We are heading into the summer months soon, which means that we won’t be seeing a whole lot of AAA releases coming out until at least after E3. This is usually the time that gamers and game journalists alike kick back and enjoy some of their favorite old-school games. I’m going to tell you how to put some new life into your old games with a little bit of programming knowhow.
Hacking. I’m talking about hacking.
Final Fantasy Tactics
If you are a fan of classic strategy combat, then take another look at Final Fantasy Tactics . This classic Playstation game has a tons of hacks (which we won’t put direct links to because the sites these are hosted on usually also host illegal roms, but they are easy enough to find with a Google search). If you are looking for a simple and easygoing rebalance of the game, maybe check out LFT, which increases job point gain and rebalances the stats and abilities for all classes. If challenge is more your style, try Final Fantasy Tactics 1.3, which not only makes the game worlds harder, but also adds new classes and special characters. If you just want to go completely crazy, you can download the Journey of the Five, which allows you to control Link, Solid Snake, Dante from Devil May Cry, Cloud, and Ramza in a surprisingly well done fanfiction escapade. Finally, if you are just looking to have your PSP version of the game work, you can download a patch.
Chrono Trigger
If you want to bring some old life to what many call the best RPG of all time, look no further than Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes . This is the game people wanted, but instead we got Chrono Cross . It continues the story of Chrono Trigger , and while it doesn’t introduce any new characters, it has entirely new maps, new time periods, new items, and new skills. In fact, the game was so good, Square sent the development team a cease and desist. It was never truly finished, but there is an alpha out there that can be played from start to end.
If you are looking for some more Chrono Trigger goodness, check out Prophet’s Guile , which follows the exploits of Magus both before and after the events of Zeal.
Final Fantasy V
Not a whole lot of people played the original SNES version of Final Fantasy V , but that’s ok because Final Fantasy V: The Ancient Cave is much better! It changes the entire premise of the game from RPG to roguelike. Instead of warring against an ancient all-powerful tree, The Ancient Cave drops you into a randomly generated dungeon with no equipment and tells you to survive. As you make your way through the dungeon you’ll find equipment, new classes, new items, and more. Your goal is to get to the end of 100 floors where the final boss of the game lies in wait. Have fun!
Final Fantasy VI
The treasure trove of RPG hacking is Final Fantasy VI . Just head over to Romhacking.net and look at how many incredible patches there are to choose from. You can download patches that give you new espers, new party members, and new magic. You can download whole new hacks of the story. You can fight optional bosses, go to areas of the map you weren’t supposed to, but most importantly, you can just fix the game. These patches allow you to make a truly unique play experience that feels like the definitive version of FF VI , and it was all made by the fans.
What are some ROM hacks you like? Let us know in the comments.