N +

Ghosts and Magicians and Vampires - Oh my! It's pretty obvious what Nintendo of America was pulling here today. With Halloween creeping up this wednesday, they've scared up a few VC games to set the mood on your Wii Channel menus. Don't forget! We're still taking submissions for the N+ Costume CoN+est. We're giving away 6 Brand New games, too! Checks it!

N + Castlevania® II Simon's Quest
NES®, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 500 Wii Points
_{In this one-player adventure, you'll take on the role of Simon Belmont once again and duel to the death with Count Dracula. Grab your legendary whip, Vampire Killer, and roam freely through Transylvania on a quest to find the count's missing body parts-these are the key to breaking an evil curse. This quest won't be easy, though, for you must battle hideous fiends who stalk the land. In addition to the intense action and tight control the Castlevania series is known for, this sequel also introduced several unique game-play elements into the fold. Build experience the longer you play, buy weapons and items from merchants, or talk with villagers to get clues (some of which are false). Watch as day turns to night and then back again. Take a deep breath, steady your nerves, and help Simon end his curse and defeat the count once and for all.}

N + SAMURAI-GHOST™
TurboGrafx16, 1 player, Rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older - Animated Blood and Violence, 600 Wii Points
_{This action platformer features a samurai ghost from the depths of the underworld. In a past war, Kagekiyo managed to defeat the shogun Yoritomo and his clan. However, their evil spirits were not completely destroyed, and now, in the world known as Dark Side, they seek the time of their rebirth. In order to shatter those ambitions, Kagekiyo must make his way across seven zones and head for "The Heart of the Darkside" where Yoritomo lies in wait. Use spirit weapons to power up your sword, or other items, such as candles to recover health, and defeat the endless hordes of enemies. Each zone is not only protected by a boss but also includes demons as well as real samurai from 12th-century Japan. Get ready for some intense one-on-one combat action.}

N + MAGICIAN LORD
NEOGEO, 1-2 players, Rated T for Teen - Blood and Fantasy Violence, 900 Wii Points
<sub>Released in 1990 and regarded as one of the NEOGEO's earliest signature games, this side-scrolling platformer mixes action with the mystical world of fantasy. A magician named Elta, last descendant of the famed Magician Lord, takes on an epic adventure to save the world from the evil Gul-Agieze. Elta must battle through eight stages, collecting the eight tomes of power that are key to defeating Gul-Agieze and his evil plans. By obtaining orbs in one of three colors (elements) that appear during the game, Elta's offensive powers and jumping abilities can be strengthened. The effect varies considerably depending on the combination of elements, though, and Elta can transform into six different forms: Waterman, Dragon Warrior, Shinobi, Samurai, Raijin or Poseidon. Can you help Elta to become the new Magician Lord?

For a list of all games on the NAVC (with Retro Reviews) head here
The list of EUVC games can be found here
Japanese Virtual Console list kickyhere!</sub>

The official Castlevania Portrait of Ruin minisite has got a new trailer for the forthcoming DS game. I think it's awesome. Although it doesn't show any gameplay footage, it is worth watching.

The clip can be found here.

Nintendo-Europe have interviewed IGA (full name Koji Igarashi, the game's producer) about the new Castlevania game for the DS, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. The game takes place in Europe at the time of the Second World War, as an evil artist, Brauner, plots to use the souls of war victims to resurrect Dracula. Two heroes - Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin - must infiltrate Brauner's castle and dive into magical paintings (the portraits of the game's title) which transport them to new worlds rife with demons.

"In the E3 version not so many weapons were available but in the Games Convention version many weapons can be carried by the character. More weapons and attacks are available to the enemies, too, and more magic. Furthermore, cooperation attacks are now available."

Cooperation is going to play a major part in Portrait of Ruin because, instead of controlling a single vampire hunter, you control two of them.

"The two characters have different strong points," says IGA. "Jonathan is good at physical attacks and Charlotte is good at magical attacks, so for instance if the enemy is weak against physical attacks, the player should choose Jonathan more. Basically, the player can have two options to attack the enemy.

"The player can switch between characters but another option is available which is that one character can accompany the other character, behind them. We have prepared various attacks by using this cooperation."

IGA explains that if, for instance, Jonathan is poisoned by an enemy, you can switch control to Charlotte, curing Jonathan in the process. Also, if a character is turned to stone by an enemy's magic attack, the other character can jump in and smash the stone to set their partner free.

Cooperative gameplay in single-player mode is all well and good, but what about online? Has IGA been able to fulfil the promise of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection gameplay?

"It's almost 100% confirmed," he tells us. "Not only Wi-Fi Connection but also local wireless. We have two new elements: the items that the character has obtained can be exchanged with other users, and cooperation play with another player can be available to clear the difficult areas such as Boss Rushes. [Face the game's bosses one after the other - Ed.]

"Due to the restriction of Wi-Fi Connection there are more elements available in local wireless. The biggest difference [between Wi-Fi and local wireless] is in the cooperative play mode. We have one co-op stage available in the Wi-Fi mode and several levels on local wireless mode."

While IGA is reluctant to give more details about the cooperative online mode, we manage to probe deeper into the intriguing 'item exchange' function.

"Item exchange is available in Wi-Fi and local wireless," says IGA. "It's not really an exchange, though: one user copies items to the other. The user who gets the copied item will lose money but the player who sold the item will not gain the money because it's copied, not traded."

IGA explains that players who sell copies of their weapons online through the item exchange system will earn 'secret points' which can be used to buy new items. The rarer the weapon you sell, the more points you earn, so it will pay to be a good player and hunt down all the secrets the game has to offer.

As well as using the DS's wireless function, Portrait of Ruin will also use the stylus and touch screen, though not as extensively as its predecessor Dawn of Sorrow.

"We have fewer points to use the stylus in this version," says IGA. "The magic seal system which was in the previous version was popular but some users complained about it because writing magic seals would affect the smooth gameplay. The strongest point of DS hardware is two screens so we will make full use of them."

IGA explains that the majority of character control is done with the D-pad but you can use the stylus to point to areas of the screen where you want your CPU-controlled partner to attack. Normally, though, the CPU is intelligent enough to do what is necessary by itself, he adds.

It seems that IGA and his team have made a lot of progress since E3. We ask how much more he has to do before the game's planned release in November.

"Now is the peak time. I shouldn't have come to the Games Convention actually because I still have a lot to do," he says, laughing.

Sadly we're out of time, but we manage to squeeze in one more question. At E3 IGA said he couldn't envision a Castlevania game working on Wii ("You cannot keep on whipping with the Wii Remote; you would get tired within five minutes," he said back in May). Has he had any more thoughts on the subject?

"We still can't think about anything other than this DS version because we are so busy but of course we would like to think of something interesting and pleasant for Wii. I have some ideas for Castlevania for Wii."

The game is set for a November release in the US.