Topic: Romhacks that IMPROVE the base game.

[KaZudra]

something rarely explored, what about romhacks that don't really alter the game, but makes the game feel more definitive by fixing various bugs and adding a new feature or two.

Megaman X3 Zero Project
Adding Zero as a fully playable character as well as various additions Zero related, it's like the original X3 is now moot
http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/888/

Castlevania 2 retranslated with map
This has been featured before, fixes everything that hindered the original
http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1032/

Pokemon Liquid Crystal
This is cheating, yes. but this is Pokemon Crystal for the GBA with more, relive your gen 2 memories on GBA (also GBA emulators are highly portable, pokemon on PSP? yep.)
http://pokemonliquidcrystal.com/

Sonic 3 Complete
the FULL Sonic 3 & Knuckles experience with tons of options including PC and Genesis music, Original Stage order, and many more.
http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_3_Complete_(hack)

These are some ideas that could work...

Castlevania 64 + LoD, Free camera to D-pad.
will fix many issues, while not N64 pad friendly, but very emulator friendly



what are some of the other other Game+ Romhacks my fellow dungeonites can share?
What are some that can be great?

[Aceearly1993]

Megaman 3 /Rockman 3 Improvement

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/992/

Restored some of the beta structure (Planet in Gemini stage, Proto Man-to-Break Man transformation, etc), game runs at (almost) full 60fps, added weapon switch button during action (ala X series). Also the new-added opening rocks.

Rockman 4: Minus Infinity

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/910/

One of the best ROM hacks that does what others only dream of achieving.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance - Revenge of the Findesiecle

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/325/

Added Simon in the main game (Original Simon can't make progress but arranged Simon X works perfectly; Simon X mode is TONS harder than either regular/Juste mode or Maxim mode in original game due to he can't do L/R front dash move)
Even Julius decided to make a time travel and joined his ancestor's battle!
Also there's Evil Juste/Juste X on drugs

Pemburu Vampir's HoD Palette Hack

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/2671/

Though a graphic hack, it shows that it's what HoD can do at its BEST.

[zangetsu468]

Just as a side note Castlevania Quest makes Simon's Quest linear in interesting ways.

[TheTextGuy]

Contra Hard Corps Enchancement Hack and Hit Points Restoration Hacks
http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/450/
http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/797/

Hit points restoration estores things missing from the US version (such as hitpoints, cheatcodes, etc)

Enhancement hack changes some minor things as well as adds a 5 lives option in the options menu.

[X]

Interesting how there's lots of stuff in these old games that were taken out or left unfinished in the final product. I even heard that Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles was originally supposed to be one game, but they ran out of development time or some such thing. So the game became two separate releases rather then a single release.

[Crying Freeman]

There's a hack of The Adventure that makes Chris move fast and not lose his whip upgrades when hit (only whe you die), which makes the game WAY more enjoyable, especially to newcomers. Soleiyu's Revenge gives you better speed in Belmont's Revenge(plus Soleiyu's sprite in place of Chris obviously), and I think the game is way more fun when you can move faster. It's the Konami Collector's edition that was hacked, so you have the cross instead of the axe in the hack.

There was also a Goldeneye hack years ago that allowed mouse aim, which I want so badly but nobody can find the file anymore  but I think there's a way to map the analogue to mouse on Project 64, correct me if I'm wrong. BTW, good idea with the free camera hack in the CV64 games! I personally don't mind the camera, but I know people hate. Come to think of it, TONS of 5th gen 3D games could benefit form camera hacks.

[TheTextGuy]

Interesting how there's lots of stuff in these old games that were taken out or left unfinished in the final product. I even heard that Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles was originally supposed to be one game, but they ran out of development time or some such thing. So the game became two separate releases rather then a single release.

Sonic 2 has quite a bit of that as well.  It had a lot of zones cut, one of which (Hidden Palace Zone) was so infamous they remade it for the mobile rerelease (which I recommend; the touch controls work since Sonic's controls are simple enough and the game isn't emulation but actually a remake).

Also not necessarily a hack, but rather a sourceport, but I recommend GZDoom since it adds in various features that the original DOS Doom doesn't have (such as proper mouselook).  You still need the WADs for each respective Doom game if you want to play those levels with GZDoom.

http://forum.drdteam.org/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=6825&sid=4bf7d7eeae6eb5675553dbaa3cb93343

[X]

Sonic 2 has quite a bit of that as well.  It had a lot of zones cut, one of which (Hidden Palace Zone)

I remember that as well. The Hidden Palace Zone was supposed to be in Sonic 2 but instead wound up in Sonic & Knuckles. It even had the larger Chaos emerald too.

[TheTextGuy]

I remember that as well. The Hidden Palace Zone was supposed to be in Sonic 2 but instead wound up in Sonic & Knuckles. It even had the larger Chaos emerald too.

In hindsight, playing as Knuckles in the Sonic 2 mobile port's Hidden Palace Zone and breaking the large emeralds there is kind of hilarious.

[KaZudra]

In hindsight, playing as Knuckles in the Sonic 2 mobile port's Hidden Palace Zone and breaking the large emeralds there is kind of hilarious.

I suggested SEGA to release to iOS and Android ports for PC, that would be great.

[coinilius]

Darkwing Duck Advance

A hack of Darkwing Duck for the NES that adds a new level at the end and a new boss, Negaduck!  The extra level and the inclusion of Negaduck works very well and is integrated into the game perfectly - I particularly like the way it makes Darkwing Duck crashing his bike in the original ending now feel more like it's because the 'happy ending' is being interrupted by Negaduck's intrusion into the events.  The rest of the game is the same, but the new ending just pushes the whole thing to that next level.

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1269/

There's a few other interesting hacks of Darkwing Duck that change up the level layouts - including one that transplants the action to Edoropolis/Little Tokyo from Cat Ninden Teyandee/Samurai Pizza Cats.  The creator of Darkwing Duck Advance was/is also working on a Darkwing Duck 2 hack (I think it's the same creator).

http://raregame.ru/text/nes_darkwing_duck_2.html