Talk:ROM hack

Notable fangames?

Should some of the more notable hacks be mentioned, or even given their own pages? I'm pretty sure Moe(kko)mon is rather popular right now. Lime → ♥×♪

I've got two words for this article. Shiny. Gold. Seriously, I mean, that's probably the most popular GS fanremake there is (..I dunno if there are others out there, lol), and I haven't even heard of the one you just mentioned... hell, I've been thinking of playing through SG because I'm stupid and I never played through Johto .____. Tina^☆♫ 17:33, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Shiny Gold should def be in here. MAGNEDETH 17:38, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Telefang Wiki?

There is a growing Wiki that is solely dedicated to the Telefang series, where the first game of the series that was eventually hacked into Pokémon Diamond/Jade. I'm thinking about adding it to this article because it has some useful information (including the hacks themselves, as well as information about the series in general), but I'm not going to add it without it being okay with other people because I don't want to look like a spammer. Should I add it here or not?

Also, there's a really informative fansite dedicated to the game as well. Should I add that too? Blaziken257 05:38, 17 May 2008 (UTC)

Another GBA Hack Game

I saw this hacked game on eBay. It was called "Perla" and it featured Lucario on the box. The picture even included the manual and it had Lucas on its pages. Probably Diamond/Pearl-based? BlueJirachi 03:04, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

proof? id like to see. -- MAGNEDETH 03:10, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

actually, i just did a google search. it does indeed exsist, but there are no game play shots. -- MAGNEDETH 03:11, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

BONG Yes it exists, and it works, i have it! Is it possible to mention it or something? GoldHusky2009 13:31, 21 September 2009 (UTC)

There is one called pokemon ash grey it turns the game into a incomplete game almost like the anime.Kingsisle (talk) 16:44, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

Legal Issues

We really should put up a warning about the legal issues of hacks, if for no reason other than to protect ourselves from being sued --Manga-in-a-bottle 04:58, 16 June 2008 (UTC)

I really don't see any legal issues, aside from the hack carts themselves. Nintendo really doesn't give a damn about hacks or things like that, as long as they're not sold. Vekter 04:08, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

...and most hackers go out of their way to prevent their hacks from being sold. The people who sell them are pirates.--Nostalgia 04:11, 12 January 2009 (UTC)

hack pages

we have articles on fizzy bubbles and fire blasting magikarp. why not these?

Please sign your posts. And i don't know D| Don't ask me, Maybe cause theres not that much information on most of them...But maybe they should...Hmmm Takoto タコト| サソデイ = 愛 22:22, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

sorryWhatswithalltheextraspace 22:33, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

We all make mistakes (; Don't worry about it Takoto タコト| サソデイ = 愛 22:35, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

It's mainly due to the fact that these games are hacked from ROMs. ROMs are illegal (that whole 24-hour thing is bull****), cartridges containing these hacks are illegal, and we can't have full articles on games that can only be obtained by illegal means.

Besides, buying hacks on cartridges can provide inconsistent results and their boxes don't always accurately reflect its content. Hacks may have gamebreaking glitches that can render the game incompletable; the Diamond/Jade pair have several such glitches. Additionally, boxes containing the Quartz hack have an E for Everyone rating pasted onto it, yet that hack's content would lend more to an M for Mature for strong language, use of alcohol, and mature sexual themes. --Shiningpikablu252 22:41, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

What about cheating, Mew, Celebi etc...--KukiTalk 22:43, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

Cheating devices are OK to have articles on since, although they're frowned upon, legal copies of the game can be used with them. Additionally, Nintendo actually lost a lawsuit over the Game Genie, meaning there's nothing outright illegal about their usage.

These hacks, on the other hand, require an illegal copy of the game to make, play, and distribute. --Shiningpikablu252 22:47, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

woah!!! ALL that? and there are people who dont know its a hack, buy it and get arrested? seems unfair.Whatswithalltheextraspace 22:55, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

Law enforcement targets only those that make illegal ROMs and sell illegal games. I highly doubt you'd get arrested for playing Quartz. --Shiningpikablu252 23:01, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

oh.Whatswithalltheextraspace 23:26, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

What if someone made a hack game, but gave it out for free? :\ Would that still be illegal? Just wondering Takoto タコト| サソデイ = 愛

I don't know about physical copies of it, but most people make ROM Hacks to be played on an emulator, and let people download them. Same with fangames, only minus the emulator.

Hacked games are not necessarily games that are based on main series games. 'Hacked' is just a software term and has nothing to do with illegal measures. Some so-called hacked games are IPS patches for main series ROMs and if these ROMs are illegal then playing a patched version of the ROM will also be illegal. However a game that was hacked together by someone that isn't a patch for a different ROM is not necessarily illegal. Always remember that in many countries possession/receipt of stolen property/goods is a crime, though. BobzBlobz 11:21, 15 June 2011 (UTC)

Actually, the patch files are legal, as they don't contain copyrighted materials. However, it is illegal to use the patch file, as you need a ROM to do so, and a ROM is illegal as it violates copyright. The ROM download is illegal because it contains the copyrighted data from the original game. However, this is only true of hacks, and not of bootlegs, which are completely legal as far as I know. Red is not Ash. (Quadzar) 05:44, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

Individual Pokémon names are trademarked, as is the word "Pokémon". If the bootlegs are Pokémon games, or even contain Pokémon, they contain trademarked materials and thus are not legal unless the creator has permisson from the trademark holder. Werdnae (talk) 06:31, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

You have a point. But, doesn't that make it still legal if none of that is mentioned?Red is not Ash. (Quadzar) 18:48, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

If it isn't called a Pokemon game, doesn't contain Pokemon and is created from scratch (using even scraps of code from the games would be considered illegal), then it depends on how similar it is to the Pokemon games. If the mechanics are too similar (e.g. replaced everything related to Pokemon with something else but kept the same mechanics) then it could still be considered to be in breach of copyright, and Nintendo could still take action if it thought the mechanics were too similar. So yes, I believe bootleg games would be legal, provided that they aren't Pokemon games, don't contain Pokemon, and don't play too similarly to Pokemon games. In which case they have no place on this article. Werdnae (talk) 19:41, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

Agreed.Red is not Ash. (Quadzar) 02:33, 2 December 2011 (UTC)

color cartrige

I noticed that hack games for GBA don't have colored storage media. I think this is one way to differ them. abcboy 20:28, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

THREE games called "Pokémon Jade"?

When searching for "pokemon jade" on YouTube, I found that there were not one, not two, but THREE different bootleg games called "Pokémon Jade." The most notable one, and the one that everybody talks about, is an Engrish hack of Keitai Denjuu Telefang - Speed Version, and had a counterpart, "Pokémon Diamond" (not to be confused with the one for the DS, but rather a hack of Keitai Denjuu Telefang - Power Version) -- though this is already mentioned in the article anyway. However, I found two other games with the same name. One of them, found here, is a combination of other fake games -- Pokémon Adventure being one of them, but there were a few other games that this fake is based off of. There was also a video on YouTube a while ago (which is unfortunately gone now) showing a Pokémon Jade for Game Boy ADVANCE -- not Color, but Advance. The video didn't show any footage of the game, just the cartridge and box, but if I remember correctly, the cartridge had the deer thing (Shishigami?) that was also on the cartridge for the Pokémon Jade that was based off Telefang Speed. Anybody know more information about these games? Blaziken257 03:25, 15 September 2008 (UTC) There is also another jade version in development-Rabla 20:58, 11 October 2008 (AEST)

To do

• Explanation of the legal issues related to ROM hacking and playing ROM hacks. (In theory it can be legal, in practice it almost never is.) Elaboration on patching versus actual ROMs being released.
• Distinction between bootlegs and fan-made hacks. Remove redundancy relating to "oh yeah zel put in an anti-bootleg screen" and "chaos black is known for being bootlegged".
• Some guideline for notability of hacks. There's a new hack announced every other day at Pokecommunity, but how many actually get finished? Next to none. Diamond/Jade are notable. Chaos Black is notable. Prism and Shiny Gold are notable. Moemon? Debatably notable (I had never heard of it, although apparently it made it onto Kotaku). But unless Bulbapedia starts having individual pages on specific hacks, it shouldn't be considered an index of them.
• Page should probably be moved to ROM hacks, as this by far is the more widely used (and more precise) name.

IIMarckus 13:54, 4 October 2008 (UTC)

I'll get to work on 1 and 2 tonight. 3 isn't really an issue at the time, as there really aren't any romhacks on here that don't belong, save for the Green translation.Vekter 04:11, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Pokemon World Version

Should this be mentioned? Ill get a link soon, im using the wii now so i cant. Pokemon:World Version is a game in develoment. It contains Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Sevii Islands and the Battle Frontier-Hoenn. Its all done in FR/LG graphics.-Rabla 15:40, 11 October 2008

Not notable. There's such a glut of Pokemon hacks out there that there'd be no point in describing it. For that matter, there's already a glut of hacks that purport to add all the regions—funnily enough, I don't know of a single one that made any progress beyond the announcement. IIMarckus 04:46, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

Its already in development, heaps of progress. link: http://worldmaster.proboards98.com/ -Rabla

"Error: You must login to access this forum. Please login below, or register for an account." No thanks. I also repeat my assertion that this will never get finished, just like every other gimmick "all regions" hack. IIMarckus 07:24, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

If we listed every single freaking hack ever, we'd be better off linking to PokeCommunity. Θρtιmαtum♏_Talk|Links

You obviously did not look at how much they have done-Rabla 18:32, 11 October 2008 (AEST)

I obviously did. Dude, I am a user of PokeCumminuty. I know that everyone put in a LOT of work into their hacks (while I can't really understand how to hack). I know. But if we allowed all the hacks on Bulbapedia, our server would overload and possibly break down. Θρtιmαtum♏_Talk|Links

I agree we shouldnt list every hack game, just the ones that are making much progress, which pokemon:world version is. they are re-doing everything in FR/LG style, and in a short amount of time, they hav made much progress. Hoenn is done except for water routes, and they will be done soon. They even done sinnoh perfectly. Pokemon:World Version has made enough progress to be mentioned. If they stop, just take it off the page. -Rabla 20:53, 11 October 2008 (AEST)

Look at our nomination for admin pages. If you take a real good look, you'll see that the term "If it doesn't work out, undo it" is not a Bulbapedia policy. Θρtιmαtum♏_Talk|Links

Is "Pokémon World Version" far enough to be played? If so, we should have a group of users test it out to see if it's "worthy" to be added. Obviously, if there are too many

slip-ups, it shouldn't, but if it runs smoothly and isn't to hard to figure out, we should mention it. And OPTIMATUM, all you have to do is download a ROM editor (I would recommend a map editor) and start working. Sean... Lord of the Shadows!!! 17:25, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

Exact Bootlegs

I was wondering if we should add a section about the fact that some people take the actual games and not remakes or revisions and bootleg them onto GBA cartridges and sell them over ebay, and amazon under the sold by users section. It happened to me on amazon and I have read other accounts of it happening to other people. One of the common things that happens with these bootlegs is there is compatibility issues when trying to use dongle method or the pal park, as well as the emerald save data being erased when Diamond or Pearl is loaded. Here is another account besides my own to whom it has happened link: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4860767] Pazusalmon

Green Translation: Notable?

I say no. There's no real reason for a mention of a translation of Green to be on here, as Green pretty much is the exact same thing as Blue in the US. Anyone have any reason they want to keep it before I delete it? Vekter 04:12, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

Multiple Green translations exist, most of low quality. Nothing really individualizes them. They’re no more notable than the Gold translations that came out before the games were released in the US, really. Taking it out now. IIMarckus 05:33, 4 January 2009 (UTC)

MOEYMANZ? WTF?

I.HAVE.NEVER.HEARD.ABOUT.SUCH.THING.IN.MY.LIFE! And I'm VERY up-to-date with hacks. I've never seen such hack, neither as a ROM or as an illegal catridge. Does it even exist outside of that movie (not to mention that the movie does not show the hack itself, it presents the Pokemon from that)? I bet 100 smackers that it's unnotable. --Maxim 16:12, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

And because you've heard of it, it becomes notable? We haven't got videos on any other hacks either, does that make them unnotable? And if it doesn't exist outside of the video, I'd hate to think what people have been downloading into their computers from sites such as these two. And please, lose the attitude Maxim. It gets tiring very quickly. — THE TROM — 21:51, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

Moemon

Those are defiantly not cosplayers. Those are gijinka,they're a type of Kemonomimi. Lovely Rose

Let's Play?

Shouldn't "Zorak" be credited instead of "Let's Play"? Zorak,the Something Awful forums "goon",wrote that's lets play. Lovely Rose 23:16, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

Um... Has anybody heard of RubyDestiny?

In case nobody knows, there's also a Pokemon Ruby Hack game called RubyDestiny which surprisingly is not on this page, despite it being a pretty good-looking hack game from what I've seen. - ElectricArbok 23:08, 23 April 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, and it's really popular too. I say it should go on the page for sure --GEN1KING 19:38, 23 February 2010 (UTC)

Actually its not just a game, its actually a series that spanned three games, with a fourth one that is currently being made. They are Reign of Legends which is the first game in the series, Rescue Rangers which is the second; unique as it plays like the Mystery Dungeon games but still in the traditional style of the main game. The third, which is the most popular of the three, Life of Guardians. The fourth that is being worked on is titled Broken Timelines. The first three games take place in the made up regions known as Gento and Hevah, while the fourth is going to take place in Kanto. I highly recommend checking these games out, you can find them on the Pokecommunity forums. And yeah, this hack series deserves to be placed on the ROM Hacks page. ---RPD490 (talk) 21:16, 26 February 2014 (UTC)

Pokemon Light Platinum

Anyone know Pokemon Light Platinum? Screenshot:

Yes, i know. I understand portuguese, so i can translate those images. - unsigned comment from Moonlight umbreon (talk • contribs)

... never heard of it... but the graphics look kinda generaton3/4-ish User:fudgenuggets 23:43 15 October 2009

Looks like Pokémon Ranger background sprites, with DP Pokémon and slightly edited trainer sprites. idk if it exists though. Never Give Up Pika 20:16, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Liquid Crystal

I realize there's a lot of hack games, but it's an ongoing project and has won the 2008 award for Hacking. It's a hack of FireRed that is based on Crystal, but incorporates new rivals and trainers and apparently will have the Orange Islands once the hack is finished. I'm wonder if it should be noted here maybe? http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=149622/. Drake Clawfang 01:38, 23 September 2009 (UTC)

Non-Hack Fangames

Shouldn't Bulbapedia have an article on fangames that are NOT ROM Hacks, but instead have been made in a program such as RPG Maker XP. I know there are a lot of those too, just look over at Pokecommunity. The Sixth 00:27, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

I don't see why we couldn't but it should probably be a seperate article "fangames" instead of in the rom hacks article ... oh, and they better be notable. ZestyCactus 23:41, 5 October 2009 (UTC)

Pokémon Prism

A question. Is Pokémon Prism complete? Because I googled it and only I could find was betas. --Dr. James 23:37, 5 October 2009 (UTC)

No, no it is not. If you find the creator's YouTube channel, he's regularly releasing videos of his newest progress... for a certain definition of regular. The Dark Fiddler - You enter a poorly lit room... 14:18, 30 January 2010 (UTC)

Moemon

What's notable about this hack? It smells like an advertisement to me. I'd delete that. --Maxim 18:02, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

The fact that it's one of the most well-known "gimmick" hacks, and that it basically inspired/popularized the whole gijinka-style of Pokémon artwork. Redstar 18:05, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

it is actually very popular and notable. -- MAGNEDETH 18:07, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Where? I've never heard of it outside the Bulbapedia. And I know what's going on in the hacking world. --Maxim 22:04, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

I heard about it before I found it on the Pedia, and I don't know anything about hacks. I had a few friends talking about. R.A. Hunter Blade 23:28, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

Personally, I think that only the hack which have been largely distributed as bootleg games should be notable. Moemon hasn't. --Maxim 08:50, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Pokémon Card GB2

Hey guys, should I put this in the article?

• Pokémon Card GB2 Fan Translations
• The game Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: The Invasion of Team GR! is an official game based off the Pokémon TCG, but it has never received an official translation. A number of fan-made translations of varying quality have thus surfaced
• --Manga-in-a-bottle 04:13, 20 January 2010 (UTC)

I think it really deserves.--Joe feyzullah 14:02, 26 April 2011 (UTC)

Pokémon Acanthite

There is a game called Pokémon Acanthite that is very well known between hack games. Here is its site: http://pokemonacanthite.com/ should it be included as well? Lon3wolf 20:55, 12 February 2010 (UTC)

Pokemon Naranja

So after finishing this hack game, i realized that it was definitely the best ive ever played and i would like to make a section of articles about it, but whenever i search it to make a new page with the title Pokemon Naranja i get redirected to the hack page. So how would I make a page with that title? Sanjayasmypapaya April 23, 2010

New sections go at the bottom, not the top.

Additionally, I'm sorry, but ROM hacks and other phony Pokémon games are not notable for their own articles no matter how "good" or "popular" they are. That's why you got redirected. If we were to consider one ROM hack notable enough for its own article, we'd have to consider several other ROM hacks notable as well, which in turn would lead to Bulbapedia becoming a huge mess as one would have to sort canon from fanon. --Shiningpikablu252 02:13, 24 April 2010 (UTC)

Okay. Sorry for the mistake, and thank you. Sanjayasmypapaya

Other Pokemon Hacks

There's a hack of...I believe it's Pokemon Red, or maybe Blue...possibly Yellow...anyway, there's a bootleg called Pokemon Team Rocket Edition. Here's the link: [1] Also, there is another called Ash's Adventures...it's really well done, it follows the first season of Pokemon. Linky: http://www.vizzed.com/vizzedboard/retro/game.php?id=11550&system=gba&name=Pokemon-Ashs-Quest I just wanna know if these can be added. - unsigned comment from LoadOfMentos (talk • contribs)

This site has many of the hacks already on the page [2], how is it decided which ones are famous enough to put on the page? For example at the moment I'm playing Pokemon Sienna which is a FireRed patch. It has pokemon from the first 3 generations and some new sprites/hacked pokemon. The storyline is also unique in that player choices affect the course of the storyline, e.g. it is advertised on the above website that a player can choose to join Team Rocket. BobzBlobz 11:26, 15 June 2011 (UTC)

ash gray

http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=180722

Should be added IMO - unsigned comment from Chimchy (talk • contribs)

Deletion

It is unacceptable to discuss these games on the forums.[3] In addition, as the page for editing this talk page states, "Content that violates copyright will be deleted". How is it acceptable to cover them on the wiki? --Tepples 18:51, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

By covering information on well-known fan-made games in an encyclopedic manner, Bulbapedia should not be breaching copyright. We simply acknowledge that they exist; we are not providing links to them. —darklordtrom 09:04, 21 November 2010 (UTC)

This is why...

I need to be autoconfirmed already. These people are advertising their own hack games and must be reverted--Derenol232 02:09, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

Please do not make irrelevant comments on talk pages. If something is seen as advertise, one of the users with autoconfirmed and above will take it off. Thanks! --☆CoolPikachu! 03:17, 30 January 2011 (UTC)

Pokemon Creepy Black Version?

Should there be anything about this one in here? Here's a likn to a video describing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iYwMgG8dNs Or if you can't watch it (for whatever reason) I will breifly explain: Basically it's Pokemon Red Version. Everything is the same until you first look at your Pokemon. You'll have your starter and a Pokemon named "Ghost". It's sprite is the same as ghosts from Lavender Town. You can't trade it, release it, etc. It only has one move "curse". When you use it, the screen cuts to black and you hear the Pokemon who you're battling's cry, except the pitch is lower. It goes back to the regular battle screen, except the Pokemon is not there. It's implied the Pokemon died. So you go through the entire game. It's pretty much the same as Red. You can use Curse on anyone (except a few people, I forget who). So after you beat it all, it cuts to black. You then see an old person looking at graves in Lavender Town. The old man is apparently your player. You can walk anywhere on the map, except nobody else is around. The Lavender Town theme plays everywhere. You are able to go back to Pallet Town. When you go to your house and stand on the tile that you started on, cut to black. Then every player and their Pokemon you used Curse on appears, one by one. The Lavender Town theme slowly becomes deeper in pitch and slower in speed. Finally, you battle Ghost. You have no Pokemon, cant escape, etc. Finally when you're down to minimal health, Ghost uses Curse, the screen cuts to black, the end. You have to start a new game if you want to play again. Freaky, right? Oh....that was a little more than breifly. Oh Well.

There is also a hack of firered that adds ghost with your starter but you don't kill anyone.Kingsisle (talk) 19:12, 5 April 2013 (UTC)

I have also seen a video about an article about this game, however it is believed to be fake. BobzBlobz 11:27, 15 June 2011 (UTC)

@BobzBlobz: If you believe this is fake, then why not add a section where games are known but not known to be real? Anyway, I believe it's real. If you search it on Google, you will find someone who posted about it and their experiance with it on a website called TinyCartidge. This is the first time people hear of it. --PeterFoster111 18:36, 10 August 2011 (UTC)

Sam says: Pokémon Creepy Black Version isn't a Real Pokémon game. Much like it's successor, Pokémon Lost Silver, they are fake Pokémon games created based on a creepypasta in which regards the game itself. Yes, these are indeed hacked games, albiet very known ones, and should be added to the list as soon as possible. (I'd do it myself, but apparently the page is protected.) - unsigned comment from Sam Halcyon (talk • contribs)

PokéMon Arcoiris Version

Well i just recently bought a game called Pokémon Arcoris (still dont got it tho, its in mail) and im supprised its not here already. Its pretty cool and you can catch Shadow Lugia, it allows you to be Misty or Ash for characters and your starter is Pikachu. Its based on the orange islands, and is a hack of Emerald/Ruby/Sapphire. MUCH MORE INFO SOON WHEN I GOT IT.User:Rsrdaman

@User:Rsrdaman:Arco-Íris means rainbow in Portuguese.DigoBlaze12 (talk) 20:47, 29 January 2017 (UTC)

Emerald 386 and FireRed Omega?

Would these two be considered notable? At least on the Nuzlocke forum, they seem to be very popular and well known, and so I was wondering if at least a mention of them could be made on this page. The basic premise of these as I understand them is that all of the Pokémon up to the third generation are included in these games. I'm afraid I don't know much about them, but they seem easy to look up and I was surprised there wasn't a mention of any sort here. I apologize if this isn't the right place. Ikarishipper900 18:07, 24 April 2011 (UTC)

Fire red omega was made by a youtuber called dreyano60 he has more hacks like pokemon storm silver all pokemon from gen 1 to gen 4.Kingsisle (talk) 16:47, 5 April 2013 (UTC) He also made the weakest pokemon magicarp good with working attacks.Kingsisle (talk) 16:40, 14 May 2013 (UTC)

Pokemon Uranium

Hey, I'm one of the developers for Pokemon Uranium. (I'm the spriter/writer/designer). I just want to make a few corrections: it's NOT a rom hack, it's an RMXP fangame designed to be played on the computer. Here is the Pokecommunity thread.

There is no "Uranium team," it's just me and ~JV~, the programmer/mapper.

While I appreciate the free hits, I'm not sure whether it should be a part of this page since it's not, technically speaking, a hacked game. I think a section for notable non-hack fangames is a good idea, though, because there are a few which are complete (such as Pokemon Raptor) that deserve some recognition. InvoluntaryTwitch 03:23, 25 May 2011 (UTC)

notability?

i don't see how most the games listed here are notable... can we only list all those that are actually sold in illegal cartridges? those should be notable in my opinion... -Pokeant 10:27, 22 June 2011 (UTC)

Pokémon Quartz

Can any admin upload the image of the Quartz title screen i just submitted to the ROM hack games page?

- unsigned comment from Blahblahbloh (talk • contribs)

Pokemon Lost Silver

Has anyone heard of Lost Silver? It's obviously a hack of Pokemon Silver, except that things get creepy... and disturbing. Read about it here: http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/Pokemon_Lost_Silver

Consider adding this to the page? --PeterFoster111 18:36, 10 August 2011 (UTC)

The only revision of an actual fan-game of the creepypasta Pokémon Lost Silver I've seen was made with Game Maker (i.e. this), which wouldn't class as a 'hack', though that was about a year ago since I first watched that. It's increasingly popular but I haven't seen it as an actual hack of a real Pokémon game. Which revision are you referring to? --Chickasaurus 15:38, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

The article says at the bottom that this is its own game, not a ROM hack, so I wouldn't count it. R.A. Hunter Blade 17:04, 11 August 2011 (UTC)

Wikifang link

Could the Wikifang link please be changed to http://wikifang.meowcorp.us ? The Wikia version is deprecated, as noted here. RacieB 18:00, 19 October 2011 (UTC)

Illegal?

Aren't bootlegs and hack games illegal--Mewmewmanga 23:19, 27 November 2011 (UTC)♪♫

They are (for further details on why see this section. That's why only extremely well known games should have a section on this page, and are not allowed their own page under any circumstances. Werdnae (talk) 04:57, 28 November 2011 (UTC)

heh

We should be adding more games, and adding more infomation. Because some of these are really good, like the ruby Destiny series --Brengarrett 16:57, 8 December 2011 (UTC)

The point of this article is not to advertise fan games. It is to list extremely notable fan games that had a major effect on the fandom. Games that, were they not illegal, would easily be given their own page. Should this article become simply a list of hack games that are considered 'good' so that people could find them, it would likely be deleted. As it is, this article is walking a fine line between "okay" and "must be deleted to prevent Nintendo taking down the whole site". As a large site, we must hold ourselves to higher standards in regards to legality than smaller sites. The sections that exist should not be expanded either. Brief details, nothing more. Werdnae (talk) 01:39, 9 December 2011 (UTC)

Move

This article should be moved to ROM Hacks. Mothim will rule all! 03:07, 28 December 2011 (UTC) 10:07 p. m. December 27 2011 ET

Pokemon Frosty

Well I played this game hack of Pokemon Ruby...... it is same as Ruby,,,,, Except you get lvl 50 legendaries @ the first 3 routeas.Pokemarts sell Master Ball and rare candy @ $1. - unsigned comment from Clinton Jai (talk • contribs)

I don't think this is notable; I know what's happening in the wierd world of the fandom * and I never heard of Pokémon Frosty. Wildgoose-The friendly goose in town! 01:39, 16 January 2012 (UTC)

EDIT: This probably isn't an ROM hack, it is probably a game that has been hacked under a Gameshark. Wildgoose-The friendly goose in town! 01:42, 16 January 2012 (UTC)

Archive?

This talk page is a bit long, it may be time to archive it. Wildgoose-The friendly goose in town! 01:19, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

Crystal GBA/Crystal Shards

I saw a game labelled Pokémon Crystal on Ebay but the game was a GBA cartridge. I bought it out of curiosity and the title screen calls it Pokémon Crystal Shards. It seems to be a badly translated hack of a Spanish FireRed and doesn't make sense at some points, like Professor Oak trying to teach me Softboiled before entering my name. Anyone else know of this game and does it deserve a section? Wexarn 12:44, 15 February 2012 (UTC)

Haha, that's hilarious. I wonder if it was due to the pirates's bad translation skills / need to fill in space with somehting, or if that was added intentionally for the point of being funny. Anyway, I can't comment on this, as I've never heard of it... but then again, I've never heard of most of the games on here. Dannyjenn 16:16, 22 March 2012 (UTC)

Additions

I've heard of a game not on here... it was called "Monster! Go! Go!" (or something along those lines)... it was a hack of some Smurfs game where a lot of the graphics were changed to Pokémon. I've never played it, but from the screenshots it looks like they did a good job. I'm sure other people have heard of this? I'm not adding it because I don't really know anything about it, and I don't know if its notable.

Also this was mentioned before, but how about some mention of Pokémon fan games that aren't hacks... ones that are made from scratch or made in some game-making program? I do believe that they should get their own page, but I've noticed no one has done so. I'm not starting the page since I don't really know much about them, but I do know that they exist. I'm pretty sure that there's at least one Pokémon MMORPG out there (or being worked on). Dannyjenn 16:24, 22 March 2012 (UTC)

A couple of possible additions

Of the many hacks I've played over the years, there are a few I believe are good enough to add to this page:

The first is the entire Ruby Destiny series by DestinedJagold, which I notice has been mentioned before. I figured I should explain that the series is made of three games: Reign of Legends (a Ruby hack that has plenty of Generation IV Pokemon and a few customs), Rescue Rangers (a hack that is similar in style of play to the original Mystery Dungeon games), and Life of Guardians (more Gen IV Pokemon and completely new story). These three games definitely belong on this page.

The other game is the first Generation V hack I have ever seen, called Blaze Black and Volt White. As the names suggest, they are hacks of Black and White Versions. These games, no matter which you play, have all 649 Pokemon available to own without connecting to other games (i.e. in game trades, evolution and basic catching). This includes every starter and every legendary. The trainer battles are also harder in both team makeup, moves and level. For example, the Striaton City gym leader now has all 5 starters of their main type (depending on who you battle against) at level 12 and the Pan-monkey of their type at level 14, all in a rotation battle. Other changes include changing the types of some Pokemon (Serperior is now a Grass/Dragon), every Pokemon having a chance of having their Dream World ability upon capture, changes in some move types (Cut is now Grass, Strength is now Rock), changes in evolution methods (mainly for the ones that need to be traded to be evolved), and changes in what some Pokemon can learn in terms of leveling up and by TMs and HMs. These are only a few of the changes that Drayano (the hack's creator) made. Here is a link for full information on the hack: http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=247696

I would love to see both these hacks included on this page., hopefully someone reads this. Schiffy 00:04, 10 May 2012 (UTC)Schiffy

I just added all the Drayno hacks, including the latest Blaze Black 2 and Volt White 2 in a special section, dedicated to Drayno's work. However, I do not know how to include sources to the article, so here are the links to his hacks :

• http://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&ved=0CEgQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.upnetwork.net%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D2628&ei=zPUxUa7eNcqu0QXckYHQBg&usg=AFQjCNFa_zLWjAGpxff6RujchCOTP6Oq-w
• http://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=257604
• http://gbatemp.net/threads/pok%C3%A9mon-sacred-gold-storm-silver.327567/
• http://gbatemp.net/threads/pok%C3%A9mon-blaze-black-pok%C3%A9mon-volt-white.286850/
• http://projectpokemon.org/forums/showthread.php?26326-Pok%E9mon-Blaze-Black-2-amp-Pok%E9mon-Volt-White-2

Wolfy Harfleur 76700 (talk) 13:02, 2 March 2013 (UTC)

i think we should put description of hack instead the example, because even just changing the starter is considered a hack­ (talk) 13:14, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

Remove examples

Maybe we should just put description, not examples, because even just changing the starter is considered a hack­ (talk) 13:18, 27 May 2013 (UTC)

Japanese Pokemon silver Bootleg

So I have this bootleg that is named "Pokemon Silver." Sadly I don't know what the actual game is,and I can't provide a screenshot because I googled it and didn't get the results that I wanted.The games text are small and everyone speaks Japanese.You seem to start out as a crossover of a Squritle and a dragon.(That's what I always thought...)Mostly the graphics glitch up in the intro,and I don't know the storyline because like I said,everyone speaks Japanese.What is this game? Pokemon User Pokemon User talk 7:37, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Move

This page should be moved to ROM hacks. That is the more common name and "hack games" can refer to games that have been hacked into by an Action Replay. Spyspotter says… Edit the mainspace, kids! 13:03, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

I agree. As someone who is actually involved in the ROM Hacking community, I can't recall a single time that someone has referred to them as "Hack games". Typically it's just "ROM Hacks", or occasionally just "hacks".--Gou (talk) 18:13, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Yeah... "ROM hacks" (or just the shortened "hacks") is definitely the most common term. "Hacked ROMs" showing up pretty commonly too. I've sometimes seen "hacked games," but never "hack games" (aside from this page and its talk page, anyway.) --FnrrfYgmSchnish (talk) 01:26, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

Also agreed. If you look on any of the forums that the patches to the games are posted on (projectpokemon, pokecommunity, gbatemp, etc.), you will see, almost 100% of the time, the words "ROM Hack(s)," or as Gou said, sometimes just "hacks." "Hack games" however, is a very scarcely used term. Schiffy (Speak to me|What I've done) 19:42, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

"Also known as Fan Games"

Um... no. A "fangame/fan game" refers to a game someone actually made themselves (such as with RPG Maker, Game Maker, the OHRRPGCE, or something along those lines... or even coding it from scratch!) They may sometimes have graphics and such taken from the official games, but an actual fangame isn't edited from one of the official games like a ROM hack is. They're two different things. FnrrfYgmSchnish (talk) 23:15, 20 November 2013 (UTC)

Pokemon Glazed

Anyone ever heard of Pokemon Glazed Version? It's a hack of one of the Gen. 3 games, and was the winner of the 2013 Hack of the Year award for best gameplay by PokeCommunity.--SamurottMaster4747 (talk) 01:57, 15 January 2014 (UTC)

Food for thought - Zeta/Omicron

http://www.reddit.com/r/pokemonzetaomicron/

Seems like a cool hack maybe warrants inclusion?Cjmorgs (talk) 18:52, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

As far as I know, that is not a hack, but an RMXP game made using the Pokemon Essentials engine (http://pokemonessentials.wikia.com) Jackus (talk) 21:42, 20 March 2015 (UTC)

Chinese fan translation?

Because of a recently lifted, decade-long ban on the video game hardware market in China, none of the Pokémon games have been officially translated into Chinese currently. A lot of Pokémon games were translated to Chinese by some fan translation team. FRLG、Emerald、DPPt、HGSS、BW、B2W2 and many spin-off games have fully (or nearly fully) fan translations.

Should I put this in the article?

Zms (talk) 10:16, 16 March 2014 (UTC)

Why is Uranium here?

It's an RPG Maker game, not a ROM hack. Pikachu Bros. (talk) 02:49, 22 March 2014 (UTC)

The developer actually asked the same question. --Pokechu22 (talk) 23:56, 4 May 2014 (UTC)

Not all of these are ROM hacks...

This page probably needs to be split into separate categories. Not all of these are ROM hacks of Pokémon games; and some aren't even rom hacks of any game but instead their own separate game. First off, there are ones that aren't hacks of Pokémon games (Among others, Pokémon Adventure; Diamond and Jade and their sequels). There also are the games which are completely separate, not even hacks of an existing game (Only example on this place is Pokémon 4-in-1, but there are others, such as the NES port of Pokémon Yellow). Both of these categories should be split off, probably into separate sections on this page.

Should the page be divided into subcategories? --Pokechu22 (talk) 17:09, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

Wikifang affiliation status

I noticed in this revision from April, the link to Wikifang was removed for not being affiliated with Bulbapedia. However, not too long after (sometime in May?), Wikifang actually did become a NIWA affiliate. Should it be re-added? RacieB (talk) 21:07, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

Yeah, good call, I'd rather link them if they're an affiliate instead of Wikipedia. Thanks :) --ZestyCactus 03:37, 9 August 2014 (UTC)

Monster Go Go Go!

Figured I'd bring this one up; It's not incredibly special, but a hack of Smurfs 3. Quite laggy.

http://bootleggames.wikia.com/wiki/Monster_Go!_Go!_Go!!

'Notable Hack' Guidelines (Proposal)

The main problem with this article was that hacks were being added for free advertisement rather than because they were encyclopaedically notable and contained long, unnecessary descriptions of the plot and gameplay. To address this, I think we need a set of guidelines to determine which hacks to add to the Notable section.

A hack is only considered notable if:

• It is of cultural or historical significance.
• It is relatively well know.
• It demonstrates a notable feature or features that is represented in the large number of hacks that followed.
• It is a significant step forward in terms of hack development as a whole.

Only if a hack meets most of these points can it be added, and when it is added, it must include:

• A brief description, no more than 2 or 3 sentences.
• Justification on why it is notable and/or how it has affected hack development as a whole.

It can optionally include:

• Other hacks (2 examples MAX) that are related and/or were inspired by it (name drops ONLY)

For example, ShinyGold is included because it is culturally significant, is relatively well know, is a good example of a fan-created remake, and inspired other hackers to do the same. Ruby Destiny is included because it is a good example of a popular hack series that incorporates many features that takes the Ruby engine well beyond what it was originally programmed to do. Naranja is included as a popular example of a game based on the anime. Moemon is particularly popular in Japan and was featured in the media. Etc, etc, etc.

Obviously a degree of common sense needs to be used when adding the hack and we need to be vigilant of people taking advantage.

Perhaps before a notable hack is added, it can be debated on the talk page first?

Any thoughts on this? --K I P | Talk 11:53, 13 February 2015 (UTC)

None of those are rigorous objective requirements. How well known is 'relatively well known'? Who determines if a particular step forward was 'significant'? - unsigned comment from Goukazaru (talk • contribs)

It'd be up to the discretion of whoever is making the entry. And if there are objections, then that person can justify it further on the talk page and we can reach a consensus. Frankly, I can't see it being done another way, since there is no reliable way to measure how many times a hack has been played or downloaded. At the end of the day if the guidelines are making people think carefully before adding a hack then they've been successful, since it's to prevent the page becoming some kind of free advertising board like it was before. It's a proposal nonetheless - do you have any suggestions on how it could be improved? --K I P | Talk 12:39, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

First complete hack in NDS

This is the first NDS hack ROM in changing maps and all other things GBA hacks can modify, I think it may be mentioned a little. Nowadays, it is still the only NDS hack of doing that, in spite of it was created more than 2 years ago.

http://pokemonfangames.com/project.php?id=15

--Mikelan98 (talk) 18:36, 11 November 2015 (UTC)

Pokemon Insurgence

It is one of the most famous games out there. It should be added PokemonCool (talk) 10:01, 26 February 2016 (UTC)

Pokémon Chaos Black Version

This is a really well-known ROM hack and I'm rather surprised it's not on this page. Should it be added or what, because there is mention of it in one article apart from this one. --MechaMew3 (talk) 18:43, 8 April 2016 (UTC) More InfoImage.jpgSee full size image

Added by Chaosfan2001	Posted in Pokémon Chaos Black

Pokemon alpha sapphire extreme randomizer

This Is a ROM hack that takes the story of alpha sapphire and gives it a whole new twist, adding things like peeko, the corruption and the 2 armies, team magma and aqua. It also changes the Pokemon in each route, being a randomizer and it also changes the starters around.

Separate Page For Non-Hack Fangames

As many of the commenters on this discussion page have already said, there is a category of fan-made Pokemon Games that are not edits of any preexisting Pokemon Game ROM but are made using separate software like RPGMaker or a custom system. Some of them have been mentioned on this page already, like Pokemon Insurgence, but I would also like to draw attention to Pokemon Reborn, Pokemon Ethereal Gates, Pokemon Uranium and yet-to-release Pokemon Phoenix Rising. There are also some fan-made MMORPGs with many players. These are all notable contributions to the fandom and deserve recognition as they are nearly complete and have a wide audience. InvoluntaryTwitch (talk) 18:07, 26 April 2016 (UTC)

Legality section

While a section on legality may belong in the article, we will NOT present any form of rom patches, rom hacks, mods, etc, as legal. First because that's simply not true (gray area), second because Bulbapedia should not be a source of legal advice, particularly not legal advice that disagrees with Nintendo's interpretation of the law. --Evil Figment (talk) 05:43, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

Would rephrasing sentence(s) to be started with it is believed that (or some form of this) instead of making a decisive statement that this is legal? Also, is this related to Pokémon Prism being DMCA'd within the past 24 hours of this edit? --Wildgoosespeeder (talk) 05:49, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

No. "It is believed" and most other similar formulation still carry a lot of implications about the actual situation. Short of extensive sources (and I mean legal-grade sources : case law, professional legal articles, etc), and even then I'm not sure we should, this is a position we have no business taking. --Evil Figment (talk) 06:19, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

I'm no lawyer but I heard that ROM hacking is reverse engineering and reverse engineering is considered fair use. Don't quote me on this. This needs to be researched. Would that work if we had proper citations that legally support the stance of ROM hacking? --Wildgoosespeeder (talk) 07:03, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

Those are not the same thing. One means changing things and the other is just figuring things out. That's a big difference. Tiddlywinks (talk) 07:07, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

Would the EFF be a good source if we could produce such sources that support the legal stance of anything ROM hacking? I really feel that flat-out deletion of the removed code by Evil Figment (talk • contribs) might have been a hasty decision based on something that is very recent. --Wildgoosespeeder (talk) 07:17, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

You're welcome to look. Tiddlywinks (talk) 07:20, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

As it happens, I am, in fact, a lawyer (and a vice-webmaster of Bulbagarden). I removed the text not to reflect recent events, but because legal gray area questions like that are complex and require a *lot* of work to get right. It's staying gone.--Evil Figment (talk) 07:26, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

With that said, how should the article present the legality of ROM hacking as we currently understand it in this conversation? Not having any information is worse than it being there. Would it be better to say something along the lines of it is unknown if this practice is legal or not? --Wildgoosespeeder (talk) 07:37, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

I'd recommend to not put as much emphasis on the legality, and put more emphasis on the fact that Nintendo has taken action against it in the past. The fact that you might just, if you spend thousands (tens of) defending yourself, actually get a win is really not all that important.--Evil Figment (talk) 07:41, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

OK. That might be the best compromise to get word out about the legality of it, not explicitly, but at least implied that the legality is disputed amongst IP owners and fans of the IPs alike. Where would you recommend putting it in the article and how would you word it? --Wildgoosespeeder (talk) 07:51, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

Where it used to be is good. --Evil Figment (talk) 07:53, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

The agreed upon edit was made. Please correct anything that I got wrong. The {{fact}} is there because we need reliable source(s) for when they actually did this. --Wildgoosespeeder (talk) 08:10, 22 December 2016 (UTC)

Poke-rus translating Pokémon White 2 into Russian

I think that this is notable because it is the first time as far as I know that a game is being translated into another language as a community effort and is being documented fairly well. They're releasing trailers on YouTube and so on, so I think it's pretty thoroughly done. If there are any more instances where a community has been translating a game into their language for over a year and has been releasing trailers showcasing their progress please do let me know. Also this article just includes language hacks as a section describing this kind of hack as mostly poorly done, so I thought that "oh this is a hack that seems to actualy be very good translated maybe I'll add it" and I did. I do can also agree if you think that we'll have to wait to see how good translated it is before adding it to the article. Because if it is bad it'll fall into the general description this article paints of language hacks. But on the other hand if it's good I actualy think it needs to be included. --Raltseye prata med mej 23:29, 24 December 2016 (UTC)

Well, the Pokémon games were fan translated from Japanese to English in the DS era.--PannenkoekenNL (talk) 06:01, 25 December 2016 (UTC)

Notable Hacks

There are 3 notable hacks that I think that should be here: Pokémon Sienna, Pokémon Light Platinum and Pokémon Clover:

Pokémon Sienna is notable for including a dex composed by fan-made and official Pokémon, and it was being developed for over 6 years.

Light Platinum is notable for recreating a Pokémon Gen IV style using a Gen III engine, as well as having a full Gen IV Pokédex and a new story behind Palkia, Dialga, Giratina and Arceus. It' s also has some characters from the Anime.

Clover is a hack of Pkmn Fire Red. It still uses the Kanto region, but replaces the current Pokémon with fan-made Pokémon, often with grotesque, obscene and humorous characteristics, having the famous Tentaquil meme among them. The ROM Hack' s Team is also creating a fan-game, based on it called DubsClover or NiClover. Am I allowed to put them?-DigoBlaze12 (talk) 20:52, 29 January 2017 (UTC)

I think they may need some further justification. The proposed guidelines were:

• It is of cultural or historical significance.
• It is relatively well know.
• It demonstrates a notable feature or features that is represented in the large number of hacks that followed.
• It is a significant step forward in terms of hack development as a whole.

I think only if you can reasonably show that these proposed hacks fit most of these categories you can include them. It could be argued, for example, that Light Platinum could fit point 1 or 2 (you would have to justify this of course). I also feel it necessary to point out that these are notable hacks, not famous hacks. They key difference being this is designed to be an information article giving examples of the range of hacks, how hacking evolved over its history, how sophisticated it is and give an insight into its culture and development process, rather than being a hack hall of fame. --Kip | Talk 23:48, 26 February 2017 (UTC)

Delete

The subject of the article is illegal and non notable in my opinion. I think it should be deleted. However, I am no admin, so I am not sure if I can actually tag. Also, maybe my reasoning is faultyRubyLeafGreenCrystal (talk) 17:51, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

I believe the article is fine as it is, the webmasters have also made edit on this page in the past (mainly to remove content they did not feel was notable enough). This article would warrant deletion if it were to actually be linking and detailing how to acquire these rom hacks and bootlegs and noting how to mod the games. Thankfully there are hidden notes on the page that do NOTE that those types of edits and adding that type of information is not allowed. Frozen Fennec 11:55, 9 June 2018 (UTC)

Cease and Desist games

Should the games Nintendo and Game Freak had to personally shut down be considered for this list (those being the Rijon games and Uranium)

Let's start with the Rijon-based Pokémon games (Brown, rijonAdventures, and Prism)? Based on the criteria established:

• It is of cultural or historical significance. Brown was one of the first ROM hacks that felt like an actual Pokémon game, and was considered the genesis of ROM hacking. This fact is even stated in the article.
• It is relatively well know. I would certainly say so, with numerous Let's Plays and sites such as Kotaku covering Prism's shut down.
• It demonstrates a notable feature or features that is represented in the large number of hacks that followed. See above.
• It is a significant step forward in terms of hack development as a whole. See above.

I would say the Rijon games should definitely go in. Sadly, I'm not as well versed with Uranium, so I can't say much, other than it is definitely well known, with its long development time, several Let's Plays, and new Fakemon. I just wanted to know if there was any legal reason they weren't given their own sections in the first place before I added them.Iml908 (talk) 03:41, 27 August 2018 (UTC)

I'm personally not all that familiar with these games, but I certainly agree that Brown should be on there. It's even mentioned in the wiki article... just not on the list. D (talk) 12:41, 12 February 2019 (UTC)

Also, wasn't Prism the first hack to receive a 'cease and desist' letter from Nintendo? I think that's pretty noteworthy. Or did Nintendo send out these sorts of letters to other hacks in the past? D (talk) 14:39, 12 February 2019 (UTC)

Several things

1. "Another noteworthy feature is the development of the UPS format, which allows the expansion of Game Boy Advance ROM hacks from their original 16MB format to 32MB." Is this correct? I don't know much about 'UPS', but I'm under the impression that it's a patch format (like IPS). If so, the GBA games could have been modified in that way even without UPS, so I don't get what it's saying exactly.

2. "the ROM hacking community generally considers these more as "bootlegs" rather than ROM hacks." This doesn't sound correct, and I think the distinction is a bit arbitrary. I don't think anyone in the hacking community would deny that these particular bootleg games are 'ROM hacks'. I think what should be said here is that these hacks were made by pirates, not by Pokemon fans of the ROM hacking community. (Although in some cases the games were made by the hacking community, and then afterwards stolen by pirates and flashed onto bootleg carts.)

3. The 'Legality' section needs to be expanded. I don't have any suggestions at the moment... all I can say is that depending on how the hacking is done, it's sometimes illegal but other times is probably legal (despite Nintendo's being against it).

4. I'd recommend adding the following hacks (mostly gen 1) to the list:

• The World Famous Talking Cactus Version by Phillip Rueben in the gen 1 days. This was not really a complete game but more of a demo. It was distributed as an IPS file (to be patched to Red Version) along with the tool Pokémap, which was the first tool to allow for easy map editing in the gen 1 games. It is of cultural or historical significance? Yes, due to its association with Pokémap. It is relatively well known? I'd think so. Maybe not so much anymore, but it was well known back in its day (and might still be well known among gen 1 hackers). It even spawned two unofficial sequels (a Gold Version hack called WT? World Famous Talking Cactus! and a Red Version hack called Talking Cactus 3: Matty-Os Drift) It demonstrates a notable feature or features that is represented in the large number of hacks that followed? Yes - this was the first game to my knowledge (even before Brown) in which the map was significantly altered. It was also the first game in which gameplay mechanics were heavily altered (e.g. no Pokémon, no battles, etc.). It is a significant step forward in terms of hack development as a whole? Yes, insofar as it was a demo of Pokémap.
• Brown by Koolboyman - see the discussion in the previous poster's section, above
• Pokémon CreepyBlack Version - I don't know who made this, but it was a ROM hack of FireRed, inspired by the fictional ROM hack from the creepypasta. The battle/pokedex sprites were all replaced with gen1 sprites and the White Hand was added and there were probably other changes (I don't know, I never played it myself). It is of cultural or historical significance. Yes. Pokemon creepypastas were extremely popular at that time, and some imaginative fans wanted to bring those creepypasta games to life by making YouTube videos and ROM hacks. This hack is an excellent example of that, and perhaps the most well known creepypasta-inspired hack. It is relatively well know. Probably. The creepypasta itself is well known, and if you search YouTube for it you'll come across videos of this ROM hack. (I think there might also be a gen 1 hack, but this gen 3 seems more well known) It demonstrates a notable feature or features that is represented in the large number of hacks that followed. Not really. It is a significant step forward in terms of hack development as a whole. No.
• Monster Go! Go! Go! - This was a bootleg cartridge in the gen1 days. It was a hack of some Smurfs game for GBC I think. I personally don't know much about it, but it's just as notable as Pokémon Diamond and Jade (it often appeared alongside them on news sites back in the early '00s). And I'd say it's far more notable than Pokémon Adventure.
• Pokémon Green Version - I don't know who made it... I think it was originally made by some fan of the hackjng community, but pirates later took it and flashed onto cheap green-colored cartridges. (This one has good English because it's mostly a graphics hack of English Blue Version, not a translation hack of Japanese Green Version.) I'd say it's notable solely because of how widespread it is. Few other ROM hack bootlegs can be found so easily on eBay. (Perhaps it should be documented here, and also on the Pokémon Red and Green Versions page, in order to warn newer fans not to purchase it.)

D (talk) 14:35, 12 February 2019 (UTC)

Reference to Pokemon Uranium?

Pokemon Uranium should be referenced to in the article, as it was a very popular hack, until Nintendo shut it down in August 2016. It included new Fakemon, a new story, and new types. [4]- unsigned comment from PapaBalloon1234 (talk • contribs)

Uranium isn't a ROM hack. It's a fangame. Big difference.

That being said, I think a section on Prism would be warranted for a similar reason. --celadonk (talk) 20:58, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

Pokemon Vietnamese Crystal

While being a Rom hack, or a bootleg game, either way it has enough content to earn it's own page, as long as Rom hacks aren't prohibited from getting their own page anyway. While the same could be said for most others, such as Pokemon Fire Red Omega, Vietnamese Crystal has lots more to talk about. -Vulchar79 talk Contribs

Unbound: notable?

Playing through Pokémon Unbound, it's certainly notable in its own right- but should it be put here?

Takes place in a new region, with new characters and a new story, with new music and mechanics, but does not include Fakemon

https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=382178

Hyphae (talk) 02:59, 12 April 2023 (UTC)

Move

Per the manual of style, this should be moved to ROM hack, as it refers to a specific group, and does not refer to a group named "ROM hacks". Landfish7 20:28, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

"Legality"

If the article isn't going into the arguments for or against legality and is just saying Nintendo's stance on the matter, then the section should be removed and merged with the lede. Biblical Bambi (talk) 01:54, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

We're an English-language wiki, and Nintendo's stance is flagrantly inaccurate to the laws of any English-speaking country. The section being called "Legality" gives off some false impressions to the majority of our readers, so it would make a lot of sense to remove it. (Also, one of the two citations has nothing to do with Pokémon or ROM hacking whatsoever, and Techdirt is probably not the best source for that matter even had it been relevant.) bwburke94 (talk) 03:10, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

For now, I've tweaked the title and added a cleanup notice. Landfish7 04:49, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

Should Pokémblem be noted in this page?

Given that it’s a romhack of Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones using Pokémon as units, almost as if Fire Emblem and Pokémon had a crossover. Pikmin 3 Wii U 03:49, 20 August 2023 (UTC)

I don't think that's necessary, but we have a section for bootlegs and this concept is rather similar. bwburke94 (talk) 21:28, 22 August 2023 (UTC)

Isn’t a bootleg designed to trick players into thinking it is official for monetary gain, which is what Pokémblem does not do? Pikmin 3 Wii U 13:39, 23 August 2023 (UTC)

Move part 4

This article should mainly focus on the topic of unlicensed Pokémon games itself and list notable examples of such games. This is essentially my rationale for the move proposal. サトミュウ (SatoMew) 23:22, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

Oppose Calling them “unauthorized” gives off pro-Nintendo vibes, which is very much not the optics we want right now. Suggest moving to [[Pokémon fan games]] instead, or keeping as is, since RPG Maker fan games are a completely different beast from ROM/disassembly/decompilation hacks. Similarly, the new intro tastes too much like boot. 欠番 ^T/_C 23:32, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

I also oppose. I feel there's better ways to reorganize this information. Fwiw, we as a staff will be looking into this (but feel free to share your ideas). I recently created an article about the Pokémon fandom which gives an idea of how this information could be organized into three articles about ROM hacks, bootleg games, and ground-up fan original games. I think one thing that will be really important here is to establish some inclusion criteria on what games we cover and why. As a basis, I think we should consider the game's individual notability (did more than a few people play it, and was it covered by independent sources?) and its usefulness to the article (does it have something interesting to say about the overall subject matter of ROM hacks/bootlegs/standalone games). Landfish7 23:59, 21 June 2024 (UTC)

I have made drafts for ROM hack, Bootleg, and Pokémon fan games. Landfish7 03:30, 22 June 2024 (UTC)

Oppose, unauthorized doesn't seem right as a title and I feel like it either should stay the same or split to different pages as suggested. TheBestOfAllTime (talk) 03:33, 23 June 2024 (UTC)

Split

As suggested in the previous discussion, this page should be split into ROM hack, Bootleg, and Pokémon fan games in order to more effectively explore these distinct topics. Landfish7 18:46, 5 July 2024 (UTC)

Support Minibug (talk) 18:54, 5 July 2024 (UTC)

Support 欠番 ^T/_C 20:42, 14 August 2024 (UTC)

This split has been complete. Landfish7 14:21, 9 September 2024 (UTC)