Wii owners get whipped: Castlevania Judgment is a 3D fighter

In a continued effort to screw over Wii owners by making games they don’t want to play (Ninjabread Man and Dewy’s Adventure, I’m looking at you!), Konami has revealed the Wii-exclusive Castlevania Judgment, a 3D fighter in the vein of the Soul Calibur series.  The title will feature countless characters from the Castlevania universe, such as Alucard and Simon Belmont, duking it out in Gothic cathedrals and dilapidated clock towers with all manner of weapons, from whips to boomerangs to throwing knives.  If you find yourself weeping in disappointment and piling on black eyeliner while listening to The Cure, you’re not alone.

When news first broke about the possibility of Castlevania on the Wii, the internet was abuzz with anticipation; gamers couldn’t wait to whip some Medusa ass with the Wii remote in a classic 2D Metroidvania-style adventure.  With the announcement of Castlevania Judgment, Konami has basically squashed that hype and effectively repeated the inscription at the entrance to Hell to gamers: “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”  Of course, this isn’t the first time a developer has decided to flip Wii owners the bird and release questionable content on the little white box.

Namco Bandai is well-versed in this strategy, producing the critically-panned Wii exclusive Soul Calibur Legends, while PS3/360 owners get Soul Calibur IV this summer.  Capcom has also refused to give Wii gamers a fair shake.  Instead of delivering a brand new entry into the Resident Evil franchise, they released the on-rails shooter Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, a retread of past RE games played in the first-person perspective a la Time Crisis.  And let’s not forget the mediocre Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law.  Even their stronger efforts, like the criminally under-hyped Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure and a port of 2006’s stellar Okami (which Capcom didn’t even do, opting instead to ship the code off to the guys at Ready at Dawn with a hearty “good luck!”), still feel weak in comparison to their non-Wii work, such as Lost Planet, Devil May Cry 4, Dead Rising, and the highly-anticipated Resident Evil 5.  Konami is merely following this sad trend—one with no end in sight, despite the Wii’s dominance all over the world.

While it’s much too early to condemn Judgment, the Castlevania faithful must climb into their coffins knowing that a console version akin to the amazing portable entries is out of reach.  Luckily, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia for the Nintendo DS is looking great and will certainly satisfy their gaming bloodlust.