Modding isn’t specific to PC Gaming only. There are entire communities and specialists dedicated to the development of Romhacks for old console games. Today we are looking at the Genesis / Mega Drive system.
A Romhack is basically an update file that can be applied to specific console game ROMs, to produce a new playable and modified game. Some of them can be played on a real machine, sometimes they only work in an emulator. There are many different kind of enhancements and additions a modder can do: Level structure changes, stat balances, new items, enemy ai adjustments, bug fixes, graphic updates, story rewrites, better controls or new game modes in example. Translations from one language into another is a category I usually handle separately and won’t be found here.
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ROMhacking.net is an excellent resource for this topic. The community is highly active and I recommend you to visit the site from time to time, just to see what new stuff is posted. The creators have my respect and I am so thankful for all the work they do.
Table of Content:
- Curated list of 50 Romhacks
- Download the Collection
- How to play a Romhack
- All Good Things (Come to an End)
Curated list of 50 Romhacks
I opened up the list of all latest entries of Genesis / Mega Drive mods in Romhacking.net and checked almost every 700 individual projects. Interesting sounding projects are archived with additional information from their page. In total over 120 Romhacks are backed up this way and can be downloaded in a single package. This article showcases 50 of them with a very short description. I hope you enjoy.
Sonic
Doctor Robotnik’s Creature Capture
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog
2012, 2016
By MarkeyJester
Download
Complete flip of gameplay. Play as Dr. Robotnik, collect creatures and put them in a machine to advance.
Gex The Gecko in Sonic 1
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog
2020, 2021
By JoenickROS
Download
Implements Gex as a playable character with his unique skills. To progress, the hidden TV remote in each stage must be found.
Jester’s Challenge
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog
2010, 2016
By MarkeyJester
Download
Changes about everything, graphics, music and level design. Entire game consists of a single giant maze.
Ordinary Sonic ROM Hack
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog
2013, 2014
By Cinossu
Download
Starts off normal, but from time to time switches to an alternate creepypasta hell, where a creepy Sonic is hunting you.
Sonic 1 Character Pak
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog
2020
By LuigiXHero
Download
Adds new playable characters, 4 in total: Classic and Modern Sonic, Link and Luigi, all with their unique skill sets. Stages are only slightly changed.
Sonic & Johnny
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog
2022, 2023
By Lone Devil
Download
Complete modification with new playable character, abilities, zones and bosses. Includes mode to play original set of classic levels too.
Sonic 1 Megamix
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog
2008, 2022
By Stealth, Tweaker
Download
Complete new adventure with edited levels and unique character moves. Comes with settings menu and includes original levels with all enhancements too.
Sonic 1 – Return to the Origin
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog
2007, 2016
By carretero
Download
Begin at end of stage and play backwards to reach the start. Otherwise the level structure and graphics are untouched.
Sonic 1 – Score Rush
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog
2022, 2023
By Giovanni
Download
Changes the goal and introduces new game modes with a scoring system. Score goes automatically down, but can be filled by collecting points.
Sonic the Hedgehog 1 @ SAGE 2010
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog
2010, 2016
By Cinossu
Download
For competitive lovers and a completionist dream. Adds 50 achievements and saves score, time, rings and more. Each level can be selected individually.
Big’s Fishing Derby
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog 2
2016, 2021
By flamewing
Download
Entirely different gameplay and objective idea about fishing. Many modes for single and multiplayer. Includes an amazing new soundtrack.
Sonic 2 Improvement
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog 2
2021
By lory1990
Download
Ton of bug fixes while keeping original game. Adds Super Sonic transformation at will and a way to get perfect scores on each level.
Sonic the Hedgehog Classic Heroes
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog 2
2013, 2019
By flamewing
Download
Play as a team of Sonic, Tails and Knuckles and more up to 3 simultaneously, either AI controlled or with friends. Entire Sonic 1 and 2 levels are available.
Sonic the Hedgehog – The Lost Worlds
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog 2
2009, 2016
By ExecByte
Download
Recreation of scrapped beta content before final release. Screenshots, concept art and interviews were analyzed to restore a prototype like version.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 XL
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog 2
2010, 2016
By Captain Bozo
Download
Fun idea, where Sonic gets fatter with each collected ring. He gets slower and loses abilities and dies when eating too much.
Sonic VR
Hack of Sonic the Hedgehog 2
2011, 2016
By ColinC10
Download
Unique monochromatic style with 40 levels, accessed through a menu. Each has a certain challenge to solve. No enemies, rings or lives.
Sonic 3 Complete
Hack of Sonic 3 & Knuckles
2013, 2016
By Tiddles
Download
Restores original Sonic 3 level design, fixes lot of bugs, makes many improvements and adds new options and features.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles: The Challenges
Hack of Sonic 3 & Knuckles
2009, 2016
By ColinC10
Download
Adds challenges with their own objectives and various characters. The levels itself are not too much altered, so it’s a new way playing old classic.
Streets of Rage
SOR2 Fight’n Rage
Hack of Streets of Rage 2
2021, 2022
By savok
Download
Replaces all characters and enemies from Fight’N Rage. Enhanced controls and additions to gameplay.
SOR2 – the World Warrior
Hack of Streets of Rage 2
2020
By Dha_Lau_Hoo
Download
Replaces the playable characters with those from Street Fighter 2: Dhalsim, Ryu, Guile, Ken. All their specials are implemented.
Streets of Rage 2: Girls’ Paradise
Hack of Streets of Rage 2
2020
By Yoni Arousement
Download
Ton of playable female characters, across multiple game franchises. Enemies are also replaced.
Streets of Rage 2 : Megaman The Power Battle
Hack of Streets of Rage 2
2022
By PPI_Akiko
Download
Implements Mega Man as playable character, including ability to shoot. The variants are slightly different. Enemies are replaced as well.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Re-Revenge
Hack of Streets of Rage 2
2022
By savok
Download
Playable Ninja Turtles and more characters, with their own moves sets. Enhanced controls and some little enemy surprises included.
TMNT of Rage – The Final Shell Shock & Re-Shelled
Hack of Streets of Rage 2
2020, 2021
By eskayelle
Download
Extensive transformation into a Turtles game, including bosses and an ending. Combines previous patches and adds new stuff.
The Punisher in the Streets of Rage
Hack of Streets of Rage 2
2023
By Dha_Lau_Hoo
Download
Adds in The Punisher from Marvel with new skill sets. Also Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger with unique abilities are available.
Platform Games
Alien Soldier: 6-Button Controller Support
Hack of Alien Soldier
2023
By NaOH
Download
Supports 6 button, to give dash and counter a dedicated button. Has an alternative “toggle” variant for pads with shoulder buttons too.
Batadvantage mod
Hack of The Adventures of Batman & Robin
2018
By Vikfield
Download
Just 2 simple changes to make it easier: weapon is always charged and 5 extra lives. Everything else is intact.
Contra: Hard Corps – INVASION v3.3
Hack of Contra: Hard Corps
2020
By IT.GAMER
Download
An even more difficult version of the game, with many reworks and rebalances. All alternative paths is combined to one playthrough.
Ghostbusters – Special Edition
Hack of Ghostbusters
2023
By BillyTime! Games
Download
Makes Winston a playable character and updates cutscenes accordingly. Also adds new difficulty, a few new cheat codes and a save function.
Kid Chameleon: The Last Showdown
Hack of Kid Chameleon
2020
By Xris
Download
Full level design hack modification, including 110 maps, new coloring and graphics and secrets.
Mega Man Wily Wars SRAM+ Proto Man Size Fix
Hack of Mega Man: The Wily Wars
2022
By JackelZXA
Download
Proto Man redrawn, functional savegame, unlockable Wily Tower, input lag improved and 60 Hz conversion from EU version.
Moonwalker: Custom Soundtrack
Hack of Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker
2018, 2020
By GenesisFan64
Download
Build your own soundrack in .wav format. Includes another patch to restore “Thriller” song and sound effects from prototype.
Prince of Persia – Remastered Edition
Hack of Prince of Persia
2022
By Linkuei
Download
Removes input delays, improves control mechanics and overall game speed. Fixes bugs, changes colors.
Shinobi III Enhancement Hack
Hack of Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
2011, 2020
By Jon Najar
Download
Adds new features, configuration for controls and options, supports 6 button layout and fixes few stuff.
The Addams Family – Improved Controls
Hack of The Addams Family
2020
By BillyTime! Games
Download
A simple change removing the slippery movement after stopping.
Ultimate X-men
Hack of X-Men
2021
By BillyTime! Games
Download
Various tweaks to make it easier and more enjoyable. Adds save function and fixes the computer; no hard reset needed.
RPG Games
Landstalker Alternate Controls
Hack of Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole
2015, 2021
By Jon Najar
Download
Changes the standard 4 directions to move diagonal instead. It’s a modification from M.I.J.E.T. controls hack itself.
Phantasy Star II Improvement
Hack of Phantasy Star II
2021, 2022
By FlamePurge
Download
Big fixes, script updated, some rebalance, faster walking speed and more. Optional patches included, such as double exp gain.
Phantasy Star III Bugfix
Hack of Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
2019
By lory1990
Download
Ton of bug fixes and little tweaks to make a more polished experience. Stays true to the original vision of game otherwise.
ReConstruct: Phantasy Star IV
Hack of Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
2021, 2022
By FlamePurge
Download
Fixes localization text to be be more natural and consistent with the series. Includes lot of other bug fixes.
Shining Force 2 Clash!
Hack of Shining Force II
2022
By Dark Claw
Download
Converts the game to a dedicated 2 player versus mode. There are 45 maps to choose from.
Shining Force II Maeson
Hack of Shining Force II
2022
By Maeson
Download
A rebalance of stats, characters and the magic system. Ai got tweaked, graphical changes to sprites and more.
Ys III Rebalanced
Hack of Ys III
2022
By Mentil
Download
Decreases the grind by dropping more gold and xp. Makes game easier by increasing invisibility time and weakening enemies.
Other Genres
Dune – The Battle For Arrakis – MegaMouse
Hack of Dune: The Battle for Arrakis
2021
By ChillyWilly
Download
Adds in support for control with a mouse. This is actually only a fixed version of a patch created by user Ti.
Golden Axe Plus
Hack of Golden Axe
2022
By YoSoyNacho
Download
Lots of tweaks, such as improved graphics, audio samples, font and new gameplay options to turn on or off.
Herzog Zwei – Accessibility Patch
Hack of Herzog Zwei
2019
By Carl Dixon
Download
Simple text patch to change command, unit and HUD names to something easier to understand.
Mortal Kombat Arcade Edition Enhanced
Hack of Mortal Kombat
2023
By Rael G.C.
Download
Graphical improvements on a previous existing patch by LinkueiGraphical, which improved input delay, graphics, sound and more.
NHL ’94: 2023 Edition
Hack of NHL ’94
2023
By Adam Catalyst
Download
Player roster stats and team graphics updated to real 2023 season. Includes ton gameplay and graphics refinements and bug fixes too.
Road Rash 3 Improvement
Hack of Road Rash 3
2023
By Ti
Download
Improves framerate, supports 6 button control, enables custom .mp3 soundtrack, implements passwords to save weapon and more.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors – Wide Mode
Hack of Zombies Ate My Neighbors
2023
By paul_met
Download
Simply increases the playfield area on screen from 256×224 to 320×224. Seems to be compatible with other patches.
Download the Collection
A backup archive of all discussed projects in this article and more. The collection contains more than 120 Romhacks for 51 different games on the Genesis / Mega Drive in total. In addition to the patch files, each project includes its readme text (if available), copy of the project’s Romhacking page and a screenshot. Each projects archive file is fully or partially unpacked into a folder named “patch” for quick access. This baloons the size of the collection a bit, but it’s worth in my opinion. An overview in form of HTML file with links pointing to each project’s page is provided as well.
Entire collection (~144 MB): Direct Download / Open Details
How to play a Romhack
Use a patcher to update an unmodified game ROM (make sure it’s the correct version) with the downloaded patch file to get a playable Romhack. The Rom Patcher JS, a browser application on Romhacking.net, is a good starting point. Remember, nothing gets uploaded or downloaded on the webapp; it’s all done locally on your computer, like a local application. It should work on most browsers without installing a program.
If you are unsure what a Romhack is and what to do with a patch file, then I recommend reading the short tutorial section in a previous post I made. It was written for the same purpose for NES games and the procedure is identical for Genesis / Mega Drive: Tutorial
All Good Things (Come to an End)
So, you liked it? And now you want more? I’ve assembled a few more resources for you to explore. But let me warn you… it’s a deep rabbit hole.
- Romhacking.net / Hacks / Genesis: First, the already posted link to the list of all Romhacks on the site. There is ton of stuff I did not include in my collection. Maybe you find some of them more interesting than I found.
- Steam / SEGA Mega Drive & Genesis Classics / Workshop: The official Sega ROMs on Steam do actually support Mods, through the integrated Workshop functionality of Steam. To be fair, I never tried this, so not entirely sure how this works. But maybe you can tell me. 🙂
- Sega Retro / ROM hacking: A Sega focused Wiki. This page explains what Romhacking actually is and how it is done.
- Romhacking.net / Getting Started: Again, back to the mother of sites. This page is a good first entry point in learning howto mod and hack in general.
Before I let you go, here are a few videos. There is even one about reverse engineering games.
things i play 