ROM hack
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Hack games, also known as fangames or bootlegs, depending on the circumstances, are video games that have been edited or altered. While many honest fans distribute hacks of Pokémon games for free over the internet, some unscrupulous people have been known to sell them in the guise of legitimate games.
Pokémon Diamond and Jade
The most well known examples of bootleg games are the notorious Pokémon Jade and Diamond, the second of which should not be confused with the official Generation IV game, Pokémon Diamond. In actuality, these games were the poorly translated versions of another game, Keitai Denjū Telefang. Pokémon Jade was sometimes released on the Game Boy Color on the same cartridge as Pokémon Crystal, but could also be found as a standalone cartridge. The hacks also had numerous glitches that the original game did not have, such as the inability to load a save properly.
Pokémon Chaos Black
Another famous hack is Pokémon Chaos Black, which is a hack of Pokémon FireRed. It was released on the Game Boy Advance. The description on the back is a dead give away that it is a hack, as there is a missing accent on the "e" in "Pokémon". Despite that, it has the Official Nintendo Seal. The description is:
Pokémon Chaos Black Version is the final game presented by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in the third generation of games for this series. Being touted for adding additional features absent from other Pokemon games in the past, this game begins in Hoenn on a mission too keep Team Magma and Team Aqua from unbalancing Groudon (ground) and Kyogre. Trainers will want to call on their best strategies ever due to the fact that this is one of the most challenging battlefields delivered in a Pokémon game. Pokémon fans are sure to have no problem meeting this challenge and showing off their skills while doing so.
Pokémon Green Translation
A fan-translated version of Pokémon Green that was released for the Game Boy Color. It was poorly translated, and the characters were often mixed up and made no sense. It also had many grammar mistakes and spelling errors.
Pokémon Adventure
Pokémon Adventure is a hack of Sonic Blast, a game for the Sega Game Gear. It has five levels, and the intro sequence is a few Japanese Pokédex screenshots from Gold and Silver. The game was exactly the same, including the enemies, with the exception of Sonic the Hedgehog, whom is replaced by Pikachu, and all the rings are Poké Balls.
GBC Sapphire
A copy of Pokémon Sapphire was released for the Game Boy Color. It is completely different from the normal Pokémon Sapphire, but has good graphics and minor spelling mistakes.
Pokémon Naranja
Pokémon Naranja is a hack of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire in which the player plays as Misty and goes around the Orange Islands. Naranja is Spanish for Orange. Celebi appears on the box art.
Pokémon Quartz
Another hack of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. Its box art is a Gyarados. The game has a great deal of spelling and grammatical errors. The game also contains swearing, profanity, and adult themes, normally absent from Pokémon games. Pokémon Quartz replaced all traditional Pokémon with new, made-up Pokémon, and took place in a region known as "Corna".
Pokémon ShinyGold
Pokémon ShinyGold is a total conversion of Pokémon FireRed that turns the game into a Gold and Silver remake, much like how FireRed is a remake of Pokémon Red. It is considered to be one of the best and highest quality hacked games, and was runner up on Hack of the year 2007. The game is only available as a Rom for the computer, and as such, has been released in separate parts with updates. The game also features changes to allow Pokémon that evolve via time based events or trade, by other methods available to the player.
Pokémon Prism
Pokemon Prism is a hack of Pokemon Gold, that completely overhauls the original game, which also won Hack of the Year 2007. The hack features the new region of Naljo, with new music, new Pokémon types, and more. It has several new features, such as a gender choice (Which was only available in Pokemon Crystal). It also allows the player to change their sprite into another sprite, as well as their color. It also has crafting systems (which will later have it's own leveling-up system), and the ability to send your Pokemon out of it's Pokeball outside of battle. Like other hacks, this hack hack is being released in separate parts with updates.
