Games Exhumed By Fan Projects
To summarize: games that (re)gained life, cultural cache, or accessibility on the backs of fans that simply cared That Damn Much. More info in the notes.
Suggestions are very appreciated! My goal is to make as big a compendium as I can. As specific as a topic as it is, being able to centralize them in one place could be a massive help.
I'm gonna play it a little fast and loose with what goes on the list. Hopefully the ones I've provided on the list get across what I think applies.
Suggestions are very appreciated! My goal is to make as big a compendium as I can. As specific as a topic as it is, being able to centralize them in one place could be a massive help.
I'm gonna play it a little fast and loose with what goes on the list. Hopefully the ones I've provided on the list get across what I think applies.
39 Games
Revived by ReDriver2.
Uses the original PS1 game as a baseline for a /very/ unique type of port. Fixes performance & bugs, adds features, and even more substantial gameplay fixes such as AI. Can't help but imagine what else could be given this treatment if Driver 2 of all games was busted open like this.
Uses the original PS1 game as a baseline for a /very/ unique type of port. Fixes performance & bugs, adds features, and even more substantial gameplay fixes such as AI. Can't help but imagine what else could be given this treatment if Driver 2 of all games was busted open like this.
Revived by FreeSO.
Dead MMOs getting a new lease aren't the craziest things to happen, but the game choice here is noteworthy. Also provides a 3D Mode which is nuts considering how much extra work it must've been to do.
Also worth checking out Simitone, which is based on FreeSO and works to modernize The Sims 1!
Dead MMOs getting a new lease aren't the craziest things to happen, but the game choice here is noteworthy. Also provides a 3D Mode which is nuts considering how much extra work it must've been to do.
Also worth checking out Simitone, which is based on FreeSO and works to modernize The Sims 1!
Revived by Marble Blast Online, Marble Blast Ultra PC, PlatinumQuest.
The original and its predecessor are caught up in IP hell, so naturally several new ways to experience it have appeared. Noteworthy in the sheer volume of new options and how the original 360 port is still unavailable (and probably will be for a while).
The original and its predecessor are caught up in IP hell, so naturally several new ways to experience it have appeared. Noteworthy in the sheer volume of new options and how the original 360 port is still unavailable (and probably will be for a while).
Revived by OpenRCT2.
Reversed engineered from the original installation, OpenRCT2 has since become its own beast. New QoL features, adjustments to the original values, and a fucking multiplayer mode? You think it wouldn't work (it doesn't), but it's a lot of fun in a way that very few things can say they provide. Not too shabby for a fan effort!
Reversed engineered from the original installation, OpenRCT2 has since become its own beast. New QoL features, adjustments to the original values, and a fucking multiplayer mode? You think it wouldn't work (it doesn't), but it's a lot of fun in a way that very few things can say they provide. Not too shabby for a fan effort!
Revived by Powerslave EX.
Really innovative Saturn/PS1 FPS that was given a from-the-ground-up remake for the PC (not to be confused with the original PC Powerslave, which is a different game entirely). Is in a dubious place due to there being an alleged remake simmering in the background, but it's still quite easy to find and play.
[UPDATE: said remake has been released under the name Powerslave: Exhumed.]
Really innovative Saturn/PS1 FPS that was given a from-the-ground-up remake for the PC (not to be confused with the original PC Powerslave, which is a different game entirely). Is in a dubious place due to there being an alleged remake simmering in the background, but it's still quite easy to find and play.
[UPDATE: said remake has been released under the name Powerslave: Exhumed.]
Revived by ReIMAGINE.
An interesting study in fans being allowed to revise the game design of the source material. Removes the microtransactions of the original, and by all accounts will stick around through sheer passion by the server hosts.
An interesting study in fans being allowed to revise the game design of the source material. Removes the microtransactions of the original, and by all accounts will stick around through sheer passion by the server hosts.
Revived by THUG Pro. (Suggested by Hattori)
Conservatively speaking, THUG Pro is just a mod. But in reality, it transforms base THUG2 into a hub of the entire series, if not extreme sports games in general. The mixture of an active online mode with the Steam Workshop-esque modding scene means that non-vanilla versions of THUG Pro REEK with that IP-anarchistic energy that all great sandbox games have.
Conservatively speaking, THUG Pro is just a mod. But in reality, it transforms base THUG2 into a hub of the entire series, if not extreme sports games in general. The mixture of an active online mode with the Steam Workshop-esque modding scene means that non-vanilla versions of THUG Pro REEK with that IP-anarchistic energy that all great sandbox games have.
Revived by Project M, Project +, Brawl -, etc.
Speaking of total conversion mods...
Brawl being the black sheep of the series is genuinely harder to notice by the day considering how easily it became the architecture of the most beloved fan works. I don't think it's an overstatement to say that Project M/+ were a major turning point in platform fighters as a genre, and the aftermath is also one of the most publicized examples of fans mutinying against the original dev's vision.
Speaking of total conversion mods...
Brawl being the black sheep of the series is genuinely harder to notice by the day considering how easily it became the architecture of the most beloved fan works. I don't think it's an overstatement to say that Project M/+ were a major turning point in platform fighters as a genre, and the aftermath is also one of the most publicized examples of fans mutinying against the original dev's vision.
Revived by Creators.TF, TF2 Classic. (Suggested by Lehuan)
"For years now, all the new content has been made by the community: cosmetics, maps, weapons. Whether through players voting what they want added in the game in the Steam Workshop, or teams straight up working with Valve like the christmas event last year.
And even beyond that, you have the Creators.TF servers and browser, with its own items and themed updates, and mods like TF2 Classic, that adds new and scrapped weapons and gamemodes from the beta ..."
"Oh yeah, I forgot, the big thing killing TF2 are the bots, which Creators.TF and these mods don't have, nor other community servers."
"For years now, all the new content has been made by the community: cosmetics, maps, weapons. Whether through players voting what they want added in the game in the Steam Workshop, or teams straight up working with Valve like the christmas event last year.
And even beyond that, you have the Creators.TF servers and browser, with its own items and themed updates, and mods like TF2 Classic, that adds new and scrapped weapons and gamemodes from the beta ..."
"Oh yeah, I forgot, the big thing killing TF2 are the bots, which Creators.TF and these mods don't have, nor other community servers."
Revived by Fortress Forever. (Suggested by Lehuan)
Revived by Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition (Suggested by turdl3)
"You mention patches not making the cut but Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition really goes the extra mile imo"
Hard agree. Aside from making the PC port leagues more compatible, it adds several amenities and visual improvements, miraculously making it the best version of the game (no small feat considering the Xbox and GH PS2 versions are excellent updates to the original).
Hits especially hard in a world where the HD Collection exists and is the most accessible version of the game currently.
"You mention patches not making the cut but Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition really goes the extra mile imo"
Hard agree. Aside from making the PC port leagues more compatible, it adds several amenities and visual improvements, miraculously making it the best version of the game (no small feat considering the Xbox and GH PS2 versions are excellent updates to the original).
Hits especially hard in a world where the HD Collection exists and is the most accessible version of the game currently.
Revived by SaveMGO, MGO2PC. (Suggested by turdl3)
SaveMGO goes beyond being a simple (as if it's ever simple) private server, serving as a centralized community that seeks to keep the experience fresh with occasional updates. If you wanna wear a Yankee w/ brim while playing that one mode where everyone's a zombie, SaveMGO has you covered.
MGO2PC is a similar affair, but with a highly specialized version of rpcs3 serving as the platform for the game.
SaveMGO goes beyond being a simple (as if it's ever simple) private server, serving as a centralized community that seeks to keep the experience fresh with occasional updates. If you wanna wear a Yankee w/ brim while playing that one mode where everyone's a zombie, SaveMGO has you covered.
MGO2PC is a similar affair, but with a highly specialized version of rpcs3 serving as the platform for the game.
Revived by Rayman Redemption. (Suggested by BeachEpisode)
"Rayman Redemption is a fan-made reimagining of the first Rayman game, which adds a bunch of quality of life changes, extra options and new content. I think it's fair to say that it is a flat upgrade to the original."
"Rayman Redemption is a fan-made reimagining of the first Rayman game, which adds a bunch of quality of life changes, extra options and new content. I think it's fair to say that it is a flat upgrade to the original."
Revived by Sonic the Hedgehog Forever (Suggested by mellorine)
"It attempts to make Sonic the Hedgehog easier to access on PC, and includes bug fixes, extra options and abilities that are new to even the mobile ports."
"It attempts to make Sonic the Hedgehog easier to access on PC, and includes bug fixes, extra options and abilities that are new to even the mobile ports."
Revived by Sonic 2 Community Cut (Suggested by mellorine)
"A combined mod of Sonic 2 and the Genesis Plus GX emulator which adds widescreen, S2 2013 enhancements, and a whole lot more."
"A combined mod of Sonic 2 and the Genesis Plus GX emulator which adds widescreen, S2 2013 enhancements, and a whole lot more."
Revived by Sonic 3 A.I.R. (Suggested by Nightblade)
"sonic 3 A.I.R added a 60 fps, wide-screen port to sonic 3, can be added onto most devices, new achievements and unlockables, and a whole slew of extra options, i would say it could be on the list"
"sonic 3 A.I.R added a 60 fps, wide-screen port to sonic 3, can be added onto most devices, new achievements and unlockables, and a whole slew of extra options, i would say it could be on the list"
Revived by BetterSADX (Suggested by mellorine)
Revived by Sonic P-06 (Suggested by mellorine)
Revived by Sonic Riders TOURNAMENT EDITION (Suggested by ghost_girl)
From the website: "This mod is being built on the belief that Sonic Riders was a sorely misunderstood game, and that it's in-depth mechanics and skill ceiling actually have competitive potential as an e-Sport. ...
With balance changes, some tweaked mechanics, helpful features, and additional content, we are aiming to create the definitive Sonic Riders experience."
From the website: "This mod is being built on the belief that Sonic Riders was a sorely misunderstood game, and that it's in-depth mechanics and skill ceiling actually have competitive potential as an e-Sport. ...
With balance changes, some tweaked mechanics, helpful features, and additional content, we are aiming to create the definitive Sonic Riders experience."
Revived by Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity "Regravitified" (Suggested by mellorine)
Revived by CTGP Revolution and Wiimmfi (Suggested by ACoolBlaze5)
"Mario Kart Wii? It has CTGP Revolution and Wiimmfi was designed for it initially."
Massive mod (200+ tracks, 200cc, new race modes, leaderboards) that, when coupled with Wiimmfi, effectively reverses MKWii's death and pushes it FAR past the other series' entries content-wise. A huge community - way bigger than you could guess. Or maybe you can! I guess 37 million people DID buy MKWii.
"Mario Kart Wii? It has CTGP Revolution and Wiimmfi was designed for it initially."
Massive mod (200+ tracks, 200cc, new race modes, leaderboards) that, when coupled with Wiimmfi, effectively reverses MKWii's death and pushes it FAR past the other series' entries content-wise. A huge community - way bigger than you could guess. Or maybe you can! I guess 37 million people DID buy MKWii.
Revived by Mega Man Star Force DX. (Suggested by Josh_The_Fourth)
"Mega Man Star Force DX? I know patches don't make the cut, but I think this one might be in the same league as SH2 Enhanced. It's a hack of the original game that completely modernizes it; adds new content and tons of QOL improvements."
"Mega Man Star Force DX? I know patches don't make the cut, but I think this one might be in the same league as SH2 Enhanced. It's a hack of the original game that completely modernizes it; adds new content and tons of QOL improvements."
Revived by The Archstones.
A private server to reinstate the multiplayer components that have since been disabled in the 2009 version of Demon's Souls. Interestingly, it disables level restrictions and lets users control tendency directly, as well.
A private server to reinstate the multiplayer components that have since been disabled in the 2009 version of Demon's Souls. Interestingly, it disables level restrictions and lets users control tendency directly, as well.
Revived by Hunsterverse. (Suggested by Pangburn)
"monster hunter freedom unite/portable 3rd through hunsterverse. that project serves a VPN to restore psp ad hoc functions, and there's always around 50 players on for each. there's bots that allow you to switch lobbies, post details on what quests you'd like to focus on, and look up all sorts of monster information. patapon 3 and phantasy star portable have also gotten a second lease on life, but the two aforementioned games really have gotten the most out of the service."
"monster hunter freedom unite/portable 3rd through hunsterverse. that project serves a VPN to restore psp ad hoc functions, and there's always around 50 players on for each. there's bots that allow you to switch lobbies, post details on what quests you'd like to focus on, and look up all sorts of monster information. patapon 3 and phantasy star portable have also gotten a second lease on life, but the two aforementioned games really have gotten the most out of the service."
Revived by Hunsterverse. (Suggested by Pangburn)
See: Monster Hunter Portable 3rd
See: Monster Hunter Portable 3rd
Revived by Slippi. (Suggested by Pangburn)
"Brawl is definitely the smash game that's received the most modding love but melee getting slippi over the course of the pandemic has given that game a new longevity imo"
"Brawl is definitely the smash game that's received the most modding love but melee getting slippi over the course of the pandemic has given that game a new longevity imo"
Revived by N1GP. (Suggested by Pangburn)
"I've never participated in this myself but mega man battle network 6 has a surprisingly active competitive community that is working on adding rollback netcode. this video has more details https://youtu.be/JtWeNgtpDBo"
"I've never participated in this myself but mega man battle network 6 has a surprisingly active competitive community that is working on adding rollback netcode. this video has more details https://youtu.be/JtWeNgtpDBo"
Revived by CCCaster
Really, any game that's been injected with rollback could apply here, but I feel like the longevity of MB(AACC) PLUS the longevity of the project (it was first released in 2013, I believe?) means it's definitely worthy of a special note.
Really, any game that's been injected with rollback could apply here, but I feel like the longevity of MB(AACC) PLUS the longevity of the project (it was first released in 2013, I believe?) means it's definitely worthy of a special note.
Revived by Fightcade
Third Strike is gonna be my token "Fightcade is a thing" entry, as it, besides maybe Jojo, is the single game that has benefitted most from the platform.
So! This is your reminder, in case you forgot: there are actually hundreds of FGs/arcade/retro games that have stellar online multiplayer because of Fightcade. Too many to list!
Third Strike is gonna be my token "Fightcade is a thing" entry, as it, besides maybe Jojo, is the single game that has benefitted most from the platform.
So! This is your reminder, in case you forgot: there are actually hundreds of FGs/arcade/retro games that have stellar online multiplayer because of Fightcade. Too many to list!
Revived by OpenMW. (Suggested by ghost_girl)
"openmorrowind does kind of insane things to the morrowind engine through porting and allows for a much more modern friendly game and much more mod friendly game for things that are compatible. also technically playable on mobile devices now and crossplatform."
"openmorrowind does kind of insane things to the morrowind engine through porting and allows for a much more modern friendly game and much more mod friendly game for things that are compatible. also technically playable on mobile devices now and crossplatform."
Revived by Daggerfall Unity.
As the name suggests, a reimplementation of Daggerfall in the Unity engine, adding to it all the benefits and possibilities of a modernization.
As the name suggests, a reimplementation of Daggerfall in the Unity engine, adding to it all the benefits and possibilities of a modernization.
Revived by Arx Liberatis. (Suggested by ghost_girl)
"arx liberatis is the same [as OpenMW] for arx fatalis essentially and i think it saved it from hardware obscurity"
"arx liberatis is the same [as OpenMW] for arx fatalis essentially and i think it saved it from hardware obscurity"
Revived by Frogger 2 Remake (Suggested by FernandTheFresh)
"A full-blown fan remake of the Game Boy Color version of Frogger 2, built for PC, Android, and HTML5! You can play right in your browser, or you can download the game and play offline!"
"A full-blown fan remake of the Game Boy Color version of Frogger 2, built for PC, Android, and HTML5! You can play right in your browser, or you can download the game and play offline!"
Revived by Super Mario 64 PC and Super Mario 64 Plus (Suggested by mellorine)
Revived by Club Penguin Rewritten (Suggested by mellorine)
[UPDATE: Club Penguin Rewritten has been shutdown at the request of Disney. RIP.]
[UPDATE: Club Penguin Rewritten has been shutdown at the request of Disney. RIP.]
Revived by lainTSX (Suggested by BeachEpisode)
Revived by Blockland Glass (Suggested by inter_netperson)
Revived by NitroSharp (Suggested by FernandTheFresh)
Revived by Outbreak Server Resurrection (Suggested by Cyrano)
28 Comments
Good call! It's on there now.
Mother 3 fan translation?
Would something like Team Fortress 2 count in here? For years now, all the new content has been made by the community: cosmetics, maps, weapons. Whether through players voting what they want added in the game in the Steam Workshop, or teams straight up working with Valve like the christmas event last year.
And even beyond that, you have the Creators.TF servers and browser, with its own items and themed updates, and mods like TF2 Classic, that adds new and scrapped weapons and gamemodes from the beta, as well as Fortress Forever that restores the game to what it was when it first came out.
And even beyond that, you have the Creators.TF servers and browser, with its own items and themed updates, and mods like TF2 Classic, that adds new and scrapped weapons and gamemodes from the beta, as well as Fortress Forever that restores the game to what it was when it first came out.
Oh yeah, I forgot, the big thing killing TF2 are the bots, which Creators.TF and these mods don't have, nor other community servers.
It's possible to play Metal Gear Online again because of fans
You mention patches not making the cut but Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition really goes the extra mile imo
You mention patches not making the cut but Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition really goes the extra mile imo
OpenRCT2 is technically not a source port because it was reverse engineered from the original exe file. Same goes wtih projects like OpenXcom, NBlood/BloodGDX or Doom64EX.
And Doom is pretty much the prime example of fans taking over and maintaining the game years after it got released
And Doom is pretty much the prime example of fans taking over and maintaining the game years after it got released
Rayman Redemption is a fan-made reimagining of the first Rayman game, which adds a bunch of quality of life changes, extra options and new content. I think it's fair to say that it is a flat upgrade to the original.
sonic 3 A.I.R added a 60 fps, wide-screen port to sonic 3, can be added onto most devices, new achievements and unlcokables, and a whole slew of extra options, i would say it could be on the list
Mario Kart Wii? It has CTGP Revolution and Wiimmfi was designed for it initially.
@Lehuan, TF2 is definitely in a gray area considering Valve still provides the structure for said fanworks to be implemented, but I think that + the other things you suggested give it enough to be added. Thanks!
@snak, ah my bad. I changed the language for the OpenRCT2 entry to reflect that, so thanks for letting me know! As for the other reverse-engineered ports, I'll take a look at them individually when I have the time.
I also think DOOM definitely deserves some kinda place on here, but I'm not sure how to tackle it in the list's format.
@snak, ah my bad. I changed the language for the OpenRCT2 entry to reflect that, so thanks for letting me know! As for the other reverse-engineered ports, I'll take a look at them individually when I have the time.
I also think DOOM definitely deserves some kinda place on here, but I'm not sure how to tackle it in the list's format.
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I added the ones that applied.
Mega Man Star Force DX? I know patches don't make the cut, but I think this one might be in the same league as SH2 Enhanced. It's a hack of the original game that completely modernizes it; adds new content and tons of QOL improvements.
Correction, Fortress Forever only restores 2007 Team Fortress 2. But TF2 Classic does incorporate elements from Team Fortress Classic that didn't make it to TF2, stuff like Scout's nailgun, Spy's tranquilizer and the VIP Protection game mode, but I wouldn't say it exhumed TFC, it's more of its own thing.
pokemon
monster hunter freedom unite/portable 3rd through hunsterverse. that project serves a VPN to restore psp ad hoc functions, and there's always around 50 players on for each. there's bots that allow you to switch lobbies, post details on what quests you'd like to focus on, and look up all sorts of monster information. patapon 3 and phantasy star portable have also gotten a second lease on life, but the two aforementioned games really have gotten the most out of the service.
brawl is definitely the smash game that's received the most modding love but melee getting slippi over the course of the pandemic has given that game a new longevity imo
I've never participated in this myself but mega man battle network 6 has a surprisingly active competitive community that is working on adding rollback netcode. this video has more details https://youtu.be/JtWeNgtpDBo
brawl is definitely the smash game that's received the most modding love but melee getting slippi over the course of the pandemic has given that game a new longevity imo
I've never participated in this myself but mega man battle network 6 has a surprisingly active competitive community that is working on adding rollback netcode. this video has more details https://youtu.be/JtWeNgtpDBo
sonic riders tournament edition is a good example! https://sites.google.com/view/sonic-riders-te/home
also, openmorrowind does kind of insane things to the morrowind engine through porting and allows for a much more modern friendly game and much more mod friendly game for things that are compatible. also technically playable on mobile devices now and crossplatform. https://openmw.org/en/
arx liberatis is the same for arx fatalis essentially and i think it saved it from hardware obscurity https://arx-libertatis.org/
arx liberatis is the same for arx fatalis essentially and i think it saved it from hardware obscurity https://arx-libertatis.org/
specifically even tho ports were questionable by you both make really finnicky engines even on hardware and OSs they were meant for play a lot smoother and less buggy, and introduce bug fixes, different kinds modding support, improved fidelity, and have been long ongoing projects. openmw in particular is looking to branch into other elder scrolls/fallout games even with eventual aims to source port oblivion etc as well within their same framework. so theyre pretty extensive mods!
sonic riders tournament edition is a pc port fix with online capabilities and a variety of additions and fixes a la mario kart wii.
sonic riders tournament edition is a pc port fix with online capabilities and a variety of additions and fixes a la mario kart wii.
also sorry to spam but would The Dark Mod count for Thief series/Doom 3?
@ghost_girl, firstly thanks for the suggestions! Fwiw, I mostly included "no source ports" in the description because I was worried about this list being flooded with every Doom/Build reimplementation available, like Skulltag and Eduke32 and Chocolate Doom and etc. etc., you get the idea. It's definitely the criteria I'm the least concerned about abiding by. Might honestly change the wording, tbh.
Also, I would include The Dark Mod, but it being standalone now means that I'd honestly put it with any other id Tech 4 game!
Also, I would include The Dark Mod, but it being standalone now means that I'd honestly put it with any other id Tech 4 game!
resident evil outbreak
Sonic Free Riders fits perfectly here thanks to the No Kinect Patch by Rei-san!
Dominic Szablewski of Phoboslab made native ports of the original wipEout for Windows, Mac, and Linux after the source code leaked last year. They actually managed to get it running on web browsers, too.
I dont know if this counts but doesnt that spongebob rehydrated game only exist because of the speedrun community being so adamant about it?
You have Frogger 2 here but its predecessor Frogger '97 has a surprising amount of mod tools thanks to FrogLord.
Phantasy Star Online still has a few private servers left, the main one I could find was Ephinea.
Phantasy Star Online still has a few private servers left, the main one I could find was Ephinea.
IDK about a revival of this game per say; but I found a mod that would precipitate this kind of thing for Cars: Mater-National. Seems kind of fucking insane someone would do this but its cool
https://www.nexusmods.com/carsmaternational/mods/1
https://www.nexusmods.com/carsmaternational/mods/1
Hattori
2 years ago