PlayStation Plus gets Castlevania demo early

Subscribers to PlayStation's paid-for premium service PlayStation Plus can download the new Castlevania: Lords of Shadow demo from today, says the official European PlayStation blog. The demo will be exclusive to PlayStation Plus for a week in a handful of territories, including the UK and Australia, and then will become generally available for PlayStation 3 owners on September 29. Konami says dates for the Xbox 360 demo are yet to be confirmed, and at time of writing, there's no word on whether US subscribers will also get the timed PS+ exclusive.

Sony officially unveiled the PlayStation Plus service in June at the company's Electronic Entertainment Expo briefing, promising free games and themes, beta invites, and early demos. When the service launched later that month, the first batch of freebies included Wipeout HD and two PSP mini games. Earlier in September, the European PlayStation blog announced short-term exclusive access to Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 and God of War: Ghost of Sparta demos for PlayStation Plus members. In the UK, PlayStation Plus costs £40 ($63) a year or £12 ($19) for 90 days. In eurozone countries, it's €50 or €15 respectively; in the US it's $50 or $18.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is the first 3D foray onto current-generation consoles for the storied Castlevania franchise. It also marks the first time Castlevania development duties have been shifted out of the series' native Japan; Spanish studio MercurySteam is developing the 11th-century-set action game, with Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima as executive producer. The full game, which is ESRB rated M (Mature), is due for release on the Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 5 in the US, and then October 7 in Europe and October 8 in Australia.