The 8 Best Vampire Books Not Written by Anne Rice

Sega and Creative Assembly are temporarily removing Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition from sale just days after release. In a statement shared on Twitter/X, the companies said they are aware the game "has fallen short of both your expectations and our own standards".

I've taken a habit, recently, to proclaim my desire to explode in lieu of anything more realistically violent I could wish upon myself when I feel stressed. And, in what would likely be more concerning if I were a sentient bomb talking to a bomb diffusal squad, I've been saying that a lot lately, primarily because of the copious amounts of AI nonsense I've been seeing… everywhere. Epic Games, the ever-boycottable company called Microsoft, the decompiling community, the poison has found its way into everyone's veins and it's making me want to, say it with me now, explode! So you can imagine my relief to hear a developer say they don't think AI will make a massive impact. The developer? Perhaps surprisingly, Konami. Yes, yes, the same Konami we all rag on for equal parts valid and parasocial (Kojima will never acknowledge you, give it up) reasons. As spotted by Dengeki Online, and translated by Automaton, Konami Digital Entertainment president Hideki Hayakawa shared his thoughts on the rapid paced development of AI technology in the company's latest integrated report.

Castlevania is one of the most beloved franchises in video game history, despite a period of 13 years when we didn’t see a new installment until the launch of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse earlier this week. Over the years, the games have provided a variety of experiences, mixed with rich lore built on the vampire myth. With so many games available to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to begin if you haven’t touched the series in a while. Accordingly, here is our ranked list of the 8 best Castlevania games. It should make an excellent starting point. Released: Oct. 31, 1991 When Castlevania came to the Super Nintendo, it needed to impress players who were still deciding whether they wanted to spend money on a new generation of Nintendo hardware. Fortunately for everyone involved, the team at Konami was up to the task. Super Castlevania 4 features beautiful environments, as well as a hero who can now whip in eight directions, even while jumping. It’s also possible to grapple to distant points, or to wield the whip as a shield. Early use of Mode 7 rotation provided some visual showpieces to go along with parallax depth that brought static environments to life.

Picture Kellnor, a burly, Conan-looking Barbarian standing with a mighty weapon in each hand. In one, he holds a demonic sword stolen from the Cult of Asmodeus. In the other is Azuredge, a glowing battleaxe forged by the legendary archwizard Ahghairon. This intelligent weapon is inhabited by the spirit of Lady Lauroun, a legendary hero of Waterdeep. It operates under rules remarkably similar to Thor’s Mjolnir: it becomes impossibly heavy to hold if the character trying to wield it isn’t worthy, and it can be thrown through the air before returning to its owner’s hand. Unfortunately for Kellnor, Azuredge demands that its wielder remain virtuous, so sharing a wielder with an evil sword was non-negotiable. Even the numbers made Kellnor’s choice practically inevitable. The demon sword was +2. Azuredge was +3. And so, after extracting the Eye of Golorr hidden inside the sword’s hilt, Kellnor simply dropped it outside the entrance to the cult’s hideout and moved on. The rest of the do-gooders in the party wanted nothing to do with it.

Image: Nintendo Life / NintendoThe Pumpkaboo's Sweet Surprises event runs from 17th October to 1st November, adding two Gen 6 Ghost-types to Pokémon Pokopia. For those who have played previous Pokopia limited-time events, the format will be familiar: a new Pokémon, Pumpkaboo, visits a Pokémon Center and requests a currency (Pumpkin Candy) in exchange for items which can help make a couple new habitats. But in a spooky twist, this time is you have to scare the event currency out of your resident Pokémon.