Ghosts 'n Goblins
The main series went on a minor hiatus after the release of "Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts" in 1991. Capcom general producer Noritaka Funamizu explained that the "Ghosts 'n Goblins" games take a long time to develop and were not popular in Japan; as a result, Capcom had taken a net loss on previous installments and were wary of producing a new entry. With the exception of the largely overlooked "Makaimura for WonderSwan" which was released only in Japan, and a re-release of "Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts" on the Game Boy Advance, the main "Ghosts 'n Goblins" series did not see a major release until "Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins" on the PlayStation Portable in 2006. The return of the series received mixed to positive reviews. GameSpot noted that the entry would appeal to fans of the original, but that many of the old-school game mechanics including level design and jump mechanics, along with the traditional level of difficulty, may not appeal to the current generation of gamers. These concerns were echoed by such sites as GameDaily and AtomicGamer. Other sites such as IGN and GameCritics praised this adherence to the series' old-school mechanics and traditional level of difficulty, while noting that the new health, armor, and waypoint systems as well as tiered difficulty options went a long way in adjusting the difficulty for new gamers. "Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins" was also the first entry in the series to employ 3D graphics, a fact praised by most reviewers: "The 3D graphics enhance the 2D gameplay by giving the world a sense of depth without interfering with the gameplay, and the whole package simply glows with vibrant color and lighting effects."