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Akumajō
Dracula X Chi no Rondo
悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻
29 Oct 1993 |
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Konami
waited until late 1991 before getting involved with the PC
Engine. Released at last from Nintendo's contractual grip, Gradius
(1985), Salamander
(1986) and Parodius
Da! (1990) were all given superb treatment on HuCard,
while Snatcher
(1988) and Gradius
II (1988) excelled on the CD-ROM².
But all of these titles were just conversions of existing titles, so it came as a relief to hear that an exclusive entry in the Akumajō
Dracula series was in the pipeline.
Dracula X is not just the tenth chapter of the series, it's also a re-boot of sorts (in Japan 'X' can
be a symbol for 'rebirth'). Gone are are the days of
Simon's slow-paced adventures on the Nintendo - enter
Richter Belmont, a young and agile vampire killer who
must hack his way through a half-a-dozen colourful stages
full of meticulous detail, scored by an entrancing CD
soundtrack and blessed with some of the smoothest gameplay you're ever likely to come across.
Seriously, it's that good. |
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Everything
comes together perfectly: drama, atmosphere, action,
durability - it's all here.
The PC Engine's CD-ROM add-on turns out to be a massive boost for the series - the trademark
gothic atmosphere is infinitely increased;
and the PC Engine's signature characteristics (animated
introductions, CD soundtrack, smooth playability) are
all out en force.
Maybe it was because the game was to be hosted on hardware
that is distinctively inferior to the Super
Famicom that the development team chose to look back at the best that the series
had to offer, and build upon those foundations.
To boot: restrictive yet coherent gameplay, multiple
routes and stages, and an extra playable character (Maria Renard).
Essentially, Konami took what is arguably the best entry of the series
so far, Akumajō
Densetsu (1989) and pushed the envelope even further.
The result is a masterpiece of the action game genre that not only marked a major turning point
for the series, but also a wonderful final peak for
the NEC PC Engine - a machine that up until this point was
usually dismissed with a shrug and a frown by the mainstream gaming public, and referred to as the 'Turbo Doo-Oh'.
The success of the PlayStation's direct sequel Symphony of the Night (1997) even further
enhanced the game's cult status, causing it to become
one of the most in-demand titles of the series. More recently still, the game was re-issued as a part of the PSP compilation Akumajō Dracula X Chronicle (2007).
Rating:  |
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Akumajō
Dracula X Chi no Rondo
悪魔城ドラキュラX
血の輪廻
PC ENGINE SUPER CD-ROM² |
DETAILS
| Format |
PC
Engine |
| Released |
29
Oct 1993 |
| Publisher |
Konami |
| Product
ID |
KMCD3005 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 1 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.10 |
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A fantastic game,
and one of the most valuable
PC Engine games there is.
Truth is it's really not that
rare, it's simply a victim
of excess publicity and unfortunate
attention from the 'collector'
crowd - those lonely attention-seeking
types who seek fulfilment
by keeping it on a shelf and
occasionally posting pictures of it online.
Oh well. These things happen.
CD
case, PC Engine Super CD-ROM²
disc, 16p colour manual,
spine card. |
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Akumajō
Dracula X
悪魔城ドラキュラX
SOUNDTRACK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Audio
CD |
| Released |
3
Nov 1993 |
| Publisher |
King
Records |
| Product
ID |
KICA-7622~23 |
| Size
(cm) |
14.2
x 12.4 x 2.4 |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.21 |
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Double-CD soundtrack set that
covers the complete BGM collections
of:
- Akumajō
Dracula X [PCE] (1993)
- Akumajō
Dracula [X68000] (1993)
- Vampire
Killer [MD] (1994)
Another nice selection, another
very valuable Dracula
item!
Double-CD
case, 2 x Audio CDs, colour
booklet, spine card. |
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Akumajō
Dracula X Kōryaku Guide Book Jōkan
悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻 攻略ガイドブック 上巻
GUIDE BOOK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Guide |
| Released |
Nov
1993 |
| Publisher |
PC
Engine Fan |
| Product
ID |
(no
ISBN#) |
| Size
(cm) |
25.7
x 18.2 x 0.1 (B5) |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.06 |
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First
in a set of two 'Capture Guide
Book' mini-guide supplements
given away with PC Engine
Fan magazine.
Features a basic introduction
to the game & its setting,
and full coverage of stages
0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.
(view contents)
36
pages, full colour, Japanese. |
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Akumajō
Dracula X Kōryaku Guide Book Gekan
悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻 攻略ガイドブック 下巻
GUIDE BOOK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Guide |
| Released |
Dec
1993 |
| Publisher |
PC
Engine Fan |
| Product
ID |
(no
ISBN#) |
| Size
(cm) |
25.7
x 18.2 x 0.2 (B5) |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.08 |
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Second
half of the PC Engine Fan
Dracula X guide.
Covers the remaining stages
(5-6-7-8 and 1-2'-3'-4'-5').
(view contents)
52
pages, full colour, Japanese. |
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Akumajō
Dracula X Kōshiki Guide Book
悪魔城ドラキュラX 血の輪廻 公式ガイドブック
GEKKAN PC ENGINE TOKUBETSU HENSHU
MOOK |
DETAILS
| Format |
Guide
Book |
| Released |
10
Dec 1993 |
| Publisher |
Shogakukan |
| Product
ID |
(no
ISBN#) |
| Size
(cm) |
21
x 14.8 x 1 (A5) |
| Weight
(kg) |
0.18 |
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Super-rare
'Official Guide Book' for
the PC Engine Dracula
X.
Covers every last stretch
of Richter's quest, lavishly
illustrated with screenshots,
hints, strategies, and random
photos of European landscapes
and churches.
This has to be one of the
most expensive books on the
site!
114
pages, 96 in colour, Japanese. |
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'Akumajō
Dracula' and 'Konami' are all registered trademarks of Konami Corporation
'PC Engine' and 'NEC' are registered trademarks of NEC Corporation
Akumajō Dracula X TM & © 1993 Konami All Rights Reserved
Page content, design & layout © 2012 Arcade Gear |
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