September2019
News Konami Plans To Work With More "Globally Known IPs" In The Future
Game development on consoles is still the top priority
Konami – known for video game series like Metal Gear Solid, Castlevania, and Pro Evolution Soccer – has plans to work with more "globally known IPs" for consoles. During an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Konami Europe president Masami Sa
News Konami "Aware" Of Nintendo Switch, But Has No Plans To Bring PES To The Console
"All I can say is that I love the Switch"
In the world of virtual football, two brands rule the roost – EA's FIFA and Konami's PES. Each year, these two long-standing rivals battle it out for soccer supremacy, but there's one battleground where this contest hasn't yet played out, and that's on the Switch. EA has supported Nintendo's console with...
August2019
Reminder Two More NES Games Hit The Switch, Plus Another Special Version Of Gradius
Play 'em today
It's that time of the month again when Nintendo adds more classic titles to the NES library on the Nintendo Switch Online app. Along with the two previously announced games, this update also adds in another special version of an iconic shoot 'em up. In terms of the new games, we have Culture Brain's action-arcade title Kung-Fu Heroes...
News VS. Gradius Joins Hamster's Arcade Archives Series On Switch eShop
Destroy an invading force and save the planet
Hamster's Arcade Archives series on the Nintendo Switch continues to grow in size. This week, the slightly enhanced retro game is Konami's horizontal scrolling shoot 'em up, VS. Gradius. This title was first released in 1986 and requires you to take control of Vic Viper, who must destroy an invading...
Poll Box Art Brawl #2 - Contra / Probotector
I Think Ur A Probotector
Welcome back for round two of the series where we throw the regional box art variants of a particular retro game into a pit and see which one scrambles out victorious. Last time we kicked things off with Super Metroid for the Super Nintendo. After a week of voting, the Japanese art has emerged with a very comfortable win,...
July2019
News Two More Ways To Play Contra Arrive This Holiday Season
Can you ever have enough ways to play Contra?
Fans of Konami's seminal run-and-gun series Contra have no shortage of ways to play the classic game, whether you're a fan of the arcade original, the NES port or the numerous sequels we've seen over the years. The recent Contra Anniversary Collection brought together a bunch of them in a package that we...
June2019
Feature The Making Of The PC Engine, The 8-Bit Wonder That Took On Nintendo
With new 'Mini' hardware on the way, we look back at this 8-bit wonder
This piece was originally published in 2012. With the news that Konami is producing a PC Engine Mini, we thought you might like a fresh look. Enjoy! Western gamers tend to consider Nintendo and Sega as the two major players in the 16-bit war. On European and American soil this...
News Konami Just Revealed The PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 Mini
UPDATE: Japanese titles also confirmed
Konami – which holds the rights to the PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 brand via its ownership of the now-defunct Hudson Soft – has lifted the lid on yet another retro-themed micro-console. This time, it's NEC / Hudson's legendary PC Engine, the system which took Japan by a storm in the late '80s and came to the...
News Contra Anniversary Collection Is Available On The Switch eShop Right Now
War never changes
If you're a fan of Konami's Contra series, then today is your lucky day. Not only did we get confirmation that a new entry in the franchise is Switch-bound, but it was also revealed that Contra Anniversary Collection – the latest in Konami's series of M2-developed retro compilations – is available to purchase on the eShop...
May2019
News Konami Confirms Full Line-Up Of Games Included In The Contra Anniversary Collection
Launching this summer
Now that the two other anniversary releases are out in the wild, Konami has turned its attention to the Contra Anniversary Collection. When the Japanese company originally made this announcement, it revealed four of these games: Contra (Arcade), Super Contra (Arcade), Super C (NES) and Contra III: The Alien Wars
News German Retailer Lists Contra Physical Release For Nintendo Switch
Targeting September
If you enjoy classic run and gun shooters, Contra Anniversary Collection is probably a release you’ve been keeping an eye on since Konami announced it alongside two other digital retro collections in March. Of course, you can never have too much Contra in your life. Online German retailer NetGames recently posted a listing for...
News Konami Adds TATE Mode Support To Its Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection
Play the proper way
If there's one extra feature that should probably be included in more re-releases, remasters and remakes on the Switch, it's TATE mode. The design of Nintendo's system means it is incredibly easy to play games upright when you slide off the Joy-Con. One recent release that failed to include this option was Konami's Arcade...
It's almost time to duel!
While some digital card game enthusiasts are still hoping to see Blizzard's Hearthstone released on Nintendo's hybrid platform one day, for now, there are plenty of other alternatives to enjoy. On 20th August, fans of this genre can look forward to the release of Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution for $39.99 /...
News Behold The Tragic Tale Of The Man Behind Castlevania
"Konami placed profits above all else"
The Castlevania series is one of gaming's most famous franchises and has spawned a long line of video games as well as TV shows, albums and loads of associated merchandise. However, fresh insight into the development of the original NES / Famicom trilogy – unearthed by shmuplations.com – reveals that the...
Random Someone's Working To Fix SNES Shooter Gradius III's Slowdown Issues
SA1 to the rescue!
As one of the earliest shmups to hit the Super Nintendo along with Super R-Type, it was hard not to love Konami's Gradius III. It remains an absolute luxury to have such a great exclusive home port, but reviewers at the time were unanimous in pointing out a single flaw which was somewhat common among earlier SNES releases. The...
News Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy Of The Duelist: Link Evolution Physical Edition Confirmed
It's time to duel!
Each month, more and more card games are released on the Switch. Recently, for example, the system has received Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission and Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions. If these games aren't the digital trading card game you're looking for, perhaps you would prefer to try out
March2019
News Konami Releasing Anniversary Collection Series On Nintendo Switch
Castlevania, Contra and more
After the Australian Classification Board let the cat out of the bag last week, Konami has now confirmed it is bringing an Anniversary Collection series to the Nintendo Switch eShop. The line-up includes Arcade Classics, Castlevania Ann
February2019
News Japan Got A Few Extra Games In Its February Nintendo Direct
Some additional nuggets snuck in for Japanese fans
As so often happens, it seems there were minor regional differences between the Nintendo Direct broadcasts for the east and west. Japanese fans were treated to games missing from the North American and European versions. First up is Dragon Quest Rivals, a free download first released on mobile back...
November2018
Random Castlevania Animated Series Makes Hilarious Reference To Original Game
Wall chicken is the best chicken
For anyone who wasn't confident the talent behind the Castlevania animated series on Netflix was respecting the source material, this should put any concerns to rest once and for all. An eagle-eyed viewer of season two has spotted a cartoon chicken bone poking out from one of the walls within Dracula's castle during...
October2018
Feature Castlevania Season 2 Review: Drac's Back In A Vastly Superior Second Series
Read our spoiler-free review of Netflix's second blood-sucking season
The first series of Netflix's gore-soaked and expletive-packed Castlevania adaptation went down a treat, as you'll know if you read our exhaustive review. While it was a little on the short side, it did an utterly superb job of setting the scene and fleshing out the main...
September2018
News It Sucks To Say It, But Castlevania Requiem Isn't Coming To Switch
What a horrible night to beg for ports
The recent news that Konami was remastering two of the best entries in the Castlevania series - Symphony of the Night and Rondo of Blood - for PS4 got a lot of people quite excited in the world of Nintendo. The initial
August2018
Gallery Enjoy These Hyperactive Images From Hyper Sports R For Switch
All aboard the hype train!
If you happen to be ancient enough to remember Konami's 1984 Hyper Sports arcade game, you may well be pumped for Hyper Sports R coming to the Switch which, as we revealed some time ago, will be a Switch exclusive. In this new sports simulation title, you'll get to compete in a variety of individual and team sports, and...
July2018
News Head Of MercurySteam Believes Nintendo And Konami Resurrected Spanish Studio
Forever thankful
Spanish-based studio, MercurySteam, is best known for developing Metroid: Samus Returns and also working on Konami's Castlevania series - including the 3DS entry, Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate. Although the studio’s history has been well docu
News Castlevania Season 2 Airs On Netflix On 26th October
Just in time for Halloween
One of the better video game adaptations in recent years has been that of Castlevania, a Netflix show that adapts the popular vampire-slaying action series to an anime format. Though the initial season was quite short, it hit all the right beats that it needed to, and got plenty of fans excited for what would be coming...
June2018
News David Hayter Returns As The Voice Of Snake In Super Bomberman R
Kept you waiting, huh
For many Metal Gear fans, David Hayter is Snake. He voiced the character in 1998's Metal Gear Solid and retained the role right up to the release of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, at which point he was replaced by Hollywood star Kiefer Sutherland. Hayter was justifiably bitter about being unseated from his most famous...
