August 15^th, 2005 (8:14pm) - Konami’s Koji Igarashi, the director of the critically acclaimed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, and the upcoming Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow for the Nintendo DS, had some interesting words in regards to 2D gaming in a recent interview with video game website Gamasutra. In the interview, he calls the Nintendo DS "the last fortress of 2D gaming," claiming that home consoles and even the PSP put an emphasis on creating and supporting 3D game titles, lessening the interest in 2D games.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

Gamasutra: Do you think the market for 2D action games in general is getting smaller? Will we ever see that kind of gameplay on consoles again, or only handhelds?

KI: To tell the truth, I don’t think it’s even that 2D is only possible on handhelds, but more that it’s only possible on DS. Personally speaking, I’d jump at any chance to develop a 2D game for any console, or even the PSP, but those chances are getting fewer and fewer. I feel like the DS is the last fortress of 2D gaming. So if we can get a younger audience with this DS 2D game, and prove to them that 2D gaming is worthwhile and fun, maybe then we can increase the market for that type of game.

So I’d like to ask any gamer that cares about this to educate their children about 2D games, and maybe together we can build a bright future for this type of gameplay.

The interview is an interesting read, so click on the following link to read it in its entirety:
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050815/sheffield_01.shtml