Besides the release of the brand new Castlevania title, two other heavy hitters came out today as well.
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles is an HD port of the improved Tales of Symphonia on the PlayStation 2. While the original GameCube version was released to the western market, the updated PlayStation 2 exclusive version remained only in Japan. This version included new story events, new costumes for the characters, updated graphics, as well as new special attacks to use in battle. The HD version included with Chronicles is still in fact the same as the PS2 release, but it has been farther updated with wide screen support, trophies, improved anime cutscenes, as well as some improved textures. The HD version also includes Japanese audio for anyone who wishes to use it, and it also comes with an "HD" version of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World (known Tales of Symphonia 2 in Japan). Just like with Tales of Symphonia, Dawn of the New World includes wide screen support, and some of its textures have been updated for higher resolution; along with its anime cutscenes.
Overall, if you're a Tales of fan, this is a game you don't want to miss out on. Especially if you consider just how rare the original GCN release is now days. This may be your own and only chance to play it again, or for the first time.
The second major title is the reboot of the classic PC series Thief. Simply titled "Thief," the game is a first person stealth game with light RPG elements, centered around a dark storyline. Like Eidos' Deus Ex: Human Revolution (which revived their older Deus Ex series), the game features a central hub where players can take on story or side quests, and complete missions however they would like. Like in most stealth games, every guard or enemy you come across is sort of like a puzzle, and how you tackle different situations is completely up to you. The game is on just about every major console, including both 7th and 8th generations, so if you're a fan of the genre; this is a game you might want to look into. Although the game barrows many elements seen in Eidos' Deus Ex: Human Revolution (which is a complete turn around from the original Thief series), it is developed by a different team than the one that worked on Human Revolution; so don't go into this one expecting HR in a new setting. This is Thief.
