Konami Reveals More Original Wii IP, PSP Castlevania

At yesterday's Gamer's Day in San Francisco, Konami has revealed two major new releases for the upcoming year, including an original Wii platformer from the Elebits team, and a remake of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood for the PSP. Konami's new Wii game, from Elebits producer Shingo Mukaitoge, was revealed to be Dewy's Advanture, marking the second original IP from Konami for Nintendo's console. In it, players use the Wii controller for nearly all of the in-game puzzle-solving and platforming interactions, such as tilting it to roll the titular Dewy character, a living water droplet, around his environment, using the d-pad to heat or cool Dewy to steam or ice, or fanning the controller to create gusts of wind. According to Gamasutra editors attending the event, in addition to its single player adventure, the game will also include an edit mode in the same manner as Elebits, and will also make use of the Wii's internet connectivity in a yet-unannounced way. Turning to Sony, Konami also announced the long-anticipated official debut of its classic Castlevania franchise for the PlayStation Portable with Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles. In contrast to the original adventures the DS has received over the past years, the first Castlevania PSP outing will be a remake of the PC Engine Super CD cult hit Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo, also known as Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Considered by some to be the pinnacle of the less exploratory, action-based games in the series, the PSP remake of Rondo is being done with fully 3D assets, but maintains the 2D perspective. Also included in The Dracula X Chronicles will be a portable version of PlayStation classic Symphony of the Night, featuring a reworked localization and slightly reworked graphics, making it the second forthcoming release of the game, alongside the Xbox Live Arcade Version also due soon. Both games were announced without release dates, but are expected in 2007. [UPDATE] In addition to those two headline titles, Konami outlined a number of other original console and portable titles. On the multi-console and next-gen front, Konami gave a February 2007 release date to the latest in its hit soccer series, Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, DS, PSP, and PC, as well as its Dark Horse Comics license of Hellboy, due in 2007 for PS3, Xbox 360, and the PSP. It also announced that the latest in its best selling rhythm series would be coming to the Xbox 360 in February with Dance Dance Revolution UNIVERSE. Adding to its Wii lineup, Konami also announced a console exclusive Dance Dance Revolution iteration with Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party, which will include 4 player support, along with classic franchise music and support for the console's Wii remote and Nunchuk. Konami will also be publishing a number of Hudson's Wii properties, including flight action game Wing Island, and Kororinpa: Marble Mania, a tilt-and-roll action game, both due in Spring of 2007. In addition to The Dracula X Chronicles, the PSP will also see the release of Brooktown High Senior Year, a high-school themed dating/social game where players try to "date the boy or girl of their dreams," the sequel to its original handheld first person shooter, Coded Arms Contagion. For the Nintendo DS, Konami highlighted the next volume of its Death Jr. franchise, Death Jr. and the Science Fair of Doom, its virtual pet simulator GoPets, and its portable arcade collection, Konami Classic Series: Arcade Hits. Konami also added calendar dates for its 3D survival game sequel, Lost In Blue 2, and the DS version of its Boktai original series, with Lunar Knights, due in Spring and February of this year, respectively. Finally, Konami also announced that it would bring Hudson's rhythm puzzle game Honeycomb Beat to the DS, and newcomer era-spanning flight combat game Time Ace, both due in Spring of this year.