... the Nintendo Entertainment System and localized for North American and European releases of Castlevania in 1987. The series soon became a recognized landmark in the design of action platforming games. It soon became known for its elaborate design aesthetic and theatrical soundtracks. The earliest games borrowed source material from motifs in iconic horror cinema, though the series later developed a more artistic and dramatic direction drawn from Gothic fiction and dark romanticism.

The Castlevania series is one of Konami's most famous fr...more

Turning a Non-Gamer Into a Gamer

... PC from the 1980's almost always catered to causal "simple" games because that's all they could handle.

Older gamers started off with casual games like Asteroids, Pac-Man, Breakout, Pong and other hit classics. Some of us got the gaming bug from the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), playing simplified games like Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong and Duck Hunt. As time passed we increased our level of difficulty and purchased Mike Tyson's Punch-Out, Contra, Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda. We started slow, grew in intensity and before long we were game addicts.

Today we are in the seventh-generation of gaming. This generation includes such systems as the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. Competition for the gaming market is hot and each system is vying for your gaming dollar. Each generation releases larger games boasting more hours of play, graphically stunning 3D environments, Dolby Digital Surround Sound and complex control schemes. The barrier to entry has never been larger for a non-gamer.

To entice a gamer into our seventh-generation of gaming we must start simple as we ourselves did so many years ago. The older the non-gamer the more difficult it will be to break their stereotypical view of "a gamer." We must teach them that it's not all first-person shooting bloody gun battles. Not all gamers want to shoot aliens. A non-gamer may have a short gaming attention span so you must hook them slowly and use repetition to bring them around to your ways of thinking.

There are two battlefronts to attack: The home console system and the Macintosh/PC. Do not allow your own gaming style to affect games you persuade them to play. Keep an open mind and allow them to explore their own gaming habits, be patient and keep a close eye on what games they react to the best.

A casual game may be something as simple as solitaire, sudoku, hearts, minesweeper or FreeCell. The next level of complexity will be Tetris, Zuma, Feeding Frenzy and more complex puzzle or side-scrolling adventure games. If you're target non-gamer enjoys a few hands of solitaire or hearts they've already got the bug for gaming ...more

Castlevania Chronology

...nducted with 1UP.com, the only game he deliberately retconned was Castlevania Legends, whereas the other games were produced to be side-stories from the start.

With the release of Castlevania: portrait of ruin, Konami of America had included a pre-order bonus "20th Anniversary" package that includes a Castlevania series timelin...more

Castlevania: lament of Innocence (gameplay)

... new whip called Vampire Killer which is enhanced by Sara's soul. This whip is more destructive to vampires, and is required to kill walter, the vampire master.

In addition, Leon is able to use the sub-weapons, the combination of special charms and orbs. It proves to be the alternative strong weapon to hunt down monsters and ghosts in the game. However, using sub-weapons absorbs hearts every time, unless Leon gains the special item nullifying the use of hearts.

Joachim, the additional playable character, uses his five flyi...more

Begginers Yoga Positions