Konami managed to make some room in its Leipzig agenda for some mobile game announcements. The company is bringing PES 2008, Silent Hill, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Order of Shadows to the small screen this Autumn, although I'm not sure whether that vague timeframe goes for the whole of Europe.
The PES conversion has been handled by Konami's European mobile studio and is said to be the most advanced footie sim on the platform (though they all say that, to be honest). The game features a new engine and AI, plus that old favourite, 'realistic ball physics'. There will be feints and headers as well as standard pass and shot moves, although it sounds like the controls can be configured for one button play - how on Earth will that work?
Silent Hill is set in an abandoned orphange and apparently adopts a first-person perspective, merged with point-and-click gamesplay. I'm thinking something like Dungeon Master or the recent id games, Doom RPG and Orcs and Elves. Apparently, the adventure will reveal lots more secrets about the town and features three playable characters.
Set in 2035, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is a translation of the Game Boy Advance title. You control a pair of friends trapped in a gothic castle and battling monsters with spells and various weapons. It's also possible to capture the souls of enemies in order to assume their attributes and abilities.
Meanwhile, Castlevania: Order of Shadows is a mobile original designed in conjunction with series creator, Koji Igarashi. It'll feature a whole new story and gameplay mechanic. Konami's mobile games site is running a blog of the development process, written by team member, Tyrone Rodriguez.
Capcom is another Japanese developer taking mobile gaming seriously and branching out from its native market to the west. The company has brought a mobile version of Devil May Cry to the Leipzig show. According to Pocket Gamer, DMC: Dante's Awakening looks like a conversion of DMC2. More here.
