Welcome back to Beyond Co-Op Reviews, our critical look at games that don't feature co-op modes....

With only a week to go until Halloween time, now is the perfect time to dive into some scary games that go with the holiday very nicely. Starting tomorrow, the PlayStation Store is holding its “Sale of the Dead” event, providing tons of sweet discounts on both single player AND co-op games alike! PlayStation Plus members will be able to grab as much as 80% discounts on some of these games, so it’s most definitely worth looking into.

Castlevania is a series that seems to give co-op with one hand (Castlevania: Harmony of Despair) and takes away with the other (Castlevania: Lords of Shadow).  Reflect on this people as rumors are abound that upcoming 3DS title Castlevania: Mirror of Fate will be 2 player co-op.

Otomedius Excellent is a 3-player co-op shoot-em-up from Konami. Besides carrying on the legacy of the classic Gradius series, the Otomedius games are most noteworthy for their unusual character designs. Rather than serious and masculine fighter pilots, players control a number of anime-style ladies who pilot ships inspired by other Konami titles. Some gamers may look at these flying femmes and exclaim ‘WTF’ letter-by-letter, but that would be missing the point. The girls of Otomedius lend the game a ton of Japanese charm and levity. Each one has her own personality and voice, plus completely different weapon loadouts that instill ample replay value.

Hi folks!  This week we have some niche games hitting the store shelves, along with a great downloadable co-op re-imaging of the Castlevania franchise.  It's a rather slow week for co-op launch titles.  This will let you catch up on the early glut of September games.  Consider this the eye of the fall gaming storm because October is almost here.

Playstation 3 owners have waited quite a while for Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, which hit XBLA way back in August last year. Their wait will soon be over, as Konami has just announced that the PSN version is coming in September.

You've decided to splurge on a second system for that one game you and your spouse just HAVE to play together. You got it. You beat it. Now what are you going to do?

These chicks mean business.

This week's Xbox Live Gold Deals include the 6 player online co-op game, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair and all of its downloadable level content.  The game is 50% off - making it 600  or about $6.  All the content is also 50% off with each of the 5 stages coming in at 160 or 120 .

Last month we brought you news about two new DLC's coming to Castlevania: Harmony of Despair.  Today, one of those levels is available on Xbox LIVE.  The new stage pack is called, "Extra Stage: The One Who is Many," and it is available for 320 Microsoft points.  The level is rumored to be based on the catacombs stage from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and the boss is suspected to be everyone's favorite big giant ball of corpses, Legion.  This is the latest DLC for Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, which has received a ton of DLC support, including new characters and levels.  Up to six people can take on Dracula's minions through online co-op, so grab your weapon of choice and get to slayin'.