The rocket-powered hijinks of armored opossum Sparkster are to continue, as Konami today revealed plans to revive the old 16-bit series on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

"The idea is that there haven't been any games these past 15 years simply because Sparkster hasn't had any adventures," Konami producer Tomm Hulett told 1UP. That all changes when battle once again calls on our hero, resulting in the discovery that his former pig foes have now allied with the opposums in a war against the wolves.

Slated to arrive as a digital download in 2010, the side-scrolling sequel is set fifteen years after the last entry, 1994's Sparkster, and is being developed by Climax. An "arcade" mode is set to retain the difficulty and level-by-level approach of the past titles, with a "free play" mode offering modern design concessions like saves and level select.

Twilight star Kristen StewartVowing that this is "the game that fans of the Twilight film have been asking for," Scene It? creator Screenlife and video game publisher Konami today announced that they have paired to deliver Wii and Nintendo DS trivia games centered around the sparkly vampire series.

Those looking to be quizzed on the minutiae of commoner Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen's whirlwind teenage romance will be faced with "over 500 multiple choice questions based on movie clips, music and audio from the Twilight movie" on Wii.

"It will be the first time fans will be able to directly interact and challenge each other within the Twilight universe on Wii," observed Konami VP Careen Yapp... Read more

Nintendo has announced its holiday lineup, giving a release date to the DS's Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and confirming that a new Castlevania title will be hitting Wii soon.

Spirit Tracks will be hitting the DS on December 7, with trains and a controllable companion character added to the usual fine mix of adventure, puzzles and combat.

First revealed by ESRB listings and dated for the third fiscal quarter--October to December--Konami's Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth presumably follows the path of its Contra and Gradius WiiWare 'Rebirth' releases--new titles faithful to the old style.

Retro fans might also enjoy the news that WayForward's platformer series Shantae will receive a new instalment named Risky's Revenge on DSiWare, also in the third quarter.

It looks as if Brutal Legend may no longer win "most metal game of 2009" by default, as publisher Konami has announced that a downloadable game inspired by the antics of Metalocalypse's fictional metal band Dethklok is coming to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Titled Metalocalypse: Dethgame, the downloadable Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network release is due out this fall and will see players control roadie Klokateer as he is "unleashed on a heinous rampage against rabid mutant fans in brutal combat."

Frozen Codebase (Screwjumper, Zombie Wranglers) is developing the title, with show co-creator Brandon Small aiding in the production. "An optimal gaming... Read more

Konami has announced Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, a new addition to the long-running action adventure series--though not a new game in itself.

Coming from Clive Barker's Jericho developer Mercury Steam, Lords of Shadow was originally announced without the Castlevania tag last year. It was then described as a "dark fairy tale" with exploration and puzzle-solving elements that focused on "one man's journey to discover the true meaning of sacrifice amidst murder and betrayal."

In addition, Metal Gear Solid developer Kojima Productions was revealed to be assisting Mercury Steam with the game. "My role is to support them," said Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima. "I'm going to help them to give birth to this Castlevania."

"In the very near future we'll show you more and more," he added.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is to be released in 2010 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Konami has bowed to controversy and dropped Atomic Games's "realistic" military shooter Six Days In Fallujah, a representative told The Asahi Shimbun, via VG247.

"After seeing the reaction to the videogame in the United States and hearing opinions sent through phone calls and e-mail, we decided several days ago not to sell it."

Six Days purported to be a documentary-style recreation of six days from the 2004 second battle of Fallujah in Iraq, seen through the eyes of a single US Marines squad.

"We had intended to convey the reality of the battles to players so that they... Read more

No longer a mere rumor, Zombie Apocalypse has been unveiled by publisher Konami. Developed by the Conan veterans at Nihilistic, it's an omni-directional shooter in which players use both analog sticks, a la Geometry Wars, to control movement and aiming. The downloadable Xbox 360 and PS3 title challenges gamers to survive 55 days of zombie slaughter, with support for up to four online or offline players. Included are 7 different environments, 11 weapons (yes, there's a chainsaw), and survivors to rescue.

What happens after those 55 days are up? "You will be rewarded with not becoming a brainless zombie," says Konami. You'll also unlock 7 "challenging" game modes. It's due to arrive soon, but, as is the case with the apocalypse, we don't know exactly when.

Konami today revealed "Six Days in Fallujah," a third-person shooter developed by Atomic Games.

"Fallujah" is billed as a realistic take on the United States military's attack on the Iraqi city, told over a period of six days.

"We replicate a specific and accurate timeline--we mean six days literally," said Atomic Games president Peter Tamte to the Wall Street Journal. "We track several units through the process and you get to know what it was like from day to day."

Atomic conducted extensive research for the game, consulting with more than three dozen US soldiers that fought in Fallujah. Marine sergeant Eddie Garcia, who served as a consultant on the project, says the game will "add some humanity to the subject."

"It's easy to be an armchair quarterback [about war] when you're at home," said Garcia. "There were 19-year-olds in the Marines making life-altering changes."

The title has been tailored around the experiences of the soldiers. Because troops were more likely to knock over a building than risk running through them... Read more

Konami has announced Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, a reimagining of the original 1999 Silent Hill survival horror title. A Wii release had been revealed by magazine scans, now Konami confirm PlayStation 2 and PSP versions too.

Shattered Memories shares the same plot as Silent Hill but shakes elements up to keep seasoned players on their toes. Harry Mason (pictured here in concept art form) will still search the desolate fogbound town of Silent Hill for his missing daughter only to find unspeakable terrors, but its human inhabitants will appear in new places reacting differently, and new clues and gameplay paths are to be found.

New to Shattered Memories is a system Konami calls the "psyche profile"... Read more

In the legal equivalent of a retaliatory glove-slap, Bloomberg is reporting that Harmonix owner Viacom is counter-suing Konami over Rock Revolution.

Konami has long claimed to hold the original rhythm game patents, having pioneered the genre with its Guitar Freaks and DrumMania arcade titles. The publisher sued Harmonix last year, claiming that Rock Band amounted to patent infringement.

Now Viacom is claiming in a countersuit that Harmonix' games represent improvements over Konami's original patent, apparently arguing that Rock Revolution has more in common with Rock Band than Konami's original rhythm games.

Viacom/Harmonix is seeking damages and a motion to stop Konami from selling Rock Revolution.

Acclaimed video game designer Hideo Kojima has revealed that he is directing two new games, as well as restructuring his development team to be more competitive.

One of those two Kojima-directed titles will be geared towards overseas gamers, according to a 1UP translation of an interview in Japanese gaming publication Famitsu. As Kojima's past third-person games have fared well worldwide, many speculate that the title is a first-person shooter, as the genre is popular in the West.

The overseas-targeted title will coincide with the restructuring of developer Kojima Productions, which the creator described as "a makeover from the ground up." Kojima hopes this will result in a studio that can compete with top developers around the world.

Along creating with the stealth-action Metal Gear series, Kojima has played a role in many other beloved titles, including the mech-combat franchise Zone of the Enders, the adventure-action game Snatcher, and the sun-utilizing vampire-slaying Boktai titles.

Details on the other game were sparse, with the creator only noting that it will be formally unveiled first and will be developed in a more traditional Kojima Productions environment, instead of fully embracing the shifts that the reorganization will bring.

Konami has just announced that Castlevania Chronicles will be released as a downloadable PlayStation 3 effort later today via the PlayStation Store, priced at $5.99.

Confusingly, the company stated that "this iteration of the 2D, whip-wielding action game had yet to be released in America," though Castlevania Chronicles arrived in North America in 2001 as a release for the original PlayStation.

At the time of its initial 2001 PlayStation debut, Chronicles--an enhanced remake of a Japan-only 1993 Castlevania title--had never been released in North America.

Based on Konami's statement, it's likely that Castlevania Chronicles isn't a dedicated PlayStation 3 effort, but rather an emulation of the PlayStation game. Both the PS3 and PSP are capable of playing original PlayStation games downloaded from the PS Store.

After weeks of teasing "a next Metal Gear", series publisher Konami has officially announced that the popular stealth-action franchise is coming to the iPhone.

Dubbed Metal Gear Touch, the game was revealed alongside three other Konami iPhone projects: Frogger, Silent Hill: The Escape, and DanceDanceRevolution S Lite.

Due spring 2009, Metal Gear Solid Touch is a "touch shooter," and will initially pack 8 levels based off Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3). More stages will be added post-release.

The Metal Gear Touch logo matches up with the teaser image for "a next Metal Gear," confirming that the teased project and Metal Gear iPhone are one and the same.

Konami's other three iPhone efforts will be available "from late December 2008." While Frogger and Dance Dance Revolution appear as one would expect, the third-person survival horror series Silent Hill has become a first-person shooter in the transition.

Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced today that it will announce 14 new games at the Tokyo Game Show, which starts next Thursday.

Eleven of those will be announced for the PlayStation 3 while three will hit the PSP handheld.

Within those eleven PS3 games, Sony Computer Entertainment is publishing nine. Konami and Japanese publisher Irem will each announce one new entry for the console. Sony will be publishing all three of its to-be-announced PSP games.

Sony will not be alone in the announcement frenzy of Japan's biggest games industry trade show. Nintendo will be first to the party with a media briefing this week. Microsoft has not been specific about games on display at this year's Tokyo Game Show, but the company will have a keynote speech on the first day of the expo.

Clive Barker's Jericho developer Mercury Steam is currently at work on a new third-person action-adventure title named Lords of Shadow, publisher Konami announced today.

In development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Lords of Shadow is slated to arrive in 2010. Taking place in Southern Europe during the middle ages, the title is described as a "dark fairy tale" that focuses on "one man's journey to discover the true meaning of sacrifice amidst murder and betrayal."

Along with puzzle-solving and exploration elements, the title sports a weapon system, dubbed "Combat Cross," that allows a single weapon to perform a number of functions. For example, the Combat Cross can go from a stabbing weapon to a defensive device.

"Every element of the game pushes the host hardware to its limits," said Konami product planning head Dave Cox. "It is truly an epic game but telling a human and emotive story. This is a title we hope will set a new standard for action-adventure titles."

Sales of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) led a 16.7% sales jump and massive growth of Konami's PlayStation 3 sales volume, the publisher revealed in its 2009 first quarter financial results.

Kojima Productions' stealth action shooter moved three million units since its June 12 debut, propelling Konami's PlayStation 3 business to 57.3% of its total sales in the quarter ending June 30. The figure shows a massive increase over the same reporting period last year, in which PlayStation 3 software accounted for just 1.3% of sales.

The publisher added that sales of Metal Gear Solid 4 are still "steadily increasing."

Konami reported $656.1M in net revenue for the quarter, showing a 16.7% increase over the same reporting period last year. Profits amounted to $108.6M, or a 65.6% year-over-year increase.

Capcom's 8-bit downloadable revival Mega Man 9 (PS3, Wii, 360) could create new possibilities for developers if it proves a commercial success, Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi told Game|Life.

"I'm watching [Mega Man 9] very closely to see how it does," said Igarashi. "I'm a big retro gaming fan, so if it is successful that definitely opens up doors for what I can do."

Developed by ex-Capcom staffers at Japanese firm Inti Creates, Mega Man 9 made waves earlier this month when the title was revealed to be a stylized 8-bit endeavor making use of assets and gameplay conventions of the original NES Mega Man titles.

Mega Man 9 is developed from the ground-up as a downloadable title, and is the first game to be planned to hit all three platforms' respective digital storefronts... Read more

Publisher Konami has released a detailed report of Metal Gear Online (PS3) system issues experienced in the wake of a recently released expansion pack.

Following last week's release of the Gene Expansion premium pack for the online multiplayer component of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Konami's servers were mired by a sudden spike in traffic load prompting a variety of issues.

A full report of the outages published by Konami reveals that the trouble affected the game's web-based online store and site in addition to the game itself. The game's newly-added Reward Shop, which allows players to purchase new gear... Read more

Publisher Konami has issued a truckload of media to accompany today's E3 festivities.

Included in the screenshot explosion are Castlevania Wii and DS, Rock Revolution, Lost in Blue Wii, Silent Hill 5, Time Hollow, New International Track and Field, and more.

Castlevania Judgment (Wii)

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS) Rock Revolution (PS3, X360) Rock Revolution (Wii)... Read more

DrumMania and Guitar Freaks publisher Konami today filed suit against Harmonix parent company Viacom over patent violations related to Harmonix's rhythm title Rock Band.

Konami claims that the company's patent for a "musical-rhythm matching game," filed in the United States circa 1999, predates and supersedes Harmonix's 2007 patent filing for a "game controller simulating a musical instrument."

According to Bloomberg, Konami seeks cash compensation and an order to block the use of Harmonix's inventions. Viacom is waiting to receive the complaint before responding to the allegations.

Konami released the Japanese rhythm arcade games DrumMania and Guitar Freaks in 1999, with Guitar Freaks being initially ported to the United States later that year. The company is now planning to release its own Rock Band-style game titled Rock Revolution.