Hi guys. I just want to first stress that all hacking work is great. I've played a couple of rom hacks, but I'm wondering what ones will give me a complete new experience? For example, Robotniks Revenge or Sonic Megamix. I'm looking for games that you can play from beginning to end - not something I will get half way through and then the other half of the game is untouched. I'm also wondering what are the best 'Long' , 'Complete' or 'Fixed' versions - like S3&K modded to be like a game that wasn't split? Or are there any hacks with S1+S2 combined?
Sonic 3 Complete is definitely the best Complete S3K experience. I rarely play regular S3K anymore because of its existence.
Sonic 2 Recreation Part 1, as long as you don't mind that the other half simply isn't there. There's also Sonic VR. Not your usual hack, but you can sink quite a bit of time into it. Mobius Evolution's been getting some praise for how 'complete' it is. New bosses and all. Quality's been an issue with some, though. If you've been living under a rock, there's Sonic Classic Heroes, one of the only hacks with Sonic 1 & 2 put together that isn't just 1 & 2 put together.
As already elaborated, Sonic 3 Complete and Sonic Classic Heroes are by far the best choices for "alternate original game" hacks. There's also the old-but-gold Sonic 2 Long Version, or Sonic CD Plus Plus if you want to replay Sonic CD with improved playability. But I can't outright talk about "completely new experiences", since this is what every hack tries to achieve in a way. I'm assuming you talk about feature-length hacks, such as Sonic Megamix, which try to create a completely new Sonic game on top of an original to over lots of new content worth of gameplay time. From the top of my head, The S-Factor is a good candidate for that. However, these hacks aren't very common, as building an enjoyable Sonic hack experience that lasts an hour takes a ton of time, and only few hacks exists that manage to do this. I could recommend more if you're trying to be more specific about what exactly you're looking for. And since Lone_Devil does the thing with shamelessly plugging his own hack, might as well do it too. :v:
Check out Sonic 2 Advanced Edit for a handful of solid new levels. It's not a complete experience but it's closer than most hacks anyway.
My entry to this year's hacking contest is the most "complete" hack I've ever made insofar as every level is edited, but there's always more I could do. I could add more levels, more music, more characters, the possibilities are never-ending.
In my opinion, An Ordinary Sonic ROM Hack It's really to have a different experience, with a devil Sonic chasing you on everyplace. That really gives you a different challenge. Others I can say that is, Jester's Challenge, Sonic: The Next Level, Sonic 2: Retro Remix and as Clownacy said, Mobius Evolution.
There are quite a few hacks that I'd recommend, but it depends on what you mean by complete experience. I'd recommend Jester's Challenge, Return to the Origin, Sonic 2: Retro Remix, Sonic 3 & Knuckles: The Challenges and Sonic: The One Ring myself. Shameless plug, but if you can wait for until Monday the 19th of this month (The beginning of the Sonic Hacking Contest's Contest Week), Sonic 3: D.A. Garden will be released; Sonic 3 & Knuckles with new layouts for each stage (and special stages).
I was considering to put your hack already in my list, but I'll just wait it release in the contest to sure I'm right (surely I will not get disappointed!).
Enhancements: Sonic Classic Heroes - all levels from Sonic 1 and 2, with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, any two, or all three, Espio, Charmy, Vector, any two, or all three, and more to come, with Super and Hyper forms, and a Chaotix mode. Effectively replaces both Sonic 1 and Sonic 2. Sonic 3 Complete - S3K with some bugfixes, choice of music and sprites, and optional level changes based on original designs. Effectively replaces Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Super Sonic in Sonic 3D - Sonic 3D, minus Flickies, plus Super Sonic. Doesn't replace Sonic 3D, but certainly shakes it up. Other awesome hacks: Sonic 2 Retro Remix - new levels, new moves, objective-based gameplay. Robotnik's Revenge - a time trial boss rush for all bosses in Sonic 1 and 2. S3K - The Challenges - a set of challenges for levels from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Sonic VR - a set of unique challenge levels. Jester's Challenge - a confusing maze level with several gimmicks that keep things fresh. Big's Fishing Derby - the greatest hack ever made.
My god, this thing will give me nightmares... how can the same person who did Egg on a Toast Edition do this?
I've seen my hack pop up a few times now (which is cool), but if it is downloaded, I suggest getting it from the SAGE mini-site and checking out the controls there instead of getting the one on the Wiki. The website version has some teeny-tiny tweaks to smooth out the experience, such as actually making Star Posts work. To make a suggestion myself, I've worked on a few hacks with D.A. Garden before and know that he has a great sense of how to make level layouts, so I too would suggest picking up his hack next week. I'm personally looking forward to it.
