Castlevania: Lords of Shadow reigning Oct. 5

Gamescom 2010 has had its share of high-profile release-date announcements, with the likes of Valve's Portal 2 picking up a February 9 deadline and BioWare's Dragon Age 2 being pegged to March 8. Now, one more high-profile title has been dated as part of this year's event in Cologne, Germany, as Konami has confirmed for GameSpot that Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will arrive in the US on October 5.

First teased in March 2008 and formally announced during the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is in development for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Madrid, Spain-based Mercury Steam is spearheading development, with Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima and his Kojima Productions studio serving as support. Mercury Steam's other work includes Clive Barker's Jericho and American McGee's Scrapland.

As for the game, Lords of Shadow is set in the year 1047 and follows a new member of the Belmont clan, Gabriel, who is a member of the Brotherhood of Light. Gabriel's adventure involves roaming the land in pursuit of pieces of an artifact that can bring the dead back to life, in the process battling nefarious underworld creatures and other mythical monsters and beasts.

Beyond its free-roaming environments, the game features combat that recalls Sony's acclaimed God of War franchise, in addition to a variety of environmental puzzle challenges.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.