Category Archives: Streaming

RPG Hack Showcase: Final Fantasy 6: Divergent Paths (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 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 PowerPanda, this hack changes a number of story elements for FF6 including the 3 scenarios arc, the events at Thamasa and more. General Leo is a main character now and can be recruited along with a special 16th hero. Many parts of the plot have been repurposed and rearranged for the new content along with many other surprises! This hack is more story and plot based, rather than changing different gameplay elements, making it harder or easier, and so on. Gameplay is about the same as in vanilla, as is finding the Espers and learning magic for all your team members. Play this and you could fall in love with Final Fantasy 6 all over again.

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.

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Hack Showcase: Starfox EX Hack (SNES) (Revised v1.04.3 on 12/31/2022)

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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 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 kandowontu and a number of other contributors, this hack boosts a lot of changes to Starfox! Like a great chef, Kando has taken all the ingredients from the source code and constructed a beautiful 4 course meal with this hack! You got a pre-game menu to set different options, including God mode, different guns, a 2-player mode and more! A boss rush was added and a whole new map based on the map from Starfox 2! The new plot involves various characters from Nintendo franchises posing as Andross and his forces to conquer the Lylat galaxy, and they even hired the infamous Star Wolf Team to help! You can even change your ship design and see all of the different models in the game, and a harder game of Starfox with New Game+! There’s a lot of new features in this hack that are too numerous to name here including:

  • A brand new map with 17 new levels, new bosses, music, backgrounds, enemies and more!
  • A 3+ page pre-game menu to customize your experience!
  • Use the SNES Mouse, Super Scope, NTT Data Pad or Multi-Tap for a new way to play!
  • Play with 2/3/4/5 people, AI controlled teammates, or ships all controlled by player 1!
  • Wireframe mode, grid lines, palette changes and more!
  • Customize your player ship and crosshair style with new crosshair functionality!
  • A full model test viewer, BGM/SFX test menu and Super Scope Calibration screen!

This revised review is for the brand new (as of 12/30/2022) version of this hack. For the record, I’ve helped Kando with testing and ideas for this hack streaming and on Discord in the past. Review will be as objective as possible. As of 12/23/20023 the current version is 1.08.2 and may do a new review in the future depending on major updates.

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RPG Hack Showcase: FF6 Return of the Dark Sorcerer v2.6.4 (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 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.

Led by Mike Farrell with a team of many contributors, RotDS is a complete overhaul of FF6 into it’s own game. Using the plot and characters of FF6 as its base, RotDS paints an entirely new world where the events are taking place, using the plot, locations, characters, etc as its base. Even the world map is completely changed! Heroes, villains, locations, magics, Espers and more are completely different, including a number of surprises where heroes are much different than the hero they are based from in FF6! If you go into this thinking its a straight hack of FF6, you’re gonna have a bad time because the strategies you would use in FF6 may be different in fighting an enemy or boss here. Even the soundtrack is different! Compiled from a number of different sources, the soundtrack uses tracks from various other games, and real life music, to convey the tale of our heroes in music with both soundtracks. Starting the game you can choose your difficulty level too! INew sprites and character portraits show your cast in great detail, and the sprite and portrait work is very good, as well as the new bosses! Some of the new cast you may be familiar with from other forms of media too. The magic system is different also- not everyone can use all the Espers and learn all the spells like in the original!

It’s worth noting also downloading the patch file also comes with an assortment of goodies, including an optional Side B soundtrack, little fixes and changes here and there like alternate screens and features from FF6, listings of all the gear, Espers and magic, and a strategy guide with fun little hints for those who need help, and development notes. Some of these screenshots from my hack showcase, others from the RotDS website. I’ll also be happy to update and revise more of this review as i play more again.

Note: latest version of RotDS is 2.6.4, review was done with 2.6.3. Most changes between them were some bug fixes, etc.

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Theme Night: Spider-Man games

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So I’m a big Spider-Man fan from the comics and various movies and cartoon shows. When i came up with the Theme Night ideas, doing one of various Spider-Man games throughout the years was one of my first ideas. I started reading Spider-Man on and off as a teen when the infamous Clone Saga was revving up, and later officially added the book to my comic pull list when the Big Time arc started when Brand New Day was winding down. I think my fav Spider-Man movies are the 2 MCU films, the animated into the Spider-verse (I’m also a big fan of Spider-Gwen), and Spider-Man 2 of the Sam Raimi trilogy. Kinda a tossup between my favorite cartoon series of the Fox Kids 90’s Spider-Man, and Spectacular Spider-Man (a show cut off prematurely in its prime). I’ve enjoyed the later animated series since marvel took over to a point. I like what they’ve done adapting classic stories and making new ones, but some of the animation and gags are really lame. So this is gonna be me trying out 10 various games across systems, including Spider-Man the arcade game.

Games played:
spider-man (arcade)
amazing spider-man (gameboy)
spider-man web of fire (sega 32x)
spider-man vs kingpin (sega cd)
spider-man lethal foes (super famicom, translation patch available)
spider-man return of sinister six (nes)
spider-man the movie (gba)
spider-man & venom: maximum carnage (snes)
ultimate spider-man (gba)
spider-man 2: enter electro (psx)

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Hack Showcase: Mega Man 3 Revamped Hack (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 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.

Released by TheSkipper1995, this hack is a combination of work from KujaKiller’s Mega Man 3 Improvement Hack, along with other improvements and editions from DangerDoodle, DurfarC, and MartsINY. This hack builds upon the changes from the Improvement hack with some new enemy ai, level designs, graphics and more. The changes from the Improvement Hack are still intact like the new opening, the top spin being useful, weapon selecting with the select button, etc. Others includes:

  • Liberal changes to level design to make more interesting and engaging use of enemies, hazards, and stage gimmicks; most notably longer Dr. Wily stages with over 40 screens of additional, challenging content!
  • Improved utility to Hard Knuckle which can be aimed much faster, Needle Cannon which has a much faster auto-fire rate, and Gemini Laser which doubles its speed after ricocheting once!
  • Significant added graphical detail to many stages and cutscenes including Top Man, Hard Man, Snake Man, Gemini Man, and Spark Man!
  • Additional fixes to several stray bugs that went unnoticed in Mega Man 3 Improvement!
  • A restructured story line that keeps Break Man’s secret hidden until the final act!
  • Changes to boss hitboxes and a.i. to be both less frustrating and more challenging!

Version 1.1 Update:

  • Updated bug fixes from Kuja Killer’s latest Improvement patch version 2.2.2
  • Very minor tweaks to level design and damage value balancing based on feedback.

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Hack Showcase: Ninja Gaiden 1 Restoration & Ninja Gaiden 3 Restored Hacks Reviews

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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 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.

Released by CF, this set of hacks aim to bring the US NG1 closer to its Japanese counterpart and removing a bug that has plagued gamers for years. (Note because there isn’t that much to say aside from the hack changes for NG1 and Ng3, I’m doubling up on these reviews.) From the RHDN page for this list of changes:

Changes for the restoration patch:

  • The player is sent to level 6-3 rather than 6-1 upon dying against the final boss trio.
  • Item placements are reverted to their Japanese originals, as evident in stages such as 4-1 where they reach the very top of the screen again.
  • Ken’s name is changed to Joe like in the Japanese version and 3D series. Ninja Dragon is also changed to Dragon Ninja.
  • Typos and grammatical errors are fixed such as Irene’s “your safe” line.
  • Lines containing “damn” and “hell” from the unfinished script (which ultimately made their way into Ninja Gaiden Trilogy for the SNES) are restored.

Additional changes for the free movement patch:

  • The player’s backwards jumping momentum is the same as their forward jumping momentum.
  • The player suffers no horizontal knockback.
  • The timer is permanently frozen.
  • A few new item placements are provided. For example, stage 3 was the only level in the original game not to contain the Jump & Slash technique, so it is added to 3-2.

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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 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.

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)

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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. The goal is to play and finish the Mega Man classic series along with most of the X series and some other Mega Man titles. I still have some of my Mega Man and X carts and discs and hadn’t really played them in years but I wanted to share my adventures on stream of relearning my way through the classic titles, and in some cases finish the later games 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. In this adventure Dr. Cossack made 8 Robot masters to take over the world, to the surprise of Mega Man and he has to fight them and this new Doctor. Is it a trap?

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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 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.

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 ver 10.1 (Updated 9/21/2022) (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 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.

Zelda Link to the Past 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!!

A Link to the Past Redux provides two main patches (either of which can be applied without the need of the other):

  • New inventory GFX starting from version 7.0, which gives individual slots to every item, including one per each bottle and the shovel is handled as a separate and permanent item. Ocarina and Golden Bee names have been fixed manually for this too.
  • New Retranslation patch, a companion to main Redux. This patch provides a completely new and unique retranslation of the game’s script provided by the Translation Quest team that is primarily faithful to the Japanese text. (NOTE: This is an independent patch and should NOT be patched over the main Redux patch, but all optional patches should be compatible with it.)

As for the main changes for Redux:

  • Max consumables for Bombs and Arrows are now 60 for Bombs and 99 for Arrows
  • Change Link’s hair and hat to closely match his original artwork.
  • Change Agahnim colors 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. 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?)
  • 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).
  • Permanent Shovel, as well as being able to dig up items with it in the overworld.
  • Skip the Title Screen sequence by pressing Start, you no longer have to wait until the Triforce and title screen finish their animation.

There’s also a number of optional patches to add!

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