Castlevania Lords of Shadow wasn't a bad game, but it still left some fans hankering for some oldschool 2D Dracula-killing action. And while the Xbox LIVE Cജastlevania Harmony of Despair delivered this to some degree, its re-purposed art assets fell well below the HD levels promised by the game's titular acronym.

Enter Komajou Densetsu II. It's a fan game. It's a shameless clone. And it looks awesome. KDII isn't all HD either, but the fan-made Castlevania title looks like it just may please fans more than any true Castlevania game in recent memory.

. It's in Japanese, but it shouldn't be too hard to figure out which menu option does what. If you like what you see, the game is available through mail order, and a downloadable version is on the way.

Jan 4, 2011