Castlevania, Metal Gear Ship Out

The Nintendo DS and the PSP are getting some extra love this week as both Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops have shipped. Both from Konami, the two games are the latest extensions in the 20-year old Castlevania and Metal Gear franchises.

The second vampire-whipping simulator on the DS, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin puts players in control of two main characters: vampire hunter Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Orlean, a young girl with magical abilities. Set in World War II, the pair must work together to thwart a plan to resurrect Dracula's Castle.

While Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops is the third Metal Gear game on the PSP, it's the first to retain the series' traditional third-person action gameplay. Players will once again control Snake, but they'll also enlist the help of mercenaries along the way. Alongside the single-player mode is online multiplayer where players can do battle with their custom mercenary squads.

©2006-12-05, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved