I've always had an interest in comparing all the ports of my favorite games, seeing the challenges devs had with getting the game to run on hardware it wasn't designed for, as well as all the changes that came with it.
This is especially true for a console like the Dreamcast, which was in a unique position, on the market at the same time as the PS1, N64, PS2, PC, etc, leading to a bunch of games that were on all these wildly-different platforms.
Even if the ports were worse than the original versions, they're worth playing nowadays to see all the changes. Take the original Splinter Cell for example. It's one of my favorite games of all time, and I've played the Xbox and (nearly identical) PC releases countless times. Recently though, I did a playthrough of the not-oft talked about PS2 release.
I went in expected it to be worse, and in many ways, it is. The game targets a lower framerate, which is can't even hit often. The environments look worse. There are more frequent loading zones. The SFX sound wayyy more compressed, and the game controls worse on Dualshock, imo. However, there are some improvements. The port added some quality-of-life stuff to the original game, such as an alarm counter, an improved reticle for the pistol, and the ability to use the optic cable and lockpick without needed to waste time switching to them in your inventory. All these improvements would also be in the games sequels, which leads me to think this port actually influenced the development of the rest of the series. Hell, they even added an entire new mission to the game, based on cut content from the original Xbox version.
So, in any case, these new ports of old games is excessively interesting to me, especially that GTA3 on Dreamcast port, considering how it was originally gonna be a Dreamcast game. Also seen nobody mention the music. These homebrew ports also generally involve porting a games OST to a different soundfont, if applicable, and they generally still sound great. That SOTN port sounds incredible, for example!
I mean, these homebrews aren't hurting anyone, right? What a bizarre thing to get mad about. And needless to say, these homebrew ports are hardly "pointless" to me.
RetroAchievements is incredible. It's gotten me to get good at some real tough-as-nails games, and it feels awesome! Highly recommend the Mega Man sets
Comments 2
Re: "I Could Not Give Less Of A S**t If Anyone Else Plays Them" - Developers Behind 'Pointless' Homebrew Ports Defend Their Work
I've always had an interest in comparing all the ports of my favorite games, seeing the challenges devs had with getting the game to run on hardware it wasn't designed for, as well as all the changes that came with it.
This is especially true for a console like the Dreamcast, which was in a unique position, on the market at the same time as the PS1, N64, PS2, PC, etc, leading to a bunch of games that were on all these wildly-different platforms.
Even if the ports were worse than the original versions, they're worth playing nowadays to see all the changes. Take the original Splinter Cell for example. It's one of my favorite games of all time, and I've played the Xbox and (nearly identical) PC releases countless times. Recently though, I did a playthrough of the not-oft talked about PS2 release.
I went in expected it to be worse, and in many ways, it is. The game targets a lower framerate, which is can't even hit often. The environments look worse. There are more frequent loading zones. The SFX sound wayyy more compressed, and the game controls worse on Dualshock, imo. However, there are some improvements. The port added some quality-of-life stuff to the original game, such as an alarm counter, an improved reticle for the pistol, and the ability to use the optic cable and lockpick without needed to waste time switching to them in your inventory. All these improvements would also be in the games sequels, which leads me to think this port actually influenced the development of the rest of the series. Hell, they even added an entire new mission to the game, based on cut content from the original Xbox version.
So, in any case, these new ports of old games is excessively interesting to me, especially that GTA3 on Dreamcast port, considering how it was originally gonna be a Dreamcast game. Also seen nobody mention the music. These homebrew ports also generally involve porting a games OST to a different soundfont, if applicable, and they generally still sound great. That SOTN port sounds incredible, for example!
I mean, these homebrews aren't hurting anyone, right? What a bizarre thing to get mad about. And needless to say, these homebrew ports are hardly "pointless" to me.
Re: Achievement Unlocked - This Free Service Has Changed The Way I Play Retro Games In 2026
RetroAchievements is incredible. It's gotten me to get good at some real tough-as-nails games, and it feels awesome! Highly recommend the Mega Man sets