Talking about romhacks!

[Kazin]

I'm curious, @madhair60 - what are your feelings on the original Sunshine? I ask because as much as I love this mod, I don't think it will convince people who disliked that game already. It seems like the kind of game you'd like, but I guess I'm just stereotyping you as "guy who likes platformers many people hate" lol

 

[Kazin]

Crazy stuff they put in this hack's postgame:

Spoiler

Yes, that last one appears to be a Crash Bandicoot level. Sure, it's mainly empty and dull and is just a red coin challenge (like a lot of these levels are, sadly), but it's there. In any case, I think I'm done with this hack for now. I sure got plenty of mileage out of it and loved it to death as a vanilla Sunshine fan. It's like a sequel and remake all in one.

 

[madhair60]

I'm curious, @madhair60 - what are your feelings on the original Sunshine? I ask because as much as I love this mod, I don't think it will convince people who disliked that game already. It seems like the kind of game you'd like, but I guess I'm just stereotyping you as "guy who likes platformers many people hate" lol

I wanted to like it, but it lacks the polish I'd expect from a proper Mario game. I don't by any means hate it though. It being in 60fps is a nice improvement for a start.

 

[Kazin]

Okay, I wonder if this hack will "convince" you then, like I mentioned upthread to Shakewell. I don't think it necessarily will, but if you wanted to like it... I'll be interested to hear what you think once you've spent a while with it for sure.

 

[madhair60]

Even with the darkness "disabled" this game is still way darker than I remember. Was Mario Sunshine always like that? Am I misremembering.

 

[Purple]

Sunshine had a whole weird brightness gimmick tied to how many shines you'd collected and multiple pairs of sunglasses, so, it depends?

 

[madhair60]

I will add - I am still playing this, I'm not very far, but I am having fun with it. I think Mario Sunshine is generally a little underappreciated, some of the movement/FLUDD tech is best in class and the level design takes a lot more inspiration from Jak & Daxter than folks are probably prepared to admit. In fact I'd go so far as to say it's very good, but of course the games that surrounded it - 64 (which I don't like, but respect enormously and clearly see the quality of) and Galaxy (wonderful in every sense) kinda put it in an awkward spot.

This Eclipse version adding a Blue Coin checklist makes exploration much more fun, given that in the original you were basically flailing for Blue Coins. I do like Mario Sunshine, I just know that there may come a point when the frustration factor ramps up, because that's how I remember it from the GameCube days. Maybe this time I'll finish it.

 

[madhair60]

Also, hot take, but I think the FLUDDless levels are kinda crappy and in the way.

 

[Kazin]

Blue coins having a checklist is nice, and a big QoL improvement. Going for 100% still feels like the original vanilla version, though, because some of those blue coins are obscure.

Turn on infinite lives if you haven't already, btw. Those FLUDD-less levels feel much worse when you get a game over and have to run all the way back to them just to retry them 3 times or whatever.

 

[That Old Chestnut]

Also, hot take, but I think the FLUDDless levels are kinda crappy and in the way.

Nah, no disagreement here. Without the handicap of your hover jet, the platforming feels just a touch too unforgiving of errors. Like God forbid you land on one of those rotating box platforms when your landing surface is at too much of an incline (or really any slope the game doesn't want you to be on) without it turning into a slip n' slide into the abyss.

 

[madhair60]

Turn on infinite lives if you haven't already, btw.

No. Never. I am a real gamer.

 

[Kazin]

The lives system is utterly pointless in Mario Sunshine, both vanilla and Eclipse. It's my main criticism of it, aside from no blue coin tracker, otherwise.

 

[madhair60]

I disagree. Getting booted out of the level is a fine opportunity to regroup, explore and tackle elsewhere. Having limited lives sharpens my focus and makes me play better, less recklessly. I appreciate this is a minority opinion and would ask that it be left in peace.

Still playing this, on and off, slowly. Mario pulling the tentacles off Gooper Blooper feels weirdly too mean for Mario to be doing. Jumping on stuff is nice and abstract but pulling off limbs, which then thrash about? That's a bit much, mate.

Edit: Small complaint re: the mesh climbing. Want to flip a gate on the wall? Hit "B"! Want to flip a gate on the ceiling? Hit "A"! It doesn't even make sense that "B" is the button to let go of ceilings. In any other game, that would be "A" as well. STUPID

 

[Kazin]

B always made sense to me, as it's the "cancel" button anyway. Like, "what button is the 'get off this fence' button? Oh, it's probably the 'cancel' button. ...Yep." It follows that A is the "go higher" button as well, either via jumping when on normal ground or going up the fence when hanging. I don't know why these are intuitive to me, but they are.

Agreed on the Gooper Blooper arms. It is weirdly violent for Mario and has always felt off, especially in a game that is so sunny otherwise.

 

[SpoonyBard]

Anyone seen Mario Adventure 3? Looks like one of those overhauls that might go a bit too extra but so far I'm digging it at least on a technical standpoint.

 

[SpoonyBard]

So Youtuber Alpharad has been working on, and recently released, a hack of Pokemon Emerald: Mariomon. It is absolutely bonkers how deep an overhaul to the original this is, and how well it all works. The sheer scope of the new art assets alone is remarkable. But even better the hack seems to be much more than 'what if Mario but Pokemon', like there was a bare minimum that probably would have been acceptable and this blows beyond that.

Haven't played too far into it yet so I can't say if the balance completely falls off a cliff by the end. But thus far I give this a hearty recommend.

 

[Kazin]

A Twitch Pokemon streamer I watch (partyarlie) has been playing Mariomon on and off recently and it looks incredibly well done. They even made shinies of each "Mariomon," which is wild to me. Throwing Mario hats to capture the monsters is so weird it wraps around to making sense given they call them "caps," short for capture lol.

It's such an extensive overhaul, I'd barely consider it a "hack" of Pokemon Emerald - it looks like an entirely new game using Emerald's engine, almost. It's quite impressive.

 

[MCBanjoMike]

Alpharad? That's this guy!

(guy reveal is at approximately 1 minute into the video)

 

[SpoonyBard]

Yes it is!

I'm pretty sure I was only even recommended his video on Mariomon because I watch a bunch of Jaiden's stuff so it's nice Youtube's nightmare of an algorithm was a benefit for a change.

 

[lincolnic]

Anyone seen Mario Adventure 3? Looks like one of those overhauls that might go a bit too extra but so far I'm digging it at least on a technical standpoint.

I forgot to mention it at the time, I saw someone playing this about a month ago. Looking at the website I thought it was going to be Too Much Stuff, but the game actually seemed awesome from watching it (and the streamer was having a great time too). Very, very creative stuff.