1. Renegade Ops (PC)(Multidirectional Shooter)2. Borderlands 2 (PC)(FPS/RPG)3. Gunpoint (PC)(Puzzle Platformer)4. Robotrek (SNES)(RPG)5. The Tick (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)6. Alien vs Predator (SNES)(Beat 'Em Up)7. X-Kaliber 2097 (SNES)(Action Platformer)8. Metal Slug (MVS)(Run and Gun)9. Shadowrun (SNES)(RPG)10. Quake II (PC)(FPS)11. The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang (SNES)(RPG)12. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number (PC)(Action)13. A Story About My Uncle (PC)(Platformer)14. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC)(FPS)15. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith (PC)(FPS)16. Catacomb (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)
17. Catacomb Abyss (PC)(FPS)18. Catacomb Armageddon (PC)(FPS)19. Catacomb Apocalypse (PC)(FPS)20. The Catacomb (PC)(Top-Down Shooter)21. Catacomb 3-D (PC)(FPS)22. EarthBound (SNES)(RPG)23. Quake II: Ground Zero (PC)(FPS)24. Quake II: The Reckoning (PC)(FPS)25. Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader (PC)(RPG)26. The 7th Guest (PC)(Puzzle)27. Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (PC)(RPG)28. Loom (PC)(Point and Click Adventure)29. Castlevania: Dracula X (SNES)(Action Platformer)Well, I'm not completely done with this one yet. There are several alternate paths, and I recorded my passwords so I could go and explore them all. At this point, I have a couple of bosses left to seek out. I don't think it's necessary for me to beat the game rescuing different arrangements of characters, as the only real change I know of is the splash screen behind the credits. But my actions do cause me to explore new levels and fight different bosses, so I'm looking forward to getting through those.
Hmm, what to say... Super Castlevania IV is better than Castlevania: Dracula X, hands down. That pains me to say actually, as I love the art direction and sprite work in Dracula X and prefer its soundtrack. It's pretty to look at and a joy to listen to. That said, the game doesn't really push the SNES much and definitely under-utilizes many of the aesthetic tricks that Castlevania IV used so well. And nearly everything else in Dracula X falls short of what Castlevania IV pulled off. We don't see the unique stage designs that we saw in IV; there are no giant chandeliers, no treasuries full of gold, no haunted ballrooms, and really no enemies that definitely seem tied to one particular place. Everything feels generic, even the Clock Tower. When your most interesting aesthetic choice is a giant demon dog following you in the first level...well, not so great.
Dracula X does try to make up with this via alternate level routes, which does help to extend gameplay a bit. In level 3, you can jump across pillars over a chasm to reach the boss and level 4, or you can fall down into the chasm to try level 4'. A key found in level 3 also unlocks doors in level 4, one of which leads to level 5', or you could just go to level 5 instead. Your call. There are also multiple "endings" depending on whether you rescue either of the two women you are after, but it does little more than change one boss fight from Death to Camille and switch out the background artwork during the end credits.
But how are the levels? Well...cheap. Someone thought instead of developing new enemies and getting creative with level design, he or she would instead just throw bats and medusa heads at you constantly. The end result is far more frustrating than anything else. Factor in the extremely short invincibility period after getting hit, and a single medusa head can cause you considerable pain. You can avoid some of the problem by crouching, as this is supposed to eliminate your character being knocked back, but a couple of times it seemed to fail utterly. And there are pits everywhere for you to fall into, even during the final fight with Dracula. In fact, the pits are probably the hardest part of the final boss fight. That's not a good sign in my opinion.
You are also limited in your whip attacks(the timing is very specific, so you will likely have to teach yourself when to attack to hit certain targets), and the hanging whip of Castlevania IV is completely gone. Richter does manage to hit behind and above with his whip, but the timing is tough to perfect. His jumping also sucks; you can either backflip a ways back, do a tiny hop forward, or leap forward, but you can't really control yourself in air, many of the jumps are pixel perfect, and if you screw up, you're going in a pit. Pits and getting knocked about like a pinball due to the limited invincibility time are the two things that killed me the most.
So far, just about all of this has been pretty rough. Is there any saving grace in Dracula X? Yes, the Item Crash. Learning when to use your subweapon and when to use your Item Crash is absolutely key to surviving many of the pain-in-the-ass predicaments and boss battles you will find yourself in. My personal favorite in this game is the Cross, and it smacks the snot out of many bosses(especially Dracula), though I also had success with the Axe against the Werewolf and the Stopwatch against the Necromancer. However, for the best ending, you have to carry the Key item for about a third the game. The Key is supposed to be hard to use, and it is; your basic attack with it is a short range punch that deals decent damage but shouldn't be used too much. But the Key's Item Crash is far more important, as you jump into the air, become temporarily invincible, and hurt anything that touches you. Mastering this Item Crash is absolutely necessary to surviving the times when you are stuck carrying the Key, as it will save your ass more than once. Got a bat headed your way that you can't avoid? Item Crash. Red knight about to charge? Item Crash. Learn the timing, and you'll be just fine.
I want to like Dracula X, but I wouldn't recommend it to most folks. There is a better Castlevania game on the SNES in the form of Super Castlevania IV, and there is a better version of the game in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood on the PC Engine.