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.
Working Designs was well known for bringing amazing rpgs and adventure titles to the US for the Sega CD, Saturn, and PSX. They loved games and took a lot of time translating and making the titles they ported. Most people now have a love-hate relationship with them: They either love what they did and their translations, or love what they did and hate their translations due to many of the jokes and pop culture references made throughout the games. Besides their translations, they tended to make games more difficult then their Japanese counterparts for some reason and added other new mechanics that made no sense (needing magic pts to save in Lunar 2).
Supper reworked the 4 Sega CD Working Designs title (Popful Mail, Vay, Lunar 1 & 2) back to something more like their Japanese counterparts in way of difficulty and mechanics, and even changed the fonts for text in some cases, and more. Check out his website and writeups on TCRF for more details. Ms Tea took the improvements to Lunar Eternal Blue a few steps further with improving load times and a few other fixes too.
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 Nesdraug and Shauing, this is a complete overhaul hack of SMB2. Adventures in Pepperland and loosely based on the Beatles Yellow Submarine film and follows the plot as the Beatles venture from Liverpool to Pepperland to save the people from the Blue Meanies and bring back color and music there.
The Fab Four replace the cast of SMB2 with George as Mario, Paul as Luigi (with no shoes), Ringo as Toad, and John as Peach. The music is all 8-bit renditions from the Yellow Submarine album and you’ll find yourself humming along as you play, especially if you’re a Beatles fan. Game does have a streaming warning that the soundtrack could cause copyright claims on Youtube/Twitch and offers a simple fix for this issue.
Another year of streaming and gaming in the books! This year i didn’t finish as much as the previous year, but that’s ok. I added a number of new games to my belt I finished, including some hacks. Had a blast finishing some on my own and in stream and made progress catching up to finish older favorites. So here’s the list for 2021:
GB/A:
mario advance – SMB2
castlevania legends
NES:
contra
mad city famicom
new ghostbusters 2 famicom
castlevania 2 (vanillia and bisquit hack best ending)
SNES:
zelda link to the past
Starfox 2
SMB3 no warp (mario all-stars)
SMS:
Ghouls & Ghosts – 1st loop
PSP:
castlevania dracula x chronicles – richter and maria 74%
dreamcast:
dead or alive 2
soul calibur
capcom vs snk
hacks:
mega man 3 revamped/improvement hack
Final fantasy C2
Beatles adventures in pepperland smb2 hack
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 Ok Impala!, this Zelda 2 hack changes the game from the ground up with a new story, revised graphics, different gameplay and more! The game is more balanced and there’s less grinding and combat isn’t a chore as in Zelda 2 itself. Temples and towns are redesigned for this new world and you’ll still find all the elements of Zelda 2 here someplace: the magic spells, items, stat building and more. In this hack, Link finds himself in an all new world, trapped there until he discovers the secret of Amida’s Curse.
Features:
9 new temples to explore (vs 7 in vanilla Zelda II).
11 new towns to visit (vs 8 in vanilla Zelda II).
New soundtrack.
Brand new overworld.
New story.
New graphics.
Animated tiles on the overworld.
Balanced difficulty, no cheap deaths.
No random encounters on the overworld.
Loads of gameplay tweaks (building on Zelda II Redux).
Lives you find are permanent.
No grinding necessary.
Enemy rebalancing, no more huge HP pools.
Press A as a Fairy to instantly return to your normal form.
Temple stones give fixed EXP.
Fairy can’t fly through doors.
Save anywhere by pressing up and A on the start menu. Be aware though, that you’ll be warped back to the starting point of the game. So, only use this option when you want to stop playing.
New Ghostbusters 2 was released in Japan and Europe by Lal Laboratories. This game is much different and a lot better than the crappy ghostbusters games that came out in the US. It’s likely thought licensing issues is what stopped this hidden gem from a stateside release. You proceed through 5 levels based on the movie and trap ghosts which appear and fight some bosses in levels. You can pick from the 4 Ghostbusters: Egon, Ray, Peter and Winston (who is blue) and even Louis. Your partner is controlled by the ai and controls the ghost traps while the player traps ghosts with the proton packs. your player loses a life with one hit and there’s limited continues, so a lot of proceeding through the game is memorization of where ghosts appear, avoiding any attacks, and how they move. This game is really fun! I discovered this last year but couldn’t finish it, but recently did in 2021!
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 Ghouls & Ghosts series by Capcom is known to strike fear in the hearts of gamers due to their high difficulty, cheap deaths, and having to complete the game twice for the ending. I’ll be covering the NES, Sega Master System, Genesis and SNES ports in this edition of Retrorevisited. Prior to this I had only played the arcade version, NES and the SNES games, and had forgotten the Genesis and SMS ports existed. Each port brings something new to the table, especially the SMS one with its rpg elements. The NES game being based on Ghosts & Goblins, the prequel title to the Ghouls & Ghosts series. The Genesis and SNES ports are close to the same as the arcade G&G, but with a key gameplay mechanic difference: the Genesis one lets you shot up while the SNES port has the double jump and you cannot shoot up. I’ve never really been that good at any of these, especially the NES one, but willing to give these a try again. After doing this edition of Retrorevisited I still enjoy the SMS port and plan to finish both loops on stream sometime, and I really enjoyed the Genesis port too! I did enjoy the SNES game to a point when it was released in my teenage years and I was surprised with how well done and how much I enjoyed the SMS and Genesis ports too! least they all have unlimited continues!
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.
The Sonic 1 Megamix hack is an ongoing project by Team Megamix with the goal of enhancing and improving Sonic 1 for Genesis in the best ways possible! This hack showcase is for the current 3.0 for Genesis, there is an unstable beta 4.0 for Sega CD, use it your own risk. A later edition was released after files were stolen. Currently the project is on hold or dead, with the team members going their own ways and some who worked on Sonic mania. The Sonic 1 Megamix adds the ability to save and continue your adventure, and use Mighty the Armadillo or Shadow the Hedgehog throughout the adventure of new stages and using abilities from later Sonic games. Other highlights of v3.0 include:
All level layouts edited (some complete; others pending).
Each character now has a unique set of moves (though Sonic and Shadow share the homing attack).
Most levels (not all) have a small intro, ala S3K, where they perform some sort of action when starting the level i.e, running in from the left.
Loads of music edits.
There is now a “preferences” screen, where you can customize certain aspects of the game (suggestions are welcome).
Cheat codes have been changed – figuring them out will grant you access to a new, special level select
“Original Mode” allows you to play the original levels from Sonic the Hedgehog, using all of the additions from Sonic Megamix (such as bug fixes, moves, preferences, etc). There is also a separate save slot for a character’s original mode.
Title screen demos have been edited. Credits demos have not.
Super forms have been added.
Elemental shields, ala S3K, have been added.
Credits have been edited; each character has a unique end pose on the ending sequence.
SO HOW IS IT? This hack is so well done! The Sonic hacking community constantly puts out great stuff and this is one of them! Shame it was unfinished. The graphics are great and in line with the other Sonic games. Great music tracks in the new levels and some music was remixed for this one like the boss themes. Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal even plays in one of the later levels! The hud for your score, time and amount of rings each changes whether you use Sonic, Mighty, or Shadow. Sonic, Mighty, and Shadow can all use their basic moves and use the Shields, Mighty and Shadow each have a unique abilities too. You can also either play the new hack, or play the original Sonic 1 with all the gameplay changes of Megamix!
Being able to use Sonic’s abilities from Sonic 3 is a great change and really adds to it, especially being able to charge a spin dash which you couldn’t do in Sonic 1. The stage new layouts all have the different power-up monitors and you can find the lightning, water, fire, and basic shields throughout the level, sometimes in spots where you’ll need them in the water and fire based levels. Sonic, Mighty, and Shadow can each use them. The level designs are larger than that of Sonic 1, and more dangerous too. Sometimes their too long, and they use the design of Sonic 1 where Act 3 has you go through a level before fighting Robotnik. For the record, I never liked the Special Stages in Sonic 1, Megamix changes up the designs of the Special Stages so they’re more manageable. The music and design is the same, but there’s more to do and it’s not as hectic.
If I had to come up with some negatives it’s the aforementioned longer levels. Sometimes just trying to get through them is a chore and like Sonic 1, there isn’t many opportunities to go fast since you’re avoiding the environment and enemies, Misty Maze Zone is a great example. The Robotnik fights seem about the same as from vanilla, except the final fight is harder. The save feature is a great addition, but it saves where you left off and how many lives you had at the start. So if you make it to a later zone with 1 life, you’re kind of in trouble.
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I’ve been a big anime fan for a long time, though I’ve lessened my consumption over the years off and on. Grew up on Transformers, Voltron and Robotech. My first modern anime being Sailor Moon, then got into it more with DBZ, Gundam Wing, Bleach, One Piece, Attack of Titan, and more. The NES and SNES had a large assortment of games related to various anime encompassing various genres of fighting games, brawlers, rpgs, and shooters. This Theme night I decided to give a handful of games a try, a few I had played in the past, some of them new to me. A few of these will be added to my longplay lists, like the rpgs and possibly some of the action titles! With the exception of Mazinger Z, all games are translated. UN Squadron and Ranma 1/2 hard battle US releases.
Games played: Cyborg 009
Gundam Wing Endless Duel
Tenchi Muyo Rpg
Ranma 1/2 Hard Battle (US)
DBZ Hyper Dimension
Mazinger Z
Magic Knight Rayearth Rpg
Sailor Moon R
UN Squadron
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Rpg
Ranma 1/2 Chougi Ranbu Hen
Mobile Suit Gundam: Cross Dimension 0079
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.
PROPHET’S GUILE: Created by Kaja Laboratories, PG tells the story of Magus and how he becomes the Prophet in the Kingdom of Zeal in 10,000 BC after the incident with Lavos when the heroes came to fight him in 600 AD. The hack is pretty short, but fills in a number of details of how Magus got where he was when you encounter him again at Zeal and the Ocean Palace.
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 MGE and his team, this is a difficulty hack of the US Final Fantasy 2. For the record, I’m not that big of a fan of these types of hacks, but I gave it a chance for review purposes. No storyline changes were made in this, but it intends to be tougher than the vanilla game where you’re forced not to grind to really high levels in areas, turning leveling sluggish when you reach the right levels for that area. Bosses are tougher with new moves, sometimes having commands such as jump, and they may have one big weakness. Items were revised as are gear to be more specific for heroes and their need, meaning you’ll be running out of inventory space often, but you can call the Big Chocobo with Cache on the menu screen, eliminating chocobo items.
With most romhacks, strongly suggested to check out the readme files for advice on the changes to hacks and any gameplay tips, especially with rpgs. Readme files for rpg hacks can contain additional gameplay advice, etc, and it’s worth subscribing to hacks you like on RHDN to keep up with updates for bug fixes, additional content, etc.
kainetertainment 