Man, I didn't remember how rough Dracula X was. I played through it exactly once, probably 20 years ago, and I remember it feeling...off back then, too (I had only heard about Rondo once in Gamepro before then, and didn't really know what it was, so I didn't have it to compare Dracula X to back then). I played through it today for shits and giggles, and egggh, I didn't really like it that much.
CotM was always my favorite of the GBA games, but now I think it's Aria. I mean, I still don't like the story, but damn, that's a fun game to play, and a great castle to explore. Both CotM and Aria were really solid.