BlueAlien.org

It seems everyone is getting their "A" game out prior to E3. Konami is giving us another much-needed Nintendo DS game in the Castlevania series with "Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin". Some of the highlights of the press release are as follows:

• All new setting: The World War II time-frame is a first for the series.
• Two different playable characters that you will be able to switch on the fly mid-game.
• Summon Attacks (read as: "Awesome! Summon Attacks!!!!")
• It appears like it will have all the collection aspects of Dawn of Sorrow but with double the people/stuff!
• 100+ Different enemies = non-stop vampire slaying fun!

I'm thrilled Konami is continuing this series and making some good use out of the DS's functionality (In-game map = godsend). If you'd like to read the whole press release just click the "Read More" button below. =)

CASTLEVANIA RETURNS TO THE NINTENDO DS WITH PORTRAIT OF RUIN

Legendary Action Series Celebrates Two Decades of Vampire Hunting with Two
Playable Characters and Expanded Battle System

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - April 21, 2006 - Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
today announced CastlevaniaR: Portrait of Ruin exclusively for the Nintendo
DST. The latest installment in the renowned action series lets players
control two different characters as they attempt to thwart a terrible plan
to resurrect Dracula's Castle and bring a reign of darkness upon the world.

In Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, players take on the role of vampire hunter
Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Orlean, a young girl with tremendous magical
abilities. Amidst the chaos of World War II, many lost souls from the global
conflict were left to wander the world in search of salvation. Desperate to
escape their terrible plight, they sought to resurrect Dracula's Castle from
the rubble of society, assisted by two mysterious vampire sisters. Now
Jonathan and Charlotte must work together to confront the face of evil and
ensure that this villainous catastrophe is not unleashed on the world.

Evolving the action-adventure gameplay that has been the series' trademark
for 20 years, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin lets players switch freely
between Jonathan and Charlotte as they proceed on their heroic mission, each
with their own strengths, abilities and style of play. Players can now
utilize powerful Summon attacks in which both characters unleash the full
extent of their combat abilities to decimate the game's more than 100
different enemies and massive bosses in new environments such as the desert
and Misty Town. In their quest to stop Dracula's resurrection, Jonathan and
Charlotte can collect and use different weapons, equipment and items to
increase their overall skill level and acquire new abilities.

"For 20 years, the Castlevania series has set the standard for excellence
and innovation in the action genre, and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
continues this trend with all-new features that expand the handheld gaming
genre," said Dennis Lee, Group Manager at Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
"The game's two different characters give players unprecedented variety in
completing their quest, while the expanded battle system makes it more fun
to take on Dracula's minions."

Created by Koji Igarashi and the development team behind 2005's acclaimed
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin will be launching
this Fall. For more information on the game and the Castlevania series,
please visit www.konami.com/gs/officialsites/castlevania.

About Konami

Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic
entertainment properties. Konami's titles include the popular franchises
Metal Gear SolidR, Silent HillR and CastlevaniaR, among other top sellers.
The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at
www.konami.com. Konami Corporation is a publicly traded company based in
Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. in
the United States and Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH in Frankfurt,
Germany. Konami Corporation, the parent company of Konami Digital
Entertainment, Inc. is traded in the United States on the New York Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol KNM. Details of the products published by
Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. can be found at www.konami.com/gs.

C 1986 2006 Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.

"CASTLEVANIA" is a registered trademark of Konami Digital Entertainment Co.,
Ltd.

"CASTLEVANIA: Portrait of Ruin" is a trademark of Konami Digital
Entertainment Co., Ltd.

"KONAMI" is a registered trademark of KONAMI CORPORATION.

Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo.