Hacks / translations for your favorite 8-16-bit console games

I like this new hack... It lets you play the tracks of the original F-Zero for the SNES in F-Zero: Maximum Velocity for the GBA:



F-Zero: Vintage Velocity

 

There are two new translations worth checking out...

1) Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu / Fist of the North Star 2 for the Genesis / Mega Drive.



The game was released in the west as Last Battle , but heavily censored and altered.

Download here.

2) Contra for the NES / Famicom:



This one improves -or so it claims- on the previous patch by Stardust Crusaders. It's worth noticing the Japanese version of the game has some extra content never seen in the west.

Download here.

 

This is a funny one... not a translation (text remains in Japanese, although understanding it doesn't seem necessary to play the game) but an English dub for Valis IV: The Fantasim Soldier for the TurboGrafx CD. It's an action platformer.



Download here.

 

These two I should have mentioned earlier in the SNES section... they're called Zero Project and are vailable for Mega Man X and Mega Man X3. Basically they allow for the character Zero to be playable, including new physics and both stage and cutscenes alterations.



Cool, huh?

Project Zero for Mega Man X

Project Zero (Base Mod) for Mega Man X3

Also, would you like Contra Spirits for the NES to resemble Contra III a bit more? It can be achieved.



Information and download here.

 

Another new translation worth mentioning... Earthlight for the SNES is now playable in English.



It's an strategy title never released outside of Japan and a semi-sequel to Nectaris / Military Madness.

Download here.

 

Today the hack Super Luigi RPG Star Powered has been updated to... ahem, Maximumer Edition.



But it's alright, because it gives me an excuse to introduce all of you to the patch. As you may have inferred, it's a hack for Super Mario RPG (SNES) that switches Mario for Luigi. And of course, the changes don't end up here, since the author claims to have been listening for fan suggestions for the last two years, making this more of a remaster of the original game than a simple character hack. You be the judges of that.

Download here.

 

More stuff. The Super Mario games are among the most hacked / modified for the Nintendo consoles. I think they were also among the first games to be hacked, and to have tools released by the hacking community. Unfortunately, many of those hacks are just to damn difficult for the average player. They are made by aficionados and for aficionados, and sometimes they are not even completable without knowledge of game design flaws.

I'm saying all this because I just noticed an intersting hack for Super Mario Kart . It's called Horizons and replaces all original circuits with brand new ones. Not only that, it also adds new scenarios and music.

The difficulty level also seems affordable, with the creators claiming that every track can be completed under any character and in 50, 100 and 150cc categories.

You can obtain it here.

 

Now comes the big question... do you want to go down the rabbit hole of Super Mario World hacks? Because there are tons of those.

I'm asking because Mega Mario World 2: Awakened Power just came out, and it seems like a good start. Both graphics and sounds have been given a significative overhaul, and it doesn't look like one of those "kaizo" hacks with over the top difficulty.

The hack is available here.

BTW, while I was testing it, I suffered one of the common issues with hacks, not being able to find the right ROM to patch. This time the correct one is the American version available from CDRomance.

 

...And the last Game Boy in obtaining a color patch is Final Fantasy Adventure:



It looks great.

Information and download here.

 

You! Yes, you, the Mega Man IIfor the GB! Get colors! Now!



Information and download here

 

I'm not endorsing this hack, since I have yet to try it, but I think it's awesome enough to mention it here. Ever wonder how Super Mario Bros. would play if Mario had four times its size? Well, wonder no more, just sit back and stare in amazement.

The hack can be obtained here.

 

They seem determined to make color version of all the Mega Man games for the GB... and today's the turn of Mega Man III:



Get Mega Man World 3 DX here.

 

I like this one too... it greatly improves the speed of the SNES fighter Ranma 1-2: Chougi Ranbu Hen, also correcting a few collision bugs in the process.

It's only defect is that it's not compatible with any of the translations available.

Get the patch here.

 

You may have heard about the recent incidents in the hacking community. First of all, RomHacking seems to be slowing down its activity. From now on they will only update the news, while keeping all old hacks / translations available. It seems that the main person behind the site got fed up with it and the relationship with the people who were supposed to relieve him has turned sour.

On the other hand, a replacement for RomHacking has appeared almost inmediately. It's called RomHack Plaza, and has already flirted with controversy. It seems one of the founding members is also the person responsible of CDRomance, a website that offers hacked ROMs for download. The matter ended with said person voluntarily leaving RomHack Plaza.

 

A couple of new Mega Drive hacks...



Double Dragon with arcade music...



Hokuto no Ken: Shin Seikimatsu Kyuuseishu Densetsu improvement hack updated to v2.0

 

You don't get to see this often... a romhack that is actually bigger than the original ROM. This is Sonic 1 Pixel Perfect Ultimate and it claims to be the best-looking version of the Genesis / Mega Drive game.



Get it from here.

But make sure to download the patch hosted in RMP, not the previous 2008 version.

 

Back in april I mentioned a hack called F-Zero: Vintage Velocity, that allowed us to play the SNES courses in the GBA version of the game. Well, not only it has been updated, but now it also has two companion hacks with more ancient tracks.



F-Zero: Vintage Velocity Ace v2.1

F-Zero: Vintage Velocity I v2.1

F-Zero: Vintage Velocity II v1.1

Enjoy!

 

Fans of Metroid in the house? Because Metroid II for the Game Boy just got a color patch:



Grab it from here.

EDIT: Turns out it's an old patch. I still have to get the hang of the Romhack Plaza website. I told you to show me the hacks in chronological order!