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Castlevania producer Dave Cox leaves Konami after 17 years
Today is Castlevania: Lords of Shadow producer Dave Cox's final day at Konami, he announced on Twitter. Signed with the hashtag "#endofanera," Cox wrote the following: "After 17 years I have decided to leave Konami to explore new opportunities. Today is my final day with the company." In follow-up messages, Cox provided a personal highlight reel of his time at Konami, starting when he joined the company in 1997 as the UK product manager. His first project was Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. He then managed some of Konami's "biggest titles," including Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, Pro Evolution Soccer and Suikoden. With a Castlevania: Lords of Shadow hashtag, Cox discussed his final bow.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow PC demo rises on Steam tomorrow
A demo for the Ultimate Edition of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is due on Steam this week. There was some initial confusion over which day, but we've confirmed with a Konami representative the PC port's demo is "definitely" coming tomorrow. Meanwhile the game proper, which features add-on chapters Reverie and Resurrection, flies onto Steam on August 27, with a boxed retail edition sinking its teeth into Europe on August 30. As for Lords of Shadow 2, series producer David Cox recently revealed the action-adventure sequel will be developer MercurySteam's final foray into Castlevania. The Spanish studio will say so long and thanks for all the Nosferatu when the follow-up hits Xbox 360, PS3, and PC sometime this winter.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow sinks teeth into PC in August
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Ultimate Edition has been officially announced for PC and will whip-it good this August. The game, which hinted at a PC release on the Steam registry this past March, includes the regular game plus two add-on chapters (Reverie and Resurrection). The PC edition will be available through Steam on August 27, while a boxed retail edition will arrive in Europe on August 30.%Gallery-190428%
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow materializes in Steam registry
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow may swing onto PCs, given its appearance in Steam's registry. As spotted by NeoGAF, the entry's full name is "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Early Access Comp," with no '2' in sight - the upcoming sequel was announced last August as coming to PC as well as PS3 and Xbox 360.When a series comes to new platforms we tend to see previous entries follow suit, so it would make sense to whip up a PC version of MercurySteam's reboot. Our only ask is publisher Konami somehow infuses the PC port with even more Patrick Stewart, because you can never, ever have enough Patrick Stewart.
MercurySteam surprised by Castlevania success, says DLC was 'rushed'
Developer MercurySteam and publisher Konami weren't expecting Castlevania: Lords of Shadow to be as successful as it was, which ultimately resulted in its poorly received downloadable content, according to producer David Cox. "The problem was that the game's success caught everyone by surprise," Cox recently told Gameranx, "It caught senior management by surprise and they wanted us to do DLC."The team "never planned" to create DLC, and the content that they created was then "rushed" to market, Cox added, referring to the whole situation as a "mistake." If it could be done again, he said, DLC would have been planned from the get-go, and what was released would have been more of a "side story," as opposed to content that adds to the ending. This appears to be Cox's philosophy for downloadable content in general, as he noted further, "Instead of giving players a part of the story and giving them the other part as DLC, I think the DLC has to expand the universe of an already whole product."Presumably, if Lords of Shadow 2 has any DLC – which Cox won't admit just yet – it will be handled with much more care.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow producer teasing new game, namedrops Dracula
Konami's European Production Studio head and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow producer, David Cox, isn't much for ambiguity in his tweets. "Today and tomorrow I am in the land of Dracul... What am I doing there?? You will see...." he wrote earlier today. Despite his teasing, Cox wouldn't tell us anything beyond "No comment." This is hardly the first indication of a sequel to 2010's Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and it seems likely that Konami is once again working with Spanish studio MercurySteam. One employee posted the teaser image seen above to his website back in late January, specifically pointing out the connection to Konami.Another staff member, taking to Spanish radio (via Eurogamer ES), mentioned his involvement with a sequel in late 2010 (though it's possible he was just riding high on the first game's then-recent debut). Konami's official line on the matter is ... well, nothing. The publisher hasn't made a peep regarding a new Castlevania.Regardless, with PAX East just a few days away and the upcoming preview season, we expect it won't be long before Konami's tune changes. We'll keep an eye on Cox's Twitter feed as well, just in case.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 'Resurrection' DLC out this month
The final piece of downloadable content for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow will be released next week, according to Konami. Entitled "Resurrection," the new chapter follows on the previously released "Reverie" DLC and "lays bare the fate of both Gabriel and the Belmont clan." The DLC sees Gabriel facing off with a demon known as "the Forgotten One" -- he's the large fellow pictured above -- and promises a "stunning finale" to the story. "Resurrection" is scheduled to arrive on Xbox Live on June 7, and PSN on June 8, for $10. Update: The "Resurrection" DLC on PlayStation 3 has been pushed back to June 14. %Gallery-125190%
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 'Reverie' DLC coming to Xbox Live, EU PSN next week
After its impromptu delay, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow's DLC, Reverie, is suited up and ready to attend the monster's ball -- er, actually, bad phrasing. The point is that it's coming next week and Xbox 360 users worldwide and PAL PS3 gamers will finally be able to get a taste of it. Confirmation comes via game director David Cox's Twitter account, where he apologized for the delay and thanked fans for patience. Sadly, Cox didn't reveal an exact day of the week, but we'll be sure to whip out a post when it's known. See what we did there? Huh? ... Okay, yes, we're totally sorry we did that.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 'Reverie' DLC released 'in error' on PSN
David Cox, producer on Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, has been all over Twitter recently, responding to complaints about the DLC delay. When he was asked by one disgruntled European gamer wondering why the Xbox 360 delay was holding up the Reverie DLC on PS3 in his region, Cox revealed that the initial DLC launch on PSN was "put up there in error." In other words, Reverie wasn't meant to be released on PS3 in North America (whoops!). Cox also said that it's "too late to take it down" meaning that presumably whatever bug is keeping it from a larger release isn't catastrophic enough to require it be pulled from Sony's service. Currently the DLC is still available on the US PlayStation Store for $9.99.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 'Reverie' DLC dated March 30 for Europe
Silly heroes, the problem with defeating the little bad guys is that they're usually keeping a bigger baddie in check. This will be Gabriel Belmont's "Reverie" revelation when the Lords of Shadow DLC becomes available on March 30 in Europe. Checking in with Konami for confirmation of a North American release date, a representative informed us the DLC should be available "near that date." The publisher released a new trailer and screens for Reverie, the first of two planned DLC packs. Continuing the adventure will cost 800 MSP on Xbox 360 and $10 (€7.99/£6.39) on PS3. According to Konami, the download "spans three stages" and segues into the next pack. %Gallery-118619%
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow wins best original game score from Film Music Critics
The Oscars still haven't deigned to give awards out to video game creators, but the International Film Music Critics' Association is much more open-minded. In among their awards given out this past week was a "Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media." And the winner goes to... Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Congratulations to composer Óscar Araujo, who got to take home the "Iffy." No, we just made that name up -- we don't really know what it's called. Probably just the IFMCA Award. His score beat out the music in Dark Void (by Bear McCreary!), James Bond 007: Blood Stone, Lego Universe, and the Legend of the Guardians games to win it all. And apologies to composers Bill Elm and Woody Jackson. Why? Because their Red Dead Redemption score got robbed! Robbed, we say!
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 'Reverie' DLC delayed until March
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow's "Reverie" DLC, originally set to be released this month, has slipped into March according to an announcement on the Castlevania Facebook page. "Our apologies for the delay but it's going to be worth it!" That "unruly evil" that Gabriel and Laura track down in the DLC is only going to be more unruly the longer we let it stew. Konami offered no reason for the delay, but a late, complete DLC pack is always preferable to a buggy, punctual release. It is also unknown whether this delay will cause the followup DLC to slip out of its April release window. We're checking in with Konami to find out when it has scheduled the "Resurrection."
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow soundtrack nominated for 2 IFMCA awards
The elegiac score accompanying Gabriel Belmont's action-packed emprise in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has impressed the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA). Spanish composer Oscar Araujo is nominated for the "Breakout Composer of the Year" award -- notably alongside French duo Daft Punk, who pounded cinemagoers into Grid-grout during Tron: Legacy. The Lords of Shadow soundtrack is also one of five nominated in the "Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media" category. It's up against some stirring competition in the form of James Bond 007: Blood Stone (featuring Sega legend Richard Jacques) and Dark Void, which isn't usually written about unless it's in praise of Bear McCreary's distinguishing soundtrack. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole earns a nomination, thanks to Winifred Philips, as do the themes of Lego Universe, assembled by Brian Tyler. Though the majority of awards focus on film soundtracks, the IFMCA's sentiment seems just as applicable to video games. "The IFMCA strongly feels that a film score's strength lies in the combined impact of two important elements: the effectiveness, appropriateness and emotional impact of the score in the context of the film for which it was written; and the technical and intellectual merit of the composition when heard as a standalone listening experience." Winners will be announced on February 25, 2011.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow screens slip into Reverie
The first screens of "Reverie," next year's first downloadable add-on for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, depict Gabriel Belmont co-operating with Laura, the big-haired brat living in Carmilla's castle. She'll help you -- if you play.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 'Reverie' and 'Resurrection' DLC due in 2011
Ready to return to the castle? Konami has finally detailed the long-promised DLC packs for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. The first download pack, entitled "Reverie," sees protagonist Gabriel aiding Laura (the creepy mini-Winehouse you see above) in "destroying the unruly evil" that was kept in check by the vampire queen, Carmilla. The second download pack, "Resurrection," continues the story after the end of the game and "gives some insight" into "Gabriel's ultimate destiny." According to the press release, "this will be larger in scope than the first add-on" and include a "final showdown with a very notorious enemy." Oh no, it's not the flying Medusa head, is it? Reverie will be available in February, while Resurrection will launch sometime in April. While no pricing details have been offered yet, we're bound to find out more in the new year.
Konami ships 1 million Castlevania: Lords of Shadow copies, coy about sales
Konami has announced the apparent milestone shipment of one million copies of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow to retailers across the US and Europe since the game's October 5 release. While the publisher didn't specify just how many of those copies have actually been sold, president Shinji Hirano patted his company on the back with a few vague words of encouragement, saying in a statement, "The remarkable sales achieved in such a short time are a true testament of the work and dedication that went into this project." Clearly, for Konami to have shipped so many copies to retail, ongoing sales of Lords of Shadow must be reasonably strong, though the title failed to crack the top ten in US software sales last month, and it only lasted two weeks in the UK's top-ten rankings. But Konami is still declaring a victory for the series' "rebirth," adding that it's "extremely pleased at the positive response seen" to developer MercurySteam's effort. The game's Japanese debut is scheduled for December.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow PS3 patch live
Now that PSN is back in working order, we're happy to inform you that the patch for the PS3 version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is online. It would be a really good idea to install it, too, considering that it addresses the random loss of your save data. According to the Konami's announcement, the patch also institutes some minor changes, including the addition of scrolling text on loading screens in the interest of readability. It also seems the text will now be easier to read without being distracted by the fear for your save file. Additionally, Konami said that an upcoming patch for the Xbox 360 version of the game would be detailed "shortly."
You could import this Kojima Productions PS3 bundle ... or make your own
Konami's newly revealed Kojima Productions themed hardware slash software set isn't nearly as compelling as the previous limited edition Metal Gear Solid 4 PlayStation 3 bundle. That's because the new package is simply a stock 160GB charcoal gray PS3 console, a greatest hits version of MGS4 and a copy of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. This admittedly not-so-special-edition offering (which is, technically, limited to an undisclosed run) hits Japan on December 16 for ¥37,980 ($467). You can get a 160GB PS3 ($300), MGS4 ($20) and Lords of Shadow ($60) by themselves for a grand total of $380 right now, without those pesky international shipping charges. The only thing you'll be missing out on: 20,000 Reward Points for use in Metal Gear Online. But if you really want to pay the $87 difference just for them, we're not going to stop you.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow PS3 patch incoming
These are dark times -- if you're paranoid about losing hours of game progress. Some users have reported an unusual save glitch in the PlayStation 3 version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Affected players report being prompted with a message upon startup, which reads, "Save file corrupt, will now overwrite, press X to continue." Needless to say, pressing X leads to grim results. Konami has acknowledged the problem -- which it says is restricted to a small number of users -- and promised a patch is en route to eradicate erroneous erasure. We'll let you know when we hear a firm release date, and recommend you keep a backup of your save file on a USB drive in the meantime.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Facebook game lets you combat cross your friends
Hey, do you like to zap helpless humans with lightning? Then you're probably a super villain. Cool -- and we've got the perfect Facebook game for you: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Friend Challenge. Seriously, it's all about zapping helpless people ... and your friends! It really scratches that sadist itch, trust us. Developed in-house at Konami, the Facebook game allows you to unlock various bits of content from the console game including "screenshots, videos and items" as you recruit Facebook friends to your army and level up your character. Sorry, it doesn't look like these unlockables are on a two-way street -- performance in the Facebook game doesn't impact your Castlevania: Lords of Shadow game.
