Honest question about Rondo of Blood

[nopepper]

Oh, and to answer the question: no, I have not been let down by the library. On the contrary, I have been able to discover a lot of great games that I would've otherwise ignored, but honestly, Dracula X is the cream of the crop.

I don't think that's a knock on the rest of the library, as much as it is a testament on how good Rondo is.

FWIW, my favs are:

1- Dracula X
2- Lords of Thunder
3- Ys I and II
4- Devils Crush
5- Dungeon Explorer
6- Gates of Thunder
7- Ys III
8+ All the awesome shooters

The only game in the library that disappointed me was Blazing Lazers, which is just too much of a bore to get to the good sections later in the game.

[WoodyXP]

The only game in the library that disappointed me was Blazing Lazers, which is just too much of a bore to get to the good sections later in the game.

That blew my mind.  But I respect your opinion.

[dave_van_damn]

Have you been let down by every other game on the console?

I'm not qualified to answer your first question, but I will say I was let down by Rondo.  It's a great game, but when I first played it I thought to myself "So this is the game everybody is bouncing off their cocks about?  Give me a break!".

My thoughts exactly. It's a good game but is it really that good? I must admit I'm not too familiar with the Castlevania series but it doesn't come across as particularly special. That said I'm only on stage 2...

[ccovell]

My thoughts exactly. It's a good game but is it really that good?

The that is the problematic word here: are you comparing it to the praise that other people have individually given it, or to the image you created in your mind from combining all this praise?

[majors]

Rondo is jawsome. I was a early adopter to TG-16, I had already fell in love with turbochip games, and dropped the $300(I waited for price drop) on the CD-ROM and Ys was the singular greatest 16-bit console video game moment in my life by 1991. Local store had Rondo to rent when it came out, and I did and I LOVED IT! Prices where already getting $100+ even then, so I waited for a local friend to sell me his copy since I had already experienced it, no need to run and pay "new" prices.

Rondo was on my top 5 ever since playing it, and still is. As for the "disappointment" portion of the question; Stuff like Falcon, Gunboat, Ballistic, TV Sports, the Icom releases...are some fail for sure, but I never thought they would be good. So no, I've never been disappointed with my obey experience.

[Corredor X]

I always wanted a TG16/PCE, since they were so scarce here back in the day. From Bonk to Snatcher, every magazine article I read about it was amazing. When I got into emulation, I played some hucard games of the plataform and was hooked; but when I played Rondo on a self-emulated file someone made, way before the launch of the PSP version, I decided to get the real console. I was not disappointed at all with the "rest" of the library, it amazes me all the time because of the huge amount of nice games it has and that I'm discovering and enjoying little by little.

[NightWolve]

I was very proud of my Dracula X purchase in the 90's. It was the first time I decided to buy an import after seeing it in magazines and talking to sellers over the phone I found from EGM/GameFan advertising sections. Also the first time I was willing to spend $85 bucks for a videogame and having done that, I was later comfortable in also buying Ys IV for $55 from TZD.

How I felt when I first fired it up on my Turbo Duo, well, I was bothered by not seeing the whip enhancements I saw in Castlevania IV for SNES, but with redbook audio music, cut scenes, multiple paths, an epic final battle with Dracula, I was plenty impressed with it!

When I think of what defines the Castlevania experience, it's Dracula X, Symphony of the Night, CS4, along with the first NES version which had the right difficultly level to make it a memorable bastard (Those bats! Damn those bats!)! I think Dracula X might be a tad too easy, but it's a masterpiece and I'm glad that Konami closed out the PC Engine CD console with it.

[nopepper]

When I think of what defines the Castlevania experience, it's Dracula X, Symphony of the Night, CS4, along with the first NES version which had the right difficultly level to make it a memorable bastard (Those bats! Damn those bats!)! I think Dracula X might be a tad too easy, but it's a masterpiece and I'm glad that Konami closed out the PC Engine CD console with it.

Couldn't agree more. IMO, Dracula X, SotN and CS4 are all equally as good, in their own way, and absolute must plays for anybody who is into video games.

The original Castlevania is such a tough, annoying bitch, that it is just immensely satisfying when you finally crack it.

[TheAlphaOmegaX3]

Being Castlevania is my favorite series of all time, it IS how I first learned of the PC-Engine. I originally knew of and wanted a TG-16 and it was years later that PCE was even on my radar. I own every Castlevania game and all but 5 are unboxed. Being a massive fan, I wanted to play each and everyone but I was not just going to drop cash on a system for just one game. This has never been an issue though lol, because of my love for gaming I always found plenty of great games and have kept all my systems since 1985 and have added a few older than that.  After just a little research on the PCE/TG16 library,  I was totally blown away of how many amazing games I was missing out on that I could not get any where else! To cut to the point, I almost missed one of the most amazing consoles that no one talks about enough. Now I own a beautiful briefcase setup that PCEngineFX Keith Courage has restored and am in gaming heaven. So take it as you will. Dracula X for me was more important than just a outstanding game. For me, it was the gateway into a new unexplored exciting world of PC Engine and a great group of gamer's to speak with.

[SignOfZeta]

It was the last "real" game in the series, that's all that has to be said. CVIV is a wonky mess of bullshit (that whip is dump guys, no joke) and once CotN came out it became a different series.

Have you been let down by every other game on the console?

I'm not qualified to answer your first question, but I will say I was let down by Rondo.  It's a great game, but when I first played it I thought to myself "So this is the game everybody is bouncing off their cocks about?  Give me a break!".

My thoughts exactly. It's a good game but is it really that good? I must admit I'm not too familiar with the Castlevania series but it doesn't come across as particularly special. That said I'm only on stage 2...

Maybe you should have waited the extra three minutes it takes to beat stage 3 of this decades old game before forming your opinion. That way you'd be %50 more informed.

Man, WTF...


Hey guys, I just wanted to take the time to mention...Star Wars. What's the big deal? Sure, I've only seen that part where the kid is fighting with his parents about power converters or something, but does it really get that much better?

[esteban]

 

[NightWolve]

Lol.

[Dicer]

I got Rondo on release (I worked at a Game Fan store) and as far as 8/16bit games go, Rondo has some of the best overall presentation, the music the little attentions to detail and everything. It's really a shame the Turbo was handled the way it was in the US, if things had been done differently and more games came to the US market things could have been very different. I will always hold the PCE/TG as my favorite of the 8/16's because the library speaks to me in a way the others do not, despite having a limited US/English presence.

 

[Astronaut_79]

I have been dreaming of playing Dracula X on an actual console for decades! I've played the emulated version on PSP, Wii and PC. Castlevania is my favorite game series and I own them all, and have beaten each one, other than Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2. The first game I asked my parents to get for the NES in '87  was Castlevania. I am in the process of buying a Duo to play my copy of Dracula X for the first time. It's the only CV game I don't have a console for.

For me, DX is the main reason I am getting into the PC Engine. The reason so many CV fans freak out about this game is because it is undoubtedly the finest of the 16-bit era. That's saying a lot considering Bloodlines and CVIV, two very good adventures. I read about this coming out in a magazine and was blown away by the graphics and first impressions. Two or three years later I played Dracula X on the SNES and was kind of disappointed. I played the real deal for the first time emulated many years later and was amazed! I don't consider it the best title in the series, but it's definitely up there. In some small part due to serving as the true prequel to Symphony of the Night.

I never really had a chance to play the TG-16, save for a time at a Toys 'R Us with a few minutes of Bonk. There were a couple of kids in school that had them. But most people had SNES, so I got to play the two CV titles on there when we would switches consoles for a week or so. At home I was enjoying bloody Mortal Kombat and Dragon's Fury on my Genesis. I knew Sega had a CD add-on, but had never heard of TG-16 CD.

So while I'm not a noob to gaming and I grew up in the 16-bit era, you can absolutely include me in the group of those whose primary reason for owning a PCE is Dracula X. There are other games I am looking to play, like Splatterhouse, and of course Bonk. Faussette Armour and Renny Blaster look cool too. Can you tell I like platformers and brawlers?

I certainly can't speak to how Richter stacks up to the rest of the library. Still, I have to imagine with the number of "Top PC Engine Games" lists that I have seen which rank it at #1, it has introduced a good deal of hardcore CV fans like myself to that (all due respect), "other" 16-bit console from the 90's.

I will be sure and let you know my impressions once I get my new Duo and play a few levels.

[Gredler]

Castlevania IV is better than rondo, and bonks Adventure is better than both. Vigilante makes all three look lame. Madonna needs your help!