Author Archives: Chris W

Hack Showcase: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Redux (N64):

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Hack Showcases and RPG Hack Showcases are a series where I show off various game and rpg hacks. I try to stick with hacks that improve gameplay or add quality of life features, completely or partially change the plot and characters, along with dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. I try to stick with games that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, try to show parts later in titles. Some of these i may stream or play on my own.

Released by Maroc and his team, this hack adds a lot to ocarina of time with quality of life improvements and more. A number of graphics were removed and others restored, the speed of text scrolls a lot faster now along with other gameplay elements. An extra hack called master Quest is included (no idea if it’s like the official Master Quest with the gamecube port) for an additional challenge. This hack can be patched normally or using the Patcher64 program where you can change the hack to your liking, along with changing some colors of link’s clothes and Navi, and change the sounds from objects! Want to make Navi squawk like a chicken instead of saying “Hey listen!”, you can! Note: this review was done with a customized OoT Redux hack patch using the Patcher64 tool.

Main Features:

  • Text speed now goes 2 times as fast as the original, matching Majora’s Mask and Ocarina of Time 3D.
  • Text revamp, restored and revised based on subsequent releases of Ocarina of Time.
  • Fixed graves behavior like in subsequent versions.
  • Properly center the “Navi” text in the C-Up button.
  • Collecting Gold Skulltulla Tokens no longer freezes the player but allows it to continue moving. This is similar to what happens in Majora’s Mask spider houses.
  • D-PAD can be used to quickly access ocarina and iron/hover boots.
  • Rupee color of the rupee count indicator now changes in color to reflect the wallet upgrade possessed.
  • Stone of Agony now works even without rumble. An icon will appear over the rupee count when in proximity of a hidden grotto.
  • Farore’s Wind does not get dispelled through time travel and can be used independently by child and adult Link.
  • The bunny hood now works like in Majora’s Mask boosting movement speed when worn.
  • Bombchu Bowling prizes now appear in fixed order instead of random (Rotation being: piece of heart, purple rupee, bomb bag capacity upgrade, bombs).
  • Fishing made easier by guaranteeing biting, but keeps the fish size RNG from the original game. Continue reading →

Mega Man Derusting: Mega Man 4 (NES) Review

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So I have a long history with the Mega Man games growing up. I came up with the Mega Man Derusting series to do such a task. I’d start relearning and finally completing the early MM titles 1-7.I still have Mega Man 1-4 and hadn’t really played them in years. I wanted to share my adventures on stream of relearning my way through the classic titles, and in some cases finish some to completion!

THE REVIEW: This was the last of the Mega Man classic games I had as a kid. I think I had gotten 1, 3, and 4 for Christmas various years and got 2 much later when I got into game collecting. I loved this one as much as the others, and the new mega buster was great! I was disappointed that the passwords didn’t save energy tanks either, and the game was rough to get through compared to the others. I never finished this one when I was younger cause i would get snagged up in Wily’s Castle with little weapon and energy left. Mega man 4 is also the start of the second NES trilogy where you fight your way through a villain’s castle, before fighting Dr Wily (again), which adds to the difficulty, and new gameplay elements and older ones changed are in 4-6 too.

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Retreorevisited: SMB 1-3 & Super Mario World (NES & SNES)

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Retrorevisited is a stream series where I revisit a game or a game series i haven’t played in over 10 or 20 years. I’ll go through to try see what i remember until a game over or I run out of continues. In some cases muscle memory may slowly return, in others probably not. This is a chance for me to revisit games of my youth that i enjoyed have or had at one point and bring more to the retro community with mini-reviews of them too. If I decide to play one later and do a full review, parts of the mini-review would be incorporated into it. Depending on the playstyle and graphics of the games the review will either be mini-reviews or one about all games in this session.

Who doesn’t know the Super Mario games if you’ve played any Nintendo system throughout the years? SMB1 was probably the first NES game anyone played when the game was first released. First time i played i was horrible since I wasn’t used to a gamepad, having mainly used keyboards and joysticks on Atari systems and the C64. SMB1 was a great showcase to what the system had to offer in 1985, as did the later releases of SMB2 in 1988 and SMB3 in 1990. SMB2 was so different than the previous game, it wasn’t until later we learned it was a repackaged Famicom Disk System game called Doki Doki Panic. SMB3 we saw for the first time in the movie The Wizard and it was another big hit and added so much to the series.

First time I played SMB before I had a NES I was amazed at the gameplay and graphics, and i was horrible at it learning how to use a gamepad rather than a joystick. When i got my NES i still enjoyed SMB quite a bit. SMB2 first time i played was at friends homes, and I enjoyed the difference between that and the first game, never really owned it i think until getting Mario All-Stars. Like most people i got my first glimpse of SMB3 watching The Wizard and the advertisements in Nintendo Power. this game was perfect and i loved exploring all the worlds, warping to see what was up ahead, and the new outfits for Mario!

Remember your first time playing Super Mario World, seeing Mario and the gang in 16bit colors? Then trying to learn how to use a snes controller with 4 buttons and the 2 shoulder pads on the side? I didn’t play SMW till later when I got my snes, but I think first time might have been the cart when I first got my SNES, or when it was repackaged with Super Mario All-Stars.

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Hack Showcase: Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past Redux (SNES)

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Hack Showcases and RPG Hack Showcases are a series where I show off various game and rpg hacks. I try to stick with hacks that improve gameplay or add quality of life features, completely or partially change the plot and characters, along with dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. I try to stick with games that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, try to show parts later in titles. Some of these i may stream or play on my own.

Zelda 3 Redux is another lovely hack released by Shadowone333 and his team. This one is a combination of his team’s work and that of the Link to the Past DX hack by Con and qwertymodo. This one added improvements to the graphics, quality of life features, and restored some censored content from the original release. The FMV opening was also restored!!

Improvements from Link to the Past DX include:

  • All new, CD-quality soundtrack (MSU-1, higan/bsnes or SD2SNES only, requires separate download of soundtrack files)
  • Improved Pegasus boots, turn while running
  • Break pots with sword
  • Collect items with sword
  • Cancel flute transport
  • Death counter no longer increments when selecting “Save and Quit”
  • Use L/R to quickly switch between items
  • Slowdown reduced (FastROM)

Changes made with Redux and more:

  • Change Link’s hair and hat to closely match his original artwork.
  • Change Agahnim colours to match the original red robe and blue skin artwork.
  • Changed Uncle’s sprite to match official artwork.
  • Change the Flute’s name to Ocarina (I don’t know in what world that instrument is a flute). This includes in-game text and Credits name changed too.
  • Change the Good Bee’s name to Golden Bee.
  • Change Faerie to Fairy. This includes in-game text too.
  • Change Pegasus Shoes to Pegasus Boots. This includes in-game text too.
  • Change all the references of the “Wise Men” to “Sages”.
  • Change the layout of the Ice Palace to that of the GBA port. No more going around the entire palace just to get to the next room!
  • King of Hyrule now has a red outfit instead of green to match the rest of the franchise’s Kings of Hyrule (Like Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule from WW).

As of v2.0, the Ice Palace new layout has been fixed to have 3 movable blocks in the new section. There was one movable block unused in one other Dungeon layout found in Room 240. (Why was it there?)

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Hack Showcase: Legend of Zelda Redux (NES)

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Hack Showcases and RPG Hack Showcases are a series where I show off various game and rpg hacks. I try to stick with hacks that improve gameplay or add quality of life features, completely or partially change the plot and characters, along with dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. I try to stick with games that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, try to show parts later in titles. Some of these i may stream or play on my own.

Zelda 1 Redux aims to fix and improve a lot of this amazing game with new graphics, font from the Famicom Disk System version, cleaner interface and other quality of life features. Released by Shadowone333 and his team, this hack improves a lot and more on Zelda 1 with different graphics, quality of life improvements, a new overworld map, increased rupee capacity up to 999, slight change in graphics for where to bomb or light a candle, and more! Optional patches include changing some of the graphics and changes back to their original, removing the annoying beeping when low on health and more! I need to give this a try on my own for both quests!

From the Changelog:

  • MMC1 and MMC5 versions. This was done so that users that want to go the reproduction cartridge route, can use the MMC1 version (and for compatibility sake). For emulation, any of the two versions can be interchanged.
  • Save manually with Up+A when in the Items Subscreen
  • Reworked heart HUD to match Zelda 2 Redux
  • Relocalization of the game’s script to better match the Japanese release, or have better hints altogether. Based on the Legends of Localization book/webpage (Except the two iconic “Take this” and “It’s a secret” lines)
  • Make the Blue tunic more vibrant
  • Increment the initial bomb max. amount to 10 instead of 8
  • Increment the bomb upgrades by 10 instead of the original 4. First upgrade should give you 20 bombs, second will be 30.
  • Faster text printing
  • Modify the Sword beam to only be active when at full health/heart, and stop shooting when the life gets to 3/4 of a heart
  • Modify certain item names to better match subsequent official names in the franchise (Rupee, Fairy, Heart Container, etc.)
  • Change the Red and Blue rings to Red and Blue tunics
  • Introduction text rewrite
  • Reimplementation of the warning screen from version PRG1 upon Game Over / Saving
  • Slight modifications to the title screen to give the “ZELDA” title a red color (modified fading palettes to match this change too)
  • Possibly also add a breakable tile hint for overworld tiles
  • Automap Plus, but modify it to have 1/4 heart decrements instead of 1/8 (this is needed in order to make space in sprite PPU for the next point (#3)
  • Visible hint for breakable walls in Dungeons (already implemented, just need sprite space for the left walls)
  • Remove the 1 Rupee flashing (couldn’t be made green due to palette limitations) Continue reading →

Retrorevisited: Contra/Super C (NES)

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Retrorevisited is a stream series where I revisit a game or a game series i haven’t played in over 10 or 20 years. I’ll go through to try see what i remember until a game over or I run out of continues. In some cases muscle memory may slowly return, in others probably not. This is a chance for me to revisit games of my youth that i enjoyed have or had at one point and bring more to the retro community with mini-reviews of them too. If I decide to play one later and do a full review, parts of the mini-review would be incorporated into it. Depending on the playstyle and graphics of the games the review will either be mini-reviews or one about all games in this session.

So I decided to redo my first Retrorevisited on Contra and Super C since the original blog post was in a different format than the one I use currently, and the video wasn’t very good. I don’t have much experience with Contra, but I played the heck out of Super C when I rented it or played it with friends. Somehow i always liked Super C more than Contra itself. I loved the music, graphics and the non-stop action of both games, even if they were both quite hard, and that was even after the Konami Code discovery. For both games I ran it with and without the Konami Code. Contra without the code I got stuck up in stage 2, with the code I finished it!! Super C without i got up to stage 4, with it I got up to stage 6.

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Hack Showcase: Mega Man 2 Megamix

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Hack Showcases and RPG Hack Showcases are a series where I show off various game and rpg hacks. I try to stick with hacks that improve gameplay or add quality of life features, completely or partially change the plot and characters, along with dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. I try to stick with games that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, try to show parts later in titles. Some of these i may stream or play on my own.

The Mega Man 2 Megamix hack is a suite of 4 different hacks put together along with other changes by DannyPlaysSomeGames. This is very well done and adds a lot to MM2 in terms of changing your usual stretegies when you would play, along with making some things easier and bringing a few features in line with the later NES titles. The hack features and other changes include:

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Retrorevisited: Starfox 1-2, Starfox 64

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Retrorevisited is a stream series where I revisit a game or a game series i haven’t played in over 10 or 20 years. I’ll go through to try see what i remember until a game over or I run out of continues. In some cases muscle memory may slowly return, in others probably not. This is a chance for me to revisit games of my youth that i enjoyed have or had at one point and bring more to the retro community with mini-reviews of them too. If I decide to play one later and do a full review, parts of the mini-review would be incorporated into it. Depending on the playstyle and graphics of the games the review will either be mini-reviews or one about all games in this session.

Starfox was released in 1993 and was the first SNES title to use a new graphic chip called the SuperFX chip. Sporting great game play and a killer soundtrack, this rail shooter was a bit hit, even if the graphics weren’t the prettiest. Other SuperFX chip games were later released, a list of which can be found here. Later Starfox games were released on other Nintendo consoles including the N64, GameCube, and the handheld DS. Starfox 2 was completed for the SNES but never released in 1995, over fears over looking inferior to 32bit games. Over the years, various rom images showed up online for it. The game got an official release with the SNES Mini in 2017, and on the Switch in 2019.

I loved Starfox as a kid!! I used to be pretty good at it, having finished it a few times i think. loved the gameplay and the great soundtrack and knew a few of the secrets. I’d just constantly get messed up by rng and my own mistakes in later levels, even after having racked up a number of extra lives and continues. This Retrorevisited will see how much I can remember of Starfox itself, along with trying out Starfox 2 for the first time as a bonus, seeing the rom from the SNES mini got leaked online at one point. I had Starfox64 and ate it up as a kid even with the N64 limitations! loved the additions to the series, hated some stuff like the battles with the Starwolf team but it was a great addition to the series!

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Happy New Year 2021!!

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Happy New Year everyone!! let’s throw 2020 in the dumpster fire it belongs and break on through to the other side for 2021! This year I finally took the plunge in streaming and found a liking to it even with my personal issues, finished some more rpgs and more! Not much was done outside of other interests like conventions and photo taking due to covid, but more on that later. And I’ve had this blog little over 2 years now too!

So that said, here’s the list of games i finished between streaming and on my own. I’m honestly surprised i had more than I expected to. Kirby 1 & 2 were the first ones I finished on stream! I normally wouldn’t include hacks or arcade games (due to their nature), but I wanted to include the 2 of each for completion purposes. That and those 2 arcade games were the longest ones I played. Wow 24 games between streaming and on my own! Continue reading →

Hack Showcase: Legend of Zelda 2 Redux (NES)

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Hack Showcases and RPG Hack Showcases are a series where I show off various game and rpg hacks. I try to stick with hacks that improve gameplay or add quality of life features, completely or partially change the plot and characters, along with dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. I try to stick with games that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, try to show parts later in titles. Some of these i may stream or play on my own.

Zelda 2 Redux by ShadowOne333 aims to make a number of improvements to Zelda 2 for the NES, known as the black sheep of the Zelda family due to it’s higher difficulty, change from overhead to side-scrolling format and more. A lot of quality of life improvements were added too, along with optional patches to change your gaming experience to the definitive version of Zelda 2. I had finished this myself a couple years ago, after never finishing it as a kid for various reasons. Discovering this made me smile and I wanted to see what this hack was all about! ShadowOne333 is also the brains behind other Zelda redux patches for Link’s Awakening DX for Gameboy and Link to the Past for SNES. This hack was finally released after a long time in October 2020, with an update in December 2020 to bring this hack to version 2.3.

The changelog for this hack is extensive! And there’s a large assortment of optional patches to improve upon the Redux experience more!

  • Changes to the Life Meter HUD: Should have hearts now instead of the old bars it had for a life meter
  • Reworked HUD to be more in-line with other Zelda titles. It also looks much better to the eye now and is more streamlined
  • Added 1/4 heart gauge by IcePenguin. Now the life meter is reduced by 1/4 parts instead of the original sliding bar, effectively letting you know exactly how much health (no longer will the meter show no life with Link still alive)
  • Reworked title screen. Now the Sword in it is the same as the one in the original US boxart, and also the scrolling text of the title screen has been entirely rewritten to be more in-line with the canon story of Zelda II
  • Manual Save Feature: You can now save the game by Pausing and then pressing Up+A on the Pause screen (both in side-scroll pause and overworld pause!)
  • Manual saves no longer count towards the Death counter in the Selection screen! Now only Game Overs should increment that counter
  • Implemented @njosro’s Restart in Current Palace patch (as a bonus) 😛
  • Link now has a Blue and Red tunic! Upon using the Shield spell with a Defense level between 1-4, you’ll get the Blue tunic. Once you get up to level 5-8 of Defense, you will get the Red tunic Continue reading →