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'''ROM hacks''', or '''hack ROMs''', '''hack games''' or '''bootlegs''' depending on the circumstances, are video games that have been edited or altered. While many fans distribute hacks of Pokémon games for free over the internet, some people have been known to sell them in the guise of legitimate games. Some of these games are hacked onto the actual game cartridges and sold over the internet on sites such as {{wp|eBay}}.
'''ROM hacks''', also known as '''hack games''' or '''ROM patches''', are video games that have been edited or altered by enthusiasts. The hackers achieve this by changing the code of the '''R'''ead-'''O'''nly '''M'''emory of a published video game to create something new.


Due to their nature, there are an uncountable number of hacks available on the Internet, so this article will limit itself to only the most notable ones. It should also be noted that all current {{pmin|Greater China|Chinese language}} Pokémon game cartridges are pirated as there have yet to be any official Chinese language Pokémon games.
The [[core series]] Pokémon game system is considered very versatile and lends itself well to modification, giving hackers a lot of creative freedom together with a solid, well-tested game engine. These factors, as well as Pokémon’s notable popularity throughout the world, has lead to the creation of thousands of different games spanning multiple generations, ranging from minor adjustments to additional new features and, more and more frequently, entirely new fan-made Pokémon games.


==Game Boy and Game Boy Color==
[[File:rijonAdventures Piracy Warning.png|thumb|A warning to users about bootleggers included in Pokémon rijonAdventures]]
===Pokémon Adventure===
There is a distinction between ROM hacks and "bootleg games". These are unauthorised copies of published games which are sold to consumers, often flashed onto after-market game paks or game cards and lacking the official Nintendo Seal. However, since ROM hacks are often distributed over the Internet for free, they are regularly sold as bootleg games, usually against the hacker’s wishes. The reliability of these bootlegs are often poor, and has become such a problem that hackers have started to introduce warning screens into their games, cautioning users that if they paid for it, they may have been scammed.
[[File:PA hack screen.jpg|right|thumb|Screenshot from "Pokémon Adventure"]]
Pokémon Adventure is a hack of an existing pirated game called Sonic Adventure 7 for the [[Game Boy Color]]. It has five levels, and the intro sequence consists of a few Japanese [[Pokédex]] screenshots from {{2v2|Gold|Silver}}. Other than the intro, title screen, and ending, the game has almost no relationship with Pokémon, with most of the enemies being from other pirates made by the same company, such as Rockman 8 and Super Mario Special 3. While the game is paused, one can move themselves away from enemies.


===Pokémon Brown===
==History==
[[File:Pokemon Brown.png|thumb|left|Pokémon Brown's title screen]]
[[File:Pokemon Brown.png|thumb|left|Pokémon Brown's title screen]]
Pokémon Brown is a hack of Pokémon Red. This hack began production in mid 2002, as a sequel to Koolboyman's "Rated M" ROM hack "Fukémon", titled "Fukémon 2". Finally, on January 16th, 2004, the hack was released to the public. The hack had a complete change of all maps, minor script tweaks and almost all the Pokémon sprites have been changed. Pokémon Brown takes place in the Rijon region.
Early Pokémon ROM hacks date back to the late 1990s with modified editions of {{game3|Red and Blue|Pokémon Red|s}}. These were often relatively minor adjustments such as sprite or dialogue changes, and would generally follow the flow of the original game. These early ROM hacks were infamous for being particularly crude in nature, ranging from swapping Pokémon and human sprites around to replacing the dialogue with obscene text.


It should be noted that some of the cities in Brown have a close resemblance to the [[Pokémon Gold and Silver beta#Beta maps|beta maps]] found in {{g|Gold and Silver Versions}}. For example, Botan City slightly resembles the [[Azalea Town]] beta map, Jaeru City resembles the [[Blackthorn City]] beta map, and Castro Valley strongly resembles the [[Olivine City]] beta map.
This trend continued until the release of Pokémon Brown by user Koolboyman in the early 2000s, one of the most notable Pokémon hacks in history. This was the first hack to completely re-invent the game, with a brand new region and completely new plot. Later editions included an expanded [[Pokédex]] (including Pokémon from Generations II, III and IV), additional dungeons and additional plot tweaks. It is one of the few completed hack games and was successful enough to warrant a sequel (Pokémon Prism, [[Pokémon Gold|a Pokémon Gold-based hack]]) and a Generation III version (Pokémon rijonAdventures) based on {{game3|FireRed and LeafGreen|Pokémon FireRed|s}}.


The author of this hack released an updated version of Brown that was released in April 2009. The remake contains second and fourth generation Pokémon, new areas, several glitch repairs, new features and new additions to the storyline.
Since Brown, Pokémon hacking’s notoriety has expanded exponentially, with developers creating many software tools for desktop operating systems to help create maps, edit sprites, graphics and even developing scripting languages specifically for the Pokémon game engine. It has also inspired many hackers to learn how to edit the games' assembly code directly (known as ASM hacking). Numerous hacks have been released, often using FireRed as a base, such as Pokémon ShinyGold, Pokémon Naranja and the Pokémon Ruby Destiny series, just to name a few.
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===Pokémon Diamond and Jade===
There are many websites dedicated to Pokémon ROM hack development. Notable examples include Skeetendo, PHO and [[PokéCommunity]]’s ROM Hack section, the largest known English-language Pokémon ROM hacking community. Many of these sites hold award nominations and ceremonies to showcase some of the best talents of their community.
[[File:Fake Diamond start.jpg|right|thumb|Title screen of "Pokémon Diamond"]]


Possibly the most well-known bootleg "Pokémon" games are the notorious Pokémon Diamond and Jade (not to be confused with the official [[Generation IV]] games {{v2|Diamond and Pearl|s}}). In truth, these games were poorly translated versions of a Japanese game known as [http://wikifang.meowcorp.us/wiki/Telefang_1 Keitai Denjū Telefang]. Telefang is divided into two versions: Power and Speed; the Power Version became Pokémon Diamond and the Speed Version became Pokémon Jade. Pokémon Jade is sometimes found on the [[Game Boy Color]] on the same cartridge as {{game|Crystal}}, but could also be found as a standalone cartridge. The hacks had numerous glitches that the original game did not have, such as the inability to load a save properly. The game also contains profanity and swearing, which is absent from all official Pokémon games licensed by [[Nintendo]].
==Legality==
As suggested by it’s name, read-only memory is designed only to be read and not modified in any way. Most published games belong to their respective publishers, hence the read-only memory portion of these games are subject to intellectual property and copyright laws. It is illegal in most countries to make copies of or redistribute any of the game’s code. As a result, it is illegal to distribute copyrighted ROM files in any way, including over the Internet. Doing so may result in prosecution on the grounds of copyright law.


This game was mentioned in [http://web.archive.org/web/20030604202427/http://pokemon.com/letters/200324.asp the Pokémon.com mailbag] in 2003 as an illegal bootleg game.
This issue is dealt with by hackers distributing what are known as patch files. Essentially, these are small sets of computer instructions on how to modify a ROM file in a particular way, which produces the hacked game. Patch files, often distributed in the IPS or UPS format, are not illegal and can be distributed freely. However, one would need to obtain the required ROM file and patching software in order to apply the patch.


===Pokémon Prism===
==Game types==
[[File:Pokémon Prism Naljo.png|thumb|left|Screenshot of Naljo, Pokémon Prism's Region]]
Pokémon ROM hacks tend to fall into five vague categories, though due to the huge versatility of the Pokémon engine, some hacks will transcend several categories at once.
Pokémon Prism is a hack of {{game3|Gold and Silver|Pokémon Gold|s}} made by Koolboyman, as another entry into his series of hacks, preceded by Pokémon Brown. This hack completely overhauls the original game, and also won [[Pokécommunity]]'s Hack of the Year award in 2007.<ref>[http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=227492 Pokécommunity - [Hack of the Year 2007] Pokémon Prism [Summer 2010 Beta - Download now available!]]</ref> It takes place in a new region called Naljo, with new music, Pokémon from the first four generations, new Pokémon types, and more. One feature is to replace the player's sprite with another at a special shop. The game also has crafting systems and the ability to send a Pokémon out of its Poké Ball outside of battle. There are also a few minigames included such as a {{wp|Pachisi}}-type board game. Like many other hacks, Prism is still in progress, with periodic updates being released to the public. Its latest version was released in August 2010.
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===Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal===
[[File:Pokémon Blaze Black 2.png|thumb|200px|Pokémon Blaze Black 2, a popular 649 Hack]]
"Pocket Monsters Crystal Version" (popularly known as Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal) is a bootlegged version of {{game|Crystal}}. Translated from Japanese to Chinese to English, the dialogue in the game (now [[wikipedia:Engrish|Engrish]]) is often nonsensical and unintentionally humorous. All Pokémon, character and location names are similarly badly translated, often resembling romanizations of Chinese transliterations of the Japanese names. This particular hack was made popular by various "[[Let's Play]]" video series on {{wp|YouTube}}, with the most notable one being by DeliciousCinnamon.
===151/386/649 or Dex hacks===
These hacks, such as Pokémon Red 151, Pokémon Emerald 386 and Pokémon BlazeBlack/VoltWhite are designed to make available all Pokémon, items and locations within the game, including [[event Pokémon]], [[version-exclusive Pokémon]], Pokémon only obtainable through [[trade|trading]]/migrating, Event Locations and Event Items. These will often not deviate too far from the official game story, and are often used in [[Nuzlocke Challenge|Nuzlocke]] runs and, more notably, for several episodes of [[Twitch Plays Pokémon]].


==Game Boy Advance==
===Hard Mode hacks===
===Moemon===
These hacks, such as Pokémon FireRed: The Hard Version and Pokémon Expert Emerald, also differ little from official game in terms of story. They instead have a significantly higher difficulty than usually experienced in regular Pokémon games. These types of games too are popular amongst Nuzlockers as an additional challenge on top of Nuzlocke rules. Many fans see Pokémon Black and White 2’s [[Key System|Challenge Mode]] as an acknowledgement of these hacks, though no official link has been made.
[[File:386 Moemon.png|thumb|right|386 Moemon]]
Moemon (short for "{{wp|Moe (slang)|Moekko}} Monsters") is a hack of Pokémon FireRed that changes all Pokémon into {{wp|Moe anthropomorphism|gijinka}}. It is a simple change of FireRed, but with additions such as the ability to catch the three [[starter Pokémon|starters]], {{p|Eevee}}, and a mix of both LeafGreen and FireRed Pokémon (thus making it simpler to obtain all Pokémon). The game still receives a fair amount of attention, as a patch was released solely for the FireRed hack that updated both the sprites of the Pokémon as well as their menu sprites, functioning like DLC would for any game.


A ROM hack of Emerald has been released as well. Like the FireRed hack, it's a simple change of Emerald, replacing all Pokémon with ginjika counterparts, however, a few aesthetic changes have been applied to both {{rt|101|Hoenn}} and [[Littleroot Town]], adding many [[puddles]] to the town, and the [[Oran Berry]] has, curiously, been renamed the "Weed Berry", possibly for comedic effect.  
[[File:Day and Night Mode in Liquid Crystal.png|left|thumb|Late evening in Pokémon Liquid Crystal as a result of the fan-developed Day/Night System]]
===ROM bases===
These hacks are often designed to be used as a base for other ROM hacks, and often include major revisions to the game’s base code through ASM hacking to add new features such as additional types or a completely re-vamped tileset. Notable features include the introduction of genders into Pokémon Gold, the addition of a Physical/Special split and the real-time clock into Pokémon FireRed, which gives way to a full Day/Night system, a feature that was missed by many fans in Generation III.


Moemon received a short burst of fame when gaming site {{wp|Kotaku}} posted an article about it in late 2007.<ref>[http://www.kotaku.com.au/2007/12/pokemon_dressed_up_in_moe/ Kotaku - Pokemon Dressed Up in Moe]</ref>
Another noteworthy feature is the development of the UPS format, which allows the expansion of GameBoy Advance ROM hacks from their original 16MB format to 32MB. This has the advantage of effectively doubling the space available for new maps and graphics, but means the game is only playable under emulation and will crash when played on official Nintendo hardware.


===Pokémon Amber===
[[File:Pokémon Emerald Chinese.png|thumb|200px|A Chinese fan-translation of [[Pokémon Emerald]]]]
Pokémon Amber is a hack of {{game3|Ruby and Sapphire|Pokémon Ruby|s}} which sports brand new Pokémon sprites, a brand new region (Sider), and new characters. It is made by the hacker 'Joy', and can be played in Spanish or English. There is a team much like [[Team Rocket]], which is called Team Solaris. Pokémon Amber was released on Whackahackpokemon.com as a beta, Beta 1 (Final). The overworld sprites have also been heavily edited, as has the script of the game. The playable characters are Xander or Ann. The maps have also been edited.
===Language hacks===
Since the core series games prior to [[Generation VI]] were regularly released first in Japan, sometimes months ahead of their international releases, amateur enthusiasts would often translate Japanese-language Pokémon games into English and other languages so they could be played by international audiences. Since the translation was often performed by one or a small group of people, the quality of these translations were often dubious to say the least, the most humorous example being Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal. Nonetheless, these hacks were generally translated well enough to be played and were very popular amongst {{wp|YouTube|YouTubers}}.


===Pokémon AshGray===
In recent years, the core series games have begun releasing simultaneously around the world in more languages and as a result the need for language hacks has somewhat diminished. It does still happen for languages that the Pokémon games are not yet available in, most notably [[Pokémon in Greater China|Chinese]].
Pokémon AshGray is a modification of FireRed, and directly follows the anime. Major moments and aspects from the anime are present, like the player being stuck with Pikachu, being attacked by a group of Spearow, fighting Team Rocket at the Viridian City Pokémon Center, the meeting with Flint in Pewter City, the Butterfree-Raticate trade on the S.S. Anne, Charizard disobeying the player after evolution, and more. The nurses have been redesigned into Nurse Joys, the Pokémon Centers have redesigned exteriors, and the Nurse Joys all have Chansey. Pikachu, however, stays in its Poké Ball, and Brock and Misty do not travel with the player, though they will run into them from time to time. The game also features the opportunity to travel through the Orange Archipelago and play through the events of the first movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back.


===Pokémon ChaosBlack===
===Full/complete hacks===
[[File:ChaosBlack start.jpg|right|thumb|Start screen from Pokémon ChaosBlack]]
These hacks are complete overhauls of the games, with new characters, plots, regions and features. They often overhaul the game’s graphics, incorporating those seen in later generation games including battle backgrounds, sprites and map tiles. They will regularly include Pokémon, moves and types from later generations, and will sometimes include brand new ones created by the hacker. Some hacks, such as ShinyGold and LiquidCrystal, are remakes of entire previously-released games, in the same way that FireRed and LeafGreen were remakes of Red, Blue and Yellow.
Another infamous hack is Pokémon ChaosBlack, which is a modification of {{game3|FireRed and LeafGreen|Pokémon FireRed|s}} that was released on the [[Game Boy Advance]]. This game contains many fake Pokémon, including Mewthree. Although it has a reputation as a bootleg cartridge sold illegally, the original creator of the hack released the patch for it onto the Internet. ChaosBlack is infamous for including numerous created Pokémon and harsh language.


The description on the back of some boxes can inform gamers that it is a bootleg, as there is a missing accent on the "e" in "Pokémon". Another large giveaway is the fact that Chaos from the Sonic the Hedgehog games exists on the front cover. Also the game is apparently developed by 'Mewthree Inc.' instead of Nintendo, meaning it couldn't have been endorsed by Nintendo, Pokémon's usual trademark. Despite these obvious flaws, the bootleggers still included a fake Nintendo Seal of Approval on the box and cartridge.
Because of the extraordinary amount of work involved by a voluntary hacker or hacking team, few of these games are finished in their entirety and are usually playable in the form of a beta. Most of the notable hacks below are considered to be part of this category.


===Pokémon CrystalDust===
{{-}}
CrystalDust is another Crystal remake, but instead of FireRed being the base, it uses Emerald as a base and is created by diegoisawesome. It is a complete recreation of almost everything imaginable; sprites, sound, maps, events, and text all are almost perfect copies of their GBC counterparts, only upgraded. While the game uses Emerald as a base, it takes some sprites from FireRed, as well as music track since FireRed's data is already in Emerald.  
==Notable core series hacks==
With the release of easy-to-use hacking tools for the core series games, there are thousands of ROM Hacks available. What follows is a few notable examples, each with a brief explanation.


The game is currently in its second Beta stage, with most of Johto and some of Kanto's quests completed. The third beta will have the rest of Kanto completed.
[[File:Barksh.png|thumb|left|200px|The player at his house, in [[New Bark Town]]]]
===Pokémon ShinyGold===
"Pokémon ShinyGold" was a [[Generation III]] [[remake]] of {{2v2|Gold|Silver}} using the {{game3|FireRed and LeafGreen|Pokémon FireRed|s}} engine, echoing how FireRed is a remake of {{game3|Red and Blue|Pokémon Red|s}}. Whilst not the first of its kind it is amongst the most well-known Generation III hacks, and despite it never leaving beta is still one of the most popular. It is also one of the most illegally sold ROM hacks, with many bootleg versions of ShinyGold available as pre-patched ROMs or flashed game paks. ShinyGold's creator, username Zel, included a warning in later editions warning users about this problem and to demand their money back if they had paid for it.


===Pokémon Dark Rising===
ShinyGold is one of a number of [[Generation II]] remakes developed by hackers. Other examples include Pokémon LiquidCrystal and Pokémon CrystalDust, both of which include expanded areas and features, amongst others.
Pokémon Dark Rising is a hack of Pokémon FireRed created by <span class="plainlinks">[http://www.pokecommunity.com/member.php?u=294115 DarkRisingGirl]</span>. It takes place in a region called Core Region. Pokémon from the first five generations appear in this game. The objective of the game is to rescue the player's father & rescue Arceus who has been trapped by a dark entity named Darugis. The players has to travel through the Core region and defeat the villainous teams which are being controlled by Darugis. The starter Pokemon are Dratini, Bagon and Gible.


====Pokémon Dark Rising 2====
[[File:Ruby Destiny LoG.png|thumb|200px|[[Surfing]] cinematic in Life of Guardians, and example of the 'side-scrolling' perspective sometimes used in hack games]]
Pokémon Dark Rising 2 is the sequel to Dark Rising. The story continues as the player continues their search for their father and Arceus. It takes place in a new region called the Omni Region. The starter Pokémon are Dragonite, Salamence, and Garchomp. It contains Gen VI Pokémon also, hence, it is popular between players.
===Pokémon Ruby Destiny Series===
"Pokémon Ruby Destiny" is a popular series of games based on the {{game3|Ruby and Sapphire|Pokémon Ruby|s}} engine created by [[PokéCommunity]] user destinedJaGold. The series consists of three completed games: Reign of Legends, Rescue Rangers and Life of Guardians. A fourth, Broken Timeline, is currently under development. This series is of particular note, as it is one of the longest running completed hack series available, particularly for its in-depth gameplay and plot. It, like other popular hacks, has even drawn interest from Let's Play creators. The series is also know for incorporating the [[Fairy (type)|Fairy type]] into the Generation III game engine, as well as a user-created "Chaos type", alongside several user-created Pokémon (known as "Fakémon" among fans).


===Pokémon Diamond 2 and Jade 2===
[[File:Starter Moemon Revival.png|thumb|left|200px|The Kanto Starters, represented by Moemon]]
[[File:Pokemon Jade 2 title screen.png‎|right|thumb|Title screen of "Pokémon Jade 2"]]
===Moemon===
Similar to the first fake Diamond and Jade games, Diamond 2 and Jade 2 were hacked from [http://wikifang.meowcorp.us/wiki/Telefang_2 Keitai Denjū Telefang 2]. Also, like Diamond and Jade, the Power Version of Telefang 2 became Pokémon Diamond 2, and the Speed Version became Pokémon Jade 2. They are in Chinese, and their title screens have been altered to poorly drawn Pokémon characters along with the character Dragon from the film ''{{wp|Shrek}}'' (possibly due to her superficial similarity to a {{p|Charizard}}). The similarities between the title screens of this and the original Diamond and Jade (as well as the fact that they have Pokémon names in the first place) suggest that these may be made by the same pirates. Diamond 2 crashes after the title screen, making it unplayable without a save state, and Jade 2 has graphical glitches. There is also a poorly translated English version of the Power Version of Telefang 2 called "Pokémon Ruby," which has no relation to the real one.
"Moemon" (short for "{{wp|Moe (slang)|Moekko}} Monsters") is a prominent hack of {{game3|FireRed and LeafGreen|Pokémon FireRed|s}} that changes all Pokémon into {{wp|Moe anthropomorphism|gijinka}}. It is a simple change of FireRed, but with additions such as the ability to catch the three [[starter Pokémon|starters]], {{p|Eevee}}, and a mix of both LeafGreen and FireRed Pokémon (thus making it simpler to obtain all Pokémon). The game still receives a fair amount of attention, as a patch was released solely for the FireRed hack that updated both the sprites of the Pokémon as well as their menu sprites, functioning like DLC would for any game.


===Pokémon Flora Sky===
A ROM hack of Emerald has been released as well. Like the FireRed hack, it's a simple change of Emerald, replacing all Pokémon with ginjika counterparts, however, a few aesthetic changes have been applied to both {{rt|101|Hoenn}} and [[Littleroot Town]], adding many [[puddles]] to the town, and the [[Oran Berry]] has, curiously, been renamed the "Weed Berry", possibly for comedic effect.
Pokémon Flora Sky is a Swedish hack of Emerald Version which takes place in a heavily modified region, still called the Hoenn region. It features a heavily modified version of Emerald's storyline along with features from the 4th generation and 5th generation games including honey trees and a digging mini game, as well as 4th and 5th generation Pokémon and characters. The game also has a sizeable post-game storyline and then a series of sidequests, mostly involving legendary Pokémon. Two versions of this game were released, the original version and the Complement Dex Version which contains different Pokémon.


===Pokémon Liquid Crystal===
Moemon received a short burst of fame when gaming site {{wp|Kotaku}} posted an article about it in late 2007.<ref>[http://www.kotaku.com.au/2007/12/pokemon_dressed_up_in_moe/ Kotaku - Pokemon Dressed Up in Moe]</ref>
Pokémon Liquid Crystal is a total conversion for FireRed and is remake of Pokémon Crystal, created by LinkandZelda. The storyline is generally that of the original Crystal, but with new features. The game is centered around Johto, Kanto, as well as the Orange Archipelago. Along with Team Rocket, a new team known as Team Saturn has been added and their goal is to capture the Legendary Pokémon to take over the world. The game offers new tilesets, music that has been remade for the regions, a Gameboy Player item that will play the music in 8-bit, but unlike the HGSS Gameboy Player, the music is in true 8-bit chiptune using the GBA's audio hardware, and other features that weren't in the original Crystal, as well as the other Generation II remake, Shiny Gold.
 
The game is currently running on a Live Beta, so the game is updated periodically with fixes, but the game is mostly complete as players are able to complete the Johto and Kanto quests, as well as most of the Orange Archipelago.


[[File:Pokémon Naranja.png|thumb|200px|Battling [[Tracey (anime)|Tracey Sketchit]] in Pokémon Naranja]]
===Pokémon Naranja/Orange===
===Pokémon Naranja/Orange===
Pokémon Naranja is a {{wp|Spanish}} hack of {{game3|Ruby and Sapphire|Pokémon Ruby|s}} in which the {{player}} plays as either {{Ash}} or [[Misty]] and travels around the [[Orange Archipelago]]. Naranja is a Spanish word which means Orange. {{p|Celebi}} appears on the box art and title screen.  
"Pokémon Naranja" is a {{wp|Spanish}} hack of {{game3|Ruby and Sapphire|Pokémon Ruby|s}} in which the {{player}} plays as either {{Ash}} or [[Misty]] and travels around the [[Orange Archipelago]]. Naranja is a Spanish word which means "{{tt|orange|in reference to the fruit, not the colour}}". {{p|Celebi}} appears as this game's [[version mascot]]. This game is based on the [[S02|Orange Saga]] in the {{pkmn|anime}}. The game starts after the player had won the [[Indigo League]]. Despite this fact, the player starts with only a Lv. 5 {{p|Pikachu}}. Many characters, plots and events in the Orange Saga are included in the game, such as the [[GS Ball]], Ash's {{AP|Lapras}}, the [[Orange Crew]], the [[Crystal Onix]], the {{p|Golduck}} from ''[[EP091|Bye Bye Psyduck]]'', and [[Ash's Snorlax]]. This game is particularly well-polished and features a completely overhauled graphical system, and well as many hours of playtime.  Other anime-based hacks include the popular Pokémon AshGray, a FireRed-based game depicting Ash's journey through the [[Kanto]] region in the [[original series]].


This game is based on the [[Pokémon: Adventures in the Orange Islands|Orange Saga]] in the {{pkmn|anime}}. The game starts after the player had won the [[Indigo League]]. Despite this fact, the player starts with only a Lv. 5 {{p|Pikachu}}. Many characters, plots and events in the Orange Saga are included in the game, such as the [[GS Ball]], Ash's {{AP|Lapras}}, the [[Orange Crew]], the [[Crystal Onix]], the {{p|Golduck}} from ''[[EP091|Bye Bye Psyduck]]'', and [[Ash's Snorlax]].
[[File:Pokémon TPP Red Battle Transition.png|thumb|left|This custom transition was over 200 lines of new code<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/twitchplayspokemon/comments/2ytt02/dream_red_battle_transition_60fps/cpcuwkm Reddit comment by creator]</ref>]]
===Pokémon TPP Version===
"Pokémon TPP Version" is a hack created for the season 2 opening episode of [[Twitch Plays Pokémon]]. It is based on the Pokémon Red 151 dex hack and was developed by user pigdevil2010 with EliteAnax17 and the channel's streamer. It is a much tougher version of [[Pokémon Red]], with significant [[level]] increases across all battles. All Pokémon, including [[Version-exclusive Pokémon|version-exclusive]] and {{DL|Methods of evolution|Evolution via trading|trade evolutions}}, are obtainable as well as catchable (all 151 are available in the wild). The hack includes additional challenges and features, such as [[legendary Pokémon]] respawns, [[Gym Leader]] and [[Elite Four]] rematches with higher-level teams and Level 100 event battles with [[Professor Oak]] and the original {{ga|Red}} from the first Twitch Plays Pokémon episode. It also includes the Battle Tent, a [[Battle Tower]]-like facility intended for players to earn money post-game.


This game also includes a special feature: the player's character actually speaks during some of the story sequences, which has never been implemented in any official Pokémon game.
This hack is notable as it is the first to ever be specifically designed for live broadcast, as well as the first to be designed for Twitch Plays Pokémon's unique play style. For example, {{p|Mew}}'s Cave (a post-game bonus dungeon located in the area of the [[S.S. Anne]]) is not too difficult to navigate with a single player, but with hundreds controlling the game at once, it becomes challenging. The game took 39 days to complete and was played by thousands of people over that time. The patch was only made available after the game was completed by the community.  It is also one of the very few hacks that have been released on a physical cartridge with the hackers permission as part of a community-led project.


The game maker originally planned to release a third beta version before {{wp|Christmas}} in 2005; however, the creator canceled this for an unknown reason. Therefore, the game is currently incomplete.
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==Non-core series hacks==
[[File:PA hack screen.png|thumb|150px|Screenshot from "Pokémon Adventure"]]
Though the core-series is by far the most popular series to hack, there are also many fan-created Pokémon games that do not use these as basis. These include "Pokémon Adventure", a hack of Sonic Adventure 7 for the GameBoy Color and "Pokémon 4-in-1", a hacked game for the NES comprising of several mini games. There are also examples of modified versions of the [[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon]] series and [[Pokémon Conquest]].


Naranja has, much like Chaos Black and ShinyGold, also been published in cartridge form and sold as a bootleg game by pirates. This is the only known Pokémon game to ever feature the Orange Islands that was sold.
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==Bootleg games==
Whilst technically-speaking these are modifications of published games, the ROM hacking community generally considers these more as "bootlegs" rather than ROM hacks. The main difference being these games were likely designed to trick players into thinking they were official for monetary gain, something which most ROM hackers actively try and avoid. These games were often flashed to third party game paks and sold illegally. Below are some notable examples.


===Pokémon Quartz===
[[File:Fake Diamond start.png|thumb|left|200px|Title screen of "Pokémon Diamond"]]
[[File:Quartz Title Screen.png|thumb|The title screen of Pokémon Quartz]]
===Pokémon Diamond and Jade===
Another hack of Pokémon Ruby, released by the author as a patch file intended to be played by {{wp|VisualBoyAdvance|VBA}} users who already owned the Ruby cartridge and had a copy of its ROM image. The game has a great number of spelling and grammatical errors, which result from the hack being translated from Spanish, although the grammar improves throughout the game. The game also contains profanity and adult themes, which are absent from all official Pokémon games. Pokémon Quartz replaced all names and graphics of traditional Pokémon with new, made-up Pokémon, although some of the changes were only cosmetic and did not change learnsets or types. The game takes place in a region known as "Corna", a heavily edited version of Hoenn, and requires the player to navigate a very different series of paths during gameplay. It also been published in cartridge form and sold as a bootleg game.
Possibly the most well-known bootleg "Pokémon" games are the notorious Pokémon Diamond and Jade (not to be confused with the official [[Generation IV]] games {{game|Diamond and Pearl|s}}). These games are knock-off versions of the Power and Speed Versions of {{wp|Keitai Denjū Telefang}}, respectively, which were only released in Japan for the [[Game Boy Color]] on November 2000, a year after {{game|Gold and Silver|s}} and a month prior to {{game|Crystal}}.


While the best-known bootleg cartridge as played on the actual GBA contains serious glitches and errors, the current patch file release works well with VBA when the patch is applied to a clean image of an actual Ruby cartridge.
Pokémon Jade is sometimes found on the same cartridge as an illegally produced Pokémon Crystal cartridge but could also be found as a standalone cartridge. It was also mentioned in [http://web.archive.org/web/20030604202427/http://pokemon.com/letters/200324.asp the Pokémon.com mailbag] in 2003 as "the bootleg and illegally produced Pokémon Jade".


A sequel to the game, Pokémon Marble, is in its beta release. This version is a hack of FireRed and has vastly improved grammar and spelling.
These bootlegs had numerous glitches that the real games did not have, such as the inability to load a save file properly. The game also contains broken English, profanity, and swearing, which is absent from all official [[Pokémon games]] licensed by [[Nintendo]], with the British Gaming Blog describing the additions as "a healthy dose of Engrish and plenty of swear words."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080708225438/http://www.britishgaming.co.uk/?p=580 British Gaming Blog » Bizarre Bootlegs - The Lighter Side of Piracy] (archived copy)</ref>


====Pokémon Marble====
The real Telefang games do share conceptual similarities with the real Pokémon games. Whereas in the [[core series]] Pokémon games, players take the role of a [[Pokémon Trainer]] who travels through a specific [[region]] of the [[Pokémon world]] to obtain or {{pkmn2|caught|catch}} {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} in [[Poké Ball]]s and send them out for {{pkmn|battle}}s, in the Telefang games, players take the role of a [http://wiki.telefang.net/T-Fanger T-Fanger] who travels through the Denjū World to befriend creatures called [http://wiki.telefang.net/Denjuu Denjū] and have them battle each other using a device called the [http://wiki.telefang.net/D-Shot D-Shot]. However, unlike Pokémon, Denjū themselves have a D-Shot and call each other to battle. Other similarities between the two game series can be seen in the mechanics of each: the creatures in both share common stats such as HP, Attack, Defense, and Speed; both series have moves or attacks in common, like どくばり ({{m|Poison Sting|Pokémon}}, [http://wiki.telefang.net/Poison_Sting_(move) Telefang]), とっしん ({{m|Take Down|Pokémon}}, [http://wiki.telefang.net/Rush_(move) Telefang]), かえんほうしゃ/カエンホウシャ ({{m|Flamethrower|Pokémon}}, [http://wiki.telefang.net/Flamethrower_(move) Telefang]), or じしん ({{m|Earthquake|Pokémon}}, [http://wiki.telefang.net/Earthquake_(move) Telefang]), and both series also have natures for their creatures ([[Nature|Pokémon]], [http://wiki.telefang.net/Personality Telefang]), though the effects of moves are not necessarily the same in every case, and natures work differently.
[[File:Marble battle.png|thumb|right|A battle from Marble version between {{p|Caterpie}} and {{p|Doduo}}'s replacements]]
Pokémon Marble was made as a sequel to Pokémon Quartz, and uses Pokémon FireRed as a base. It has a new Rival, new maps and graphics, a brand new plot and more than 250 fake Pokémon. It takes place 20 years ''after'' Quartz, and starts this time in Lowheaven. Professor Baro reappears and participates in the storyline much more than in Quartz.


===Pokémon RijonAdventures===
[[File:Pokemon Jade 2 title screen.png‎|thumb|200px|Title screen of Pokémon Jade 2]]
Pokémon RijonAdventures is a hack of FireRed Version which is a remake/sequel of Brown version. Set once again in the Rijon region it takes place 20 years after Brown and 15 years after Prism and features the children of the protagonist and rival from Brown on a new adventure, not just in Rijon but also in a new region called South Rijon.
===Pokémon Diamond 2 and Jade 2===
 
Similar to the first fake Diamond and Jade games, Diamond 2 and Jade 2 were hacked from [http://wiki.telefang.net/Telefang_2 Keitai Denjū Telefang 2]. Also, like Diamond and Jade, the Power Version of Telefang 2 became Pokémon Diamond 2, and the Speed Version became Pokémon Jade 2. They are in Chinese, and their title screens have been altered to poorly drawn Pokémon characters along with the character Dragon from the film ''{{wp|Shrek}}'' (possibly due to her superficial similarity to a {{p|Charizard}}). The similarities between the title screens of this and the original Diamond and Jade (as well as the fact that they have Pokémon names in the first place) suggest that these may be made by the same people. Diamond 2 crashes after the title screen, making it unplayable without a save state, and Jade 2 has graphical glitches. There is also a poorly translated English version of the Power Version of Telefang 2 called "Pokémon Ruby," which has no relation to the real one.
===Pokémon ShinyGold===
{{-}}
[[File:Barksh.png|thumb|right|The player at his house, in [[New Bark Town]]]]
[[File:GO TO THE ELF'S WORLD.png|thumb|left|160px|A poorly translated version of [[Professor Oak]]'s opening speech]]
[[File:ShinyGold Title Screen.png|thumb|left|Title Screen of Pokémon ShinyGold]]
{{bulbanews|Gotta Meme 'em All: Vietnamese Crystal}}
Pokémon ShinyGold is a total conversion of {{game3|FireRed and LeafGreen|Pokémon FireRed|s}} that turns the game into a {{2v2|Gold|Silver}} [[remake]], much like how FireRed is a remake of {{game3|Red and Blue|Pokémon Red|s}}. As well as illegally releasing the game to ROM communities as a patch, some pirates have copied the hack (as with many others) to Game Boy Advance cartridges to illegally sell the game and trick gamers who genuinely think that it is an official Pokémon game. In response to this, the game's creator, Zel, placed a note at the beginning of the game saying that the game should be returned if the player paid for it. The game features some changes to the storyline, like the fact that a new Trainer, named Carlos,  is introduced, a Trainer with which the player keeps fighting during the gameplay. It has also introduced features that allow Pokémon that normally evolve via time-based events or trade to evolve by other methods that are more easily available to the player. For example, {{p|Scyther}} evolves into {{p|Scizor}} with a {{evostone|Moon Stone}} rather than by its normal method, trading while holding a {{DL|Type-enhancing item|Metal Coat}}. The game also features many events which were not available in the original game, as well as many [[Generation III]] Pokémon being found in some areas.
===Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal===
[[File:Carlos ShinyGold.png|thumb|center|A battle against Carlos]]
"Pocket Monsters Crystal Version" (popularly known as Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal) is a bootlegged version of {{game|Crystal}}. Translated from Japanese to Chinese to English, the dialogue in the game (now {{wp|Engrish}}) is often nonsensical and unintentionally humorous. All Pokémon, character, and location names are similarly badly translated, often resembling romanizations of Chinese transliterations of the Japanese names. The translation is so poor that the game has achieved a cult status, and is the subject of many popular Internet memes. It was made popular by various "[[Let's Play]]" video series on {{wp|YouTube}}, with the most notable one being by DeliciousCinnamon.
 
{{-}}
===Touhou Puppet Play or Touhoumon===
Touhoumon is a combination of the Japanese shoot'em up series {{wp|Touhou Project}} and the Pokémon games. The (official) hack is for FireRed while there is a fan derivative that extends to Emerald. There are both English and Japanese versions. The Japanese versions tend to be further ahead in terms of development.
 
Almost every Pokémon has been replaced with Touhou characters. The music has also been remixed between the original Pokémon themes with Touhou character boss and stage themes. Certain fan derivative versions of the game uses the physical-special split from Generation IV. In the newest official Japanese version, 1.8, the types and evolution styles have been changed as well.
 
===Pokémon Ruby Destiny series===
The Pokémon Ruby Destiny is a series of hacks for Pokémon Ruby, created by destinedJagold. The first Ruby Destiny game is titled Reign of Legends, which was created on August 22nd, 2007, and is set in the new region known as Gento. The game offers an updated tileset for maps, new cities and towns, Gym Leaders and Trainers, as well as the game's two villainous teams, Royal Darkness and Luminous Cenaries, who both vision a world of darkness and light respectively. The game also has some 4th Generation Pokémon implemented in, though the sprites for them are of poor quailty as this was DJG's first step in ROM Hacking, the game features a sidestory regarding Lugia, being Shadow Lugia and being a major part of the story. The player will also be able to visit a small portion of the Kanto region after completing the game. Despite the changes, this game's story is very similar to Ruby's.
 
The second game in the series is titled Rescue Rangers, which was created March 13th, 2008, and mimics the style of the Mystery Dungeon games, but keep the feel of the main games. It centers around the player, who lives in the real world, going to a birthday party while in a Pikachu costume, but is then sent, along with the player's friends, to the region known as Hevah in the Pokémon world. There he/she is transformed into a Pikachu and is joined up with a Torchic and Chikorita and form a rescue team known as Team Go-Getters. Soon the three find the player's friends, also transformed into a Pokémon, as they journey across the region to carry out missions, similar to the first two Mystery Dungeon games. The game offers a new take on playing the MD games while sticking to the roots of the traditional main series games, with new tilesets, sprites, maps, and ability to rescue other Pokémon. The player's team is unable to evolve however and because of obvious reasons, there is no way to catch other Pokémon.
 
The third game in the series titled Life of Guardians, which was created near the end of 2008 on December 16th, and takes place in an alternate Hevah due to the actions of Team Go-Getters in the previous game. The game centers around a boy/girl who has dreams to become what is called a Guardian Trainer, despite having no knowledge of what a Guardian Trainer is or does. The game offers an extensive original story, new region to explore, Gym Leaders are known as Elemental Masters and give out Symbols rather than badges, two new organizations known as the Dark Organization, who causes havoc across Hevah, and Team Earth, who plans on removing mankind for the sake of the Pokémon. The game offers three stories depending on the player's actions: The Hero story, the normal story, and the Evil story. The game features new music from other RPG titles, namely from the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series, a few new Fakémon and 4th and 5th generation Pokémon that are original to the region. The game also features numerous side quests to do, as well as a way to see the game's true ending. Life of Guardian has been praised by players for being an excellent ROM hack, being named Hack of the Year in the Pokecommunity forums, and having a high replay value.
 
The fourth game in the series is in development, titled Broken Timeline, which creation began November 30th, 2013. The story centers around the events after Life of Guardians, in which Chaomega is about to merge the two timelines together, since the Dragon Gods of Hevah disappeared since there are no Guardian Trainer to use as a vessel to keep them alive. The main protagonist, a Latios or Latias depending on the gender selected and in human form, are tasked to search for Lugia and Ho-Oh in Kanto and Johto to see if they are prepared for the merge but are nowhere to be found, as are Mewtwo and Celebi. Despite this, Chaomega merges the timelines together, only for Arceus to appear, upset with Chaomega's actions and the player is forced into a battle against Arceus in which they lose. The player then wakes up as a new Trainer getting ready to begin their journey.
 
The game is unique than the other three titles as the player is able to choose which region they can start in. They start in either Kanto, Johto, Gento, Hevah, and the Crest region. The game also features other elements from newer titles, such as Physical/Special split from Generation IV, new attacks that don't replace existing ones, a few Fakemon from the previous game, new music with some from the previous title, and Pokémon from Generations IV, V, and VI, along with the Fairy-type and the new Chaos-type.
 
The game is currently in its first Beta, which was released September 17th 2014, allowing up to 2 or 3 Gyms to be battled, depending on which region the player chose.
 
DJG decided to go back and try to fix some of the bugs in the first three games, while still allowing other hackers to modify the game they see fit, stating he will try to fix some bugs that were game breaking and were difficult to fix at the time, such as replacing the old sprites in Reign of Legends with the newer DS-style Pokémon sprites that were put together thanks to Chaos-Rush, and fixing the region map has it has been an issue since the hack was completed in 2007.
 
==Nintendo DS==
===Pokémon Blaze Black and Volt White===
Pokémon Blaze Black and Volt White Versions are hacks of {{game|Black and White|s}} made by Drayano, first released in late March 2011. The concept of the games is generally the same, with no changes to the story or mechanics. The main changes made by these games is that it is possible to obtain all 649 Pokémon in the National Pokédex without connecting to another game. All the [[legendary Pokémon]] that do not appear normally in the original now have a small chance of appearing in certain locations (for example, {{p|Zapdos}} has a 1% chance of showing up on the lowest level of [[Chargestone Cave]]). In addition, many evolution methods were changed, mainly ones that involved trading as a requirement (the {{DL|Evolution-inducing held item|Magmarizer}} and {{DL|Evolution-inducing held item|Electirizer}} are now usable items that evolve {{p|Magmar}} and {{p|Electabuzz}} respectively, in the same manner [[evolutionary stone]]s do). The hacks also implement a level curve to make the game more challenging, and certain Pokémon have had minor type, learnset, and ability changes to fit the increased difficulty ({{p|Serperior}} was given the {{t|Dragon}} type in addition to its normal {{t|Grass}} type). Most Pokémon, upon being obtained, have a chance of having their {{pkmn|Dream World}} abilities. Finally, some moves have undergone type, power, and accuracy changes, again to fit the increased difficulty.
 
====Pokémon Blaze Black 2 and Volt White 2====
In October 2012, Drayano continued his project into the sequels of Blaze Black and Volt White, making Pokémon Blaze Black 2 and Volt White 2. The overall concept of the game stays the same, with a few minor improvements. Rather than the normally unobtainable legendaries appearing in the wild, they now appear as interactive encounters after meeting certain requirements (for example, {{p|Zapdos}} now appears outside the entrance to Chargestone Cave after speaking to a male {{tc|Veteran}} inside [[Humilau City]]'s Pokémon Center). These games also take advantage of the [[Key System]] by giving the player the Easy Mode and Challenge Mode keys before even choosing a starter Pokémon, so the whole game can be played in Challenge or Easy Mode from the start, no matter which version is being played. Also, the player is given both the Iceberg Key and the Iron Key immediately after defeating/catching {{p|Regirock}}. In addition, new features are added, such as a house in [[Nacrene City]] in which the player can have rematches with any of the Unova [[Gym Leader]]s, the ability to battle Gym Leaders from [[Hoenn]] in the overworld, and a battle against {{ga|Hilbert}} or {{ga|Hilda}} in the [[Nature Preserve]].
 
==NES==
===Pokémon 4-in-1===
 
Pokémon 4-in-1 is a pirated NES game which included four mini-games: "PicaClick", "PicaSlot", "PicaDance" (called "PiraDance" in game), and "Pacman". "Pika" is notably misspelled. PicaClick is a [[wp:Collapse (video game)|Collapse]] clone featuring {{p|Pikachu}}. Pacman is a {{wp|Pac-Man}} clone where {{wp|Pac-Man (character)|Pac-Man}} is replaced with a Pikachu face and {{wp|Ghosts (Pac-Man)|the ghosts}} with {{p|Vileplume}}. PicaSlot is a slot machine mini-game including Pikachu, {{p|Marill}}, {{p|Clefable}}, {{p|Psyduck}}, {{p|Chikorita}}, (7), and apple (with worm) icons.  PiraDance involves the player stopping Marill and {{p|Cleffa}} on spinning [[Poké Ball]]s, to the beat of one of three songs, {{wp|Butterfly (Smile.dk song)|"butterfly"}}, "Babylon", or "sunrise". It used the animated sprite of the title screen Pikachu from {{game|Yellow}} in the background.


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://wikifang.meowcorp.us/wiki/Wikifang Wikifang - A wiki about Telefang, the game that became Pokémon Jade and Diamond] (includes information on the fakes)
*[http://wiki.telefang.net/Wikifang Wikifang - A wiki about Telefang, the game that became Pokémon Jade and Diamond] (includes information on the fakes)


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 21:03, 30 July 2015

ROM hacks, also known as hack games or ROM patches, are video games that have been edited or altered by enthusiasts. The hackers achieve this by changing the code of the Read-Only Memory of a published video game to create something new.

The core series Pokémon game system is considered very versatile and lends itself well to modification, giving hackers a lot of creative freedom together with a solid, well-tested game engine. These factors, as well as Pokémon’s notable popularity throughout the world, has lead to the creation of thousands of different games spanning multiple generations, ranging from minor adjustments to additional new features and, more and more frequently, entirely new fan-made Pokémon games.

A warning to users about bootleggers included in Pokémon rijonAdventures

There is a distinction between ROM hacks and "bootleg games". These are unauthorised copies of published games which are sold to consumers, often flashed onto after-market game paks or game cards and lacking the official Nintendo Seal. However, since ROM hacks are often distributed over the Internet for free, they are regularly sold as bootleg games, usually against the hacker’s wishes. The reliability of these bootlegs are often poor, and has become such a problem that hackers have started to introduce warning screens into their games, cautioning users that if they paid for it, they may have been scammed.

History

Pokémon Brown's title screen

Early Pokémon ROM hacks date back to the late 1990s with modified editions of Pokémon Red. These were often relatively minor adjustments such as sprite or dialogue changes, and would generally follow the flow of the original game. These early ROM hacks were infamous for being particularly crude in nature, ranging from swapping Pokémon and human sprites around to replacing the dialogue with obscene text.

This trend continued until the release of Pokémon Brown by user Koolboyman in the early 2000s, one of the most notable Pokémon hacks in history. This was the first hack to completely re-invent the game, with a brand new region and completely new plot. Later editions included an expanded Pokédex (including Pokémon from Generations II, III and IV), additional dungeons and additional plot tweaks. It is one of the few completed hack games and was successful enough to warrant a sequel (Pokémon Prism, a Pokémon Gold-based hack) and a Generation III version (Pokémon rijonAdventures) based on Pokémon FireRed.

Since Brown, Pokémon hacking’s notoriety has expanded exponentially, with developers creating many software tools for desktop operating systems to help create maps, edit sprites, graphics and even developing scripting languages specifically for the Pokémon game engine. It has also inspired many hackers to learn how to edit the games' assembly code directly (known as ASM hacking). Numerous hacks have been released, often using FireRed as a base, such as Pokémon ShinyGold, Pokémon Naranja and the Pokémon Ruby Destiny series, just to name a few.

There are many websites dedicated to Pokémon ROM hack development. Notable examples include Skeetendo, PHO and PokéCommunity’s ROM Hack section, the largest known English-language Pokémon ROM hacking community. Many of these sites hold award nominations and ceremonies to showcase some of the best talents of their community.

Legality

As suggested by it’s name, read-only memory is designed only to be read and not modified in any way. Most published games belong to their respective publishers, hence the read-only memory portion of these games are subject to intellectual property and copyright laws. It is illegal in most countries to make copies of or redistribute any of the game’s code. As a result, it is illegal to distribute copyrighted ROM files in any way, including over the Internet. Doing so may result in prosecution on the grounds of copyright law.

This issue is dealt with by hackers distributing what are known as patch files. Essentially, these are small sets of computer instructions on how to modify a ROM file in a particular way, which produces the hacked game. Patch files, often distributed in the IPS or UPS format, are not illegal and can be distributed freely. However, one would need to obtain the required ROM file and patching software in order to apply the patch.

Game types

Pokémon ROM hacks tend to fall into five vague categories, though due to the huge versatility of the Pokémon engine, some hacks will transcend several categories at once.

Pokémon Blaze Black 2, a popular 649 Hack

151/386/649 or Dex hacks

These hacks, such as Pokémon Red 151, Pokémon Emerald 386 and Pokémon BlazeBlack/VoltWhite are designed to make available all Pokémon, items and locations within the game, including event Pokémon, version-exclusive Pokémon, Pokémon only obtainable through trading/migrating, Event Locations and Event Items. These will often not deviate too far from the official game story, and are often used in Nuzlocke runs and, more notably, for several episodes of Twitch Plays Pokémon.

Hard Mode hacks

These hacks, such as Pokémon FireRed: The Hard Version and Pokémon Expert Emerald, also differ little from official game in terms of story. They instead have a significantly higher difficulty than usually experienced in regular Pokémon games. These types of games too are popular amongst Nuzlockers as an additional challenge on top of Nuzlocke rules. Many fans see Pokémon Black and White 2’s Challenge Mode as an acknowledgement of these hacks, though no official link has been made.

Late evening in Pokémon Liquid Crystal as a result of the fan-developed Day/Night System

ROM bases

These hacks are often designed to be used as a base for other ROM hacks, and often include major revisions to the game’s base code through ASM hacking to add new features such as additional types or a completely re-vamped tileset. Notable features include the introduction of genders into Pokémon Gold, the addition of a Physical/Special split and the real-time clock into Pokémon FireRed, which gives way to a full Day/Night system, a feature that was missed by many fans in Generation III.

Another noteworthy feature is the development of the UPS format, which allows the expansion of GameBoy Advance ROM hacks from their original 16MB format to 32MB. This has the advantage of effectively doubling the space available for new maps and graphics, but means the game is only playable under emulation and will crash when played on official Nintendo hardware.

A Chinese fan-translation of Pokémon Emerald

Language hacks

Since the core series games prior to Generation VI were regularly released first in Japan, sometimes months ahead of their international releases, amateur enthusiasts would often translate Japanese-language Pokémon games into English and other languages so they could be played by international audiences. Since the translation was often performed by one or a small group of people, the quality of these translations were often dubious to say the least, the most humorous example being Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal. Nonetheless, these hacks were generally translated well enough to be played and were very popular amongst YouTubers.

In recent years, the core series games have begun releasing simultaneously around the world in more languages and as a result the need for language hacks has somewhat diminished. It does still happen for languages that the Pokémon games are not yet available in, most notably Chinese.

Full/complete hacks

These hacks are complete overhauls of the games, with new characters, plots, regions and features. They often overhaul the game’s graphics, incorporating those seen in later generation games including battle backgrounds, sprites and map tiles. They will regularly include Pokémon, moves and types from later generations, and will sometimes include brand new ones created by the hacker. Some hacks, such as ShinyGold and LiquidCrystal, are remakes of entire previously-released games, in the same way that FireRed and LeafGreen were remakes of Red, Blue and Yellow.

Because of the extraordinary amount of work involved by a voluntary hacker or hacking team, few of these games are finished in their entirety and are usually playable in the form of a beta. Most of the notable hacks below are considered to be part of this category.


Notable core series hacks

With the release of easy-to-use hacking tools for the core series games, there are thousands of ROM Hacks available. What follows is a few notable examples, each with a brief explanation.

The player at his house, in New Bark Town

Pokémon ShinyGold

"Pokémon ShinyGold" was a Generation III remake of Gold and Silver using the Pokémon FireRed engine, echoing how FireRed is a remake of Pokémon Red. Whilst not the first of its kind it is amongst the most well-known Generation III hacks, and despite it never leaving beta is still one of the most popular. It is also one of the most illegally sold ROM hacks, with many bootleg versions of ShinyGold available as pre-patched ROMs or flashed game paks. ShinyGold's creator, username Zel, included a warning in later editions warning users about this problem and to demand their money back if they had paid for it.

ShinyGold is one of a number of Generation II remakes developed by hackers. Other examples include Pokémon LiquidCrystal and Pokémon CrystalDust, both of which include expanded areas and features, amongst others.

Surfing cinematic in Life of Guardians, and example of the 'side-scrolling' perspective sometimes used in hack games

Pokémon Ruby Destiny Series

"Pokémon Ruby Destiny" is a popular series of games based on the Pokémon Ruby engine created by PokéCommunity user destinedJaGold. The series consists of three completed games: Reign of Legends, Rescue Rangers and Life of Guardians. A fourth, Broken Timeline, is currently under development. This series is of particular note, as it is one of the longest running completed hack series available, particularly for its in-depth gameplay and plot. It, like other popular hacks, has even drawn interest from Let's Play creators. The series is also know for incorporating the Fairy type into the Generation III game engine, as well as a user-created "Chaos type", alongside several user-created Pokémon (known as "Fakémon" among fans).

File:Starter Moemon Revival.png
The Kanto Starters, represented by Moemon

Moemon

"Moemon" (short for "Moekko Monsters") is a prominent hack of Pokémon FireRed that changes all Pokémon into gijinka. It is a simple change of FireRed, but with additions such as the ability to catch the three starters, Eevee, and a mix of both LeafGreen and FireRed Pokémon (thus making it simpler to obtain all Pokémon). The game still receives a fair amount of attention, as a patch was released solely for the FireRed hack that updated both the sprites of the Pokémon as well as their menu sprites, functioning like DLC would for any game.

A ROM hack of Emerald has been released as well. Like the FireRed hack, it's a simple change of Emerald, replacing all Pokémon with ginjika counterparts, however, a few aesthetic changes have been applied to both Route 101 and Littleroot Town, adding many puddles to the town, and the Oran Berry has, curiously, been renamed the "Weed Berry", possibly for comedic effect.

Moemon received a short burst of fame when gaming site Kotaku posted an article about it in late 2007.[1]

Battling Tracey Sketchit in Pokémon Naranja

Pokémon Naranja/Orange

"Pokémon Naranja" is a Spanish hack of Pokémon Ruby in which the player plays as either Ash or Misty and travels around the Orange Archipelago. Naranja is a Spanish word which means "orange". Celebi appears as this game's version mascot. This game is based on the Orange Saga in the anime. The game starts after the player had won the Indigo League. Despite this fact, the player starts with only a Lv. 5 Pikachu. Many characters, plots and events in the Orange Saga are included in the game, such as the GS Ball, Ash's Lapras, the Orange Crew, the Crystal Onix, the Golduck from Bye Bye Psyduck, and Ash's Snorlax. This game is particularly well-polished and features a completely overhauled graphical system, and well as many hours of playtime. Other anime-based hacks include the popular Pokémon AshGray, a FireRed-based game depicting Ash's journey through the Kanto region in the original series.

This custom transition was over 200 lines of new code[2]

Pokémon TPP Version

"Pokémon TPP Version" is a hack created for the season 2 opening episode of Twitch Plays Pokémon. It is based on the Pokémon Red 151 dex hack and was developed by user pigdevil2010 with EliteAnax17 and the channel's streamer. It is a much tougher version of Pokémon Red, with significant level increases across all battles. All Pokémon, including version-exclusive and trade evolutions, are obtainable as well as catchable (all 151 are available in the wild). The hack includes additional challenges and features, such as legendary Pokémon respawns, Gym Leader and Elite Four rematches with higher-level teams and Level 100 event battles with Professor Oak and the original Red from the first Twitch Plays Pokémon episode. It also includes the Battle Tent, a Battle Tower-like facility intended for players to earn money post-game.

This hack is notable as it is the first to ever be specifically designed for live broadcast, as well as the first to be designed for Twitch Plays Pokémon's unique play style. For example, Mew's Cave (a post-game bonus dungeon located in the area of the S.S. Anne) is not too difficult to navigate with a single player, but with hundreds controlling the game at once, it becomes challenging. The game took 39 days to complete and was played by thousands of people over that time. The patch was only made available after the game was completed by the community. It is also one of the very few hacks that have been released on a physical cartridge with the hackers permission as part of a community-led project.


Non-core series hacks

Screenshot from "Pokémon Adventure"

Though the core-series is by far the most popular series to hack, there are also many fan-created Pokémon games that do not use these as basis. These include "Pokémon Adventure", a hack of Sonic Adventure 7 for the GameBoy Color and "Pokémon 4-in-1", a hacked game for the NES comprising of several mini games. There are also examples of modified versions of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series and Pokémon Conquest.


Bootleg games

Whilst technically-speaking these are modifications of published games, the ROM hacking community generally considers these more as "bootlegs" rather than ROM hacks. The main difference being these games were likely designed to trick players into thinking they were official for monetary gain, something which most ROM hackers actively try and avoid. These games were often flashed to third party game paks and sold illegally. Below are some notable examples.

Title screen of "Pokémon Diamond"

Pokémon Diamond and Jade

Possibly the most well-known bootleg "Pokémon" games are the notorious Pokémon Diamond and Jade (not to be confused with the official Generation IV games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl). These games are knock-off versions of the Power and Speed Versions of Keitai Denjū Telefang, respectively, which were only released in Japan for the Game Boy Color on November 2000, a year after Pokémon Gold and Silver and a month prior to Pokémon Crystal.

Pokémon Jade is sometimes found on the same cartridge as an illegally produced Pokémon Crystal cartridge but could also be found as a standalone cartridge. It was also mentioned in the Pokémon.com mailbag in 2003 as "the bootleg and illegally produced Pokémon Jade".

These bootlegs had numerous glitches that the real games did not have, such as the inability to load a save file properly. The game also contains broken English, profanity, and swearing, which is absent from all official Pokémon games licensed by Nintendo, with the British Gaming Blog describing the additions as "a healthy dose of Engrish and plenty of swear words."[3]

The real Telefang games do share conceptual similarities with the real Pokémon games. Whereas in the core series Pokémon games, players take the role of a Pokémon Trainer who travels through a specific region of the Pokémon world to obtain or catch Pokémon in Poké Balls and send them out for battles, in the Telefang games, players take the role of a T-Fanger who travels through the Denjū World to befriend creatures called Denjū and have them battle each other using a device called the D-Shot. However, unlike Pokémon, Denjū themselves have a D-Shot and call each other to battle. Other similarities between the two game series can be seen in the mechanics of each: the creatures in both share common stats such as HP, Attack, Defense, and Speed; both series have moves or attacks in common, like どくばり (Pokémon, Telefang), とっしん (Pokémon, Telefang), かえんほうしゃ/カエンホウシャ (Pokémon, Telefang), or じしん (Pokémon, Telefang), and both series also have natures for their creatures (Pokémon, Telefang), though the effects of moves are not necessarily the same in every case, and natures work differently.

Title screen of Pokémon Jade 2

Pokémon Diamond 2 and Jade 2

Similar to the first fake Diamond and Jade games, Diamond 2 and Jade 2 were hacked from Keitai Denjū Telefang 2. Also, like Diamond and Jade, the Power Version of Telefang 2 became Pokémon Diamond 2, and the Speed Version became Pokémon Jade 2. They are in Chinese, and their title screens have been altered to poorly drawn Pokémon characters along with the character Dragon from the film Shrek (possibly due to her superficial similarity to a Charizard). The similarities between the title screens of this and the original Diamond and Jade (as well as the fact that they have Pokémon names in the first place) suggest that these may be made by the same people. Diamond 2 crashes after the title screen, making it unplayable without a save state, and Jade 2 has graphical glitches. There is also a poorly translated English version of the Power Version of Telefang 2 called "Pokémon Ruby," which has no relation to the real one.

A poorly translated version of Professor Oak's opening speech
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Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal

"Pocket Monsters Crystal Version" (popularly known as Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal) is a bootlegged version of Pokémon Crystal. Translated from Japanese to Chinese to English, the dialogue in the game (now Engrish) is often nonsensical and unintentionally humorous. All Pokémon, character, and location names are similarly badly translated, often resembling romanizations of Chinese transliterations of the Japanese names. The translation is so poor that the game has achieved a cult status, and is the subject of many popular Internet memes. It was made popular by various "Let's Play" video series on YouTube, with the most notable one being by DeliciousCinnamon.

External links

References

  1. ↑ Kotaku - Pokemon Dressed Up in Moe
  2. ↑ Reddit comment by creator
  3. ↑ British Gaming Blog » Bizarre Bootlegs - The Lighter Side of Piracy (archived copy)


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