Dracula X Nocturne in the Moonlight Ultimate - Sega Saturn
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ม.ค. 2024
- Take the Extended version released a few years back and add an English translation, 4MB RAM support, and much more!
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Opening "Sega" jingle is from Astal for the Sega Saturn.
Ending Music during the credits is from Batman for the Sega Genesis.
SLX Logo
By: Jan Neves
TH-cam Page - / jan3d
Intro by Evan S.
portfolio.tsestudios.com/
Outro Animation by Kevin Bhall
TH-cam Page - / nigh11
Episode Notes:
1. Captured on real hardware.
2. Meduza Team TH-cam:
• Dracula X: Nocturne in...
3. Hack done by Paul Met.
4. Notes:
- Fully translation into English
-Restoration of translucency of many objects
-Direct access to the global map
-Finalization of the global map
-Restoration of the original proportions of some sprites
-Removing horizontal black bars of the screen
-Skipping videos and dialogues
-Access to Richter's alternate costume
-Reduced loading time
-Support for 4MB expansion card
-Bug fixes
-Hard Mode - เกม
I played through this a few days ago (206%) and really enjoyed the improvements. I'd still only recommend it to those who have been through the PS1 game though, just to see the changes exclusive to this one. The PS1 game still *plays* much better. I wrote up a review and will have it in an episode some day.
good to see this channel in these comments.
Two of my favourite channels covering this mod?! Amazing.
Looking forward!
Sounds great 😎
Game Sack is retro gaming royalty at this point and it’s always a big event when Game Sack posts a comment on a Sega Lord X video, especially for the Saturn.
This hack got updated on February 25th to version 1.1:
Improved overall performance in the game (increased CPU frequency);
The voids at the top of the screen in some locations have been removed;
Improved difficulty mode (enemies deal 2 times more damage);
Added translucency of clouds against the background of the moon (flickering);
Added translucency to the large window in Count Dracula's apartment;
The name of the current location is now displayed in teleportation rooms;
Fixed the flame palette in the prologue (before the picture burns);
Fixed a bug with the palette of a huge skull in an inverted castle;
Fixed minor bugs in pop-up messages;
I haven't tried it, but it should be even better now.
Bummer that they didn't use the PS1 original voice work, or give an option of a second patch with it on there. I personally prefer the PS1 voices over the PSP one. It also better reflects the "what if this was made in the west" as it was the dub from that era.
"I've come to prefer the PSP vocals myself" Rare L from Sega Lord X 😭
2023 was the year for Saturn for me. Looks like 2024 will be more of the same. I’m definitely going to be playing through this sotn, maybe this weekend. I’ve actually been pretty burned out on it for the last couple of years because I’ve played the ps1 version so many times. I’ve played around with the Saturn one, but lost my save. Now I have a reason to go back and play front to back
How would one get these improved versions? Roms burned to a disc?
Only 28 years too late for it to matter.
@@bagingospringo4396 I play it on my fenrir ODE
@@Maulbert you think it would’ve mattered 28 years ago if I got a Saturn instead of a ps1? I don’t think it would. Or is it someone hacking the less than perfect SOTN port? Honestly, I think it matters. Lots of people are getting into it and e rewriting the history of a pretty maligned console and even more maligned version of a game that could’ve been better.
Now we need an Ultimate Saturn Doom.
Wow. This looks amazing. Now all we need is the decompilation of the PS1 SOTN project finished, so that we can a combination of PS1 & SAT versions of SOTN! Imagine having PS1 & SAT versions, all of the items, weapons, the best of both worlds, in one game!
It´s always nice to see, how dedicated fans of retro games are.
I hope to see more extended versions of retro games.
Why would the choose the PSP voice acting over the PlayStation voice acting? Are they mad?
PS1 memes aside, the PSP version's voice-acting is much more professional. It's also got exclusive cutscene that weren't in the former, so their hands were tied on this part.
Because it closer in content to the original Japanese script.
It's nice to see passionate fans like this. kudos for them to make this ,and kudos to you for showing it.
for newcomers, play the PSX version first. That way you can enjoy this version even more.
Its not perfect, and definitely not the "Ultimate" version. But we welcome the hardwork and dedication.
Also this version is basically a brand new game built from the ground up. Older save files will not work on this version.
Happy New Year.
The save files are compatible even with the original version of the game.
@@GameSack strangely it didn't work for me. It was a completed 211.2% file too.
Other than that, no big deal, I backed up my file and started fresh
It's possible the transparent layer problem with VDP1 and 2 are why the water and Alucard mist form are still mesh. if they can't find a way around that problem then it will have to stay as mesh to avoid things being eaten up by the transparent effect.
Now is a great time to own a Sega console. The Genesis and Dreamcast keep getting awesome new games. And while the Saturn's hardware makes homebrewing new games challenging, there seems to be a translation of a Japanese game every few months, which is as good as a new game for English speakers.
Not Sega, but, like the Saturn, the Japanese PC Engine library is also getting translated. For consoles where most games are Japanese exclusives, this breathes new life into them.
There’s actually a pretty healthy homebrew scene. In fact, the 29th annual Saturn game dev competition concludes in only a couple weeks - lots of hacks/translations, but also a lot of original games and interesting ports.
What a strong video that covers so much ground. Thank you!
I knew you were going to do a video on this! I was waiting for it!
I had a feeling this would be the next video made after it was released, been playing it non stop for 2 days it’s really good.
How do I get involved with something like this?
Within the past two weeks we got updated patches for Saturn Bomberman Fight! & Mobile Suit Gundam translations, this SOTN patch, and yesterday someone dropped their WIP port of X Men The Arcade Game. Amazing time for the Saturn.
Good video! Glad you're bringing attention to this hack! I just learned about about this hack a few days ago and it looks great! I've been wanting to revisit Symphony of the Night, so wanted to give this version a whirl. I've always wanted to check out the Saturn-exclusive areas. Even though the PS1 voices are campy, I still think Alucard's original voice actor is the amazing!
I love ur videos! Continuously making great gaming content
Ha, was wondering if you were going to cover this. Between this, the abundance of fan translations and projects like the Konami X-Men Saturn homebrew port that got revealed today, Saturn fans have been feasting.
Thank you for this :)
I’ve been waiting for the official SLX word on this new Castlevania patch, as he is such a dedicated fan. I’m sold and agree this is just about as good as the Saturn translation is likely to be, until someone out there creates a new version from scratch and coded in Assembly. Thanks for the video!
Been playing this on MiSTer not long ago, I'm really impressed with the time taken to get it like this. I always have love for the PSX version, but this is refreshing and different.
The PSX version is still the definitive edition and likely always will be, but as a huge fan of the Saturn and Castlevania its great to see the so much effort and care going into enhancing this version.
The Saturn version had the potential to outdo the Playstation version in every way. It's a shame they didn't put any effort into it.
Why is it still the definitive version? The Saturn version has more content, and with the improvements happening now the technical advantages are disappearing quickly.
@@danielkelly6523 The Saturn version still has visual artifacting and terrible performance. While they've improved it a lot, I'm not sure it's possible to fix those without rewrites which would require access to the source code. The Saturn version should be 10x better than it is, but Konami put pretty much zero effort into it. Fixing the artifacting and performance might not be possible with what the modders have access to.
@@StormsparkPegasus Fair enough!
What about the psp version? I haven't played it in a while, but I remember thinking that it was a little better than the playstation, plus it had Maria mode
I did not know about this and will be downloading it ASAP. Absolutely rad
as a long time fan , one thing that strikes me is a slight difference in pitch in Alucard's grunts. The western Playstation version was pitched down a tad
It’s amazing that people make fanmade translations and upgrades to the Saturn. Some of these are even released in disc form that can play on an actual Saturn!
I'm currently playing it to see if it's perfect.Thanks for the info about the slowdown and the underground water part
Its incredible that how much work and effort these programmers did to increase more variety to game. We really need to give them these guys lots of credits for creating this incredible patches.
Google recommended this oddly enough the other day and I thought immediately of you because I forgot your opinion on the Saturn one but I knew you would probably cover it!!😊
This is cool. I’ve only played the original PlayStation version and it’s one of my all time fav games. Thanks for covering 🤩
I played this and the PS1 version is still superior in every aspect.
Best Sega YT channel = Sega Lord X
That looks damn awesome!
Glad to see you're reviewing this, there are some various patches for this game & I don't know what the differences are.
This is a fantastic translation, which even can use the 4meg cart!
Saga Saturn is a console that I haven't actually played before so you wouldn't think that something like transparencies could be such a big deal, especially when you've usually taken them for granted. They look fantastic here in this new version and have demonstrated what TLC can really do.
This games a masterpiece. Phenomenal soundtrack.
Hands down one of the top 5 greatest games in 1997. 2D game that isbcritally acclaimed during the 3D era.
@@maroon9273 it’s in my top 5 of all time.
It is truly a masterpiece that it's considered one of the best game of all time regardless of the genre.
I was just playing this myself and even with the 4 MB cartridge, that first large wolf with alucard has significant lag.
Also had quite a bit of lag with the initial fight with Dracula.
Only played it for maybe 7 minutes with the cartridge and two or three minutes without.
I did notice however once you leave the outside area where the first wolf is and fight the wolves inside the next area there is no lag.
Also, the YZB 4mb hack had significantly less slow down.
I honestly can't recall a time I had slowed down in that version and I almost completely beat it before knight of dragoon released the English patch.
I've played the 4MB hacks from everyone and they all have the slowdown. Every single one. The only time this game doesn't have it is when you play it via emulation.
What some clever sod needs to do is port all the additional content from the Saturn version to the PlayStation version. Now THAT would be the ultimate version.
I've always thinked the same
Or even the psp and xbox 360 version.
We will get updates in the next months, their ultimate version is called 1.0 which implies that something else will come. All meshes could be dropped for sure and I am sure that the next update will be about them. Great video bro as usual 👍
Still my favorite game of all time.
Idk how but I had this game.
And more ridiculously, I sold it.
The pawn shop near me got over so much.
I wish they had used the original Playstation versions translation. I hate the PSP translation.
i just got my first saturn and my fenrir arrived the day this was released, it feels like a good omen
hey your new outtro is awesome
Its amazing that amateurs can fix this game, but a fully funded studio couldnt do it right the first time. It'll never happen, but konami could fix this by re-releasing this on the saturn, rebuilt from the ground up, the way it should have been.
Hello Lord x I must say it really is a great time for the Saturn and dreamcast
Finally and it looks awesome
Happy new year
Can't wait to play it on the RG Arc! I see there is also a release of Return Fire too recently.
Thanks!
You bet!
i've always wanted a definitive version of SotN with the Saturn extras
This is awesome. Burned it to a Disc and have been playing it all day on my Saturn. I played this game on the Xbox 360 Arcade version, but this is so much better on Original Saturn Hardware with an OSSC. Incredible. One of the best games of all time!
PSOne version had the better voices hands down, but seeing the Saturn version have an English voice over is a treat. I think there's going to be further improvements. If one downloads this ISO and burns it, can you play it on an unmodded Saturn?
US Saturn can't play burnt discs or imports without mod chips or various carts. I chipped several consoles many years ago but I think there's all sorts of carts now that do basically everything if you're cool burning discs.
You can flash an action replay 4-1 cart so that it can play burned discs. That's about as close to unmodded as you'll get.
The ironic part, is that the Granfaloon was added to SOTN as a benchmark.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:01 🕹️ *Introduction to Sega Saturn Dev Community Growth*
- Acknowledging the growth of the Sega Saturn Dev Community.
- Mentioning the improvements and patches in games over the years.
- Introducing the specific focus on "Dracula X Nocturne in the Moonlight."
01:42 🎮 *Dracula X Nocturne in the Moonlight Extended Version*
- Overview of Dracula X Nocturne in the Moonlight extended for the Sega Saturn.
- Highlighting improvements in transparencies, loading times, and quality of life.
- Noting the limitation of leaving the entire game in Japanese.
03:29 🌟 *Introduction to Dracula X Nocturne in the Moonlight Ultimate Version 1.0*
- Presenting Dracula X Nocturne in the Moonlight Ultimate Version 1.0.
- Teasing why this release is considered the very best to date.
- Encouraging viewers to explore the improvements in the ultimate version.
04:49 🖼️ *Showcase of Improved Effects*
- Demonstrating the improvements in graphical effects and transparencies.
- Showing enhanced transparency in various elements like fire, smoke, and enemies.
- Emphasizing the impact of these fixes on the overall visual experience.
05:51 🚀 *Additional Improvements and Enhancements*
- Highlighting minor improvements, including better load times for 4 MB RAM users.
- Discussing modifications to the map for improved navigation.
- Mentioning the removal of black bars for a full-screen experience.
07:25 🎙️ *English Translation and Audio Changes*
- Introducing the English translation sourced from the PSP edition.
- Discussing the translation of voices, conversation windows, items, and menus.
- Comparing the voice work between the PlayStation and PSP editions.
08:47 🌐 *Remaining Challenges and Performance Issues*
- Addressing remaining challenges, such as the water mesh in the underground cavern.
- Acknowledging ongoing performance issues and slowdowns.
- Discussing graphical inconsistencies and resolution-related concerns.
10:26 🏆 *Dracula X Nocturne in the Moonlight Ultimate Verdict*
- Summarizing the Ultimate Edition as a culmination of years of work.
- Expressing appreciation for transparency improvements and English translation.
- Acknowledging the limitations and challenges that persist in the Saturn version.
Made with HARPA AI
saturn is one of those systems I never owned but always wanted. I guess it's time to emulate :D
I suspect that it's underlying issue is that the PS1 version was designed as a 3D game with polygons that operate as a 2D side scroller. So, I think the only way to correct the deficiencies would be to redo the game from scratch as a proper 2D game.
Perhaps someone can use the current Sega Genesis work in progress as a starting point for this.
Man, I like Saturn so much, so much, that I disassembled mine this week, I dedicated time to the total teardown, cleaning the contacts, components, optical reader, cartridge slot, lubricated the external part and also the plates, clean and without oxidation. It's all new now. The games are incredibly good, the public doesn't even know most of them, as the catalog is large and quite varied. Look at this Dracula X, for example, what a great game. Thanks Bro, awesome video, as usual.
Thanks for sharing the love
I often say my favourite system of all time is generally a tie between the Mega drive, Sega Saturn and PlayStation 2 And as you can imagine I get a lot of weird looks until I explain about the Japanese library and the incredible exclusive games it still has And now with these English translations and improvement patches happening It's definitely the time to own the system
Heh, I saw this on another channel, glad to see your take Lordster! Thanks... SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
I kinda like the dithering lol but the transparencies look amazing
Been listening to this game's soundtrack for 2 decades, but still haven't played it, despite wanting to. For all the doom and gloom around gaming sometimes, they're still, at the end of the day, cranking out masterpieces faster than I can get through them. I should stop allowing this one to be pushed down the list.
Digital Foundry did a video on this game some years ago (comparing PlayStation vs. Saturn version). The game runs in 256x240p. This resolution was chosen so that the team could use Rondo of Blood assets. The problem? Sega Saturn doesn't support this resolution. The lowest that the system can go is 320x240 I believe. There were other factors that contributed to lack luster release (PS1's architecture being quite different compared to Sega's counterpart), but this was the most difficult one to swallow.
a port of Rockman X had the game in bordered windows to keep the proper resolution and aspect ratio.
@@DragonSlayerKyo Plus, it was a 1998. Saturn was all but dead system at that point. Not because of Sony's marketing, but of internal power struggle within Sega. The company was going through what could be described as the Yugoslav wars. Japanese are different from humans (yes, I purposely used that term). In Nihon, boss or the CEO isn't just a senior executive. They're more akin to Shogun or the god-emperor. His word is final and EVERYBODY HAS TO COMPLY. Even if he's 110% wrong. This is why Japan has a high suicide rate. Conformity and collectivism is their crack pipe.
This is why JPN 🇯🇵 is regressing as a nation and society... sigh...😮💨
@@JustPeasantin 1998 Saturn wasn't dead in Japan.
@@xuano666 ... ...Japan is an isolated archipelago country. Barely counts as the big market.
@@JustPeasant not in the nineties.
i think they should have an option to turn the black bars back on
its looks really strange some places, like above draculas area at the beginning
i had not watched until the end, i see you address this
Did 187.7% last night. Life long Saturn owner and fan. Had not played the PSX original. The slowdown is tough at times, but I totally enjoyed it!
Good see a improvement.
Still waiting for Princess Crown translation.
Same I'm also looking forward to Soul hackers and that one strategy RPG I can never remember the name of but it's German apparently
To be fair I would have said Dracula X on the Saturn SHOULD have been the DEFINITIVE version given what a 2D monster the Saturn was plus no load time.
If the developers code it from the ground up not using the ps1 source code.
It mostly comes down to the fact it was a rushed port and how the 2D was done on the PlayStation it uses 3D polygons with a sprite put on top of it so as far as the Saturn is concerned it's running a 3D game not a 2D game The game would need to be built from The ground up using actual 2D sprites for it to fix the slow down
Castelvania SoTN is one of those game I can see people rewritting completly as an open source project. Would be awesome.
I'd bought a Pseudo Saturn cart early last year and talked a friend into getting one as well. I've burned a copy of the disc for him, as well as I. I've been pretty impressed with what I've seen so far.
I suspect this port was originally not suppose to be a rush job and that's why it has more content but at some point something changed and maybe Konami told the team you only have half the time they originally said! These hacks are impressive but I really wish Konami would release the Saturn source code so the fans can really turn this version into what it should have been!
That's almost assuredly what happened. During its development it became clear that Sega was dropping the DC in Japan in late 1998, so Konami cut the time and released the game as it was.
I ask on Medusa Team site about these bugs and they say "Fog and water cannot be made translucent without introducing additional bugs."
Anyway, thanks for this video comparisons. I'm playing Medusa Ultimate 1.0 via Mednafen, since i don't have a Saturn console and works very well. After play this game on PS1 era, PS1 emulator and Android version, i will give a chance for Saturn version, now better than never.
While I applaud all the effort that went into this, calling it "ultimate" is kind of a stretch considering that the pixel art is still distorted (eg. stairs).
Too bad they used the PSP localisation instead of the original PS1 one but it's an improvement from the original Saturn release that's for sure
It's strange they never used the 360 codes which is more closer to the ps1.
I wish the PS1 original version would get some sort of director’s cut. It would contain the voice acting of the PSP version and have Maria as a playable character. And maybe add the exclusive area of the Sega Saturn version too.
Can confirm if you want to emulate this, that it's 100% compatible with the already available RetroAchievements set for the Japanese version.
I like that it has the psp translation
Legendary
Look's amazing
God Bless the people who do stuff like this. If actual companies refuse to do it, let it be the people and the peoples.
Greetings from Brazil
Been playing it for a few days now and I can confidently say, this is the Ultimate way to play this game on Saturn hardware! Nice review. Fun to hear other's thoughts and to learn some of the reason/ideas about why things are the way they are.
Looks awesome! Unfortunately it doesn't run on the Polymega or is there someone who got it to work there?
Oooo exciting 😮
y had one question about the mod, does eliminate the 240p to 480i resolution change of the menu for the OSSC?
Yes.
Im happy to see this but let me ask an honest question, why play this over the ps1 release?
You don't. You play it in addition to.
Hopefully one day we will you make a then and now series on your old favourites. Mario,sonic and mortal kombat. There’s a lot of classic games getting modern versions at the minute
I have a small test run of the sega saturn version on my channel somewhere. Wasnt too bad. I liked playing with Richter. Hes a beast. At least in the beginning. Lol
I've been playing it for a few days now and I agree with most of your take. I wish the resoultion could be bumped up a bit. I'm using medfan and the image is soft on my PC. Still, this version is so much fun because of the extra levels. I give it a B+.
2D games don't upscale the same as polygons they can look a little sharper but it won't be a dramatic difference
I ask myself If the 4meg ram cartridge could not help improve the slowdowns and cut a bit more Of the load times to something like the instant/almost instant Of the PSX
This is very interesting, but I'm wondering how the Maria boss fight was handled. Did they somehow keep it in or was it removed? The reason was because I remember the Japanese version had added dialogue before and after the boss fight.
Can the transparencies be fixed by using composite or is it a hardware issue?
Could these fixes be done in hardware or is it fully emulator work arounds? Would like to know how they fixed the transparency issues since it's a major flaw between VDP1 and VDP2.
Thanks to this review I got the final push I needed to beat this game for the first time ever after stoping and starting at least 10 times and it was nice to spend some quality time with the ole Saturn. That said I wish I’d played the ps1 version first because at points the Saturn version is almost unplayable because the slow down causes you to mistime jumps and attacks. Somehow the story hadn’t been spoiled for me and imagine my surprise when the big flip came and I realized I was only halfway done and the true challenge was ahead. I’d wager the ps1 version is 9.5/10 because even with the performance issues I’d give the Saturn version an 8/10. Glad I finally experienced this wonderful game and I can now mark this off the backlog thanks SegaLordX
Ficou muito boa essas melhorias, parece lisinha tambem a gameplay
A few years ago I told people a patched Saturn version could end up being more definitive than the PS1 version and got laughed at. I'm guessing it's better now or at least a coin flip given the pluses and minuses vs PS original.
I'm grabbing a DREAMCAST AND SATURN soon before it to late
If they fixed the slowdown and more of the transparency issues then this might actually become a slightly better port than the Playstation version.
They even need to remake the game from scratch or the source code needs to be leaked
I played through the orginal japanese version with a guide. Checking the map was the most brutal part.
man this game was good. Incidentally, had a question:
This is in no way to diminish the hard work these guys put into the Ultimate Version 1.0, but if they could fix one transparency issue, why couldn’t they fix them all?
The Saturn renders the screen differently case to case. Small changes like the item boxes really don't cover any sprites to become problematic. Something like the water, however, would basically mean you'd lose any sprites behind, or they'd become color distorted. Not saying it can't be done, just that the programmers here are working with what they know.
That's great they are using the RAM cart for this! Is that common for modders to do?