Dracula X Hu Card

CrackTiger · 08/14/2005, 04:15 PM

Back in the heyday of the Turbografx Network, I put together an eBay auction for a Dracula X Hu Card as a parody of the different types of ridiculous sellers & scammers of the Turbo community.

It spun out of control though, since I've found the Hu Card mentioned as real several times over the years since. Some people even saying that my auction and mock pics were inspired by reports/rumours of the real thing.

Except of course, as anyone involved in Turbo/PCE since day one can tell you, there never has been any mention in any media of anything like this and I know for a fact that I completely made it up on the spot.

Since html was new to me, I actually made a real eBay auction, cancelled it immediately and copy & pasted it into macromedia to edit. I think that people finding it in eBay's history made them think it was real...

Anyways, while looking for SCD Namida pics I found the html for it, so if you're interested in seeing what all the fuss was about, here it is-

/turboduo/dracxhu.html

The sad part though, is that at the time eBay sellers like adol were about as bad as it got for legitimate auctions, but today its worse than ever with losers like bullseye_collectibles and some of the other small time american PCE sellers who hype the shit out of unrare games and set ridiculously high minimum bids for games trying to trick the uninformed into buying something under the assumption that it must be rare and that this is their only chance.

esteban · 08/14/2005, 06:59 PM

I would have thought that was real! I'm serious! Sad but true...

ParanoiaDragon · 08/14/2005, 08:40 PM

Yeah, I remember that back in the day, when I was generally known as projectblowed_mc, I guess I can see how people would've thought that was real. There's been plenty of rumors over the years of different proto's & what not.

Keranu · 08/14/2005, 10:13 PM

I remember that big Magic Engine thread for this, but unfortunately I never got to see this stuff when it was fresh. Anyways I would have probably thought this was real too, but what would have thrown me off was the fact you could play as Simon (although the screenshot edits were well done and really fit in with the game, so I would have still believed it), the fact that it's labeled "SPECIAL VERSION" (seems like Japanese would have said something else), and how the text for "SPECIAL VERSION" doesn't quite fit in. Also if I did see this back then, I would have probably been a nerd and read the back of the HuCard and use translators to figure out if it said anything about Dracula X. Other than that, I would have totally believed it because the story sounds believable like other PCE cases and the photo editing was really well done. By the way, what's with the $20 shipping!?

Haha.

CrackTiger · 08/14/2005, 11:20 PM

Quote from: "Keranu"I remember that big Magic Engine thread for this, but unfortunately I never got to see this stuff when it was fresh. Anyways I would have probably thought this was real too, but what would have thrown me off was the fact you could play as Simon (although the screenshot edits were well done and really fit in with the game, so I would have still believed it), the fact that it's labeled "SPECIAL VERSION" (seems like Japanese would have said something else), and how the text for "SPECIAL VERSION" doesn't quite fit in. Also if I did see this back then, I would have probably been a nerd and read the back of the HuCard and use translators to figure out if it said anything about Dracula X. Other than that, I would have totally believed it because the story sounds believable like other PCE cases and the photo editing was really well done. By the way, what's with the $20 shipping!? Haha.

The Japanese actually labelled a series of promo versions of HuCards as "SPECIAL VERSION" and on each one, the logo across the HuCard actually looks phonier than the one I put together. Take a look, this guys selling at least 4 of them-

http://stores.ebay.com/THE-DREAM-STARS_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

As for the back of the HuCard, most games use a generic template and I scanned my Salamander HuCard so that it was exactly how a Drac X HuCard would look(Konami).

The $20 shipping for something that would require $0.75 postage is another classic scam these guys pull. Either listing a ridiculously high shipping price with a low bid amount to avoid eBay fees or the type who don't specify an amount, but later invoice you for something huge(again, against eBay's rules) and will leave you negative feedback if you don't pay.

This happens to me all the time where an auction lists $3 - $5 shipping within the U.S., but will ship worldwide. So I buy it and then they tell me that it'll cost $15 to ship and of course the postage turns out to be $3.95. Again, if you leave appropriate feedback you get retalitory negative feedback because eBay only cares about $ from sellers.

When it comes to over the top hyping and outright lying in descriptions, I remember back around the time eBay was created and the only place online I knew about for Turbo trading & discussion was the Turbo Compendium(back when I was using my trusty Sega Netlink).

Adol used to sell a bunch of stuff there before switching to eBay. And he would sell 'factory sealed' PCE games that didn't have spines. When he was called on it, his angry explanation was that "spine cards aren't used in France", so of course when these Japanese games went to retail in that country, logically they wouldn't have had spine cards.

So basically this guy was just shrink wrapping up a bunch of incomplete used games and selling them as brand new without any pictures(before cheap scanners and digital cameras).

And when he did finally switch to eBay, his descriptions were always "super ultra rare!!!... one of a kind!!!... never found complete... etc..."

CrackTiger · 08/14/2005, 11:33 PM

/sv3.jpg
/dracxhc.jpg

CrackTiger · 08/14/2005, 11:44 PM

I just found another pic that someone requested at the time:

/dm.jpg

esteban · 08/14/2005, 11:58 PM

I always knew Doraemon kicked ass! This is further evidence...

Keranu · 08/15/2005, 08:40 AM

I always knew about the "Special Version" HuCards released, but I didn't know that the actual HuCard had the text "Special Version" on them, especially phony looking text!

Yay for Doraemon!

CrackTiger · 08/15/2005, 08:54 AM

Quote from: "Keranu"I always knew about the "Special Version" HuCards released, but I didn't know that the actual HuCard had the text "Special Version" on them, especially phony looking text!

Yay for Doraemon!

Yeah, the first tme I saw them on eBay for like $1500, I thought they were fakes.

GUTS · 08/15/2005, 04:06 PM

AND MORE OF THAT!!! Haha, I remember that guy, I wonder what ever happened to Adol?

ParanoiaDragon · 08/15/2005, 08:31 PM

Adol stole a grip of money from my cousin, for Gradius 2, & I think another game as well. Bastard.

CrackTiger · 08/15/2005, 08:43 PM

Quote from: "GUTS"AND MORE OF THAT!!! Haha, I remember that guy, I wonder what ever happened to Adol?

He was getting suspended fairly regularly until the last time when he didn't bother to get reinstated. Like most guys, he probably just started up a new account under an alias and sells more than ever.

Ninja Spirit · 08/15/2005, 09:52 PM

Akumajo Doraemon X!!! w00t!

Know what hoax box I'd like to see? A Photoshop made up Dracula X in the form of an American Duo game box (the style used in US Riot Zone, Dynastic Hero etc.) as if the game got localized. But call it "Castlevania: The Rondo of Blood", if they did decide to localize it that's probably what they'd call it.

NeoFreak · 08/15/2005, 10:21 PM

funny shit; you did a pretty good job with the HuCard label too. the simon's quest character sprite throws it over the edge though.

CrackTiger · 08/15/2005, 10:22 PM

Quote from: "Ninja Spirit"Akumajo Doraemon X!!! w00t!

Know what hoax box I'd like to see? A Photoshop made up Dracula X in the form of an American Duo game box (the style used in US Riot Zone, Dynastic Hero etc.) as if the game got localized. But call it "Castlevania: The Rondo of Blood", if they did decide to localize it that's probably what they'd call it.

Except, it should have awful U.S, art, like the early pencil crayon Turbografx covers or something.

And since Konami USA hates all original Vampire Killer titles, it'd wind up as something like "Next Generation" or "Blood Night".

CrackTiger · 08/15/2005, 10:24 PM

Quote from: "NeoFreak"funny shit; you did a pretty good job with the HuCard label too. the simon's quest character sprite throws it over the edge though.

Yeah I know, but it was inspired by the Castlevania 1 Simon sprite from Harmony Of Dissonance.