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Despite Castlevania's storied history, Konami has struggled bringing its vampire hunting series to the third dimension, something the publisher hopes to change with the latest installment, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Developed in conjunction with Mercury Steam and Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima, it's too early to say whether the designers are on the right track but the inclusion of Patrick Stewart's voice, werewolves and giant bosses suggest this project will crush the weaker efforts on Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Lords of Shadow casts players as Gabriel, member of the Brotherhood of Light, holy knights who protect innocent people from evil beings. After someone/thing murders his wife Marie, Gabriel (with Marie's help) sets off to defeat the mysterious Lords of Shadow and acquire two masks, good and devil. Unfortunately, Konami has yet to reveal how these masks factor into the game's plot, or the powers they possess; it's probably safe to assume that Gabriel will use both to slaughter monsters.

We suggest running between its legs. Just don't look up. Click to see more images from the game...

Playing from a third person perspective, gamers explore a ravaged world killing vampires, werewolves and other minions of darkness, including ones that are at least 10 times the size of the hero. Although we encountered bosses that large in the 2-D games on DS, their inclusion in this 3-D adventure gives Lords of Shadow a different feel, sort of like the PlayStation 2 classic, Shadow of the Colossus.

Thankfully, Gabriel has what appears to be a good selection of weapons to kill them with, including a whip, daggers and a cross. In addition, he can upgrade his deadly toys for maximum stopping power. For example, by improving the cross, players can transform it into a wooden stake that proves useful in sending vampires to their permanent graves.

It's OK if all of this sounds over the top, since Konami plans to make Lords of Shadow the most cinematic and story driven game in the Castlevania franchise. Players will enjoy at least an hour's worth of cut scenes, as well as quality voice acting by Patrick Stewart and Robert Carlyle (from 28 Weeks Later).

Now all we need is a release date. At the moment, Lords of Shadow will appear sometime in 2010, but it remains to be seen whether Konami will save it for a fall (Halloween) launch. Since its predecessors came up short, however, we're happy to let the designers have as much time as they need to create a thrilling experience. After all, those werewolves deserve to die in style.

Chris Buffa is GameDaily's senior editor. He enjoys easy achievement points, first person shooters and starting trouble.