I just heard that the PSP version, which is scheduled for release in October, will also include a port of Symphony of the Night... So Konami is giving us:

remade Rondo of Blood
original NEC Rondo of Blood
Symphony of the Night

I would just like to say THANK YOU KONAMI! (and about bloody time...
Now, if Konami really wants to wow us, they'll include an updated game with features from the Saturn version of Symphony of the Night, so we can finally play the game as Maria!

cheers,

-avatar!

Hopefully then they'll also fix the frame rate and get the graphics up to the Playstation game's level.  Oh, and I was really disappointed when I found out that in the Saturn one Maria doesn't throw birds and sing anymore. 

Regardless, Dracula X is an awesome game and any Castlevania fan should check it out if they haven't already.  Personally I probably won't bother, since I own both original games and the 3D version looks crappy.  But still... for those who haven't experienced it, it's probably a pretty good reason to grab one of the new PSPs.

Wasn't there an interview that said they wouldn't add the Saturn stuff simply because they thought it wasn't very good?

The Saturn version has a couple extra rooms as well (like the underground chamber at the very beginning).  I've come to think of the Saturn version as the ultimate edition of the game, although that's likely because I have the Saturn version and did not have a PS1.

The real question is this:  Will SotN retain the same "classic" voice acting that was in the PS original?

Well the XBox360 version had the original voice acting but I think I read they were redoing the PSP version. No idea if that's true though.

I'm curious about this as well - also if they will include the two familars they took out, Nosedevil and the second Fairy type.

Part of me thinks they should redo the voice acting because it wasn't very good due to the fact the VA's overacted to the point it was laughable (Alucard "No, mother! Don't! Please!"), but then it's a lot like the original RE - it so bad it's totally memorable and I don't think I'd want it any other way. I can't imagine Alucard having a different voice.

Maybe they should put an option for the VA... newcomers, such as myself, would have a hard time enjoying it without nostalgia to rest on.

But then again, it won't be a problem for me since I don't have a PSP!  I'd love to see this game on PlayStation2, in the same way that Playmore released Metal Slug Complete for PSP and PS2.  Nocturne in Moonlight is still readily available as a PSone books version, and the Greatest Hits version is cheap as well, but I've read that the Rondo in Blood doesn't have any substitutes outside of the original PCE game.

Heh, I love Richter's intro

Richter in a totally bored, just woke-up from hangover voice: Die monster...
Dracula in the best B-movie voice ever: It was not by my hand that I am once again given fleeeesh! I was called here by.. HYUUMAeeenns...

Hell ya, it doesn't get any better than this!

cheers,

-avatar!

The Saturn extras are out, because IGA has indeed indicated he has no favor for that version. I've heard from sources I trust that the extras themselves aren't interesting enough/well designed enough to make up for the various technical hits (such as longer loading times) the game itself took being ported to the Saturn. Naturally, it's still a matter of opnion, and reworking and reintegrating the extras into the PSP version would be great (especially that neat music when you battle Maria), but I suppose I can begrudgingly let this particular IGA-offense pass by.

He apparently confirmed at the Leipzig game comference that Maria is being added to SOTN in DXC - but she'll apparently play quite differently than the Saturn version...?

what is a man? a miserable pile of secrets.
translation was surely awesome ^^

Yeah, the Saturn version ended up being a mixed blessed, especially with the load time and various graphics effects being worse.

But the extras -- two new areas, playable Maria (and Richter without beating it), the new items...would have been NICE to play in English...sigh

-Joshua

Alucard: "As you can see, this is a playstation black disc. Cut number one contains computer data, so please don't play it, but you probably won't listen to me, will you?"

SOTN Maria gameplay footage from the PSP game is up on Gamevideos.

http://www.gamevideos.com:80/video/id/14769

Didn't the Saturn version have Bloody Tears (with this sweet piano opening) on it or something, along with renditions of other classic Castlevania songs?  I recall having the mp3s that were claimed to be from the Saturn version, but never did any further research into it.

Also. f--- YEAH.

http://www.gmronline.com/info.asp?CatNumber=LC-1609-10

Haha, I almost said the same on certain channel today:
(22:20:12) (Razakin) http://www.gmronline.com/info.asp?CatNumber=LC-1609-10 f--- YES Akumajo Dracula X Chronicles Original Soundtrack 2 CDs, 50 tracks.

:D

If the Dracula X ISO played better through homebrew I may have been inclined to pass up this release. I haven't tried SotN through Popstation yet but that's another reason I'm not too excited. I don't plan on giving up my homebrew this time so if I do buy it I'll be waiting for another custom firmware update before I can play it *sigh*

Leave it to someone other than Sony themselves to make the system more attractive than it currently is... well, the TV output is a step in the right direction.

Yes, it was the Saturn version.

Fingers crossed for the new Dracula X OST. Hopefully they do better than they did for the Megaman X PSP soundtrack...

(considering most of the soundtrack shows up amidst the Battle albums, perhaps they'll end up using that?)

"Castlevania Symphony of the Night (2 tracks, including new ending theme by Michiru Yamane)."

I am... NOT the wind.  Clearly there is a God.

Thankfully. I'm really curious to see how the "new" ending theme turns out.

Hush, the both of ye.  Clearly, your worlds really are so dead ahead.

I really don't have that much of a problem with "I am the Wind." I mean in certain sense it's as corny as such songs come but I can think of worse things... I thought "True To Your Dreams" from CoD was considerably worse. Still, I usually don't make a habit of listening to either when listening to those soundtracks.

What the hell are you talking about?

The ending song to SOTN was unique. At least, at the time I had never heard a full vocal work in a video game before (although I had in computer games), so I think it's memorable for that fact alone. I do know a lot of people hate the song, but I'm not really sure why...
cheers,

-avatar!

Pretty much the same reason I hate pop songs being stuck into closing credits in films.  They completely clash with the rest of the score and are often entirely inappropriate for the mood set by the story/setting/etc..  Symphony of the Night is one of the worst offenders for this, I think.  Taken by itself, I might be able to tolerate the song, but in the context of the game it's totally out of place and weird.

You're a miserable little pile of secrets!

Just like the sun (Just like the sun)
When my day's done
Sometimes I don't like the person I've become
Is the enemy within a thousand men?
Should I walk the path if my world's so dead ahead?

Two words: Silent Hill.

For the record, I actually quite liked "I Am the Wind" and "Esperadonte." Both came out of nowhere, but I do think "I Am the Wind" sort of fits thematically. After all, it does have the words "dead" (vampires are dead; Alucard fights Death) and "sun" (vampires are afraid of the sun).

Is there a reason a new ending theme has been commissioned? I read on wikipedia that "I Am the Wind" was also eventually removed from from the XBLA version.

Silent Hill never used Pop songs.

This just made my day!

I was talking about "inappropriate" or unexpected songs in general. I guess Rika Muranaka just has a knack for that.

Has there been any word on who's done the new arrangements? Doesn't sound like Sota Fujimori from Castlevania Chronicles, what a pity... would have been fantastic to hear a new set of Fujimori remixes.

Parish's 1up.com review is up: 8.0 for Drac X.

http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3163895

He cites that the original Rondo of Blood and SOTN have emulation problems, with Rondo in particular suffering from "awful sound and choppy gameplay."   Others have stated that overclocking the PSP to 333mhz readily solves the choppy gameplay, but really..... The fact that there's poor programming to begin with is a sad issue indeed.

On the other hand, the Rondo remake itself looks to be very good, with an equal share of comparative pros and cons to the original.

Oh, and apparently, both the original Rondo and SOTN needs to be unlocked by meeting certain criteria in the main remake quest.

So I've given the remake a good hour of playtime, and to be honest...... I'm not wholly impressed.  Dunno, maybe it's the aftershock of playing an old-school Belmont again, but I'm just not feeling the game the way I had anticipated I would.  It's, um.... kind of mundane, actually.

The stage details are nice, as are the cutscenes - but the fluidity and animation pales in comparison to recent Castlevania outings.  And I think I'm spoiled on Maverick Hunter X and its 60fps presentation; Drac X moves at 30fps and looks a tad ugly for it.  Music's good, but doesn't touch the PC-Engine original - I wish there were a way to set music volume and sound effect volume independently; the sound effects dominate the music, unfortunately.

Guess I'll have to give this a bit more time.  Gotta see how SOTN and the original Rondo came out as well.

I've only played for a half-hour or so, and I am enjoying it. It's not mindblowing by any means, but the game looks good to me and the new soundtrack ain't half bad.

I'm curious about the SOTN port when you guys (and gals) get to it. It was suppost to have redone VA right? Man, the original VA was so bad it was great... erm... it think we already established that earlier in this thread.