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I managed to score interviews with some pretty amazing game developers at this year's E3, but nothing topped the opportunity to speak with Koji Igarashi, producer of Castlevania series since 1997. Igarashi-san was single-handedly responsible for bringing the series back from the dead with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, one of the most positively reviewed (and consistently ported) games in history. Since then, TigerMan has not only made attempts to bring the series to 3D with games like Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, but has also been smart enough to keep the series close to it's roots like with the fully 2D Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. Thanks to Igarashi, the Castlevania series remains current and respectable, not something many 20+ year old series can claim. 

Igarash-san is continuing down the road of simultaneous experimentation and loyalty to series heritage with Castlevania: Judgment, an all-star Castlevania fighting game, and Castlevania: Order of Ecclasia, a traditional 2D action/RPG/Platformer, both set to drop this year. I was tempted to just talk with the guy about all his favorite games, what he thinks of games as a medium, and all that other high-minded BS that feels so good to toss at intelligent game developers. But I knew that the reason he was at E3 was to promote his new games, so unfortunately that's pretty much what I stuck to. Despite being more star-struck than Chris Farley, I did manage to throw a couple of curveballs his way towards the end, which he easily knocked out of the park. 

Thanks again for the interview, TigerMan, and please don't have Branden fired. He's right, Order of Ecclesia is really a lot like Simon's Quest, only more awesome.