Misc. News: I'm back...
14:20:  You might have noticed that I haven't been posting as regularly as I probably should, but that's gonna change right now. Those who are interested in why I've been gone... I've been unlucky job-wise. My last job, McDonalds, ended in a rather nasty way, and as a result, I'm jobless. Which means two things:

• I have to find a new job
• I have lots of time for updates here on ZD... he he...

Utility Release: SMB2 Level Discombobulator 0.86
14:14:  This program is updated yet again with the following improvements:

• Special objects (except Type 5, pointers) are moved to the bottom of the page when saving. This can prevent them to be moved to previous pages and screw up things.
• Fixed a bug that could cause the first byte of the enemy pointer table to be overwritten.
• Level loading time improved, it's cut down by about 30%! However, the editor takes longer to load when opened.
  
• Type 6 special objects (ground change) are now implemented correctly (there was a minor bug with the affected part of the level).
  
• Fixed a small bug with Type 0 and 1 special objects (ground type) in vertical levels, now you'll always see them affect the right page in the level.
  
• In vertical levels, press S and you'll see blue separator lines at 9-square intervals. In the game, vertical scrolling (on screen) goes by 9 squares, there in the editor you can see where the scrolling goes (which part will show up on screen).
  
• Now you can change how many levels each world have!

4/29/2000
Emulator Release: Hu-Go 1.22
15:38:  A new version of Hu-Go, a TurboGrafx 16 emulator for DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Translation News: SMB2 Level Discombobulator 0.83 Released!
14:40:  Acmlm's SMB2 Level Discombobulator has been updated to version 0.83 and includes some impressive new features.

• Now you can change character properties (in both SMB2 (NES), Mario All-Stars (SNES), and Doki Doki Panic (FDS)!)
  
  
• Level palettes can be edited (NES only), without needing a hex editor....
  
  
• Title screen display time can be changed (just in case you'd like to mess around with this, eh) (NES only)
  
  
• You can delete all objects and enemies (in one area) at once
  
  
• Fixed a bug that (when saving an area) caused objects and things to appear after the end of the level and screw it up, if the last object was a Type 5 special object. (this was happening in several areas, especially the "ways to the bosses")
  

Site News: Save & Music archives updated
11:10:  Yeah, it's been a while, but here it is. The highlight of this update is a lot of new NSFs from Izumi.'s music page. The newly planned GB and PSX archives won't be added until a bit later.
Save archives updated: GS0, NeoRAGEx, NSM, STA, SRM, CHT, ZMV, ZST archives.
Game music archives updated: GYM, NSF, SPC archives.

4/28/2000
Site News: Translation Section Nearing Completion
14:24:  Just dropping another post to let everyone know the status of the upgraded translation section. Every section except for SNES has been completely caught up and redesigned. Once the SNES section is redone, all shall be unveiled. Hopefully, everyone will like the new look of the translation section. And for those of you that have been submitting translation news, fear not. Your words haven't been ignored, they're simply being held off for the opening of the new translation section. After all, why update a section that will be gone in a couple of days?

Utility Release: Rom Corruptor v0.4 released
10:34:  Rom Corruptor, a utility that allows you to corrupt specific ranges of data in your ROM files for Win9x, has been updated to version 0.4. Here's what's new:

4/27/2000
Emulator Release: CCS64 2.0b
16:27:  Another beta of CCS64, a Commodore 64 emulator for Windows/DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Misc. News: GuildFTPd 0.97
15:24:  A new version of a wonderful FTP Server for Windows 9x\NT\2000 has been released! Here is what's new in this version:

Emulator Release: Genital 0.2
15:11:  A new version of Genital, a Genesis emulator for DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Site News: Voice Your Opinion on Revamping the Emulator Pages
14:12:  As everybody knows, the emulator pages are in dire need of major updates. I've started a thread on the General Emulation board with my ideas for accomplishing this. It would be much appreciated if everyone would go read my ideas and offer your own suggestions on how to accomplish what will surely be a monumental task.

Voice Your Opinion on Revamping the Emulator Pages

Site News: News Submission & Questions
12:23:  Lately, there have been a LOT of people using the News Submission form for asking questions. This takes away from the time we put into updating news because we have to sort through all the questions looking for actual news. You're also most likely going to have your question ignored because we're trying to update the news at the time and don't have time to answer individual questions. You'd be much better off using the Message Boards to asking questions.

For general emulation questions:
ZMD1: General Emulation

For non-emulation questions:
Talk of the Town

For ROM hacking and translation questions:
The ROM Hack Board

For next generation gaming questions:
Next-Generation Emulation Board

You're much more likely to get your questions answered on the Message Boards than you will by using the news submission form. We wish we could answer everyone's questions personally, but if we did that, there'd be no time left to update the site. So to help us improve ZD, please stop using the news submission form for personal questions and head to the message boards. We'd much appreciate it and it will help us improve ZD for everyone.

Emulator Release: NLMSX 0.25
12:12:  It looks like today will be a good day for emulator releases! A new version of NLMSX, an MSX emulator for Windows, has been released. Here's what's new in 0.25:

• More stable window system. Still not as good as I want it to be.
• Accurate PSG emulation. A very old game called Oh Shit! which uses the PSG to playback recorded samples works as it should.
• Slowed down the VDP emulation. But exact timing is still an issue that I have to address.

Emulator Release: Megasis 0.05
11:43:  A new version of Megasis, a great Sega Genesis emulator for Windows, has been released. Here's what's new in version 0.05:

• Added Save and Load state
• Added BG Shadow,Hilight
• Fixed 68000CPU
  
• Fixed VDP
  
• Fixed H-Int
  
• Fixed Z80 CPU
  
• Support FM-LFO (PMS only)
  
• Added WaveLog
  
• Added Menu shortcut key customize
  
• Added Sound effect

Emulator Release: Corn 0.29
11:20:  ContraSF has released version 0.29 of one of the better N64 emulators out there, Corn. New games supported in Corn 0.29 are as follows:

• Chameleon Twist (with sound)
• Pawafuru Puroyakyu 4 (with sound)
• Waverace 64 US (with sound)
  
• Snowboard Kids (with sound)
  
• Rush 2 (with sound)
  
• Doom 64 (severe graphics glitches)
  
• Milo's Astro Lanes (partialy)
  
• Wheel of fortune (partially)
  
• Possibly others

Emulator Release: Anex86 2.15b
07:08:  A new version of Anex86, a PC-98 emulator for Windows, has been released. I don't know what's new since only the Japanese homepage has been updated lately.

You can download it from the PC-98 emulators page.

Frontend News: MAME SFE v. 1.2 Released
00:44:  The Dragon Keeper's excellent MAME frontend MAME SFE was updated a to v. 1.2 couple months back, but we just got to it now. Please, if we didn't get to your update, Zophar's going through his list, and he'll get to it at some point. Also, if you somehow get into contact with a ZD staffer, I'm sure they'd be happy to put it on. Just keep one thing in mind -- we'll get it on here. :)

Anyway, here's what's (relatively) new:

4/26/2000
Translation News: Translation Section Status
20:41:  Just wanted to fill everyone in on the status of the translation section. I've been going through all of the e-mails and checking various places to make sure that we have the translation section completely caught up. Rather than adding them to the current sections, I'm going to wait and add them to the completely redesigned section that will be unveiled soon. The new section looks completely different from the current state of ZD and once we've tweaked all the bugs, we'll unleash it upon the unsuspecting public. Oh, I guess since I just warned you, you won't be so unsuspecting, but oh well. If people like the look of the new translation section, we'll begin morphing the rest of the site in a similar manner. If you don't like it, then I guess we'll just return it to it's current, rather ugly state, albeit more up-to-date. So stay tuned, because in another day or two, the fate of ZD (or at least it's appearance) will be in your hands.

Emulator Release: Z80Stealth v. 0.200
20:26:  A new version of the ZX Spectrum emulator, Z80Stealth, was released today. Here's news on the new stuff that the emulator packs this time around:

Emulator Release: Gens v0.5 released
19:15:  Gens, an Sega Genesis emulator for Win9x, has been updated to version 0.5. Here's what's new from the readme.txt:

Misc. News: You want 3D? You've got 3D.
18:18:  nVidia, the graphics processor company famous for it's Voodoo-ousting TNT graphics processors, today announced the GeForce 2. The GeForce 2 has per-pixel shading, as well as a second-generation texture and lighting engine, OpenGL and Direct3D support, and support for multimedia extensions of Intel and AMD chips. Look for the GeForce 2 GTS in a store near you... you know I will. *drool*...

Media News: Video Games Cause Violence?
15:33:  I know how much all of you like reading little bits of news about how video games are going to rot our brains and make us hyper-violent slugs. Just for you, our buddy Cait Sith found another article in his local newspaper, and he wasted precious moments of his life scanning it for us.

You can take a look a look at the article here.

Thanks to Cait Sith for the scan.

Emulator Release: Squeem v. 0.06
15:06:  ZD recently found out about a new emulator for both DOS and Windows, going under the name Squeem (nothing to do with Bleem!). Here are a few features that the emu has going for it in its latest incarnation (v. 0.06):

Misc. News: Back To The Roots - New Domain
13:46:  Back To The Roots, a great site for downloading Amiga games and demos, can now be reached at www.back2roots.org. Back To The Roots have tons of freeware and shareware Amiga games as well as many commercial games which they've obtained licenses from the publishers to offer free of charge. So if you're an Amiga enthusiast or just interested in finding out what all the fuss about Amiga is, now you know where to go for the software.

Emulator News: Javanese 0.2003 changelist
11:02:  Yesterday, we posted about the new release of Javanese, a NES emulator written in JAVA. Today, we have the list of changes:

• Some games are playable (games without mapper nor scrolling, like donkey kong, tennis, popeye, donkey kong jr, donkey kong 3, ...)!!!
• CPU code was updated to mame/mess 0.37b1 for 6502 and n2a03.
• Added support for 6510 (anybody want to make a java C64 or atari800 emu ?).
  
• Cpu are still lacking IRQ (but should be complete as soon as i port callback pointer in IRQ code.
  
• Gamepad 1 and 2 are partially implemented (lacks signatures).
  
• See revisions.txt for more information

Misc. News: New WinAmp skin added..
07:18:  A new WinAmp skin has been added to the WinAmp skins page. This one features images of Athena from KOF '99 Revolution.

This skin was made by Kyo Takagen of KOF Perfect.

4/25/2000
Translation News: Final Fantasy 3 (US) Monster Editor v3.0
19:43:  The Final Fantasy 3 US Monster Editor has been updated to version 3.0 and now has the ability to alter individual monster stats as well as monster formations. It can be downloaded from the Translation Utilities section. Thanks to The Constable for the news.

Utility Release: MSP 0.51
18:04:  Sevy has released a bugfix version of his multi-format music & sound player, MSP. Here's what's new in version 0.51:

• Fixed a really dumb bug that caused MOD playing to not work in the released binary (v0.50). An #ifdef had to be changed to #ifndef. My apologies for making this mistake. It disturbs me that it took 3 months to discover this ;-). Many thanks to Mecha for pointing this bug out. I personally do not use MOD playing very frequently, so I didn't even realize that it was broken in the last release.
  
  
• A few small, insignificant (hopefully...) changes otherwise.
  
  
• I probably should have updated the cores, but did not in this release. I hope to do this in the near future as well as add some new features :-).

Translation News: Translhextion 1.1c
17:43:  Translhextion, a new ROM hacking utility, has been updated to version 1.1c. From the readme, here's the massive 'What's New' list:

The table-handling code has been re-engineered resulting in the following features:

• Script dumping/replacing/optimizing is MUCH MUCH FASTER!!!! We're talking multiple orders of magnitude here
• Option to view file as literal ascii OR as equivalent table values (in the style of Thingy & Thingy32) thanks to table speed increase
  
  
• Table values can be up to 3-bytes (though only 2-byte values have been thoroughly tested) except for newline and endstring values which can be up to 2-bytes
  
  
• "Table Active" has been moved to a floating tool bar along with the Thingy-style view option
  

Misc. News: The Arcade Flyer Archive Reaches 1000+
17:13:  With the release of MAME Flyer Pack #19, The Arcade Flyer Archive has surpassed the 1000 flyer mark. To celebrate, for a short time, you'll be able to download one zip file containing all 1000+ flyers.

They're also running a contest where the first 5 people to send them 3 flyers that aren't in their archive and aren't available on the net will win a "Capcom Coin-Op Classics CD". The next 5 people after that will receive a flyer.

For full contest details and to download the newly released MAME Flyer Pack #19, visit The Arcade Flyer Archives.

Emulator Release: Return of Coco 0.83a
16:33:  A new version of Return of Coco, a COCO I & II emulator for Windows, has been released, and here's what's new:

Emulator Release: Javanese 0.2003
15:56:  While we're on the subject of NES emulators written in JAVA, another one has had an update today - Javanese. You can download release 0.2003 from the NES emulators for JAVA page. Thanks to Brice Fines for the word.

Emulator Release: Jamicom 0.1 (042400)
15:50:  A new build of Jamicom, a NES emulator written in JAVA, is now available for download. Here's what's new in build 0.1 042400:

Translation News: ZMD4: The ROM Hack Board
15:12:  As part of my renovation of the translation section, I've taken over moderator duties on The ROM Hack board. ZMD4 is the place to go if you have questions about ROM Hacking and translation. I'd also like to thank everyone that's been sending in translation related news to help me with the updating. I'm working to get the translation section caught up as soon as possible and should be unveiling the new translation section in a couple of days. So keep the mail coming and feel free to head over to ROM Hack board to make suggestions as well.

Misc. News: FAQ Request from Anthony DiPasquale
15:08:  A few weeks ago, I met up with an old friend of mine who's been into emulation for quite some time. After chatting for a little bit, he wanted to know if I could help him find an old VGB FAQ he wrote some time ago, dated late 1995 or early 1996, by "XxDeThxX". If anyone with information that would lead to the finding of this FAQ could drop him a line at agd2490@rit.edu, your help would be much appreciated.

Emulator News: Current ZSNES Progress
14:54:  Here's a ZSNES status update straight from the ZSNES Homepage:

• Added speed hack for Kirby Super Star (US)
  
  
• SPC700 (Sound cpu emulation) is now enabled by default whether sound is enabled or not. Emulation will now be slower than normal if you usually run with sound off, but the compatibility is higher. However, you can disable this through the options window in the GUI if speed is of your concern. Also, a few games only run with it disabled so this option may be useful in those cases.
  
  
• Decreased cheat code description length by 1 since the last letter was causing some corruption to the next cheat code
  
  
• Added an option to raise the pitch level to the pre-v0.989 pitch levels, mainly for non-Creative brand sound cards.
  
  
• You can now change the sound settings (Enable Sound, Stereo, Sound Frequency) with immediate effects without re-starting ZSNES
  
  
• Configuration is now saved whenever you exit the GUI instead of just exiting
  

4/24/2000
Misc. News: The Napster Controversy
22:57:  In recent weeks, Napster, Inc. has been embroiled in a great amount of controversy (along with a number of lawsuits as well), with a number of musicians putting their foot down against the software maker. If anyone is unsure of what Napster is, it's a tool that allows people to exchange MP3s with others on the network.

If anyone has comments on the software, head over to Talk of the Town, where I just recently started a thread about the topic.

Emulator Release: MESSD 0.37 Beta 1
19:21:  The DigitaOS port of MESS has also been updated to 0.37 Beta 1. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: MAMED 0.37 Beta 1
19:19:  MAMED , the Mutiple Arcade emulator for digital cameras have been updated to 0.37 Beta 1. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: EX68 2.04
16:53:  A new version of EX68, a X68000 emulator for Windows, has been released. The docs are in Japanese, so I don't know what's new. You can get it at the X68000 page.

Emulator Release: WinX68k 0.25 beta 5
16:38:  A new version of WinX68k, a X68000 emulator for Windows, has been released, and here's what's new:

Site News: I'm back, and look who I've brought with me!
16:37:  Yes fiends, it's true that "Emulation Forever" wasn't just an overused cliche of mine... it really is forever. I've had lots of time over the last few months to think about the direction I wanted to take ZD. I decided that when I came back, I was going to come back with a *BANG* and bring something really exciting and controversial back to the table. Who better to stir up the excitement that ZD needs to show that we're ready to rise back to the top than the master of controversy, InVerse? InVerse will be working very closely with myself and the rest of the staff to take ZD into the new direction that it is we want to go in.

Sure, there's been lots of criticism over the last few months about decisions that were made and things that were done. While some of it has been constructive and some of it has not, all have been screaming for something exciting to happen. During these last few months I've been carefully monitoring the message boards and have realized that even with the slow news days, and even the lack of *any* news at all, you guys stuck through and believed in us. For that, you're all going to be rewarded in the coming months. Things aren't going to magically change in a few weeks, but we guarantee you that things aren't going to get boring around here for some time to come!

My email queue? Around 3,000. Oldest unchecked email? Sometime in mid-March. Apologies? Tons! But I promise to all of you that your emails *will* be read - just give me a little time here. Even us evil gods can't speed-read like those guys you see on Infomercials that sell their magical 'speed-read' books for 5 easy payments of $49.95... but moving right along - translations! Yes, during the era of Mike "Taichou" Gregerson, the translation news suffered. I'd like to apologize to all translation & ROM hack enthusiasts that visit ZD for that very purpose - we promise you that during this new era, translations with available patches will not be overlooked, and no amount of 'personal grudges' or just plain laziness will *not* happen this time around. All we ask for is a little time and you'll be downloading tons of new material in no time!

The links! Are we ever going to update them? You betcha! Hold on to your hats because all of the links are going to be updated. Dead links will be removed, new ones will be added and the descriptions will be cleaned up. If you thought we linked to a lot of quality sites out there now, just wait for the coming weeks for even more! The links sections have always been a very important part of ZD, and emulation in general. Why? Sure, we are a business, and as such we do make a little money - but unlike other businesses, we do *NOT* believe in holding down other sites so we can pocket extra cash. Are you 16 years old, do you run a quality emulation site, and wish that one of the 'bigger guys' would post about it to help get you started? Heck, that was me in 1996 when I started ZD and when *no one* would post mine. Just drop me a line! We promise you that we'll help out all quality just-starting sites out there with a little exposure.

The new ZD - quality, speed, and the most important aspect? FUN! "But what about the anti emulation sites? The anti ZD sites? Nintendo? The IDSA? Ted Turner?" Screw 'em! No matter how much money one makes and no matter how much exposure one gets, never forget the most important goal - fun! This is ZD, this is your ZD. ZD is forever - and...

Emulation Forever!

Emulator Release: Basilisk II 0.7 build 122
16:29:  A new version of Basilisk II, a Mac emulator for Windows, has been released, and here's what's new:

Win32 - 24.April.2000, build 122

Emulator Release: DreamNES 2000 beta 1
16:16:  A new version of DreamNES has been released, and here's what's new:

Utility Release: Super Jukebox 2.1
16:03:  A new version of Super Jukebox, a SPC player for Windows, has been released, and here's what's new:

Site News: Translation Section to be First Overhaul
15:25:  Let's face it, the translation section here on ZD is severely outdated, which is why it's the first section to be overhauled. There's a *lot* of work to be done to it, so I'm going to need your help. Anybody who has submitted translation news in the past, I'm asking you to resubmit it to inverse@zophar.net. I know how annoying it is to have your hard work ignored, because I've had several of my own news submissions passed over. That's why I'm personally guaranteeing that you will either see your project added to the translation section or you will receive an individual reply if, for some reason, it isn't added. Don't think that I'll only be paying attention to e-mails, though, because I'll also be scouring the net for any updates that have been missed. Speaking of which, I'd like to thank Jandar for graciously allowing me to use his site, Snakeeyes Gaming Corp. as a basis of comparison for finding translation related items that have been missed. So keep a close eye on the translation section, because in the next several days, you'll see major improvements.

Site News: Poll Updated
15:12:  Well, Stick here, and I'd like to say that I'm back from the dead -- finally. After all which has gone on lately, I've had to do a lot of soul-searching, but I'd like to say that I'm back, as is ZD.

Anyway, here are the results from the last poll:

What's your favorite form of entertainment?

Choice 1 was: "I like to watch a lot of movies."

It received 34 votes (5.6 percent).

Choice 2 was: "Since you're giving me a choice, I'll say music."

It received 125 votes (20.6 percent).

Choice 3 was: "All these other losers are wrong.. It's all about video games."

It received 283 votes (46.7 percent).

Choice 4 was: "I'm into pro-wrestling.. it's better than everything."

It received 44 votes (7.3 percent).

Choice 5 was: "Forget wrestling, it's all about REAL sports."

It received 27 votes (4.5 percent).

Choice 6 was: "The best kind of entertainment is, of course, books."

It received 64 votes (10.6 percent).

Choice 7 was: "I like the great qualities of television, especially the cheese."

It received 29 votes (4.8 percent).

Games won, obviously, but music was a relatively strong second.

As for the new poll, it's the first in a series of polls about changing ZD for the better. This first poll has to do with the poll itself:

Would you like to see the poll on the main page?

Our idea is to make the poll more convenient for people to vote in, so we were thinking about making the poll show up on the front page.

Like it? Don't like it? Don't care? Well, whatever you decide, it's all up to your vote if we do it or not.

Oh yeah, watch out, because ZD is coming back strong. :)

Site News: Welcome to the New ZD!
14:31:  Ok, so I'm jumping the gun just a bit. There's nothing new just yet but that's all about to change. Over time, you'll see ZD evolve before your eyes. The problem with attempts to revamp ZD in the past was that everyone tried to tackle the site as a whole and ZD is just too big for that to be feasible.

So what you're going to be seeing instead is ZD being changed page by page, section by section until the site is complete redone. Then ZD will once again reign supreme among the top emulation sites.

We don't kid ourselves. It won't be an easy task, but we will succeed. Three months from now, you'll see much improvement. In six months, the site will be drastically changed. A year from now, you won't even recognize ZD compared to it's current state.

So for those of you that have remained loyal to ZD during this extended low period, we thank you and your loyalty is about to pay off. For those that had trouble staying with ZD during these troubled times, give us another chance and you'll like what you see. And for those who have criticized ZD from the beginning, there's nothing we could ever do to change your minds, so we'll just focus on satisfying the people who care and the rest of you can say what you will.

With that said, let the improvements begin.

Emulator Release: NESten 0.6 Beta Final
03:45:  A new version of NESten, a NES emulator for Windows, has been released, and here's what's new:

* Important *
Please delete the old version of NESten before installing this version,
or you will have a lot of the mappers double up... Thy hast been warned!

Emulator Release: BrMSX 2.5
03:39:  A new version of BrMSX, a MSX emulator for DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Misc. News: PKZip Creator Dies
03:30:  Most people that have used the Internet for a long time probably remember PKZip, the first file zipping utility. Well, yesterday it was announced that Phillip W. Katz, the creator of PKZip, had died as a result of complications from alcoholism at the age of 37. His program has made an enormous impact on the Internet, and his memory will live on in the millions of zip files scattered across the Internet (well, sort of).

You can read the full article at ABCNews.

4/23/2000
Utility Release: VX2WAV
09:42:  While chatting in #mugen on Efnet, Ryo99 pointed out a great utility that I'd never seen before called VX2WAV. VX2WAV is a DOS utility that converts Neo-Geo sound ROMs into a WAV file. This utility is very fast and works quite well.

Try it out in the Neo-Geo Utilities area.

Misc. News: Protoman - Megaman 5 hack and Megaman 5 Palette Hacking doc released
01:57:  It's time for a two for one. First, Sephiroth X has released version 2.0 of his graphical hack of Megaman5 for NES. Here's what's new:

4/22/2000
Utility Release: UltraMSX2 v1.0 released
18:36:  UltraMSX2 is a utility for Win9x that converts MSX2 ROMs over to the Doctor V64 format for use on the Nintendo 64. From the ReadMe file:

"With the rominserter you can insert your
favorite game in the emulator. At the moment
the maximum romsize is limited to 128kb. The
rominserter will generate a file called 'Patched.v64'.
Fix the checksum of the file with RTOOLS or IAS or
another tool that can calculate the checksum
and download it to you N64.

I have tested the rominserter with the following roms:
- Hyper sports 1
- F1 Spirit
- Maze of Galious
- Metal Gear
- Nemesis2
- Parodius
- Qbert
- Vampire Killer
- The Threasure of Usas
- Kingsvalley II
- Salamander
- Gryzor"

Just as a test, I tried it on the Vampire Killer ROM and loaded it up in Nemu, and, though very distorted, you could tell it worked. I'll have to give it a try on a real N64 later.

You can try it out now in the N64 Utilities area.

Special thanks, as always, to the crew in the know when it comes to MSX, The MEP-Crew at www.file-hunter.com.

Misc. News: Strange Mario Bros. 2 hack released
18:05:  Acmlm has released the first patch for his hack of Super Mario Bros. 2. The game is entitled Strange Mario Bros. 2. He is designing the hack from the ground up, using his SMB2 Discombobulator. He has changed 24% of the graphic tiles, edited the palette, and has changed the story line. The game is going to be completely different from the Super Mario Bros. 2 you know and love. Currently, this patch is complete for World 1-1, but, this is a must see and is definitely worth checking out. If you'd like to see screenshots, head over to Acmlm's ROM Hack Domain.

You can download the patch now from the Translations: Hacks area.

Utility Release: IPSEXE v1.5 released
13:11:  IPSEXE, a Win9x utility that creates an exe patch from an IPS file, has been updated to version 1.5. Here's what's new:

Media News: Love the N64?
01:10:  A new all-N64 site called N64 Zone has just opened up. It covers N64 emulation, game releases, and will soon cover N64 cheats.

Also, a new site dedicated to scanning N64 cartridges has opened up. They like to call it The Cart Scan Repository. You might say, "What do you mean, scan carts?" That's right, they want scans of the actual cartridges themselves, inside and out.

This will help everybody understand what hardware N64 carts have, what security and what save chips are used. As well as discovering unknown features of cartridges.

If you've ever wondered what's in those N64 carts, have a look. The text accompanying scans telling technical details was quite interesting.

4/21/2000
Misc. News: Retrogaming Times #32 is up!
20:50:  Tom Zjaba of Tomorrow's Heroes sends us the following regarding Issue #32 of Retrogaming Times:

A smaller issue, but still full of classic game goodness! Here are some of the highlights:

-Fred Wagaman reviews the PhillyClassic Convention!
-Alan Hewston gives us another installment of Eyeball Benders!
-Ryan Harrison finishes up his look at Classic Canadian Carts!
-Reviews of Bubbles and Front Line!
- A whole lot more!

Check out the always free newsletter at the following URL:

http://tomheroes.com/Video%20Games%20FS/Retrotimes/retrogam.htm.

Site News: Emulators in 3D using 3D glasses?
20:45:  ToxicX writes us and tell us of an article he has written regarding the use of emulators in stereoscopic 3D on your PC using any kind of glasses supporting Direct3D. Sounds like a very interesting concept.

Head over to the Stereovision.net website, and check out the article entitled Playstation, Nintendo64 and Arcade gaming in stereoscopic 3D on a PC

Misc. News: Mario Maniac
20:27:  Ultra The Vampire let me know about his new site. Highlighted on it is an interesting glitch he has found in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for SNES. Included on his site are ZSNES movie files of the glitch. They are pretty neat and worth checking out. You will also find some sprite rips on the site as well.

Check it out yourself at Mario Maniac's Development Group Website

Emulator Release: VisualBoy v1.4.1 released
09:42:  VisualBoy, a Game Boy emulator for Win9x, has been updated to version 1.4.1. Here's what's new:

Translation News: Destiny of an Emperor 2 NES 1.12
05:49:  Destiny Translations released a bugfix patch of Destiny of an Emperor 2 for the NES. This fixes a bug introduced in the last patch, which caused the game to lock up at the second Lu Bu fight.

You may download the patch from the NES Translations section.

4/20/2000
Emulator Release: Vice 1.4 for DOS and Win32
03:53:  The multiple Commodore system emulator Vice has been updated to 1.4. Here's what's new.

Emulator Release: NeoSMS 0.2 Beta
03:20:  A new Sega Master System has been released that has been in the making since October 1999. It runs in Win32 with DirectX 7. The compatibility is already very high (96 - 98%).

Get it at the Sega Master System section.

Misc. News: WinAMP 2.62
00:58:  A new version of WinAMP is out. I'm sure its just another small bugfix or something. Get it at the WinAMP homepage if you so desire.

4/19/2000
Misc. News: The non-emu Emu-Movie movie
15:34:  Another Emu-Movie has been released by Emu-Movies. This movie is not related to emulation, but it is funny none the less. If you do not like sex humor, do not check out this video. It is however pretty funny.

You can download it at the Emu-Movies homepage.

Translation News: The End... A Tenchi Muyo RPG Story!
01:36:  Lina-chan, Nuku_Nuku and Filia have complete their translation of Tenchi Muyo RPG! This wonderful game based on the hit anime is now ready for the english readers eyes to enjoy. Download it and have fun!

But with this note, I must add. I'm leaving ZD. I know you've all seen ZD drama, and well, I'll try not to add to it. In my eyes, ZD has been dead for 6 months, dispite some small 'bumps' from some workers. With that said, and possibly deleted in 5 minutes: The peak of emulation is over. Go find your life, and live it.

Download the great translation from the SNES Translations page.

For Decent Translation News I never could give:

The Whirlpool
RPG Dimension
SGC
oldskewl

I would say all my Thank-you's, but I'd be here for a year.
Thanks to Deltaflame for the URL's though.

And sorry, to all of you, who had to put up with me over the past 3 years.

4/18/2000
Misc. News: Gamefighter 2000
23:34:  We received an e-mail from Anthony J. Comberiate announcing a new java game, Gamefighter 2000. In his e-mail, he states:

I'd like to announce the debut of Gamefighter 2000. Gamefighter 2000 is a Java Applet I've written. The idea is that you can select different classic videogame characters (from games released between 1985 and 1999) and have them fight against each other in turn based combat. Each character can fight, use magic, form an energy shield, draw magic, drain hit points, and use a few other commands as well. Not only can you fight one-on-one between two characters, but you can also fight through four different groups of bosses at varying difficulty levels.

You can download it from Anthony J. Comberiate's webpage

Misc. News: GuildFTPd 0.962 released
14:51:  A new version of GuildFTPd has finally been released. GuildFTPd is an FTP server program for Windows9x\NT\2000. It is very customizable, and powerful. Here is a list of what's new:

4/17/2000
Emulator Release: NLMSX 0.24 Final
23:34:  NLMSX has been updated to 0.24 final. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: Ages 1.8b
23:29:  Ages, the 32x and Genesis emulators for Win32 has had a bug fix release. Here's what's new:

Many games that had glitchy graphics are now better. (Doom, Brutal, Knuckles Chaotix, etc...) Doom is now fully playable (no more freezing). T-Mek works again. Cosmic Carnage is still not back to working. I will have to look into it further.

Get it at the Sega Genesis section.

Media News: Playstation 2 capable of guiding missiles?
19:01:  It was reported by the Winnipeg Sun(my local paper) on Page 47(inside back cover), that Japan has put export controls on the Playstation 2 due to the fact that it's sophisticated enough to be used for military purposes.

I'm going to scan the article by the end of the week, unless another Winnipegger can scan it for me. If you can help me out, contact me.

The story can also be read on the Tech News section of the Canoe.ca website.

4/16/2000
Utility Release: SNESAmp v1.00 (Final) released
18:47:  SNESAmp, a plugin that allows WinAmp to play SNES SPC files, has been updated to Final version 1.00. Here's what's new:

Utility News: The SMB2 Discombobulator v0.79 released
18:07:  The SMB2 Discombobulator, a level editor for Super Mario Bros. 2, has been updated to version 0.79. Here's what's new:

Emulator Release: FCE Ultra 0.20
16:04:  A new version of FCE Ultra, a NES emulator for DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Emulator Release: Vortendo 1.0 "Psycho Circus"
15:58:  A new version of Vortendo, a NES emulator for Windows, has been released, and here's what's new:

4/15/2000
Emulator Release: AGES v0.18a released
23:47:  AGES, a Sega Genesis and now 32x emulator for Win9x, has been updated to version 0.18. This version now enables 32x emulation, though it takes some heavy duty hardware to run.

Try it out for yourself from the Genesis Emulators area.

4/14/2000
Emulator Release: Basilisk II 0.7 build 119
14:49:  A new version of Basilisk II, a Mac emulator for Windows NT/2000, has been released, and here's what's new in the last 2 versions:

Win32 - 3.April.2000, build 119

Emulator Release: NLMSX 0.24 beta
14:36:  A new version of NLMSX, a MSX emulator for DOS, has been released, and here's what's new:

Misc. News: Metallica Sues Napster and Some Universities
12:58:  The band Metallica has filed a lawsuit against Napster, University of Southern California, Yale University and Indiana University. The band accuses them of copyright infringement and racketeering. You can read the full article at CNN.

I'll let you form your own opinion about this one. Go talk about it at the WWW Boards.

Misc. News: X68k Games Pile updated..
06:46:  And it's quite an important update, so if you're an X68k or PC-98 fan, read this. I don't have much time to do this, so I'll keep it short.

I have begun taking requests for which games I should upload and make available for you all on the X68k Games Pile, so what I want you to do is view my PC-98 game list and jot down your 5 favourite games from there and then if one of those get a lot of votes it's pretty sure that it will be uploaded in the very near future!

So head over to the X68k Games Pile and read my news post there and then mail me. Sayonara everyone!

4/13/2000
Utility Release: Translhextion v1.0 released
20:35:  Translhextion, a binary file editor and translation tool for Win9x/Win2k, has been released. Here's what it can do:

Features:

4/12/2000
Translation News: Your Destiny has come...
16:09:  Destiny Translations has completed their uber-project, Destiny of an Emperor 2. This is a rather large milestone, as many have attempted to use their skills at hacking this game, but only 1 team has gotten this far. The game itself is amazing, for people who are fans of the war-sim type series, and is worth a look to any RPG/Strategy fans. Also available on the Destiny homepage is a scanned and translated strategy guide to help you on your way.

Grab it from the Translations page.
Destiny Translations

4/11/2000
Emulator News: Corn 0.2 bug workaround and language files
16:58:  The Corn homepage has posted three workarounds for the EAccess Violation problems people have been having:

Emulator Release: Raine 0.28g
16:47:  Raine has been updated to 0.28g.
This is just a bugfix release really. It's not officially supported so don't go bothering people about it. This was compiled by Kayamon. Antiriad is the official author of Raine, not me. If it doesn't work, try the 0.28f release, which was the last official one.
Here are a list of changes from the last version:

4/10/2000
Emulator Release: VEGAS 0.92
09:11:  The world's first 32x emulator has been updated to 0.92. Here's what's new: