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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow<\/em> is set to be released later this year. This game marks Konami\u2019s latest attempt to update the classic video game series by bringing it into 3D and jumpstarting the story anew. So what better time to introduce a new toy line based on what looks to be a very promising game?<\/p>\nOK, confession time: I am a huge Castlevania fan. The second game I ever owned on my original NES was Castlevania II: Simon\u2019s Quest<\/em>. That was probably one of the most confusing games I\u2019ve ever played, yet I loved every minute of it. Exploring the creepy Transylvanian countryside, fighting off monsters, talking with strange towns people, collecting Dracula\u2019s body parts, all while trying my hardest to locate the graveyard duck or avoid staring into the death star. What\u2019s not to love? Ever since then, through the highs and the lows, I\u2019ve been hunting down Dracula in his many incarnations and saving the good people of the world again and again.<\/p>\n A few years ago ReSaurus held the license, but unfortunately went out of business before anything got past the literal drawing board. In 2007, NECA\u2019s Player Select line introduced four characters and two official variants to the world of plastic. Simon Belmont, Dracula, Alucard, and the Succubus were a great start to what could have been an incredible line. So what happened? Somewhere along the line there was a problem, and the figures didn\u2019t receive a full release until a year after their scheduled date. Internet rumors blamed everything from disagreements between NECA and Konami to the idea that the figures were just super rare and only a few hundred existed. We\u2019ll probably never know for sure, but no matter what the reason, it led to the same place. The line was cancelled.<\/p>\n So to Konami, and Dave Cox producer of Lords of Shadow, from one huge Castlevania fan to another: I need some awesome action figures. I need to finally merge my two obsessive hobbies, toy collecting and Castlevania, into one perfect chunk of plastic that can whip the fangs off those Universal Monsters figures that Diamond is coming out with this year. Oh, and is there any way I can get one of those cool Lords of Shadow masks too?<\/p>\n -Vault<\/p>\n![](\"requests\/2010\/castlevania.png\")
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Then, obsession took root. That happens to me sometimes. I\u2019ll enjoy something so much that I must support it beyond just buying the product. I begin to collect whatever I can: posters, books, magazines, pamphlets, clothing, and whatever else I can get my hands on. As an toy collector with over two hundred official non-toy CV items in my collection, I can say this for a fact: There aren\u2019t enough Castlevania toys.<\/p>\n![](\"requests\/2010\/gabrielA.jpg\")
Where does that leave us today? Castlevania: Lords of Shadow<\/em> isn\u2019t just a new beginning for the franchise, it\u2019s also a new dawn for the merchandising. What better way to kick it off than an action figure of the new game\u2019s protagonist, Gabriel Belmont. With his steely gaze, striking red armor, and unique Combat Cross weapon, Gabriel\u2019s the perfect choice. And, with all the great work I\u2019ve seen coming out of NECA\u2019s Player Select line, I think they should continue with the license. Just seeing the amount of detail and quality of the Bioshock and Assassins\u2019 Creed figures gives me faith that they can deliver on this new version of Castlevania.<\/p>\n