isiolia wrote:My actually beating games went off the rails back in June or so when I reactivated my FFXI accounts (but, hey, all jobs 99 b>_>b ). I did play other stuff, but not much that I actually "beat". I do have a couple from a the fall that I neglected to list...
And that's why I stopped playing MMOs.
Blizzard Entertainment Software Developer - All comments and views are my own and not representative of the company.
MrPopo wrote:And that's why I stopped playing MMOs.
Hehe, yeah. Though a lot of the time I put into it this year was fairly mindless, so while my game beating went down, my catching up on TV series went way up
Tried to finish as many notable 2014 releases as I had access to over the holiday break. Also threw in a few Out Run ports I hadn't played, because Out Run.
South Park: Stick of Truth (360)
Probably the most accurate licensed game ever (not the best), Stick of Truth is essentially a season of the show in playable form.
Suitably for a game based around a show with such a flat aesthetic the gameplay is based off of Paper Mario with battles being turn based but being more interactive than your standard JRPG fare with timed button presses and combo attacks. It all works very well and is in line with the central theme of the kids playing at dress up.
The battle system isn't the deepest I've ever seen and it's also pretty easily manipulated. You fully regain health and PP after a battle so you're never going to be in a situation where you can't win and Kyle and Cartman are have some very powerful moves that you can spam effectively.
To make things even easier you can also add some very damaging status aliments and buffs to your weapon and armour that can make even the bosses a doddle. A lot of the ailments stack as well so you can pull off a shit tons of damage per round later on.
It all works though while the the weapon and armour menus are nice and easy to navigate. There's also quite a lot of gear customisation in the game as well which I always think is a bonus.
Still, while flimsy the combat is fun enough to push you through the 12 or so hours it'll take to beat. Exploring South Park itself is the real draw here and the town is depicted brilliantly. You will want to enter every building and talk to every character. Then there's the hilarious interlude in Canada which I won't ruin. That section probably provided the most laughs for me.
That said, the game wasn't quite as amusing as I'd hoped. It is funny but, Canada aside, I probably laughed more at the older jokes than the new. The game isn't unfunny, it just not as balls out as I thought it'd be. In fact I actually though some of the stuff later on was just a bit gross and obviously meant for shock value. Reminded me more of older South Parks or regular Family Guy.
I'm going to lay the blame at Obsidian's door for that lapse in writing quality. Obsidian also need to hire a better Q&A people because once again they have turned in yet another buggy game. It's not erase your save file buggy (New Vegas) but there are cutscenes that stutter and drops in audio here and there which really interrupt the flow.
The most annoying aspect of the game though doesn't have anything to do with the game but rather Europe's laughably backwards classification body that censored four separate scenes, all of which feature Randy Marsh's anus.
South Park is a really solid experience overall though. As with all comedy, it's sure to amuse or offend depending on the viewer, but as a RPG it's a very enjoyable, if short, romp. I'm totally super serial.
Shovel Knight (PC)
I've waxed lyrical about this in other threads. Shovel Knight is my 2014 game of the year and the sixth best I played overall. Yacht Club have taken the best parts of some of the NES's best games and refined them into a flawless action platformer. Marry that with possibly the best OST of the year, perfect difficulty, perfect length and pacing...it's just marvelous.
Somehow it manages to feel simultaneously like a nostalgia trip and totally fresh. Sublime.
Jazzpunk (PC)
Another comedy game I guess, though this one derives its laughs from and through gameplay situations rather than the script. The humour itself if very off the wall but thankfully not in that irritating "random!" way but more like Monty Python. Jazzpunk is surreal and yet things make sense in context. For example it is perfectly reasonable to jump into your manager's now crocodilian maw to finish answer a telephone. There is cause and effect and a lot of the humour comes from just messing about with the limited tools offered to you.
For any worried this might be a "walking simulator" don't be. Jazzpunk is definitely not on any rails, literal or otherwise. It looks pretty cool too, the blocky characters and low poly environments really pop on screen.
I think it's the sort of game you play once, have a few laughs with and move on. You'll see everything on offer the first time through probably but there'll be things that will make you chuckle on reflection. Amusing but far from essential.
Fables: Wolf Among Us (360)
I was a fan of Fables going into the Wolf Among Us but I think this prequelish story crafted by Telltale is so well done both a noob and an expert will enjoy it.
The comic book styled graphics work really well here. Like the Stick of Truth, it really is like the source material is in your hands. Bigby looks like Bigby, Snow looks like Snow and so on. It's much more suitable than say the new Game of Thrones Telltale episode.
You can't really talk about these games without jumping into spoiler territory and since story makes up perhaps 90% of the games' content (no bad thing in this case) I'll just say that even as a Fables fan I was gripped with shocks and twists all over the shop. It introduces a few new Fables and the voice acting is pretty solid on the whole.
There are still those weird bugs and stutters that plague these games though, where you can almost see the engine calculating all your previous narrative choices and how they'll affect your current situation. There was also a weird glitch where my choices switched to Portuguese while the dialogue remained in English. ODD.
I think as ever with a Telltale title your mileage will vary. If you enjoy the relative lack of true gameplay and just want to kick back with a good story then you'll find lots to admire. If you didn't like those previous entries, this isn't going to change your mind.
Out Run (MD)
Another day, another Out Run port, this time the sometimes harshly criticised Mega Drive version.
All in all I think it's a pretty good port. It doesn't scale so instead uses that psuedo-3D effect you see in games like Lotus Turbo Challenge but it works out okay. The graphics are a bit darker than most versions and I'm not entirely sure why.
There's also a new audio track, Step On Beat which is pretty catchy but not very Out Run. It's the worst song but also the one best suited to the system with the Passing Breeze, Magical Sound Shower and especially Splash Wave sounding a bit tinny after going through the MD's usually reliable soundchip.
Overall though I'd say it was fine. It's exactly halfway between the SMS and Saturn versions in technical terms but it's wholly playable and quite fun. One odd thing to note though is that this version uses the Overseas layout. No idea why.
Out Run (C64emu)
Another day, another Out Run port, this time the slightly overpraised Commodore 64 port.
Two of the three music tracks are here and they sound pretty good actually. They have a lot of that signature C64 gloop to them. The game kind of fails on the track though. While it runs at a terrific pace (at least in emulator it did) and it plays like Out Run should, it lets itself down somewhat by not having branching paths. Just one straight path. Without the branches it doesn't really feel like proper Out Run though. It also has a nasty habit of putting you on a long bend only to quickly throw an opposite turn in pretty much guaranteeing a crash. Annoying.
I'd say that it's a good port for the time and for the system but overall you're better off with the SMS version if you desire 8-Bit Out Run.
So that was 2014. I doubt I'll ever beat as many games (152) in one year again. My list does contain stuff I beat before but as Flake hit on, I add replays as I often change my opinion or appreciation on multiple playthroughs. I don't however add games I beat more than once in the same year unless they are different ports/versions. Full list in the spoiler for those interested.
Games Beaten 2014:
*= replay.
1: Batman: Arkham Origins (360) (Stealth/Action) 2013 2: Bioshock (360)* (FPS) 2007 3: Assassin's Creed IV (360) (Sandbox/Action) 2013 4: Sonic Pocket Adventure (NGPC) (Platformer) 1999 5: Killzone (PS2)* (FPS) 2004 6: King's Quest VI (PC)* (Point N Click) 1992 7: Knights of the Round (PS2) (Beat'em Up) 1991 8: Super Sidekicks: The Next Glory (WII)* (Sports) 1995 9: Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds (360) (Beat'em Up) 2013 10: Final Fantasy IX (PS1) (RPG) 2001 11: Doom 64 (N64) (FPS) 1997 12: Syndicate (360) (FPS) 2012 13: Steep Slope Sliders (SS) (Sports) 1998 14: Sonic R (SS)* (Racing) 1997 15: F1 Challenge (SS) (Racing) 1995 16: Real Bout Fatal Fury Special (SS)* (Fighting) 1997 17: Virtua Cop (SS)* (Rail Shooter) 1995 18: Virtua Cop 2 (SS)* (Rail Shooter) 1997 19: Wipeout 64 (N64) (Racing) 1999 20: Super Mario Land (GB)* (Platformer) 1990 21: Fighters Megamix (SS)* (Fighting) 1997 22: Metal Gear (MSX) (Stealth/Action) 1987 23: Shipwreck (360) (Action RPG) 2014 24: Sonic Triple Trouble (PS2) (Platformer) 1994 25: Sonic Drift 2 (PS2) (Racing) 1995 26: Tails Adventures (PS2) (Platformer) 1995 27: Sonic The Fighters (PS2)* (Fighting) 1996 28: Mirror's Edge (360) (Platformer) 2008 29: X-Com: Enemy Unknown (360) (Strategy) 2012 30: Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PS1) (Platformer) 1997 31: Soul Calibur V (360) (Fighting) 2012 32: Devil Kings (PS2) (Beat'em Up) 2006 33: Aladdin (MD) * (Platformer) 1993 34: Aladdin (SNES)* (Platformer) 1994 35: Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)* (Action RPG) 1998 36: Mark of the Ninja (360) (Stealth/Action) 2012 37: Empire of Steel (MD) (Shmup) 1992 38: Super Mario Galaxy (WII)* (Platformer) 2007 39: Shock Troopers (Wii)* (Shooter) 1997 40: Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB)* (Action RPG) 1993 41: Rayman Legends (360) (Platformer) 2013 42: Panzer Dragoon (SS) (Rail Shooter) 1995 43: Panzer Dragoon Zwei (SS)* (Rail Shooter) 1996 44: Panzer Dragoon Mini (emu) (Rail Shooter) 1996 45: Wipeout 3: Special Edition (PS1) (Racing) 2000 46: Panzer Dragoon Orta (XBOX) (Rail Shooter) 2003 47: Dungeon Magic (XBOX)* (Beat'em Up) 1994 48: Child of Eden (360) (Rail Shooter) 2011 49: Rez (DC)* (Rail Shooter) 2002 50: Assassin's Creed 3 (360) (Sandbox/Action) 2012 51: Metro 2033 (360) (FPS) 2010 52: Wonder Boy in Monster World (MD) (Action RPG) 1992 53: Nights Into Dreams (360 & SS) (N/A) 1996 54: Rogue Warrior (360) (FPS) 2009 55: Ocean Drive Challenge (360)* (Racing) 2012 56: Leave Home (360)* (Shmup) 2009 57: Yakuza (PS2)* (Action RPG) 2005 58: Sonic & Allstars Racing Transformed (360) (Racing) 2012 59: Homefront (360) (FPS) 2011 60: Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3: Rebel Strike (GC) (Flight/Shooter) 2003 61: World Cup France 98: Road to Win (SS) (Sports) 1998 62: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (360) (TPS) 2012 63: Super Mario Bros 3 (SNES) (Platformer) 1990 64: Duke Nukem Forever (360) (FPS) 2011 65: Sensible Soccer: European Champions (SNES) (Sports) 1996 66: Anarchy Reigns (360) (Beat'em Up) 2013 67: International Superstar Soccer: Deluxe (SNES)* (Sports) 1995 68: Sonic Adventure (360)* (Platformer) 1999 69: Psychonauts (XBOX)* (Platformer) 2006 70: Ys: Ancient Ys Vanished (PC) (Action RPG) 1988 71: Fatal Fury: First Contact (NGPC) (Fighting) 1999 72: Enduro Racer (SMS)* (Racing) 1987 73: Out Run (SMS)* (Racing) 1987 74: Outrun (SS)* (Racing) 1996 75: Pocket Tennis Color (NGPC) (Sports) 1999 76: Outrun 2019 (MD) (Racing) 1993 77: Game Dev Tycoon (PC) (Sim) 2013 78: Castlevania: Curse of Darkness (XBOX) (Action RPG) 2006 79: Mercs (XBOX)* (Shooter) 1990 80: Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball (XBOX)* (Sports) 2003 81: Civilization 5: Brave New World (PC) (Sim) 2013 82: Call of Juarez: Gunslinger (360) (FPS) 2013 83: Metro: Last Light (360) (FPS) 2013 84: Exhumed (SS) (FPS) 1996 85: Mega Twins (PS2) (Action/Platformer) 1990 86: Out Run {Sega Classics} (PS2) (Racing) 2006 87: Fighters History Dynamite (SS) (Fighting) 1994 88: Marvel Super Heroes (SS)* (Fighting) 1997 89: Soulcaster (360)* (Action/Strategy) 2010 90: Soulcaster II (360)* (Action/Strategy) 2010 91: Arkham Origins: Cold, Cold Heart + Initiation (360) (Stealth/Action) 2014 92: Rocket Knight Adventures (MD) (Platformer) 1993 93: Bulletstorm (360) (FPS) 2011 94: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (SMS) (Platformer) 1990 95: Singularity (360) (FPS) 2010 96: Motocross Madness (360) (Racing) 2013 97: I Am Alive (360) (Stealth/Action) 2012 98: Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (GB)* (Platformer) 1992 99: Kirby's Dreamland (GB)* (Platformer) 1992 100: Sonic Advance 3 (GBA) (Platformer) 2004 101: Justice League Heroes: The Flash (GBA) (Beat'em Up) 2006 102: Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)* (Racing) 2001 103: Castle of Illusion: Remake (360)* (Platformer) 2013 104: Halo 2 (XBOX)* (FPS) 2004 105: Otogi 2 (XBOX) (Beat'em Up) 2004 106: Depression Quest (PC) (Text Adventure) 2013 107: Dys4ia (PC) (Mini-Game) 2012 108: Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective (PC) (Platformer) 2014 109: Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (GC)* (Platformer) 2002 110: Noir (PC) (Action/Puzzle) 2014 111: Sonic Generations (360)* (Platformer) 2011 112: Justice League Heroes (PS2) (Action RPG/Beat'em Up) 2006 113: Mario Kart: Double Dash (GC)* (Racing) 2003 114: Mario Kart Wii (WII)* (Racing) 2008 115: Evoland (PC) (Action RPG) 2013 116: Guacamelee: Super Turbo Chamionship Edition (360) (Beat'em Up/Platformer) 2014 117: F-Zero (SNES)* (Racing) 1991 118: F-Zero X (N64)* (Racing) 1998 119: Glitchhikers (PC) (Text Adventure) 2014 120: F-Zero: Maximum Velocity (GBA) (Racing) 2001 121: F-Zero GP Legend (GBA) (Racing) 2004 122: Valiant Hearts (360) (Platform/Puzzle) 2014 123: Destiny (360) (FPS/MMO/RPG) 2014 124: Ducktales Remastered (360) (Platformer) 2013 125: Speed Freaks (PS1) (Racing) 2000 126: Out Run (GBA) (Racing) 2003 127: Curtain (PC) (Walk'em Up) 2014 128: Ninja Gaiden (SMS)* (Action/Platformer) 1992 129: Sonic Chaos (SMS)* (Platformer) 1993 130: Mass Effect (360)* (RPG/TPS) 2007 131: Mass Effect 2 (360)* (RPG/TPS) 2010 132: Mass Effect 3 (360)* (TPS/RPG) 2013 133: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (PC) (Point N Click) 1995 134: Final Fantasy (GBA)* (RPG) 1990 135: Muri (PC) (Action/Platformer) 2013 136: 9.03m (PC) (Walk'em Up) 2013 137: Desert Strike (SNES)* (Shooter/Strategy) 1992 138: Starwing (SNES)* (Rail Shooter) 1993 139: Jungle Strike (MD)* (Shooter/Strategy) 1993 140: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (360) (RTS) 2007 141: VVVVVVV (PC) (Platformer) 2010 142: Diablo 3 (360) (Action/RPG) 2013 143: Aliens Vs Predator (2010) (360) (FPS) 2010 144: Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (360) (Stealth/Action) 2014 145: Strider (2014) (360) (Action/Platformer) 2014 146: Star Trek: Legacy (360) (Strategy/Space Sim) 2006 147: South Park: The Stick of Truth (360) (RPG) 2014 148: Shovel Knight (PC) (Platformer) 2014 149: Jazzpunk (PC) (Walk'em up) 2014 150: Fables: Wolf Among Us (360) (Adventure) 2014 151: Out Run (MD) (Racing) 1991 152: Out Run (C64emu) (Racing) 1987
It looks like I hadn't actually updated my progress in this thread since May. I'll try to be more diligent and thoughtful about my playtime in this year's thread.
December 2014
Kirby's AdventureWii U NES Virtual Console
I really enjoyed it. It's very similar to the recent Kirby games. One thing that struck me is this game isn't that easy. I would say it's difficulty is somewhere in line with most modern games. It's interesting how it has a reputation for being really easy, but that's only in comparison to other NES games. It's a great game and isn't particularly short either. The only issue I have with it is the slow down. I know this was a common issue on the NES, it would be nice if the Virtual Console wasn't 100% accurate in cases like this.
Costume Quest: Grubbins on IcePC *100%*
This was my second time playing this, I originally played it on PS3 many years ago. It's lots of fun and is basically the fourth area of the game. Not much to say about it, but it's just more Costume Quest, and that's hardly a bad thing.
Captain Toad: Treasure TrackerWii U
I love this game. I'm actually not that far into it, but the main storyline appears to over after Episode 1. I have no intentions of stopping. I would be keen on 100%ing it, but I noticed after you finish the episode, it slaps up time challenges, and they're not forgiving.
Saints Row: The ThirdPC
This game is fantastic. It's got a lot of open world aspects I love. I would compare it strongly to GTA, but it feels more like a counterpart than a competitor. Where GTA restricts you to realism after going insane, Saints Row just cranks it even further. It's got a lot I like. I'm well on my way to 100% in this too, but the co-op stuff might put a hamper on that. Maybe BogusMeatFactory and I could do that sometime.
Mii Plaza: Find Mii3DS
I've owned a 3DS since 2011. I was never tagged very often, the first time I go more than one or two was in 2013. Find Mii requires a lot of tags to complete (or a lot of playcoins.) I got my mom a 3DS XL for Christmas and since then it's allowed me to finally finish this, so I'm counting it. I actually find the game pretty fun. Its a different kind of play that allows a change of pace while playing other games.
Recap List 2014
January
1. Grand Theft Auto V PS3 2. Super Mario 3D World Wii U
February
3. Uncharted: Golden Abyss PSV
March
4. South Park: The Stick of Truth PC
April
5. Super Mario 64 N64 *100%* 6. Donkey Kong Country SNES 7. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest SNES
May
8. Donky Kong: Arcade Classics Series NES 9. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing PS3 *100%* 10. A Nightmare on Elm Street NES 11. Monument Valley MOB
June
12. Mario Kart 7 3DS 13. Mario Kart 8 Wii U *100%* 14. Icarus Proudbottom Teaches Typing/World of Typing Weekly PC 15. Yoshi's New Island 3DS
July
16. Spyro the Dragon PS1 17. Borderlands 2 PC *100%* 18. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy PS2
August
19. Metroid Prime GCN 20. Retro Game Challenge DS 21. Nitronic Rush PC
September
22. Borderlands 2: Headhunters PC 23. Pushmo World Wii U *100%*
October
24. Costume Quest PC *100%* 25. Borderlands 2: T.K. Baha's Bloody Harvest PC 26. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective DS
November December
27. Kirby's Adventure WUVC 28. Costume Quest: Grubbins on Ice PC *100%* 29. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker Wii U 30. Saints Row: The Third PC 31. Street Pass - Mii Plaza: Find Mii 3DS
These are the games I beat before December 31st. Last update for this thread.
1) Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles - Genesis (rebeat) 2) Devil May Cry 2 – Xbox 360 via DMC HD Collection 3) Spyborgs 4) Truxton - Genesis (on Easy ) 5) Sol-Feace - X68000 6) Super Mario Sunshine – Gamecube (finished off) 7) Strider 2 – PlayStation (x2) VIII) Bionic Commando – NES 9) Goldeneye 007 – N64 10) Bionic Commando 2009 - PC 11) Strider - NES 12) Strider 2014 - PC 13) Batman: Arkham Asylum - PC 14) Halo: Spartan Assault - PC 15) Mega Man: Powered Up - PSP 16) Portal - PC (rebeat) 17) Mega Man - NES (rebeat) 18) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - PS3 19) Kirby's Return to Dreamland - Wii 20) Heavenly Sword - PS3 21) X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Xbox 360 22) Bionic Commando Rearmed - PC 23) Bionic Commando ReRearmed Re-Armed 2 - Xbox 360 24) Capsized - PC 25) Painkiller - PC 26) Chronos Twin - DS 27) Binary Domain - PC 28) Crysis - PC 29) Dead Space - PC 30-33) Mega Man Zero Collection - DS (rebeat)
34) DuckTales - NES
Ducktales! Woo-ooh! You know Capcom gets the source material when the game opens up with the theme song (an excellent 8-bit rendition, by the way) and forgoes a demo. There's a lot of little details sprinkled throughout this game like Scrooge exclaiming "Bless me bagpipes" and Launchpad referring to the former as "Mr. McD" which make me smile. If you like the show (or love it like I do), you owe it to yourself to play this game, or at least the remake. I can't believe it took me this long to get around to this game.
Overall, the game is great. The controls are spot on, the pogoing is an interesting variation on the standard hop 'n' bop platformer formula, and of course the visuals and soundtrack are superb. For the most part, the level design is pretty good, but there are some aggravating segments like some spots on the Moon and... basically that whole Amazon level. The bosses are rather basic as well. Though these negatives are frustrating, they don't detract too greatly from the overall experience.
I plan on replaying this soon to get as much money as possible.
35) DuckTales 2 - NES
I might be in the minority on this, but I think I like this better than its predecessor. I know there's some things that got messed up like Launchpad and Gyro calling referring to Scrooge as Uncle Scrooge. I honestly don't care about those little goofs since they're just that, little.
The game feels like it's of higher quality with the nicer stage select screen and graphics. The soundtrack is a bit of a downgrade, but there are a couple of songs that'll have you humming. Really the bulk of what I have to say about this game comes back to the fact that it feels more polished and has expanded upon its prequel.
36) Dark Void - PC
This is quite an ambitious game; too bad the budget ran dry. It's a bit boring for the first hour or so, but that's basically the tutorial. The real game starts when you get the prototype rocket pack. Having the rocket pack makes the otherwise standard third person shooter combat atypical. The sections devoted to the rocket pack are obviously the highlight of the game with huge battles and engaging environments to navigate. The port quality is rather shit. First, the game seems to wanna crash at cutscenes if the frame rate is higher than 30fps. Second, the jetpack controls are awful, when playing with the mouse sensitivity, the mouse pretty much stays dead until you crank it up to 75 after which the mouse goes crazy fast. Thankfully, it isn't too hard to grit your teeth and bear the awful controls and doing so will allow you to enjoy some great battles. Also, the graphics don't really look much better than the console versions aside from running at a higher resolution. I don't think this is really a port issue, but I think it deserves mention: It is impossible to launch the game without cracking it as the SecuROM activation app won't authenticate Steam's CD Keys.
37) DuckTales: Remastered - PC
I've been disappointed by Capcom remakes twice already. Will Ducktales: Remastered be the one that breaks the pattern? Yes. Way Forward managed to keep everything great about the original (graphics, soundtrack, and gameplay) and even improves upon it. Like Bionic Commando Rearmed, there are some changes to the stages. But unlike Rearmed, Ducktales: Remastered does this to positive effect. To combat the game's short breadth, the stages have been lengthened and now require the player to find objects throughout them, leading to a Metroid-ish feel. Though the bosses are the same, their attack patterns have been almost completely changed, resulting in longer and more challenging fights. Having high res 2D artwork and the original voice actors (with one exception, R.I.P. Hal Smith) more than satisfies the inner child and will leave anyone with nostalgia for the TV show with a smile on their face.
This game demands to be played by anyone who enjoys the original game, has nostalgia for the cartoon, or enjoys Capcom/Way Forward games.
BoneSnapDeez wrote:Whoa. Someone else has played OutRun on the C64? I have the disk, but have yet to complete any version of the game.
Well, I emulated it via java so I can't 100% verify how accurate it is. I did have the C64 version yonks ago when my cousin gifted his system to me but I hardly used it. Took too long to load. o_O
Not mentioning it, but prior to the end of the year, I beat Dracula while playing the Turbo-CD version of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (via WiiMednafen), but I'm only considering it beat once I get 100%, which is after I beat Stage 5', which I could only do after beating Dracula.
So naturally I'm gonna try to beat it, but Stage 5', which has no boss battle, is known for being one of the more difficult parts of the game.