SNES

Castlevania: Dracula X

Since this version is far more accessible to American gamers than the ridiculously priced import, it's hardly fair to compare the two, even if the titles read the same. This is brilliant update to a classic game; one that does everything you would hope a new version of an old classic would. Be warned it's going to get pretty rough as the game moves on and that places this one firmly in the lap of the truly hardcore, but it's completely worth all of those broken controllers.

Esta nueva entrega posee cualidades como para seguir cautivando a la legión de usuarios de Super Nintendo.

So you know that old saying "well, you kinda had to BE there..."? Well, if I wasn't completely tapped out of creativity by now, I'd think of a better way to wrap up this review than that. Bottom line is that this game pushes the limits of the Super NES, not Castlevania gameplay, but it is a decent platformer that's worth a place in your collection.

Castlevania: Dracula X, I'm sorry to say, is nowhere near perfection. It is, however, a good conversion of the Japanese PC Engine (a.k.a. NEC TurboGrafx-16) title revered as one of the best Engine games ever. Maybe too good a conversion: The graphics which pushed the Engine to the point of implosion, are rather bland on the SNES and the music, which rocked on the Engine, seems lame on Nintendo's unit.

This is supposed to be related to the Castlevania games? Good thing they didn't officially include the old name in the title. Something simply doesn't click. If you are used to all the added controls from the previous games, such as aiming your whip up or controllable-height jumping, you are not immediately like the control. I guess the only way to express my opinion would be to say that this is not a great Castlevania game, but a good game on it's own.

Dracula X is the sort of game where bumping into any enemy sends you hurtling into the bottomless pit that always happen to be nearby. On the plus side it's a relatively big game, it looks nice and there are a couple of different paths you can wind up taking through, so you're not always playing the same stages every time. However, this game is more frustrating than it is challenging.

Of note is the fact that there exists a very rare gem in Castlevania Dracula X for the PC Engine Super CD-Rom. It is widely regarded as the best Castlevania ever, even besting SOTN, and it's soundtrack is among the best EVER. The SNES version reviewed above doesn't hold a candle to it, it's a sports car stripped down to the chassis!

For an awesome alternative version of this title, you may want to check out the import-only PC Engine game. Other than that, it's back to the grave for Castlevania.

Dracula X ist eine riesige Enttäuschung. Gerade wenn man bedenkt, dass es doch auf dem sehr genialen Rondo of Blood basiert. Weggenommen hat man alle guten Features und ging dafür zurück in die 80er