Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles & Symphony of the Night heading for PSP!
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Feb 1st 2007 at 9:00PM }
Remember that awesome game that 1UP was talking about? It's finally revealed! Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles is a completely remastered version of Dracula X: Rondo of Blood. This long-forgotten entry in the Castlevania franchise was only available in Japan on the PC Engine Duo, a system I can't even remember existing. The PSP version features a brilliant graphical overhaul, which looks lightyears ahead of any of the DS Castlevania games.
Oh, and if that weren't enough, the game comes with a port of Symphony of the Night, considered by many as the best Castlevania of all time.
Go past the cut to see a video of the game in action. Expect to see even more of this new PSP-exclusive Castlevania on The 1UP Show tomorrow.
[Via 1UP]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Andrew Yoon @ Feb 1st 2007 9:05PM
http://playstation.joystiq.com/2007/01/13/really-awesome-psp-game-to-be-unveiled-soon/
Some of you may remember this post I made about the secret game that 1UP was referring to. I saw that on some other message boards, people figured out that my mentioning of Castlevania was quite peculiar. Well, now you know why.
super yomaaa @ Feb 1st 2007 9:23PM
YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!
Hashbrown_Hunter @ Feb 1st 2007 9:33PM
Oh well game looks awesome anyway
pixelator @ Feb 2nd 2007 2:12AM
At first, honestly, I was skeptical. The video looked like it was hi-res visuals without real attention to detail, with repetitive background tiles and such. Then I looked more at the video, and some of the later levels.
WOW. You really need to watch that video before you even post to this thread. They've done some impressive stuff with this game and with the whole genre.
The PSP Killer App may have arrived in the ironically amusing form of a 'filthy port' (ha)..!
Dave @ Feb 1st 2007 10:36PM
Awesome. But why in the world did they change the music for the first level? The original Dracula X music ROCKED!
Ric @ Feb 1st 2007 10:46PM
What great news! I've always wanted to play Rondo of Blood. Plus, with the addition of SOTN, this is a (as if it needed to even be said) must-have game.
rice @ Feb 1st 2007 10:19PM
I also heard that it comes with the original PCE version of Rondo of Blood, which is really great for the game fan like me
Joe @ Feb 1st 2007 10:47PM
This is really great new I will pay forty for this no more.
This is great news so I am happy with Konami.
I just hope the port of Symphony of the Night is the remake version that will come out soon on the 360.
JC @ Feb 1st 2007 10:50PM
I've got say this announcement is huge I never in a million years would I have thought konami would not only re-make Rondo of blood in 3D , but offer the original Rondo and Symphony of the night. The offer alone makes the little announcement of symphony on the Xbox live arcade seem like s***.
vR @ Feb 1st 2007 10:56PM
This is good news... not great. Let's hope this is a step in the right direction and maybe we can get an original Castlevania eventually. I've played every Castlevania, and I've enjoyed the GBA and DS versions immensely. The reason is that it's moved beyond it's traditional platforming (still some of the best ever), and expanded upon it with rpg elements. Soul collecting was great in DoS, and I enjoyed the tag team action in PoR.
Sunny @ Feb 1st 2007 11:12PM
Pretty cool but, um, this game has been released in America before. It was on the Playstation in 2001 as "Castlevania Chronicles."
http://www.gamespot.com/ps/adventure/castlevaniachronicles/index.html?q=castlevania%20chronicles
So that bit about it only being avalible in Japan on the PCED is incorrect. :D
Andrew Yoon @ Feb 1st 2007 11:21PM
Sunny, it appears that if you read the review, "Castlevania Chronicles" is actually "Akumajo Dracula, the more obscure and less impressive of the two games, to the PlayStation, and sell it in a package named Castlevania Chronicles." Rondo of Blood wasn't released.
G @ Feb 2nd 2007 12:27AM
This is good news to me, I'm a huge castlevania fan. Always wanted to play Rondo of Blood, Symphony is a nice bonus too! Just what my psp needed.
Marco Cano Jr @ Feb 2nd 2007 12:30AM
To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed. I don't really care for Castlevania after playing Circle of the Moon, I though it was pretty boring. Ironically, I love 2D Metriod games.
Anyways, like every other old great games that I never played before coming to the PSP, I will buy this game to see what the fuss is about.
Strangler @ Feb 2nd 2007 12:53AM
After all these years of wanting to play Rondo on a home console, I now find out that I need to play it on a handheld that is terrible for sidescrolling games because of its horrible refresh rate. Thanks Konami.
Strangler @ Feb 2nd 2007 12:53AM
Ports, ports, ports, ports
I can already play this game on my PC for free. And since I own a PSP, if I wanted to play this title I would. But at the end of the day its still a PORT.
Ports, ports, ports.
And doesn't everyone already know how absolutely horrible Ultimate Ghouls & Ghosts was? That game is one of the biggest disappointments in gaming history.
That's kind of funny when you think about it. Because so is the PSP.
Saigon @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:17AM
This looks cool, I can't to for it to come out.
Strangler @ Feb 2nd 2007 5:03AM
check out comments from:
http://kotaku.com/gaming/psp/psp-finally-gets-castlevania-233344.php
"I was excited at first, but after seeing the gameplay footage, I think I'll pass. Sorry PSP, but it's going to take more than shiny new graphics on antiquated gameplay to get me to bite again. From what I can see, it seems to play like Castlevania 1, and by today's standards, that's not going to cut it. Looks like Megaman Maverick Hunter X all over again. Might be good, but I've been there and done that.
Why can't the PSP get anything more than ports?"
"Yuck... the DS games look way better graphically...
Is this the best the PSP can do? ;)"
"What the hell are you talking about? The DS can't even pull off graphics even close to that. Why don't you look at games like tekken DR and see if the DS can pull off graphics like that. Blind fanboyism at its best..."
"well technically he's right
the 2D graphics of the DS castlevanias put this remake to shame :S"
"Not to be a flaming DSfanboy... but it the video doesn't look interesting to me. Sure the 3D looks kinda nice, but the walking pace makes the game slow and the whole thing just seemed kinda weak. I'd pick Portrait of Ruin anyday."
pixelator @ Feb 2nd 2007 2:46AM
Nintendo fanboys trying every bullshit trick in the book to piss on the best PSP news of the year (great week thus far, actually): Priceless.
G @ Feb 2nd 2007 3:19AM
Sounds like Strangler would rather download and play it on his pc for free rather than support Konami. What a disgrace of a gamer.
Considering that Rondo of Blood was never released overseas or translated, your point is basically useless.
Castlevania is a series worth supporting regardless of what console its on.
G @ Feb 2nd 2007 5:53AM
Whats your point Strangler?
There are many people out there who have never had a chance to play this. Rondo of Blood is finally getting an English release, a full update plus 2x 2D classics on one umd and your acting like its a crime against gaming.
Why don't you go back to downloading games for your pc instead of supporting Konami you sorry excuse for a gamer.
Also Castlevania is a series worth supporting regardless of what console its on.
txa1265 @ Feb 2nd 2007 7:05AM
Re #18: "Nintendo fanboys trying every bullshit trick in the book to piss on the best PSP news of the year (great week thus far, actually): Priceless."
It is what is termed 'cognitive dissonance' - how one can at once praise Final Fantasy III for getting a nice update yet put down this game coming in a two-fer with SotN ... and I just don't get it.
I'm not a console gamer (PC mostly and handhelds), so I have never played those - I can't *wait* for that sweetness! I thought the video looked great, the gameplay seemed a bit slow after being used to the DS games, and I'll miss the ever-present maps I've gotten used to, but this is a 'day of release' buy for me!
symphony1125 @ Feb 2nd 2007 7:38AM
Most definetly good news for the PSP. I've been dying for them to release a Castlevania game for awhile now, and frankly I think this is awesome!
SotN in my opinion was the best Castlevania (aside from the original), and it's pretty hard to find a copy of that now a days... bonus!
I really don't give a shit if Dracula X is a port because firstly, it was never released in the US, and secondly, it's been given a great overhaul. So I'm pretty pleased with Konami's decision to re-release these games. Afterall, how many times have you said 'man, I wish that they would remake that game' (reffering to one of those awesome games that you played years ago?
Kade Storm @ Feb 2nd 2007 10:34AM
...dude, the video is great! And I too am looking forward to this 'port' because I never got to play these particular games in the Castlevania series. Excellent news by far!
Oh, and txa, I'd actually disagree. Cognitive Dissonance is a bit too complex for attributing typical fanboy-double standards. I mean, at least those suffering the dissonance undergo the embarrassment of eating their own past praises and facing some degree of psychological turmoil. These morons on the other hand: They'll continue praising and condemning two similarly pleasing concepts by virtue of their bias - shameless hypocrites!
pixelator @ Feb 2nd 2007 11:23AM
Strangler, does it hurt having your DS stuffed so far up your posterior?
DS fanboys making graphics judgments of PSP games - hilarious. DS fanboys claiming gameplay is 'antiquated' (Mario rehashes, anyone?) - hypocritical.
Yes, the first few seconds of the video look a little funky. You need to watch the whole thing with the sewer level, dragon, etc. - NOT typical Castlevania 1 gameplay or lame visuals.
Kotaku and their fans make Joystiq look like a pro-Sony blog, so whatever is said over there means about as much to those of us without plat-bias as a Nintendo circle-jerk 'bash everything else' forum.
It's just hilarious. A video the size of a postage stamp and suddenly all the DS fannies are atwitter about bad graphics, old gameplay mechanics and other stunning double-standards. Why? Because, OH NOES IT'S CASTLEVANIA ON PSP - THAT'S OURZ! NINTENDO FTW! U CAN'T HAVE IT!
As if we needed any more evidence of the jealous pettiness and shortsightedness of the Sony hating Nintendrones...
txa1265 @ Feb 2nd 2007 11:15AM
Re #24: "Oh, and txa, I'd actually disagree. Cognitive Dissonance is a bit too complex for attributing typical fanboy-double standards."
So true ... I spend time here and at DSFanboy, and the rampant fanboisnm on *both* sides reminds me:
- Dissonance seeks resolution.
- Fanboism is impervious to reason :)
txa1265 @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:24PM
No fair pixelator - I was drinking soda when I read your post ... my nose *still* hurts ... !
Nintendo is dead by 2009 @ Feb 2nd 2007 1:56PM
roflmao, ds fanboys still here to shit all over good news.
suck it, ds fanboys. stick with your terrible anime-styled castlevania bullshit. here's the real handheld castlevania right here. and the DS is still not worth owning for anything other than mini-games and rehashes.
Word of the street @ Feb 2nd 2007 2:04PM
Nintendo fanboys trying every bullshit trick in the book to piss on the best PSP news of the year (great week thus far, actually): Priceless.
Posted at 2:46AM on Feb 2nd 2007 by pixelator
_____________________________________________________
QTF.By the way the Castlevania on the ds looks cool but not this cool,funny how people that own the ds bash psp graphgics.The irony is so thick i can cut it with a knife.
Anyway,the game looks kind of blocky compared to UG&G
Whick rocked and strangler if you think Ug&G sucks you need glasses,the game rocks is just to damn hard to the average n00b but believe me or believe ign review if not this game worth every cent.
Well is still on dev so if they polish it even more this is gonna look friggin awesome.
Castlevania for the Win.
(Its me or Konami and capcom do the 50% of the kick a$$ games.)
txa1265 @ Feb 2nd 2007 2:18PM
This is the problem ...
"roflmao, ds fanboys still here to shit all over good news.
suck it, ds fanboys. stick with your terrible anime-styled castlevania bullshit. here's the real handheld castlevania right here. and the DS is still not worth owning for anything other than mini-games and rehashes."
Decrying ignorant fanboyism using ignorant fanboyism. The 2 DS Castlevania games are objectively excellent games, and there are many excellent DS games. There are also many excellent PSP games, and these new Castlevania versions promise to be excellent looking and playing. Can't that be enough?
Ryan @ Feb 2nd 2007 2:36PM
@txa1265
Yeh..."PSP Fanboy" and "DS Fanboy". I guess its all to expect. This kinda nonsense going back and forth. I think someone was actually using..Kotaku comments to defend his point?
This looks like a really great compilation. Who cares what system it'll be on?
Can't say I'll be buying it though. I've already played Symphony of the Night on my PSP, and Rondo of Blood is really not as great as its been made out to be.
pixelator @ Feb 2nd 2007 4:23PM
It's true, fanboy vs. fanboy just makes us all stupider by having read it.
I agree the two DS Castlevania games are good. Portrait of Ruin much moreso (to me) than the earlier game Dawn of Sorrow, because despite its more anime visuals, it isn't marred by the horrendous mistake of the seal-drawing stylus input at key moments in boss battles. -- I know I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating ad infinitum: Konami RUINED it (again, for me) with that. I literally plucked it from my DS and chucked it across the room after the third or fourth battle where I had to use it. Fortunately, they learned from that mistake. POR is pretty damned good.
ldd @ Feb 2nd 2007 6:57PM
Is it just me or everyone just checks this to read pixelator's comments?
Anyways, I am still waiting for Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core...(...)
Castlevania is a good franchise, but I prefer others...(...)
Anyways, please, just play the Video game system you want and let everyone alone... (that includes psp and Ds fanboys...)
The worst thing of it all? I am a pathetic pokemon fan...
>.<
I guess I'll have to buy a DS sooner or later...(...)
curiousJoe @ Mar 23rd 2007 1:32AM
are the games going to be together or there going to give the playstation version.