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Konami US has been depressingly quiet about the prospects of making Suikoden more accessible to modern gamers, but at least the company's UK branch is showing their best franchise some love.Read more...

Collectible card game Star Wars: Force Collection is available now for Android and iOS devices. The Konami-published game is free-to-play and features 230 characters from the galaxy far, far away. The game requires an online connection for both multiplayer and Han Solo play.

If you're slightly confused about how Konami is launching a Star Wars game after EA received exclusive rights in May, remember that Disney (which owns the franchise) did retain rights to certain mobile, social, tablet and online games. And here you go.

Metal Gear Solid turns 15 today. To celebrate, Konami wants you to buy it on PSN. Which I suppose is a decent way to celebrate.Read more...

Some words from Mr Stanton.

If there’s one thing you expect from a Castlevania game, it’s Patrick Stewart. Sorry I mean vampires! Definitely vampires. Lords of Shadow has coffins full of the buggers, though it’s shy about the fact and sticks them behind one of the most turgid and over-extended openings I’ve ever had the misfortune to play through. Things do get sexy, but to find out about Gabriel Belmont’s combat cross you gotta jump, jump.(more…)

This isn't just any Yu-Gi-Oh card. It is apparently a one of a kind Yu-Gi-Oh card. And it's one that has an astronomical price tag: a cool ten million bucks!Read more...

Back in the 1980s and 90s, if you played arcade games or console games, you played Japanese games. Lots of them. But maybe things have changed. Why?Read more...

All-star game designer Hideo Kojima turned 50 on Saturday, so consider this a belated happy birthday to the Metal Gear mastermind and your opportunity to wish him a happy 50th.Read more...

How fast can you complete Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? Even if you have every nook and cranny of the labyrinthine PSOne-era platformer committed to memory, your quickest playthrough isn't nearly as fast as this world record speedrun set yesterday by Speed Demos Archive member romscout.

This brisk trip through the Xbox Live Arcade version of SotN follows "any %" rules (reach the end of the game by any means necessary, glitches included), and zooms through both the normal and inverted castles in an astounding 18 minutes and 20 seconds. Things to look for: lots of back-dashing, item-duplicating, and an unexpected use of the Heart Refresh item at the end of the game. Poor Dracula didn't stand a chance.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 steals a week's march on FIFA 14 by coming to the UK on September 20, Konami announced today. The proper football sim's release date announcement for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC follows the news its EA-developed rival will be bundled with all Xbox One pre-orders in Europe.

For those who just can't wait to score the new PES, a demo will be released via PSN on September 11, and then on Xbox Live the day after. Meanwhile, PES 14 hits the back of American nets on September 24.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 will launch in the US on February 25, in Europe on February 27 and in the UK on February 28 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, Konami announced. Last we heard, Lords of Shadow 2 was scheduled to launch this winter.

Lords of Shadow 2 follows 2010's Lords of Shadow, and it concludes the series from developer MercurySteam. Konami is launching a Lords of Shadow collection that includes Mirror of Fate HD, Lords of Shadow and its DLC, and a demo for Lords of Shadow 2, due in October.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 will launch in the US and Europe on February 28, 2014, for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, Konami announced. Last we heard, Lords of Shadow 2 was scheduled to launch this winter.

Lords of Shadow 2 follows 2010's Lords of Shadow, and it concludes the series from developer MercurySteam. Konami is launching a Lords of Shadow collection that includes Mirror of Fate HD, Lords of Shadow and its DLC, and a demo for Lords of Shadow 2, due to launch in October, according to Hong Kong retailer Play-Asia.

3DS Castlevania entry Mirror of Fate takes flight in HD to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network on October 31, and also features in a Lords of Shadow collection released on the same day. The Halloween feast includes the first Lords of Shadow, its "Reverie" and "Resurrection" DLC, as well as Mirror of Fate; there are no details on price as yet.

The collection also grants access to a playable demo of Lords of Shadow 2, but so does a PSN/XBLA purchase of Mirror of Fate if you'd prefer a smaller bite of vampiric adventure. The news comes via the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow official Facebook page and Konami Europe, so we have reached out to the publisher to confirm North American availability and details.

According to Konami, Mirror of Fate HD adds online leader boards, a "Boss Rush Mode," and other "gameplay refinements." Today's news follows last week's retailer listing for the now confirmed Lords of Shadow collection, which led us to the Brazilian classification board where the 3DS game is also rated for Wii U and PC in addition to PS3 and Xbox 360. Of course those ratings could mean very little, but we'd advise Wii Us and PCs to keep their collars up for the time being.

Baltimore hosted the 20th Otakon convention last weekend, full of pop culture celebration and cosplayers. One particular group of four people—Pro Voltage—did a hell of a job showing off their Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance cosplay, dressing up as Raiden, Monsoon, Mistral and—in this case, transforming to—Bladewolf.Read more...

A demo for the Ultimate Edition of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is due on Steam this week. There was some initial confusion over which day, but we've confirmed with a Konami representative the PC port's demo is "definitely" coming tomorrow.

Meanwhile the game proper, which features add-on chapters Reverie and Resurrection, flies onto Steam on August 27, with a boxed retail edition sinking its teeth into Europe on August 30.

As for Lords of Shadow 2, series producer David Cox recently revealed the action-adventure sequel will be developer MercurySteam's final foray into Castlevania. The Spanish studio will say so long and thanks for all the Nosferatu when the follow-up hits Xbox 360, PS3, and PC sometime this winter.

In an interview with the Asahi News, one of Japan's largest newspapers, a former-something year-old man recalled his time at Konami and an alleged unfortunate experience which led to bouts of severe depression.Read more...

North, Central, and South America net the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 on September 24, matching the street date of rival FIFA 14. Konami's latest soccer sim iteration is also coming to PC and PSP - yes, PSP - and going by traditions those entries should arrive a little later in the year.

PES 2014 remains undated for Europe, however, and it'll be interesting to see if it tries to steal a march on FIFA 14 in the games' key region - FIFA 14 goes Euro on September 27.

The big introduction to this year's Pro Evo is Konami's new FOX engine, the same engine being used for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 5. In his recent hands-on time with it, Joystiq's sportsball maestro Mike Suszek said, "It's the Fox Engine that might set Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 apart from FIFA, not a lack of playable clubs."

Do you have a Konami ID account? Change your password! They've been hacked.

How much do you think a copy of Suikoden II costs on Amazon? $60? $150? $300? If you guessed $699.99, congratulations: you win the prize for Ability To Guess Obscene Internet Price Gouging. The prize is sadness. Suikoden II, a PS1 role-playing game developed and published by Konami, is generally considered to be one of the best games out there, but there's no way to play it today without A) already owning a copy, B) spending a fortune, or C) pirating. It's without a doubt my favorite video game, yet there's no affordable or legal way I can recommend it to anyone. It makes me really sad. Biggest problem is, there should be another option: D) buying it on Sony's PlayStation Classics store, which sells tons and tons of old PS1 games including the first Suikoden, an excellent albeit significantly inferior game. Suikoden II is not there. For quite some time now, I've been trying to figure out what the deal is. Some think Konami might not understand just how many people would like to play the game. Others suspect technical issues or a licensing snafu—Japanese contracts are notoriously convoluted. (If you're reading this and you have any idea why Suikoden II has yet to see any re-release in the U.S., let me know.) So let this be a petition. Let's get this done, Konami. Suikoden II to the PlayStation Network. Make it happen. Here are three compelling reasons: 1) It's one of the greatest role-playing games ever. And more people should get a chance to discover that. It's a sweeping-yet-personal story about two best friends trying to fight against their destinies, steering armies in a massive war that will change the world as they know it. Also there's a mini-game where you get to pretend to be an Iron Chef. 2) It will make lots and lots of money. I'll buy a copy. Kirk says he will, too. That's at least a solid two sales. Plus all those tens of thousands of people who would love to play (or re-play) Suikoden II but don't want to spend $699.99 to make it happen. A $6-10 Suikoden II would hit that sweet spot, and word of mouth will do the rest. 3) Fans will love you. Especially the ones who have been silently cursing the name "Konami" for all but ignoring Suikoden in North America over the past few years. (Even Konami UK gave Suikoden Day a shoutout, but their US division? Nothing.) So spread the word. Let's get Konami to listen, and either publish the game themselves or find a way to pass it along to a third party like MonkeyPaw Games (whose frequent collaborator Vic Ireland says he'd love to help re-release Suikoden II). Suikoden II on PSN. Let's do this. Random Encounters is a weekly column dedicated to all things JRPG. It runs every Friday at 3pm ET. You can reach the author at jason@kotaku.com or follow him on Twitter at @jasonschreier.

Really, every day should be Suikoden day, but this is the actual one. Allow me to explain: the wonderful Suikoden Revival Movement, a group dedicated to trying to revive Konami's equally-wonderful RPG series, has declared today "Suikoden Day"—a festive occasion created to celebrate all things Suikoden. Fans are posting all sorts of neat stuff on the official Facebook page: cosplay, memories, screenshots, and so forth. Even Konami is getting in on the fun, and it's nice to see their UK branch acknowledging that Suikoden fans still exist, although they have yet to do anything that those fans have requested, like release Suikoden II on the PlayStation Network, bring Suikoden PSP outside of Japan, announce any new Suikoden games, or really show any indication that they care about the series at all. But today is for celebration, not whining. So go ahead and post some of your favorite Suikoden moments or memories in the comments. (Or, if you're wondering what all the fuss is about, the original game is only $6 on PSN.) Happy Suikoden Day!

That Rex just realized Metal Gear Solid's Snake is right in front of him. How fast can those mechanical legs run away? Amazingly detailed artwork by ChasingArtwork and it reminds me of Yoji Shinkawa's original concept arts, which is not a bad thing. Dayshot is an image-based feature that runs every morning, showcasing some of the prettiest, funniest game-related screenshots and art that we can find. Send us suggestions if you've got them.

Today, Nintendo won another legal battle against R4 devices against two Japanese distributors. Upholding the ban on R4 devices, a Tokyo court ruled that the accused, two Tokyo-based R4 sellers, must pay a sum total of nearly US$1 million ($944,921) in damages to Nintendo and fifty or so other companies that had joined in the suit. Those companies included the likes of Konami, Capcom, Square Enix, Level-5, Bandai Namco, and more. You know, essentially the entire Japanese game industry. Late last year, the Japanese government announced that importing R4 devices was illegal. At that time, selling them was already punishable by law. ニンテンドーDS用装置（マジコン）に対する [Nintendo] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

It takes a lot to get me excited about an iterative sports game, but this year's Pro Evo looks to be anything but. Dat new engine.

Game designer Hideo Kojima might not actually be actively looking for someone to remake his magnum opus, but at least one developer wants to step up to the plate. Earlier this week, rumors circulated that Kojima and crew were looking for a game studio willing to remake Metal Gear Solid on their fancy new Fox Engine (which they're using to build the upcoming MGSV). Kojima took to Twitter yesterday to clarify, saying he isn't actively looking for a studio, but that he'd "love to ask" one to remake the game that turned Solid Snake into an icon. Today, one studio offered their services: a British developer called Just Add Water. Here's what they have to say: Dear Mr Kojima, We read with great excitement on VG247 that you were looking for a studio to work with to develop a Metal Gear Solid remake using the Fox Engine, that your team has been hard at work creating. We at Just Add Water feel ideally positioned to do the remake justice for several reasons: We have experience working with legendary IP (Oddworld Inhabitants) and treating the subject matter with the respect it deserves.Many members of our team are huge Metal Gear fans, with very good knowledge of the source material.We really, really want to do it. For evidence of our abilities, please check out not only the HD treatment of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, released on PlayStation3, VITA and PC, but the current re-creation of Abe’s Oddysee, titled Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty. We eagerly await your response. Love and cuddles,The JAW Team. What do you think, folks? Does the world need another Metal Gear Solid remake, or was 2004's Twin Snakes enough?

See if you can spot the various Snakes in this trailer for Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection, which comes out in North America on July 9. We see Solid Snake, Naked Snake, Old Snake, Liquid Snake, Gaseous Snake, So Solid Snake, and Shake 'n Snake in there, and that's just for starters.

There was a rumour earlier this week that Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima was trying to sign up a developer to handle a remake of Metal Gear Solid using Konami's new Fox Engine. It's not true, though there are the very best intentions behind it. Kojima first said this yesterday morning: There's a rumor about remaking MGS1+2, but that's not ture. It has been modified in the thread or something. — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) June 27, 2013 He was addressing this article, from Swedish site Gamereactor, which reported (via an E3 roundtable) that Kojima "was actually in the process of searching out a studio he could task with adapting the first game to the Fox Engine". Later, however, having gone through the audio recordings of the roundtable discussion the quote supposedly originated from, he learned there'd been a mistranslation on the part of Konami's staff. I answered "You (the journalist) wanted me to do MGS2 on Fox Engine but I cannot do. I wish if only someone could make MGS1 on Fox Engine." — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) June 27, 2013 However, Chris mistranlated as "Personally he would like have MGS1 on Fox Engine, so he try to find someone right now to do that." NOOOOO!!! — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) June 27, 2013 Ah. So, case closed! For what it's worth, he really would love it if someone could remake the game. So if you've got a dream developer who's, you know, just sitting around, nothing to do, email them and see if they'll help out. Maybe not Silicon Knights though. One Metal Gear remake is enough for one studio, thanks very much. Well, if there's some creator or team in this world who has love and passion to remake "MGS1", I would love to ask for it. — HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) June 27, 2013

Konami's classic run-and-gunner is hitting iOS next Thursday, but it's not Contra as we know it. This is Contra Evolution, the a retooling of the original using CocoaChina's open-source game engine, and it's rather fetching. Contra Evolution first arrived on iOS in China back in January of this year, where it rose to the top of the iPhone paid charts in under 24 hours. CocoaChina/Chukong teamed with Konami to create the game, which they call a "reincarnation" of the classic. I call it very pretty, all things considered. Not sure if a retooling of an old arcade game has the potential to reach the top of the paid charts in the U.S. (especially at $2.99), but I can certainly see Contra Evolution shooting its way into the top ten. What do you folks think? Like the new look?

You could argue that EA Sports' FIFA series has a stranglehold on the simulation soccer game genre. The publisher locked up the FIFA license for many years to come, making it the only company with access to a number of real-life teams that other publishers such as Konami can't get its hands on.

If you care only about the number of teams that are in your sports games, then sure, FIFA is king. Until I played Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 at E3, I was still convinced that I am a "FIFA guy." That might be changing, now that Konami has introduced the Fox Engine to the series, which is being used to generate facial textures and animations in a more lifelike manner.

Sports game developers traditionally don't have the resources to commit to rendering lifelike emotion for in-game athlete's faces. In the case of games such as FIFA or Madden, expressions on athletes waver between lifeless and lifeless-with-an-open-mouth. Truly, one of the biggest tangible ways to convey the excitement of scoring goals or making crucial mistakes lies in generating that emotion through the athletes that players interact with, not unlike viewing sports broadcasts in real life.

I ain't telling you no lie. The hook brings you back — even if you've got one eye. Thanks to the E3 2013 promotional art for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, I've had Blues Traveler stuck in my head since Monday night. Still can't nail that damn harmonica solo.

Certainly the first sports game trailer to give me some rather strong vibes of the Wagnerian sort, in any case. Apart from classical music, we also get a better look at the latest installment of Konami's yearly soccer series, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014. PES 2014, which was featured briefly during Konami's pre-E3 show last week, will be powered by the same engine that Metal Gear Solid V runs on, the Fox engine. According to PES creative producer Kei Masuda, this engine "will impress users with an ever evolving game experience, and makes scoring more enjoyable." It will also help achieve the game's ultimate goal, which is to "capture the true essence of football." Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 is slated to arrive on September 30 for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and PSP. Questions? Comments? Contact the author of this post at andras-AT-kotaku-DOT-com.

Konami unveils PES 2014's new Trueball Tech and Motion Animation Stability Systems features.