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Akumajō Dracula
悪魔城ドラキュラ
～Castlevania～ |
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The very first Akumajō Dracula (1986) had all the ingredients necessary for a long-lasting series.
The crisp 2D arcade action blended perfectly with the gothic settings and mythology - and for the following ten years a dozen classic games cemented the series' iconic status.
While Symphony of the Night (1997) was a wonderful love letter to all that made the series so unique, it was also the death-knell: map exploration similar to Metroid (1996) and RPG-style experience points killed off the series' arcade roots in favour of 'grinding' and item collecting.
This 'Metroidvania' formula would plague the series for close to ten years - no less than 6 formulaic Symphony of the Night clones appeared on handhelds between 2001 and 2008, peppered by a few mediocre attempts at 3D.
The utterly pointless grind-fest Harmony of Despair (2010) and God of War copycat Lords of Shadow (2010) show that the series is in the midst of a severe identity crisis; and only time will tell if it will ever come back from the dead. |
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Akumajō
Dracula Famicom Best
悪魔城ドラキュラ
ファミコン・ベスト
SOUNDTRACK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Audio
CD |
| Released |
21
Mar 1990 |
| Publisher |
King
Records |
| Product
ID |
KICA-1005 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Vintage
soundtrack CD featuring the
complete BGM collections of
the first 3 Famicom Dracula
games:
- Akumajō
Dracula (1986)
- Dracula
II (1987)
- Akumajō
Densetsu (1989)
This original 1990 edition
is now a VERY valuable item
- it can often be found in
specialist stores around the
$100 mark (with no spine).
Please contact
us if you're really after
one, otherwise just go for
the 1998 'Best' re-release
(see below). |
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Akumajō
Dracula Best 2
悪魔城ドラキュラ
ベスト2
SOUNDTRACK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Audio
CD |
| Released |
5
Dec 1991 |
| Publisher |
King
Records |
| Product
ID |
KICA-7506~7 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1.7 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.17 |
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Second
Dracula compilation,
a double CD soundtrack set
featuring the BGM collections
for:
- Akumajō
Dracula [SFC] (1991)
- Dracula
Densetsu [GB] (1989)
- Dracula
Densetsu II [GB] (1991)
This original 1991 print is
very hard to find - the 1998
re-issue (listed below) is
still widely available.
View [back]
for track listing.
Double
CD case, 2 x audio CD (CD1
28 tracks, CD2 35 tracks),
8-page booklet, spine card. |
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Akumajō
Dracula MIDI Collection
悪魔城ドラキュラ
MIDI コレクション
SOUNDTRACK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Audio
CD |
| Released |
22
Oct 1997 |
| Publisher |
King
Records |
| Product
ID |
KICA-7809 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Interesting
CD release that features
a selection of various synthesizer-based
remixes of tracks from the
series, from the original
Akumajō
Dracula (1986) all the
way through to the PlayStation
Akumajō
Dracula X (1997).
- Original Arrange (1-11)
- Game Sound Simulation (12-17)
- Piano Arrange (18-19)
- Kuheika Club Arrange MIDI
Ver. (20)
CD
case, 20-track audio CD (59:32),
booklet, spine card. |
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Akumajō
Dracula Best
悪魔城ドラキュラ
ベスト
SOUNDTRACK (RE-ISSUE) |
DETAILS
| Format |
Audio
CD |
| Released |
23
Sep 1998 |
| Publisher |
King
Records |
| Product
ID |
KICA-7901 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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Re-issue
edition of the 1990 'Akumajo
Dracula Famicom Best' compilation
listed above. Features the
complete BGM collections of:
- Akumajō
Dracula (1986)
- Dracula
II (1987)
- Akumajō
Densetsu (1989)
...with some spooky sound
effects thrown in here and
there for good measure.
CD
case, 33-track audio CD (1:04:00),
12-page monochrome booklet,
spine card. |
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Akumajō
Dracula Best 2
悪魔城ドラキュラ
ベスト2
SOUNDTRACK (RE-ISSUE) |
DETAILS
| Format |
Audio
CD |
| Released |
23
Sep 1998 |
| Publisher |
King
Records |
| Product
ID |
KICA-7902~03 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 13 x 1.7 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.18 |
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Re-issue
edition of the second 'Akumajō
Dracula Best' compilation,
a double CD soundtrack set
featuring the BGM collections
for:
- Akumajō
Dracula [SFC] (1991)
- Dracula
Densetsu [GB] (1989)
- Dracula
Densetsu II [GB] (1991)
Twin CD case, 2 x audio CD
(CD1 28 tracks, CD2 35 tracks),
4-page booklet with notes
& track listing, spine
card. |
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'Akumajō
Dracula', 'Castlevania' and 'Konami' are registered trademarks of
Konami Corporation
Akumajō Dracula / Castlevania TM & © 1986 Konami All Rights
Reserved
Page content, design & layout © 2012 Arcade Gear |
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