GBAtemp's 2018 Game of the Year Voting: nominations for best fangames/romhacks
Welcome to the first part of GBAtemp's 2018 Game of the Year series. Soon, we'll be voting on what our lovely members think was the greatest video game of 2018. The past year has been an excellent showcase of some of the best gaming has to offer, with franchises such as Red Dead Redemption, God of War, Monster Hunter, Super Smash Bros., Mega Man, and more each getting a new game added to their ranks. Independent games also made a splash, with Celeste, Iconoclasts, Into the Breach, and Dead Cells all becoming beloved additions to many gamers' libraries. Plenty of innovative and new games also made their mark on 2018, with Dragon Ball FighterZ, Spider-Man, and Octopath Traveler leading the way.
You can expect the first issue of GBAtemp's GOTY voting to begin in early December, but for right now, we'll be discussing something entirely different. As you likely gleaned from the title, this thread is for our users to decide upon what fan-made game or romhack belongs in the top spot. Hundreds of fan-made games release each year, and it'll be up to you guys to choose which one you think was best.
There's many options to choose from; so long as an unofficial game was made, or had a significant release in 2018, it's fair game. A few examples will be listed below.
Fallout: New California
Starting work in 2011, and finishing in 2018, Fallout: New California is a modpack for Fallout: New Vegas that tells a brand new story, with new characters and locations to explore, taking place a few decades before New Vegas does. Over 100 fans banded together to offer help with coding, voice acting, and scripting for the game's 30 hour campaign. It was completed and released in October 2018.
Pokemon: Crystal Clear
To most, Pokemon follows a very basic pattern. Shockslayer's Pokemon: Crystal Clear decides to take that foundation, and massively shake things up. Using Pokemon Crystal as a base, Crystal Clear allows you to freely explore Kanto and Johto at your leisure and freedom. Thanks to level scaling, players can tackle any gym or trainer they want, in any order, helping make for a fresh, yet familiar experience.
Dio Vento's Pokemon Let's Go Mods
GBAtemp user Dio Vento has created some patches for the recent Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee games. Ranging from removing trade evolutions, making exclusive wild Pokemon appear regardless of version, and even an increased difficulty mod, all these additions allow players to add that little bit of customization to spice up their Let's Go playthrough.
Sonic Chaos 2018
Sonic Chaos was an overlooked title that released on the Sega Game Gear 15 years ago. While the game itself was enjoyed by fans, its portable 8-bit nature held it back from becoming a true classic like its Mega Drive/Genesis counterparts. Now, a team of renown Sonic fangame makers are taking on the challenge of re-creating Sonic Chaos as if it were a 16-bit game, with revamped visuals, physics, and design. Though it is not complete, a demo containing the first two acts has been released as of August 2018.
These are just a handful of some of the most standout fangames/mods/hacks of 2018. If there's a fantastic entry that you want to see make its way to the top, be sure to nominate it in the comments below! The most popular choices will be included in a poll later next month.Starting work in 2011, and finishing in 2018, Fallout: New California is a modpack for Fallout: New Vegas that tells a brand new story, with new characters and locations to explore, taking place a few decades before New Vegas does. Over 100 fans banded together to offer help with coding, voice acting, and scripting for the game's 30 hour campaign. It was completed and released in October 2018.
Pokemon: Crystal Clear
To most, Pokemon follows a very basic pattern. Shockslayer's Pokemon: Crystal Clear decides to take that foundation, and massively shake things up. Using Pokemon Crystal as a base, Crystal Clear allows you to freely explore Kanto and Johto at your leisure and freedom. Thanks to level scaling, players can tackle any gym or trainer they want, in any order, helping make for a fresh, yet familiar experience.
Dio Vento's Pokemon Let's Go Mods
GBAtemp user Dio Vento has created some patches for the recent Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee games. Ranging from removing trade evolutions, making exclusive wild Pokemon appear regardless of version, and even an increased difficulty mod, all these additions allow players to add that little bit of customization to spice up their Let's Go playthrough.
Sonic Chaos 2018
Sonic Chaos was an overlooked title that released on the Sega Game Gear 15 years ago. While the game itself was enjoyed by fans, its portable 8-bit nature held it back from becoming a true classic like its Mega Drive/Genesis counterparts. Now, a team of renown Sonic fangame makers are taking on the challenge of re-creating Sonic Chaos as if it were a 16-bit game, with revamped visuals, physics, and design. Though it is not complete, a demo containing the first two acts has been released as of August 2018.
