Tag Archives: roms

ROM Hack Round Up: Series Crossovers Part 1

Back in the days when mascots were firmly attached to certain systems, we often wondered, what would Sonic look like on the NES, or Mario on a Sega Console? Such questions “sort of” get answered by these ROM hacks. The amount of work that went into these is surprising really, considering there was little or no profit to be made. That said, it sure is interesting to see familiar nostalgic game elements mixed and matched into something new.

In fact, the recent amazing hack Metroid: Rogue Dawn even has a little homage section (I won’t spoil it here) to one of the classics. Here’s a few more to get your nostalgic mash-up fix.

 

Sonic the Hedgehog / Somari

nes_longplay_151_somari_unlicenced

Somari is not actually a ROM hack, but a unlicensed NES game that puts Mario into the world of Sonic the Hedgehog. Apparently it was sold illegally in asian countries as it clearly has stolen art from both Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog. Somari is a bit buggy and glitchy, so recently a hacker created the Sonic the Hedgehog for NES Rom Hack based on Somari. It puts our favorite blue Hedgehog back in the mix and corrects lots of sound and physics glitches in the original Somari ROM. It also does a better job of creating those iconic Sonic songs on  the NES. It was often argued in the 90’s that Sonic was impossible on the NES, and while the speed does’t quite measure up, the gameplay actually does.

Megaman In The Mushroom Kingdom

megaman_in_the_mushroom_kingdom

Megaman is the subject of many, many Rom Hacks. And with good reason! Capcom’s 8-bit platformers are some of the best music, controls and gameplay ever seen on the NES. Megaman in the Mushroom Kingdom sends the blue bomber through a variety of stages from Super Mario Bros. 1, 2 and 3. It’s a very high quality ROM and tons of fun. The music is mostly yanked from other NES Megaman games and graphics from all the Mario games. Each Robot’s stage represents a different area from one of the three originals. This is one of the most enjoyable cross-over games I’ve ever played.

 

There are some more whacky crossovers out there, stay tuned for more.

Rom Hack Round Up: Sega Genesis Fan Translated English Action-RPGs

There were a few good Action/RPGs on the Sega systems, but these three are really top of the line and deserve their thorough fan translations to English. I especially recommend the soundtracks for King Colossus and Monster World IV.

wonder_boy_6_monster_world_iv_longplay_100_completion_no_saves

These games are great for RPG lovers who tire of turn-based ‘grinding’ that is so common in the console RPG classics. Check these great games today.

Continue reading Rom Hack Round Up: Sega Genesis Fan Translated English Action-RPGs

Rom Hack Round Up: Sega Genesis Fan Translated English RPGs Part 2

Our round up of awesome Sega Genesis RPGs that have been fan-translated to English continues with two more awesome, futuristic RPGs.

let_s_play_nei_s_adventure_phantasy_star_ii_text_adventures_blind_part_1_of_3

Phantasy Star is one of the biggest franchises for RPGs on the Sega systems in the 90s. The two games we look at today are part of the series or directly influenced by it. In both cases, these are must-plays for the sci-fi RPG lover.

Continue reading Rom Hack Round Up: Sega Genesis Fan Translated English RPGs Part 2

Tutorial: How To Patch Japanese Roms for Fan-Made English Translations

We’ve had tons of articles reviewing some amazing romhacks here on videogamedj.com and yet we’ve only scratched the surface of some of the awesome modifications to your classic favorite games that are out there. The tutorial below can help you not only create the altered playable version of any of the games we’ve reviewed from the original ROM, but it can also open up a huge world of fan-translated Japanese games that you can now play in English.

As any gamer knows, classic console gaming was far bigger in Japan than it ever was in North America. This fact and the lag between getting games translated and new consoles taking over the market lead to a number of incredibly polished, classic gaming masterpieces never getting translated and/or never being released to the North America market.

35240-Seiken_Densetsu_3_(Japan)-1459535893

This is especially true of the SNES/Genesis era when roleplaying games in particular started to become epic works of art with beautiful soundtracks. It’s an interesting period to revisit. You can see the origins many game ideas that are now common – branching plots, real-time RPG battles and character development that impacts the ending – they all got their start in some of these lost gems.

While some of these games have been translated and released officially on other platforms, some have not. Some of the official translations are inferior versions of the originals that don’t quite play the same. Thanks to fan translations that patch the original rom with english text, you can enjoy these games in their original format without learning Japanese first.

While some of the patched English ROMs are available for direct download, many are not. The patches and Japanese ROMs are easier to get, so its up to you to do the patching. Here’s a quick run through on how to do it.

Continue reading Tutorial: How To Patch Japanese Roms for Fan-Made English Translations