E3 06: Castlevania returns to DS

It's tough to keep a good bloodsucker down, and apparently Dracula was the best, as the forces of evil are attempting yet another resurrection of their dark lord in Konami's Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for the Nintendo DS. Perhaps Dracula will be put down for the count this time, because Portrait of Ruin features a pair of protagonists working together to put the kibosh on his nefarious plans.

Players will take control of vampire hunter Jonathan Morris and the magically adept Charlotte Orlean and will be allowed to switch freely between the two to match the needs of their current situations. Both characters will have powerful summon attacks and a variety of weapons and equipment at their disposal, but they will also have their own unique strengths and abilities. Konami is also promising more than 100 different enemies and bosses on which to try out all those weapons and abilities.

Portrait of Ruin is scheduled for release this fall. Chances are good that Konami will show the game off at the Electronic Entertainment Expo next month, but until then, interested gamers can brush up on the series' first DS outing with the full review for Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow.