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Castlevania deals on Xbox: Harmony of Despair, Symphony of the Night, Mirror of Fate HD
It's Castlemania in today's end-of-year deals from Xbox, with Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate HD, Symphony of the Night, and Harmony of Despair all on sale, along with a host of Castlevania add-ons. Harmony of Despair, the 2D platformer that debuted on XBLA back in 2010, is down to $5.09. 1997 classic Symphony of the Night is just $3.39, while the HD port of 3DS entry Mirror of Fate is yours for $7.49. If you don't fancy sinking your teeth into any of those one-day-only deals, don't forget there's a sizable selection of games staying discounted throughout the week.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair cheers up PSN on September 27
That's right, this Tuesday you'll be able to yet again storm Dracula's castle and totally kill him once and for all this time. We mean it. He's going to be super dead. Forever. Jokes aside, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair will indeed arrive on PSN this Tuesday, September 27, with some added extras. There's couch co-op for up to four players (online multiplayer supports six vampire slayers), two additional characters in Julius Belmont and Yoko Belnades (paid DLC on Xbox Live Arcade) and an extra map: Pyramid of Ruin.
Castlevania Harmony of Despair reborn on PSN this summer with couch co-op
Having pulled assets from old Castlevania games out of their graves for the XBLA release of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Konami is dusting off their creaky pixels once again for a PSN re-release of the multiplayer side-scroller. The PSN version of Harmony of Despair will include playable Julius Belmont and Yoko Belnades characters, which were extra DLC on Xbox, as well as the Pyramid of Ruin level. In addition to that, PSN-ers patiently waiting for their chance to re-invade Dracula's castle will have access to a new local co-op mode for up to four players. The online mode still supports six. Harmony of Despair is currently due on PSN "later this summer."
Castlevania content marked down by 50 percent on XBLA
Alright, it's official -- America's got vampire fever. Why not channel your friends and families' unswerving love for romantic bloodsucker fiction into something a little healthier? Maybe turn them onto Castlevania: Symphony of the Night or Harmony of Despair, which are half-price on XBLA this week.
Download a big old pile of bodies in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
If you and your fellow vampire hunters are looking for a new monster that doesn't belong in this world, you'll be happy to learn that new DLC is now available for Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. "Extra Stage: The One Who is Many," the DLC pack recently announced for Japan, is priced at 320 Microsoft Points ($4). Even if you hadn't read up on it in the past, Castlevaniacs could probably guess from the title that this DLC pack will feature Legion. Unlike most other Castlevanias, you'll actually be able to gather more bodies of your own (in the form of your friends) to fight this pile of bodies.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night stages coming to Harmony of Despair
Konami's multiplayer, side-scrolling dungeon crawler Castlevania: Harmony of Despair already looks very, very familiar -- a phenomenon which can be attributed to its re-using of sprites from previous entries in the series. According to the game's official Japanese site, that policy isn't being reversed any time soon: In January, the game will see the addition of an eighth level, based off the underground area from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -- a stage which culminates in a fight with the creepy, spherical corpse-monster, Legion. The downloadable level -- as well as another titled "Lord of the Flies," which is either hinting at a level featuring Beelzebub or possibly a level where you drop rocks on island-bound children -- will cost 320 Microsoft Points ($4). It's unclear whether the January release window listed on the site for this DLC is applicable in the States; we've contacted Konami for confirmation. And to ask about the whole "dropping rocks on children" thing.
Harmony of Despair discount is today's Xbox Live Countdown deal
You don't want 2010 to be forever remembered as "that year you didn't play a side-scrolling 2D Castlevania game," do you? It's not too late -- or too expensive -- to save yourself from that fate: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is half price today, as part of Xbox Live's "Countdown to 2011" promo.
December XBLA deal: Buy two games, get 400 MS Points free
In yet another Xbox Live Arcade deal, Microsoft is now offering a free batch of 400 MS Points for purchasing two qualifying XBLA games. Don't run off downloading games just yet though, because you'll need to head over to the Xbox Live Events page and download the Arcade Offer gamer picture to register for the giveaway first (the direct link to the gamer picture is currently broken, but it's the first one listed on the events page). Once that's done, snag two of the games listed after the break (including favorites like Limbo, Lara Croft, Monday Night Combat, Super Meat Boy and more). Within four weeks, the free points will be added to registered Live accounts automatically or sent as redemption code via email. If you're planning to pick up any of the eligible games, you might as well get some free points too, right? The promotion ends December 20, so get to it. [Thanks, Grand Kerfuffle]
Konami bundles downloadable Castlevanias with Japanese Lords of Shadow special edition
Hideo Kojima as the Chupacabra isn't the only advantage the Japanese version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow has over its worldwide contemporaries. Those who purchase the special edition in Japan will also have their choice of downloadable Vanias as bonuses. The PS3 version of the game includes a code for the PSOne Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, playable on PS3 or PSP. The Xbox 360 version gets you a copy of the XBLA game Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. Which means there is now another reason the PS3 version will outsell the Xbox release by a massive margin (other than there being so few Xboxes in Japan). The Japanese special edition isn't universally better: it carries a price tag of ¥9,980 ($122), and Lords of Shadow won't even be available in Japan until December 16.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair DLC adds pyramid power
If you and your band of vampire hunters have completely mastered everything Dracula has to throw at you in Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Konami has the cure for your terminal success: DLC! This week, a new pyramid-themed level is available from the Xbox Live Marketplace for 400 Microsoft Points. And if you were concerned that the game wasn't gothy enough, more good news! The level is called "Beauty, Desire, Situation Dire." Konami also announced that more playable characters would be forthcoming as DLC. Seasoned whipmaster Julius Belmont, magic user Yoko Belnades, and animal tamer Maria Renard will be added to the game at an unspecified later date. They'll be a sacred gift when they arrive!%Gallery-104035%
Castlevania HD, Lara Croft, Monday Night Combat sales analyzed
Gamasutra has posted its Xbox Live Arcade sales analysis for August, and the results appear mixed for the final three Summer of Arcade titles. While the piece notes that every 2009 Summer of Arcade title managed to garner 80,000 players in their respective first weeks, this year's batch is less consistent. Based on leaderboard data, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair had only 44,601 players in its first week, with sales declining each following week to close out the month with just over 75,000 players. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light -- perhaps due to the lack of online co-op -- befell a similar fate, acquiring 44,733 players in its first week and adding 22,498 more the following week to cap off August with 67,231 players. Meanwhile, Monday Night Combat -- which launched between Castlevania and Lara Croft -- debuted with over 86,000 players, followed by strong additions the next two weeks for a total of nearly 172,000 in August. Granted, these numbers are all culled from leaderboards and don't necessarily translate directly to sales, it seems like this year's Summer of Arcade failed to drum up the same interest as last year's event, which packed in the likes of Shadow Complex, 'Splosion Man, and Trials HD. Check out the full article on Gamasutra for more stats than you can shake a slice of bacon at.
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair whips up a first place finish on XBLA charts
Though the game received some middling reviews, it seems Xbox Live Marketplace browsers couldn't resist the appeal of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair's retro charms -- or its status as a Summer of Arcade title. The multiplayer monster slayer placed first on the Arcade purchases charts for the week of August 2, though it only claimed the number 15 spot for overall online activity. To see how the rest of the Summer of Arcade contenders did, just check out the lists posted after the jump.
Rumor: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair DLC details leaked
Just a few short days after the game launched on Xbox Live Arcade, a GameFAQs forumite by the name of Bonovox_40 claims to have discovered a few pieces of DLC planned to expand Castlevania: Harmony of Despair. This content includes two additional characters to be added to the game's roster -- Maria Renard from Rondo of Blood and Julius Belmont from Aria of Sorrow -- and a new level inspired by Portrait of Ruin's pyramid stages. The poster's proof comes in the form of a handful of off-screen pictures and two videos showing Maria in action. These photos also include a look at the DLC files, which show up individually on the hard drive, possibly indicating they'll come as separate downloads rather than a smaller bundle. We've contacted Konami to get a comment on these potential newcomers.
Joyswag: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
Since we've already reviewed Castlevania: Harmony of Despair -- check it out! -- there won't be an XBLA in Brief preview this week. In its place is this giveaway, in which five entrants will receive a code. To enter: Leave a comment telling us your favorite Castlevania game ever. You must be 13 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec). Limit 1 entry per person. This entry period ends at 6:00PM ET, Thursday, August 5th. At that time, we'll randomly select five grand prize winners to each receive a download code for Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (ARV $15). [Code requires an Xbox Live account to redeem.] For a list of complete rules, click here. What is Joyswag? Since we don't keep the games and merchandise we receive for review or promotional purposes, it becomes "Joyswag," which is passed along to our readers. Please note that Joyswag may be in "used" condition. For more info on our policy, click here.
Review: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair
I'm pretty sure that if I could get a peek at Castlevania: Harmony of Despair director Koji Igarashi's Netflix queue, I'd find that his most recent rental would be the 1993 comedy Groundhog Day. Much like Bill Murray's Phil awakes every morning in Punxsutawney, PA to find that it's (spoiler alert) Groundhog Day, the characters in Igarashi's latest game -- a cast from 'Vanias past -- find themselves repeating the same trek through the same six castles over and over and over again in an attempt to find or buy better items and beat the bosses faster. Sometimes, they won't even be able to find the boss before the timer runs out. Virtually nothing is explained, it reuses background tiles and sprites from years-old games and is, frankly, not fun at all if you intend to play it alone. Save your $15. Buy this, this or this instead. (But not this.) Played with friends, however, Harmony of Despair is actually ... kinda fun.%Gallery-95867%
Summer of Arcade XBLA games dated and priced
Microsoft's suggestion for how to pass those hot summer afternoons: spend 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), repeatedly. The company released the official dates and prices for the XBLA games in this year's Summer of Arcade promotion -- or, rather, dates and price, since they all share the aforementioned 1200 MSP price tag. Like last year's Summer of Arcade, purchasing all five games in this year's lineup entitles the buyer to a 1200-point rebate (essentially buy four, get one free). Additionally, if you buy three of the five, you'll get 400 MSP back! As for the release schedule: Limbo: July 21 Hydro Thunder Hurricane: July 28 Castlevania: Harmony of Despair: August 4 Monday Night Combat: August 11 Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light: August 18
Igarashi: PSN version of Harmony of Despair 'a possibility'
Though Konami's co-op vamp-slayer, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is now being touted as a proud participant in the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade promotion, a PSN version of the title may not be out of the question. In an E3 interview with Destructoid, producer Koji Igarashi explained "there might be a possibility with that. I hope this one sells, and then we can think about PSN." So, there you have it, PS3 fans. If you want the best chance of getting Harmony of Despair on your platform of choice, all you have to do is first buy it on XBLA. Easy enough, right?
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair announced via Xbox Live 'Summer of Arcade' 2010 promo
It appears Konami's leaked-pulled-and-then-leaked-again Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is very much a real thing. The rumored 2D multiplayer Castlevania game is part of the Microsoft's returning Summer of Arcade promotion. The junior year's games include: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Hydro Thunder Hurricane Lara Croft and the Guardian of the Light Limbo Monday Night Combat The press release hasn't mentioned any added bonuses for purchasing all of the games, but previous years promised a refund of 800 Microsoft Points ($10) with purchase of all five participating titles. It's likely this year's Summer of Arcade will do the same, but we'll follow up. [Thanks, mrmbado!]
'Castlevania: Harmony of Despair' resurfaces in OFLC rating
An OFLC rating provides further evidence of the existence of Konami's rumored multiplayer XBLA Castlevania title, Harmony of Despair. The Australian ratings board now lists a rating for Harmony of Despair, specifying it as an "X-box" game. The listing also includes the caveat that the "Gaming experience may change online," suggesting online multiplayer is a feature of the game. While the rating information isn't a confirmation of the precise details we heard previously -- that Harmony of Despair is a side-scrolling "Metroidvania" for up to six players, featuring heroes from throughout the series -- it is confirmation that there is some kind of game with that name for Xbox 360; making any details we've heard that much more likely. [Via 1UP]
Rumor: Castlevania 'Harmony of Despair' is 2D, 6-player XBLA game
A trusted source has told Joystiq that "Harmony of Despair," the title of a recent European trademark, is indeed a Castlevania game. Our source indicates that the game will be a 2D multiplayer Xbox Live Arcade title, featuring six-player co-op and a versus, fighter-style survival mode. These details follow a recently-pulled post on never know tech, which purported to showcase screenshots of Harmony of Despair. The site described the game as a "Metroidvania" side-scroller, featuring characters from recent Castlevania games. The characters, however, appeared to be rendered as tiny GBA/DS-esque sprites, and the game camera is apparently capable of being zoomed out to reveal entire levels (presumably in place of a map screen; or to show multiple characters in different rooms). So it looks like we might be getting the long-awaited 2D "high-definition" Castlevania, after all. Although, "just make the GBA sprites really small on the screen" isn't exactly the technique we were hoping for.
