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 still have or had at one point, playing them with and without nostalgia goggles, and do with mini-reviews of them too. If I decide to play any fully later and do a full review, parts of the mini-review would be incorporated into it. Depending on the playstyle or system, games reviewed will either be mini-reviews or one about all games in this session.
The Sonic series quickly became Sega’s flagship series when the first game came out in 1991, becoming the pack-in game with the Sega Genesis and later Sonic 2. The first game sported beautiful graphics and a great soundtrack, and faster gameplay not seen on consoles at the time. After Sonic hit it big, the series continued on the Genesis with Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic Spinball, and Sonic & Knuckles (aka Sonic 3 Part 2), which was a continuation of Sonic 3’s story and sported new lock-on technology that allowed gamers to plug the cart into other games for new and exciting bonus levels to test their skills. Of course there was a Sonic for the Sega CD system too! All future games sported even better graphics and soundtracks and faster gameplay!
I plan to cover Sonic 1-3 for the Sega Genesis and Sonic CD for the Sega CD in this edition of Retrorevisited and my mini-reviews.
The “My History With…” series are my thoughts back when I was a kid to young adult, about when I got games of a series, my initial thoughts about them, and other thoughts about the games. I stick to games I have or had, not one I played for the first time when i discovered emulation or modern system remakes.
So I’ve mentioned before I do have a long history playing and loving the NES Mega Man series. First one I played being 2 thanks to a cousin and he and I tore it up figuring out the order to fight the Robot Masters, figuring out the weapons to use in Wily’s Castle, and looking through Nintendo Power issues for if/when the password system was cracked. MM3 was the first one I owned myself and loved, doing the same as with 3, and eventually went back to the series roots with 1, and 4. Never owned 5 or 6, though I eventually did play them via roms and played them again, along with 7 in the ps2 MM Anniversary Collection. I had played 8 thanks to a cousin bringing his copy over.
mega man 1-4 for nes
mega man and mega man x anniversary collections for ps2
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 additional content, dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. Non-rpgs I try to give a full run to, or at least enough for a solid review. Rpgs I will stick with titles that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, show parts later in the games where more differences appear. There may be spoilers in the reviews and videos. Some of these I may stream fully in the future or play on my own. Reviews are open to later revisions due to bug and content updates or me playing them and finding anything new I wish to bring up.
Created by TheSkipper1995, this hack is just like the Mega Man 3 Revamped hack where it adds polish and other corrections to Mega Man 2 with hose weapons are used, ai of enemies and bosses, new level design to benefit stage gimmicks and more. There’s also 3 optional patches included with the base hack which are recommended:
NoFlash – Removes the flashing visual effects
Friction – Removes the slide Mega Man does when he stops running
FastEnergy – Faster speed which energy is refilled
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 additional content, dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. Non-rpgs I try to give a full run to, or at least enough for a solid review. Rpgs I will stick with titles that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, show parts later in the games where more differences appear. There may be spoilers in the reviews and videos. Some of these I may stream fully in the future or play on my own. Reviews are open to later revisions due to bug and content updates or me playing them and finding anything new I wish to bring up.
Created by Pinkpuff and his team, this hack changes up the events of FF2/4 in a new and exciting way that makes it feel like an all new game. You’ll have new party configurations, new skills and stats for your heroes, new items, new locations and a lot more. A lot of events from FF2/4 are more fleshed out in this hack as well as a cleaned up script. Visiting the Training Room in Baron will give a good rundown of a number of the changes and more.
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 additional content, dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. Non-rpgs I try to give a full run to, or at least enough for a solid review. Rpgs I will stick with titles that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, show parts later in the games where more differences appear. There may be spoilers in the reviews and videos. Some of these I may stream fully in the future or play on my own. Reviews are open to later revisions due to bug and content updates or me playing them and finding anything new I wish to bring up.
Ultima: Exodus Remastered by Fox Cunning aims to improve the game with quality of life features such as canceling an action, easier grinding, better combat AI, fixing typos and rebalancing the player classes. More can be found in the release notes. but for starters:
Updated, more user-friendly UI
Bug fixes
Many Quality-Of-Life changes
Improved “3D” dungeon view
Graphics inspired to Ultima IV-VI
NPC portraits in dialogues
Lootable weapons/armour
New enemy AI makes battles faster and more tactical
Battle/magic systems rebalance
More distinct Professions, each with their own stats and abilities
Horses actually make map movement faster over certain terrain types and are not just cosmetic
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 additional content, dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. Non-rpgs I try to give a full run to, or at least enough for a solid review. Rpgs I will stick with titles that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, show parts later in the games where more differences appear. There may be spoilers in the reviews and videos. Some of these I may stream fully in the future or play on my own. Reviews are open to later revisions due to bug and content updates or me playing them and finding anything new I wish to bring up.
Created by Chronix, this hack makes the NES game Swamp Thing a lot more stable and playable, instead of it being a combination of jank and “Nintendo Hard”. Swamp Thing is one of those games that looks good, but plays like toxic waste. This following changes were added:
Faster walking
Longer jumps
Start with 9 lives and 6 hitpoints
Start with 20 shots
Power Ups give 20 additional shots
SO HOW IS IT? First off, let’s discuss the game itself. The presentation of Swamp Thing is well done. The music and sound effects really fit the mood as do the stage layouts and the use of bold colors, Earth tones, and other effects. That said, the play control, jank, and hitboxes really bring this game down and make Swamp Thing a “Nintendo Hard” game but not in a good way like with the Ninja Gaiden trilogy.
That said, the improvements to Swamp Ting from this hack make this game a lot less of a chore and more playable. Especially when it comes to the excessive platforming areas. Starting with more shots and getting more of them is helpful with keeping your distance attacking enemies, especially the boss fights (except for Skin Man). Better jumping and faster walking mares the platforming a lot easier than being a chore in the original and hoping that you don’t slip off a platform or anything (especially in the last stage). Having 9 lives is helpful since everything can kill you fast in this and you can find yourself being drained of hit points pretty fast before realizing it, especially since i-frames in this game are very short.
All that aside, Swamp Thing is a decent game made better by this hack and not as much of a chore. Just remember continues kick in after fighting the first boss in the cemetery level.
I GIVE SWAMP THING EASY 5 OUT OF 5 SWAMP FLOWERS!!
If you enjoy reading any of my content and hearing of my nerdy adventures, feel free to share my posts on social media or leave me a comment. I would be forever grateful if you supported me via my Cash App or buy me a coffee via Ko-Fi. All donations are very welcomed and appreciated. I earn no income from this blog and this will help me continue in providing content and fulfilling my dreams. Thanks!
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 additional content, dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. Non-rpgs I try to give a full run to, or at least enough for a solid review. Rpgs I will stick with titles that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, show parts later in the games where more differences appear. There may be spoilers in the reviews and videos. Some of these I may stream fully in the future or play on my own. Reviews are open to later revisions due to bug and content updates or me playing them and finding anything new I wish to bring up.
Arcana: Seal of Rimsala is a labor of love by Sarah Shinespark to create the definitive version of this forgotten SNES RPG from Hal Labs. Lots of small and big fixes to this game were made to improve and modernize this game, along with various quality of life improvements!
Features:
Faster gameplay, redrawn maps, and a coherent story.
Explore remodeled dungeons and search for new items!
Overhauled weapons and armor
Battle the SOR mascot, Mimic!
Undoes 90’s Nintendo censorship
One-page level-up screen; no more scrolling!
New status screen with stat icons and monster bonuses!
Tons of unused content debuting
Easter eggs and bug fixes
Hundreds of tiny tweaks
New to version 2.1:
Quality of Life: The New Game intro can now be skipped through with the A button.
Modernization: The menu now opens with the X button.
Gameplay: New anti-Human and Anti-Reptile equipment; balance changes
Coding: Elemental and race bonuses can now be viewed in the Status screen!
Graphics: New elemental icons!
Script: Spell and equipment text rewritten for more flavor.
Script: Attribute spells now show their element.
Balance: Reverted barehanded damage to vanilla.
Extras: Added a Monster list, Spell list, and Equipment list in PDF.
Extras: Added vanilla lists for reference.
SO HOW IS IT? I never played this when I was younger so I was excited to give this a try. Not to mention I’m not big on first-person dungeon crawlers and trying to follow maps. That said trying this out was an enjoyable experience!
I really enjoyed my time with this hack and want to revisit the game now even though I stink at first-person dungeon crawlers and finding my way around on maps. Text scrolling, transition between screens and going from fighting to walking is faster now with no lap! The fights can still be pretty intense and I do enjoy the battle music! Quality of life features like skipping dialogue and an easier way to open the menu is a must, and I do like the font used in the game!
Dialogue seems a lot cleaner and to the point now, and I like the extra commentary in dialogue scenes and in battle if you get hit with a surprise attack. It’s easier to see what gear upgrades do now with the new icons and screen now and easier to cast spells.
Included with this hack is a plethora of game information also if this is your first time playing this hack, or first time playing Arcana in general with information on your weapons, armor, spells, important characters, a monster lists and a lot more! I wish more hack authors did something like this!
If you enjoy reading any of my content and hearing of my nerdy adventures, feel free to share my posts on social media or leave me a comment. I would be forever grateful if you supported me via my Cash App or buy me a coffee via Ko-Fi. All donations are very welcomed and appreciated. I earn no income from this blog and this will help me continue in providing content and fulfilling my dreams. Thanks!
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 additional content, dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. Non-rpgs I try to give a full run to, or at least enough for a solid review. Rpgs I will stick with titles that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, show parts later in the games where more differences appear. There may be spoilers in the reviews and videos. Some of these I may stream fully in the future or play on my own. Reviews are open to later revisions due to bug and content updates or me playing them and finding anything new I wish to bring up.
Created by Savok with help from others, this aims to be the ultimate of the TMNT/Streets of Rage 2 hacks. Using a new storyline, all the graphics were changed to be TMNT-related. You have all 4 Turtles, Casey Jones, April, and Splinter, Foot Soldiers and well known enemies from the cartoon as bosses and more! This hack uses the graphics from the Steam game TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge and more:
Features:
Replaced all characters, all enemies and all bosses.
Added shadow for all characters, all enemies and all bosses.
Some enemies have new attacks, that will surprise experienced players.
Characters replaced by Raph, Leo, Donnie, Mikey, April O’Neil, Splinter and Casey Jones.
All seven playable characters can jump further while running
All of the characters attacks are similar to those from TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge.
The game has juggling for both players and enemies.
Players can recover from a hit by pressing the jump button upon landing (as in SOR4)
The command to run (f, f) becomes more sensitive.
All playable characters can jump further while running.
You can use the Offensive Special while running
Added 6-Button gamepad Support. Uppercut now is Y-button.
Friendly fire is disabled.
Added new sounds for players and enemies.
A new plot has been written for the game.
Changed the title screen
Changed all Story Screen in the game
For the first time in sor2 hacking, switching between normal and turbo mode has been added to the option
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 additional content, dialogue, graphical and sound improvements. Non-rpgs I try to give a full run to, or at least enough for a solid review. Rpgs I will stick with titles that have enough changes in the beginning to show off, and when I can, show parts later in the games where more differences appear. There may be spoilers in the reviews and videos. Some of these I may stream fully in the future or play on my own. Reviews are open to later revisions due to bug and content updates or me playing them and finding anything new I wish to bring up.
Super Ghouls & Ghosts Restoration by SCD aims to remove most of the slowdown that hindered (or helped depending on your playstyle) of the original game, along with restoring religious content back to the game such as the crosses in level 1. There’s also a hidden menu by holding L and pressing Start.
The Super Arthur SGnG hack by Lufia aims to do the following:
Power decrementation on hit (return to previous armor)
Weapon collecting and switching between them with the L/R buttons
Shields that will not break by blocking with them
A slightly slower timer
Again this can be combined with the previously mentioned Restoration hack.
SO HOW IS IT? This hack really does help level the playing field with this tough game, no matter what difficulty you play on! For the record, playing this hack was my first real time playing Super Ghouls n Ghosts fully, first run went pretty badly, loop 2 went much better in some spots, worse in others. Satan fight wasn’t easy.
In terms of the Restoration hack, the slowdown removed really does help when fighting off the legions of Hell, and making tricky jumps and fighting bosses. In some cases of early SNES titles the slowdown can help, in other cases it impedes you since it sets off while you’re making a jump or fighting something and it throws you off. With this hack, no slowdown and you can fight your way without the game itself impeding your progress!
Adding the Super Arthur hack to it is where things really shine. Being able to keep all the weapons you find, and change them on the fly really will change your strategy for progressing through levels and fighting enemies, especially Red Devils and bosses. Being able to switch them is especially useful when you can use magic with the Gold Armors and need a different attack or finding hidden chests! Armor decrementation will give Arthur essentially 4 hit points if you have the Gold Armor, getting hit by enemies downgrades it to the Green Armor, then the Silver, then your boxers then death. It makes the game feel like the hit point system of the Sega Master System GnG which is a favorite of mine! Having a slower timer means you can take more time to explore and fight enemies, though lagging in places can still cause enemies to gather around you to move in for the kill. Shields don’t break when you block with them gives Arthur more time to kill things and stay alive just a little bit longer. The game can still throw the kitchen sink at you in terms of enemies or navigating the landscapes, but this gives you more of a chance to proceed or learn your way through levels.
I highly recommend both these hacks together if you’re a master of Super GnG or just a novice! It’ll change your outlook and the way you play this, leveling the playing field somewhat on any difficulty level! You can play these hacks separately or together as i did!
I GIVE THE SUPER GHOULS & GHOSTS RESTORATION AND SUPER ARTHUR HACKS 5 OUT OF 5 GOLD ARMORS!!
If you enjoy reading any of my content and hearing of my nerdy adventures, feel free to share my posts on social media or leave me a comment. I would be forever grateful if you supported me via my Cash App or buy me a coffee via Ko-Fi. All donations are very welcomed and appreciated. I earn no income from this blog and this will help me continue in providing content and fulfilling my dreams. Thanks!
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 still have or had at one point, playing them with and without nostalgia goggles, and do with mini-reviews of them too. If I decide to play any fully later and do a full review, parts of the mini-review would be incorporated into it. Depending on the playstyle or system, games reviewed will either be mini-reviews or one about all games in this session.
The Shinobi series from Sega started with the arcade game and grew into a franchise with multiple ports of the arcade game on systems, and various sequels for the Sega Genesis and new editions for more modern systems. Great graphics and music, tough action and gameplay define the Shinobi series throughout the series. Some games added to the series while others took a slightly different route, but all games are still tough.
For this Retrorevisited I tried out the Sega Master System ports of the arcade Shinobi, then Revenge of Shinobi (ver 1 with Batman and Godzilla still as bosses), Shadow Dancer, and Shinobi 3 for the Sega Genesis.
