Mega Man Derusting: Mega Man 8 (PSX)

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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:  Released for the PSX in 1997, this was the first mega Man to jump to 32 bit along with Mega Man X4. MM8 was also released for the Saturn with 2 extra mini-bosses in the form of Wood Man and Cut Man. Plot of Mega Man 8 isn’t so much a “Wily wanting to take over the world” like the others, but Evil Energy from space and a mysterious robot named Duo showed up which got the curiosity of Dr. Light and Wily. of course Wily decides to use the Evil Energy for his next Robot masters as its corrupting Wily more and more. This one added animated cutscenes to continue the story and questionable voice acting when translated to English. I actually didn’t like this one as much as the previous games.

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Retrorevisited: Street Fighter 2/Mortal Kombat 1 & 2 (SNES/Genesis)

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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.  

The Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat series were big hits in the arcades in the 1990’s and that translated to their home editions, becoming big hits in the 16bit era for the SNES and Sega Genesis. The various game ports are translated perfectly to the home systems (complete with cheating AI!) from the graphics, gameplay and soundtracks. Street Fighter 2 Turbo was really the port to own and the one most gamers in that era knew and studied all the move and combo lists.

The Mortal Kombat series had a more creative and public history when it was introduced by midway due to the graphic violence as part of the gameplay. Blood, gore, and violent Fatalities were what everyone wanted to do and see, and what non-gamers were appealed over. Because of this the editions of Mortal Kombat which came home had the more violent elements removed or locked out behind a code. SNES MK had the better graphics and music, but the blood was changed to sweat (which you can easily change to red or any other color with Game Genie codes!), while the blood was behind a code for the Genesis. MK2 and onward everything was intact for gamers!

For the record, I do enjoy fighting games, but I suck at them. I can hold my own to a point, I’ve always had trouble building combos and thinking fast with performing special moves and the like.

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Hack Showcase: Y’s 3 Renewal & Rebalanced Hacks (Genesis)

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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.

Y’s 3 Renewal by Plombo aims to clean up the dialogue and script of the game into something that flows and sounds better. Beside that, the hack also presents terms and names used by XSEED in the modern remakes of the Y’s series along with some graphical improvements to clean up the look of the game more.

The goal of Y’s 3 Rebalanced by Mentil is to reduce the amount of time grinding and a lot of the difficulty issues this game has with the following changes:

  • The player getting hit now grants 25 invincibility frames rather than 10; each mistake is now less likely to get you hit more than once.
  • Enemies now grant 6x the gold and XP in the early game; once reaching an area where you should be about halfway to the level cap, this drops to 2x. One should reach the recommended level for each area by the time one arrives, with almost no grinding required, if one slays every monster in one’s path.
  • Many enemies and bosses have had their damage output nerfed to more-reasonable levels. The final boss got particular attention and should be far less frustrating to fight.
  • Each enemy defeated now grants 3 ring points instead of 1, making rings more useful without frequent recharges in town.
  • Adol now starts the game with a sword, given the intro states he has one.

I combined both these hacks for gameplay and for this review, which is recommended and possible to do. Review will be for both together and separate and same with my final score.

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Retrorevisited: Sonic 1-3 (Genesis) & Sonic CD (Sega CD)

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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.  

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.

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My History with the Mega Man and Mega Man X Series

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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.

ONTO THE GAMES:

I think I got this for a gift sometime after getting MM3 and 4. I knew it was the first and didn’t have the polish of the later games, but I still had a blast! Never finished it, but i did learn the boss order and about the pause buffering from Nintendo Power. Not so much a favorite of mine, but still fun seeing its more crude compared to the later ones.

Now we’re talking, this was my first when a cousin brought this over to play, a lot! We spent hours exploring the game, figuring out the order, and even going against the order to try runs with different weapons. I never finished it as a kid cause I got stopped up at the Boobeams Trap like most people, and that was even after knowing you could blow up the walls and they won’t return during your next trip. Probably my 2nd favorite of the NES games! I think I bought this one myself some years back since it was the one I played the most outside of others. In March of 2023, I finished this on both difficulties buster only! Never doing Difficult Mode buster only again though.

This was the first Mega Man I owned and still my favorite and most played out of the NES games. This is still my favorite, even though knowing now how broken and glitchy the game is. I can still rock most of the game except for still getting stuck in Doc Robot Hell. This one has my favorite of the Robot Masters and music and a few favorite weapons! After relearning this it’s still a favorite of mine to play and find hacks for like the MM3 Improvement and Revamped hacks! In March 2023, I finished this buster only! Many my streaming friends are surprised how well I rock it in this game too!

Probably the 2nd MM NES title I owned. I was fascinated by the Robot Masters in this one as a kid, glad there wasn’t a hellish portion with Doc Robots again but surprised there were 2 boss castles (which is why i call MM4-6 the 2 boss castle trilogy). I never finished this one as a kid either cause I’d get stuck in Wily’s with no e-tanks. I finished this one for the first time on stream, after a couple tries.

First time and only times I really played this was with a cousin of mine. I had forgotten about this until I got older and into game collecting and streaming. I found the plot interesting and even younger I found the voice acting cheesy, but then again it was the early years of video game voice acting and anime dubs. Finishing this one recently I enjoyed the plot and the soundtrack, but it felt kinda meh compared to the others. I don’t think I would revisit this thanks to the 1st Wily boss and the “jump jump, slide slide” sections.

I think I first played this at a friend’s house or rented it and I was blown away. The soundtrack kicked ass the minute you turned on the console and you were fed a rainbow of colors when you started the game. Seeing Mega Man X and its cast in beautiful colors was amazing to me as a late teen! I loved relearning how the X series worked with the new mechanics and upgrades and liked the idea of the bosses being called Mavericks in a more mature storyline set in the future. I finished this for the first time a couple years ago and enjoy revisiting it when I can! Zero was also awesome!

This one I did rent often as a late teen and I think the first of the X series I finished. I enjoyed the still mature storyline set by the first game and started seeing how Sigma would be the “It was Wily all along!” of the X series. The colors and soundtrack still blew me away with how many colors and what a great and mature soundtrack this game had. I enjoyed learning the new mechanics of this one and the following games that started with the first X game.

X4 was the first one I owned and loved the upgrades to the series on the 32-bit PS1 system. I can play as X or Zero now, sweet! Loved how both had their own fighting styles getting through the stages with X being a ranged fighter and Zero being a melee fighter with his sword. The graphics and soundtrack still amaze me. I think this is my favorite of the X series and something I need to finish cause I always get stuck up on the final Sigma fights. X4 and X2 are my favorites!

What’s YOUR history with these games?

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 Showcase: Mega Man 2 Revamped (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.

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

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RPG Hack Showcase: Final Fantasy 2 – Unprecedented Crisis (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 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.

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RPG Hack Showcase: Ultima Exodus Remastered (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.

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

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Hack Showcase: Swamp Thing Easy (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.

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!!

GAMEPLAY VIDEO:

LINKS:
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4178/ – Swamp Thing Easy

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!

RPG Hack Showcase: Arcana: Seal of Rimsala (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.

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!

I GIVE ARCANA: SEAL OF RIMSALA 5 OUT OF 5 CARDS!!

GAMEPLAY VIDEO:

LINKS:
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4505/ – Arcana: Seal of Rimsala

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!