"I'm glad that 2D is still somewhat alive. It's been fun," he told Gamasutra's Christian Nutt.

Igarashi also said he hasn't lost sight of a new direction for Castlevania:

This time, I announced a DS title, but I definitely want to grow the franchise. It's something I'm really focused on. You guys will probably be hearing something from me.

Castlevania's Igarashi: '2D Is Still Somewhat Alive' [GameSetWatch]

[via The Asian Power Hour]

Make up your mind! First Konami's official Castlevania dude Koji "Iga" Igarashi said "meh" to the Wii-mote. Then, he warmed up to controller, and now he's back to blowing raspberries at it. In a recent interview with Nintendo Power, Iga says:

For me, the Nintendo Wii controller doesn't yet connect with the core gameplay of Castlevania. I definitely don't want to make a game with gimmicky controls where you swing the controller like a whip...

That's it, Iga. We (being "me") do want you to make that game—gimmicky controls and all. Don't give the public what it wants. GOOD IDEA. Brian Ashcraft

Iga A Hater (Again) [QJ.Net]

Castlevania maven Koji "Iga" Igarashi talked about where he stands on the console war. And it's gaming equivalent of a mid-life crisis. While Iga is currently bringing yet another Castlevania to the DS, he seems miffed by next-gen:

I don't know what to do. I was really leaning toward PS3 in the beginning. But then at the Sony conference they announced the price and I was like, 'Mmm, maybe it's too expensive.'

When it comes to Wii, obviously the controller has a unique feature, but I just can't come up with a good idea that utilizes it. I mean, clearly you can with a lot of time.

So the PS3 price-tag gives Iga a big, rubbery one, while the Wii makes his brain hurt. So, by process of elimination, he must love the Xbox 360? Nope. He also lets go with a full blast of 360 haterade.

I'm not really negative over Microsoft, but for some reason they tend to back off a little when it comes to something really foreign. But if Japanese developers would say they're working on Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest or Metal Gear maybe, then I guess Japanese consumers would take it seriously and consider purchasing it. There has to be some killer titles to move the consumers into the 360 market. What I'm thinking is if Bill Gates uses his personal money and says, "I have a billion dollars. Why don't you make a game for me?" Then we would love to work on it.

Could Iga's creative blank and next-gen indifference be more symptomatic of a tired series and less of next-gen consoles' shortcomings? Iga, we love ya, but try thinking out of that coffin known as Castlevania. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Game Informer] via Eurogamer

Costume-crazy blogger Walter Maruyama riffs on the fuglization of the Castlevania series. Maruyama points out the decline in a series of pics. We'll cut to the chase. Above is the "before" artwork. Gothic, moody, perfect. That is, until some Konami goons put the game's look under the knife, giving Castlevania a back-alley face-lift. The sad, sad Michael Jackson "after" shots after the jump.

More Here [Costume Get!]

Claiming that he has been unable to pump as much investment into a 3D Castlevania as he'd like, Igarashi acknowledged the suckiness of Castlevanis 64 and noted.

2D is an art form in itself, and I don't want to lose that culture... I haven't been satisfied with what I've achieved on the 3D platform, but I'm certainly churning my mind constantly about how to bring 3D to life with Castlevania

In our minds, a 3D Castlevania should take a page out of God of War's play book. We are glad to hear Igarashi stress how wonderful 2D platformers remain... a philosophy that the rest of the game industry seems to be slowly subscribing to, on portables, at least.

Igarashi also claims that "goth never goes out of style." As long as you're emotionally sixteen, that's certainly true!

Igarashi Ponders 3D Castlevania [Next Generation]