All you 3D Castlevania haters can keep on hatin’ - because MercurySteam’s Castlevania:Lords of Shadow is due this October and it’s looking spectacular. The game is set for two editions upon release - a Standard and Limited edition.

However, it seems as though fans might be able to get an even bigger dose of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - a Collector’s Edition.

Mexican retailer Game Planet has listed the Collector’s Edition which is set to come with  an art book, a soundtrack CD, and a custom cover (for only 300 more pesos). It’s a bit confusing considering these “Collector’s” items seem like the exact same bonuses slated to come with the Limited Edition.

Of course, I may just be skeptical so let’s leave it up to you readers to decide.  Below is the Collector’s edition from Game Planet:

And now the Limited Edition from GameStop:

I’m not a certified forensic analyst but I’m sensing some similarities here.

While the duplicate listing (in terms of content) is probably just some sort of international marketing mix-up, either party could just be using the image as filler - until the full press assets are released from Konami. We won’t know for sure until the game hits in October.

For gamers who are still unfamiliar with the plotline, Lords of Shadow is a Dante’s Inferno-meets-Shadow of the Colossus style take on the Castlevania universe. You take the role of the mysterious Gabriel (Belmont) as he quests to find a powerful artifact that can bring his murdered wife back from the grave.

With an all-star cast (Picard and Bigby) and support from Hideo Kojima, this really looks like what the next-generation Castlevania should have been all along. At least that’s what I’m hoping for.

With XBLA’s Harmony of Despair and constant forays onto the DS platform, Castlevania has seen some pretty solid success in sticking with it’s side scrolling gameplay. In fact, this game needs to be double great to make up for all of the failures in experimenting with 3D in the past (Castlevania 64 anyone?). MercurySteam seems to have their head in the right place - showing remarkable differences in the overall style of the gameplay mechanics and level design.

How do you guys feel about the continued use of 3D in the Castlevania universe despite the past debacles and continued success of 2D iterations on XBLA and DS?

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is due October 19 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Source: Game Planet [via GamerZines]