Clive Barker's Jericho developer Mercury Steam is currently at work on a new third-person action-adventure title named Lords of Shadow, publisher Konami announced today.

In development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Lords of Shadow is slated to arrive in 2010. Taking place in Southern Europe during the middle ages, the title is described as a "dark fairy tale" that focuses on "one man's journey to discover the true meaning of sacrifice amidst murder and betrayal."

Along with puzzle-solving and exploration elements, the title sports a weapon system, dubbed "Combat Cross," that allows a single weapon to perform a number of functions. For example, the Combat Cross can go from a stabbing weapon to a defensive device.

"Every element of the game pushes the host hardware to its limits," said Konami product planning head Dave Cox. "It is truly an epic game but telling a human and emotive story. This is a title we hope will set a new standard for action-adventure titles."

Sales of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) led a 16.7% sales jump and massive growth of Konami's PlayStation 3 sales volume, the publisher revealed in its 2009 first quarter financial results.

Kojima Productions' stealth action shooter moved three million units since its June 12 debut, propelling Konami's PlayStation 3 business to 57.3% of its total sales in the quarter ending June 30. The figure shows a massive increase over the same reporting period last year, in which PlayStation 3 software accounted for just 1.3% of sales.

The publisher added that sales of Metal Gear Solid 4 are still "steadily increasing."

Konami reported $656.1M in net revenue for the quarter, showing a 16.7% increase over the same reporting period last year. Profits amounted to $108.6M, or a 65.6% year-over-year increase.

Capcom's 8-bit downloadable revival Mega Man 9 (PS3, Wii, 360) could create new possibilities for developers if it proves a commercial success, Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi told Game|Life.

"I'm watching [Mega Man 9] very closely to see how it does," said Igarashi. "I'm a big retro gaming fan, so if it is successful that definitely opens up doors for what I can do."

Developed by ex-Capcom staffers at Japanese firm Inti Creates, Mega Man 9 made waves earlier this month when the title was revealed to be a stylized 8-bit endeavor making use of assets and gameplay conventions of the original NES Mega Man titles.

Mega Man 9 is developed from the ground-up as a downloadable title, and is the first game to be planned to hit all three platforms' respective digital storefronts... Read more

Publisher Konami has released a detailed report of Metal Gear Online (PS3) system issues experienced in the wake of a recently released expansion pack.

Following last week's release of the Gene Expansion premium pack for the online multiplayer component of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Konami's servers were mired by a sudden spike in traffic load prompting a variety of issues.

A full report of the outages published by Konami reveals that the trouble affected the game's web-based online store and site in addition to the game itself. The game's newly-added Reward Shop, which allows players to purchase new gear... Read more

Publisher Konami has issued a truckload of media to accompany today's E3 festivities.

Included in the screenshot explosion are Castlevania Wii and DS, Rock Revolution, Lost in Blue Wii, Silent Hill 5, Time Hollow, New International Track and Field, and more.

Castlevania Judgment (Wii)

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (DS) Rock Revolution (PS3, X360) Rock Revolution (Wii)... Read more

DrumMania and Guitar Freaks publisher Konami today filed suit against Harmonix parent company Viacom over patent violations related to Harmonix's rhythm title Rock Band.

Konami claims that the company's patent for a "musical-rhythm matching game," filed in the United States circa 1999, predates and supersedes Harmonix's 2007 patent filing for a "game controller simulating a musical instrument."

According to Bloomberg, Konami seeks cash compensation and an order to block the use of Harmonix's inventions. Viacom is waiting to receive the complaint before responding to the allegations.

Konami released the Japanese rhythm arcade games DrumMania and Guitar Freaks in 1999, with Guitar Freaks being initially ported to the United States later that year. The company is now planning to release its own Rock Band-style game titled Rock Revolution.

After years of speculation, publisher Konami today announced that its adventure-based Castlevania franchise will hit the Wii in the form of the series' first fighting game.

Titled Castlevania Judgment and due out this fall, the game is said to pit several generations of the vampire-slaying Belmont family against their numerous foes in 3D combat, complete with motion-sensing controls and online multiplayer.

"This combination is certain to thrill old and new fans of the franchise," said Konami marketing VP Anthony Crouts.

Few details were provided, though players will be able to make use of environmental weapons in addition to the series' usual whips and swords. Certain characters will be able to set traps on the battlefield and "make use of monsters."... Read more

Konami today announced the development of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, and passed in a set of screenshots for the upcoming soccer sim.

Formerly known as the Winning Eleven series, Pro Evolution Soccer's latest update includes a major graphical overhaul, new moves and control elements, and enhanced online functionality.

Developed by Konami for the PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PSP, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is scheduled to reach European retailers sometime this coming fall. A North American release date was not explicitly specified.

A new listing on the Entertainment Software Rating Board's website indicates that a new title in Konami's long-running Castlevania series is heading to the Nintendo DS.

Entitled Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, the title was also recently discovered in an entry in the US Patent and Trademark Office's database which revealed the game's title and logo.

Previous Castlevania appearances on the Nintendo DS platform include Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, released in 2005 and 2006, respectively. A third title in the 2D adventure series was confirmed as in development by series producer Koji Igarashi last year.

Shacknews has reached Konami for confirmation, but has not heard back as of this writing.

This latest April Fools' Day gag comes as a collaborative effort between Konami and Ubisoft, who unveiled a video showcasing the epic crossover of Ubisoft Montreal's Assassin's Creed (PC, PS3, X360) and Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3).

Essentially a clip of Solid Snake lurking about a battlefield wearing the robes of Assassin's Creed lead Altair, the gag reel also unveils new gameplay footage of MGS4 in which Snake battles the Gekko, a bipedal tank.

Metal Gear Solid 4 will hit North American retailers on June 12.

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Konami confirmed today that Kojima Productions' upcoming tactical stealth action title Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) will hit retail shelves in North America on June 12 of this year.

The announcement confirms Konami's previous mention of a late second quarter release window for the anticipated sequel.

The company also revealed that consumers who pre-order the title from participating retailers will receive a limited edition Metal Gear Saga 2.0 DVD, which contains a series retrospective, character bios and a collection of trailers. The DVD will also contain a download code for the Metal Gear Online (PS3) beta test, set to go live in late April.

As previously confirmed, Metal Gear Solid 4 will include a "starter pack" version of Metal Gear Online, featuring five different maps and supporting up to 16 players in online matches.

Konami has announced Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection for the PlayStation 2, confirming a March 18 release with Shacknews.

Covering the entirety of the series' PSX and PS2 appearances, the collection includes the original Metal Gear Solid and the director's cuts of its PS2 sequels Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence.

Selling for $29.99--well below the titles' current aftermarket prices--the games will be bundled in a special edition box with new commemorative artwork by series character designer Yoji Shinkawa. The inclusion of Metal Gear Solid marks the first retail release of a PSX title in more than three years.

Hudson Soft has announced that the internally-developed PSP and DS editions of Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of the Ancient Arts are currently in manufacturing and will be in stores February 12. To celebrate the feat, the studio sent along box art of the PSP rendition and the DS iteration.

While both editions of the isometric action RPG share the same name and expand upon Atlus' original Dungeon Explorer for the TurboGrafx-16, they feature different storylines and character abilities. The PSP version (pictured left), which supports three-person local wireless multiplayer, has players hunting down a legendary kingdom and battling demonic foes.

The DS edition (pictured right), meanwhile, is set centuries later and pits gamers against legions of the undead. It also sports three-person online multiplayer in addition to local wireless play.

Published by Hudson and distributed by Konami, each version will sell for $29.99.

Confirming recent rumors, Konami today announced that a PlayStation 2 version of the former PSP-exclusive Silent Hill Origins is in development.

Released on PSP last fall, Silent Hill Origins details the exploits of hallucinating trucker Travis Gordy as he explores the creepy-as-hell town of Silent Hill. Konami mentioned that the game would sport updated controls, through no further details, such as a release date or developer, were provided. It is believed that Climax Studios, which handled the PSP edition, is behind the PS2 version.

"Console gamers can now expect the same chilling, suspenseful and fear-filled experience that handheld gamers encountered when we released Silent Hill Origins on the PSP system," said Konami marketing VP Anthony Crouts.

Silent Hill Origins marks the latest PSP title to be ported to the PS2, following in the footsteps of such former exclusives as Rockstar Leeds' Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories, Tecmo's Tokobot, Sony Bend's Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, and High Impact Games' Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. A PS2 port of Ready at Dawn's upcoming God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP) is heavily rumored as well.

Owing to retailer listings featuring release dates and box art, rumors are circulating that Climax Studios' Silent Hill: Origins (PSP) might be making an appearance on the PS2.

While both sites feature the same official-looking box art, they differ on release date. Amazon lists the PS2 version's release as March 4, 2008, whereas GameFly has it down for March 31.

Porting marquee PSP releases is a rising trend of late, with Sony Bend's Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror, Rockstar Leeds' Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories having already made the jump to the PlayStation 2. Ports of High Impact Games' Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters and Ready at Dawn's upcoming God of War: Chains of Olympus have also been rumored.

Both Climax Studios and Konami were reached for comment on the rumor. A representative of Konami responded but was unable to issue an official statement, while Climax has yet to respond.

With Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) delayed out of its 2007 release period last October and given a new Q2 2008 projection, little official word has been released regarding the game's status. Now, on the weekly Kojima Productions Report podcast, assistant producer Ryan Payton revealed that the game is in its "last push"--it is playable from start to finish and is about to enter the bug testing phase.

"Mr. Kojima of all people is really committed to [the date] because he really hates to disappoint people, and I know he is embarrassed by what happened with the 2007 slip into 2008," said Payton. Some features may be added, but "for the majority of the team, this is the end."

Konami has been vague about the Q2 date, which has so far only been officially announced by the company's Japanese arm; Payton stated that Metal Gear Solid 4 will ship worldwide basically simultaneously, with territories likely falling within a few days of one another.

Despite a passing mention of questions about Metal Gear Solid 4 coming to Xbox 360, Payton did not address the issue.

Kojima Productions plans what Payton called an impending "emergence day," referring to the Gears of War marketing line, when the studio will release a deluge of information, including its release date, packaging content, and various game details.

Combining arcade-style light-gun action with hyper-patriotic terrorist hunting, Target: Terror was a throwback to Area 51 and games of its ilk when it came to arcades in 2004. Based on an updated version called Target: Terror Gold, Target: Terror is now being ported to the Wii with Zapper support, publisher Konami announced today.

Created by Eugene Jarvis, designer of arcade classics like Defender and Robotron, Target: Terror (Wii) charges gamers with defending the Eagle-strewn soil of America from savage terrorists in all-American locations like San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge or Los Alamos.

The addition of Justice Mode allows ambitious players to dual wield Wii Zappers when taking on terrorists desecrating the sanctity of the American homestead. Leviathan Games will handle the port, which is expected to arrive sometime in the first quarter of this year.

Konami has once again denied the long-circling rumors that Kojima Production's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be released on Xbox 360.

"For the record, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a PlayStation 3 exclusive and there are no plans to develop an Xbox 360 version of the game," a Konami representative informed The Game Reviews.

The latest round of speculation regarding an eventual Xbox 360 version emerged earlier this week, with little-known fansite XboxFamily claiming it obtained the information directly from an unnamed Konami representative.

Reporter Freeze later claimed that he is so confident in the information that he will shut down the website if Metal Gear Solid 4 does not release on Xbox 360 12-14 months after the PlayStation 3 version arrives.

An Xbox 360 version of Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is reportedly in development and will be released 12 to 14 months after the PlayStation 3 edition, according to XboxFamily.

Correspondent Freeze claims he wrestled this information out of an unnamed Konami representative at a distribution meeting and, upon contacting Microsoft, received a lengthy though non-committal response.

Bundled with a "starter pack" of the multiplayer-enabled Metal Gear Online, Metal Gear Solid 4 is slated to released on PlayStation 3 between April 1 and June 30, 2008.

While an Xbox 360 edition of Metal Gear Solid 4 has long been rumored, Konami and Sony have long maintained that the much-anticipated title is a PlayStation 3 exclusive.

That said, Konami has repeatedly hinted at an inevitable Xbox 360 version. Last year, Kojima Productions employee Ryan Payton noted that an Xbox 360 edition would not compromise or limit the PlayStatiion 3 edition.

Konami CEO Kazumi Kitaue later said the company "might have to take some steps" to ensure a profit on the game, with Payton recently commenting that the title needs to sell in excess of one million copies on its first day to justify its high development costs.

While we did announce the winner of the Shacknews Holiday Contest of Doom yesterday, what we didn't announce were those who took away spoils in the sweepstakes from submitting an entry. Picking one winner wasn't easy, so with the assistance of my buddy the random number generator we came up with the answers. Those results follow:

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - MoreVespeneGas (PS3), Jamiejme (PS3), Troz (PC)
• Quake Wars: Enemy Territory: Collectors Edition (PC) - Wormmeat, liqker
• Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (Wii) - kallanta, ieGod
• Bee Movie: The Game (Wii) - the stickboy, c_man_tmt
• Spiderman: Friend or Foe - helvetica (PC), bettycocker (PC), aeg1x (PSP)
• Signed Team Fortress 2 poster - itsjeff9
• Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP) - tiberius bill
• Silent Hill Origins (PSP) - nitaib
• Coded Arms: Contagion (PSP) - ohhjebus
• Metal Gear Solid Digital Graphic Novel (PSP) - MajorGun
• The Witcher (PC) - filthysock, ajax, grayscale, RomSteady, gonnabechef
• TotalGaming.net memberships with tokens for Galactic Civilizations 2 (PC) and Sins of a Solar Empire (PC) - Yoonix, WARLORD48, Reavers!, cool_canuck, rustified
• Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition - T-900 (PS3), TShandy (PC), Daggoth (PS3), Trips (PC), Hidden Key (360), Gibolas1234 (360)
• Shadowrun (360) - Redfield, exigence7
• Mass Effect (360) - Lawgiver, fuji-juice
• Prey: Collectors Edition (360) with a custom Xbox 360 faceplate and mousepad - BlackCat
• The ultimate mystery Bag of (Gaming) Crap - shortbuscaptain

Thanks to everyone who participated and to the companies that generously submitted prizes such as Activision, Konami, Valve, Microsoft, Stardock, Atari, Bethesda Softworks and 3DRealms. Stay tuned for more contests in the new year.