizer and Multiplayer modes for an endless supply of new challenges. Create new puzzles with the built-in editor or use the Nintendo DSi Camera application to turn your photos into puzzles.

Master of Illusion™ Express: Psychic Camera
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Master of Illusion Express titles include mind-boggling magic tricks that you perform with your Nintendo DSi system. Learn the illusions, practice them and amaze your friends. Your audience will never look at your Nintendo DSi system the same way again after Master of Illusion Express: Psychic Camera proves that it has psychic powers. Astound others by taking their picture and revealing an item (such as a card, picture, letter or number) that they're thinking about.

Arcade Hoops Basketball
Publisher: Skyworks Interactive, Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: From Skyworks comes the slickest basketball game for the Nintendo DSi system. See how many baskets you can sink in a fast-moving 45 seconds, using only your stylus and, of course, your lightning-fast hand-eye coordination. Arcade Hoops features your choice of three rockin' soundtracks, state-of-the-art 3-D graphics and thrilling, high-speed game play for the most fun possible in under a minute. Advanced hoopsters can move on to the progressive level, where a moving basket provides an additional challenge - plus the chance to rack up even more points. For the real pros, there's 3 Point mode, where speed and accuracy are a must as you shoot "threes" from downtown.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood has been available to Japanese Wii owners since 2008, but it may be available to those of us in North America, Europe and Australia, if the OFLC's recent rating—spotted by Nintendo Life—is any indication. Perhaps another Hanabi Festival is in order for PAL territories?

Of course, you can play Castlevania: Rondo of Blood right now, should you have a PSP. Konami released the game as Dracula X Chronicles in 2007 on UMD, issuing a digitally downloadable version this year.

Don't be surprised to see Rondo of Blood on the list of Wii Virtual Console releases in 2010. And don't be surprised if you recognize many of its heavily recycled sprites.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood Getting Long Overdue Western Release [Nintendo Life]

Going on sale next March, the box set will retail for ¥21,000. Which in US dollars is $232. That's a lot, but then, remember, it's on 19 discs. Break that up and it's a steal, at $12.20 a disc!

Sadly, there's no pics of the sure-to-be-amazing box the collection will come on, but we do know that some of the soundtracks featured include the MSX2 version of the original Castlevania, Castlevania Legends, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia and the Saturn version of Symphony of the Night.

There are 18 discs worth of soundtrack, the 19th disc being a DVD containing interviews and some behind-the-scenes footage of the music being recorded.

悪魔城ドラキュラ Best Music Collection BOX [Amazon, via Original Sound Version]

Some highlights or lowlights - really, you should go see the whole thing - Marvel vs. Capcom 2 bottomed out after releasing to Xbox Live Arcade and PSN this year. After reaching highs of $109.99 (PlayStation 2) and $91.99 (Xbox), they slumped to $43 and $30 respectively after the title went out online. Ouch.

The games get a dead-cat bounce but prospects for a recovery beyond that aren't good, if Castlevania is any indication. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in its PSOne form hit $50.75 in December 2006. The next year, the game was released on XBLA and PSN, dropping the hard copy value to $19.99. It's recovered slightly to $27.12, but that's just a little over half its pre-re-release (say that three times fast) high.

MTV Multiplayer did its analysis according to VideoGamePriceCharts.com. Really, though, take a look for yourself. They covered much more than those two titles above, and offer tips for the safest investments unlikely to be undercut by re-releases.

Video Game Collectors Feeling the Pain of Re-Releases [MTV Multiplayer]

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]

First up is the disorienting and somewhat upsetting Half-Life Super Mario Bros. I guess in a 2D world, a gray haze is all Mario would see for miles around on either side of his orange brick path. But I can't remember the last plumber I met that uses a crowbar. And guns? Really?

Next up is a Castlevania Half-Life 2 mod that makes a lot more sense in context. But it still has the inexplicable crowbar.

Both videos are brought to us by Machinima.com.

That is according to Jeremy Bolt, who is Anderson's co-producer on Resident Evil: Afterlife. Visiting that film's set, the site ShockTillYouDrop.com says it spoke to Bolt, who "told us this morning that Paul W.S. Anderson is still circling video game adaptation Castlevania at Rogue Pictures and that they are waiting on a script."

"Bolt added that he and Anderson would like to adapt Konami's Metal Gear Solid for the big screen at Columbia Pictures," ShockTillYouDrop.com added.

You can check out Paul W.S. Anderson's filmography here but he ain't no Bergman. Please note that none of this confirms Anderson has anything to do with the Metal Gear project.

Paul W.S. Anderson Still Circling Castlevania [ShockTillYouDrop.com]

Sure, they're tiny, but at least they're better than blurry cell phone pictures of Famitsu magazine.

Here's a nice screenshot!

As we detailed earlier, Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth will colorize and modernize the 20-year-old outing of Christopher Belmont in his quest to kill Dracula for Konami's third downloadable retro "ReBirth" effort.

There will be new enemies, new traps and various other improvements such as rearranged music.

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth is priced at 1000 Wii Points.

I checked in with Konami, wondering if the recently-announced 2D downloadable Wii game Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth (coming to Japan at the end of this month) might be Igarashi's TGS project.

"Iga was involved in the development of Castlevania: Rebirth, however we aren't ready to share any details on Iga's next project just yet," Konami U.S. spokesman Jay Boor told Kotaku. "Please stay tuned."

I hope to get more clarification of what Igarashi's involvement is as we get closer to Rebirth's release. The game does not yet have a U.S. release date, but the participation of the man most associated with 2D Castelvania should excite some fans.

In June, Konami revealed that another of its star creators, Hideo Kojima, would be overseeing the next console Castlevania, Lords of Shadow, which is a third-person action game.

(Public Service Advisory: That's Igarashi on the right. Michael Fahey can be seen somewhere on the left of this photo.)

Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth will colorize and modernize the 20-year-old outing of Christopher Belmont in his quest to kill Dracula for Konami's third downloadable retro "ReBirth" effort. According to NeoGAF poster Duckroll, details from Famitsu indicate "new enemies, new traps, and other improvements in each stage" will be added to Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth, along with rearranged music.

Hopefully, North American and European Wii owners will get access to the WiiWare title as soon as our Japanese counterparts. Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth is priced at 1000 Wii Points.

Here is the ESRB listing:

Castlevania the Adventure ReBirth
Platform: Wii
Rating: Teen
Content descriptors: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence

Rating summary: This is a side-scrolling action game in which players battle against monsters in Dracula's castle. Players use a chained whip to fight their way through halls and dungeons filled with zombies, skeletons, flying eyeballs, and bats. The enemy creatures frequently shoot projectiles and attack players in hand-to-hand combat. If players sustain too much damage, they keel over and emit a burst of red blood. Some rooms in the castle also have spikes or spears stained with red, blood-like splotches.

Castlevania the Adventure ReBirth [ESRB via Go Nintendo]

Hollywood got the big screen game rights back in 2005 with Resident Evil helmer Paul W.S. Anderson attached to write and direct. Shooting was slated to start in Eastern Europe back in late 2006, but by the following summer production was still stalled.

Anderson handed off directing duties to Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard). Things continued to stall and filming was supposed to commence in spring 2008. Fast forward to earlier this summer when Saw franchise co-creator and director of Dead Silence and Death Sentence, James Wan, signed on to co-write and helm the flick.

"James is doing a pass on the script to put himself into it with the tricks and the traps, which he is really good at," says Anderson. "One of the things with Castlevania is it's not just about the creatures but the environment trying to get to you as well. I think he is a terrific choice because a key part of Castlevania is the intensity of being trapped within the confines of the castle, and he's shown with Saw that he excels with intensity in confined spaces."

According to Anderson, Wan is merely tweaking the original script and the project is currently in "pre-pre-production".

Paul W.S. Anderson Promises Vampire Whips and Horror Movie Traps In 'Castlevania' [MTV]

[via Go Nintendo]

Koji Igarashi, who has overseen three critically-lauded Nintendo DS Castlevanias and has been involved with the franchise since 1997's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, is still with Konami, company spokesman Jay Boor told me during a phone call from the San Diego Comic-Con.

"He is still at Konami, and he is still working on projects," Boor said.

The spokesman said that press questions about Igarashi's status have been common since Igarashi failed to appear during the E3 debut of the Kojima-overseen Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. That new Castlevania game is being developed by Madrid-based MercurySteam with involvement from Kojima Productions. The new title was the first major Castlevania project announced without an apparent connection to Igarashi in years.

Boor declined to address questions of Igarashi's potential involvement in Lords of Shadow, neither confirming or denying that the developer would be working on that project.

Konami hopes to announce the next Igarashi project at the Tokyo Game Show.

Castlevania games have been released in 2005, 2006 and 2008 on the DS, but no such project has yet been announced for 2009. Each of those games has been overseen and promoted by Igarashi. Asked by Kotaku if there would be a new DS Castlevania this year, Boor said, "I can't say anything."

We'll look to TGS for the next chapter of this story, which will hopefully illuminate Koji Igarashi's path at Konami and whether there will be any further intersections with the storied Castlevania series.

[PIC]

Saw franchise co-creator and director of Dead Silence and Death Sentence, James Wan, has signed on to co-write and helm the flick.

Previously, Stomp The Yard director Sylvain White was pegged to direct. and salty-tongued writer Warren Ellis was at one time working on the script.

"I'm very fresh on this project, so its early stages and I'm still trying to work things out, but the producers love my vision for it," James Wan tells website Bloody-Disgusting. "I'll be working on the script with a writer to give it a new spin, different to the previous versions. This will have my stamp on it which Konami is very excited about."

Wan is interested in how Konami took iconic Dracula mythos and mixed it with a Japanese pop-culture vibe. "That's the East-meets-West tone I want to visually expand on for the film," he continues. "I'm thrilled by the opportunity to make a highly stylized, fantasy, action film that focuses on the gothic story-line and the cool, anime-like characters. For once, the human hero is as sexy and dangerous as the vampire villain, and his weapon of choice was what attracted me to the project in the first place — The Vampire Killer Whip." Good news for fans of the franchise. Earlier drafts of the script had the whip replaced with a sword.

The Australian filmmaker is no stranger to video games — he directed a trailer for horror game Dead Space. Above is concept art for his vision of Castlevania.

BD Horror News - SDCC '09: James Wan to Write and Direct 'Castlevania'! [Bloody Disgusting via GoNintendo]

The 2GB MP3 player is now available for sale at the Video Games Live online store, and will also be making appearances at the merchandising tables at Video Game Live concert events and eventually retail outlets. It a pretty standard player, though the VGL design on it is rather snazzy. The main selling point will be the 10 tracks of previously unreleased live recordings, with Halo, Kingdom Hearts, Warcraft, Castlevania, Myst, Mass Effect, Civilization IV, Tron, Earthworm Jim and Advent Rising tunes available exclusively on the device. Enticing, but is it $50 worth of enticing?

This probably would have been a very attractive deal a few years ago, but now that everything I own plays MP3s, I'm not seeing this flying off the merchandise table.

VIDEO GAMES LIVE PRE-LOADED MP3 PLAYER $50.00 [Video Games Live Store]

The game has been farmed out to Madrid-based developer Mercury Steam and brings together a star studded cast that features Patrick Stewart and Robert Carlyle. This is the game's latest trailer.

The movie, apparently, is dead.

Hollywood got the big screen game rights back in 2005 with Resident Evil helmer Paul W.S. Anderson attached to write and direct. Shooting was slated to start in Eastern Europe back in late 2006, but by the following summer production was still stalled.

Anderson handed off directing duties to Sylvain White (Stomp the Yard). Things continued to stall and filming was supposed to commence in spring 2008. It's now May 2009, and while IMDB is listing the movie as in "pre-production" with a 2011 release date.

The Castlevania centered on the origins of Dracula and the Belmont Clan, the game's vampire-slaying family.

A Nail Hammered Into 'Castlevania's' Coffin [BD via 1UP via CrunchGear]