Topic: Is Dracula XX really that bad?

[TheouAegis]

Many of them were tedious, ESPECIALLY dracula(though nowhere near as hard as CV3 drac).

I played CV3 on an emulator twice this last week (I have the actual game cart, one of the few times I'm actually allowed to have the ROM  ), and granted I did play with save states. And granted I used them quite often, but mostly on the stair climbing stages (forget Medusa heads, I hate those freaking gargoyles with shields) or when trying to kill bosses in 2 hits (holy water is just cheap, seriously, kill a boss with just 2 hearts!). But I found Dracula's battle to be definitely tedious but definitely not hard. You stand in close to him, hit him a few times, dodge the first 2 walls of fire, stand right next one of the walls and keep hitting Dracula, then dodge the 3rd wall of fire and keep hitting Dracula until the fires go down, then quickly run away while he teleports. After phase, hurl axes or holy water at the floating head thing and keep moving back and forth and jumping to throw off its movement pattern. I think Sypha is the easiest to kill this with unless you have the axe, maybe, but the first two heads will die quickly if you can chuck a couple holy waters under it. Then in his third form, you just have to watch the lasers and either jump early to throw them off or jump after they fire. There seems to be no good character for this one, although I'm sure the axe would be good to have, and Vlad is just cheap if you can get there with level 2 or level 3 fireballs -- stand in the corner and keep attacking.

But I've always hated platforming boss battles. Always felt it showed a lack of creativity in the bosses. "What? You can't make a boss that can kill me so you make a room that can?"

[Ridureyu]

with CV3 Drac, I do best with Simon and Grant. With Grant, I want the axe and triple shot, and then his second two forms die within seconds.

[PFG9000]

This has been quite the refreshing topic to read.  It's always good when there's a good debate going here, with both sides giving valid, well articulated points and keeping things civil.  I don't have much of an opinion on either Dracula XX or Rondo.  Neither are among my favorites in the series, Rondo because I've played it to death, and Dracula XX because I usually get frustrated halfway through and shut it down.  I do need to play through Dracula XX again though, and soon.  Rondo certainly has more work, more detail, more polish, and more everything when compared to Dracula XX.  But I really prefer the synths used in the Dracula XX versions, even though Rondo's are higher quality samples.  And just the fact that it's more classic Castlevania for me to play is enough to make me fire it up once in awhile.

Puwexil, welcome to the CVDF.  I've really enjoyed reading your posts and I hope you stick around.

Then in his third form, you just have to watch the lasers and either jump early to throw them off or jump after they fire. There seems to be no good character for this one, although I'm sure the axe would be good to have, and Vlad is just cheap if you can get there with level 2 or level 3 fireballs -- stand in the corner and keep attacking.

I've always used Trevor with the Axe, and no other helper characters, for all three forms of Drac.  Save up your axes for the third form.  Keep the timing of the lasers first on your mind, and use the platforms to get high enough up to hit Drac's head with an axe.  When he shoots his lasers, you'll probably have to jump down to the ground to avoid them.  Sometimes you can jump straight up just as the lasers are "warming up" so that they target the space in the air over your head and shoot there when you've landed, instead of shooting right at you.  Do this and you'll have hit him without taking any damage yourself.  Rinse, repeat.

[Ridureyu]

Yeah, what PGF9000 said.  I usually svae up enough hearts (about 40 or 50) so I can spam both of Dracula's second forms without a worry, though.  Triple Shot helps a lot, too.

[X]

with CV3 Drac, I do best with Simon and Grant.

Don't you mean 'Trevor' and Grant?

-X

[Ridureyu]

Nope. Simon.  The KOnami Code activates Simon mode, didn't you know that?

[X]

I really don't want to come off as being the 'village idiot' but...it does?!?

-X

[Ahasverus]

I really don't want to come off as being the 'village idiot' but...it does?!?

-X

Nop it doesn't  :trolled:

[X]

Yeah I was just throwing that in there But I did play a CVIII Simon hack a while ago so I guess Ridureyu is half right.

-X

[Munchy]

Drac XX is alright. It's far more playable than, say, CVA, though that game has the advantage of an original and awesome soundtrack.

I did discover that the way to beat Dracula easily is Axe spam.

[Ridureyu]

Yeah, I was being silly.  I felt embarrassed about screwing up Trevor's name (like I did with Soleiyu), so I made a patently obvious joke about it.

I mean, come on, Simon in CVIII would be about as probably as getting to play as Julius, Yoko, AND Alucard in the Soma games!

[Ridureyu]

Something I never noticed before.  You know how in Rondo, stage 1 mirrors one of the towns from CV2?  Well, in DX, stage 1 mirrors stage one in Castlevania 3.

[Profbeanburrito]

Something I never noticed before.  You know how in Rondo, stage 1 mirrors one of the towns from CV2?  Well, in DX, stage 1 mirrors stage one in Castlevania 3.

Yeah I always thought that was awesome

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

Stage 5 from DraculaXX also heavily resembles Block 9 from CVIII

The beginning area with the staircase that opens up into the courtyard with the eagles that drop the fleamen is the same as CVIII's only in CVIII it's harpies holding up the hunchbacks.


VS.

[X]

I noticed that too right off the bat. It was kinda neat to see them incorporate an older level into a newer game.

-X