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[rubik's dude]

Recently I've been emulating a lot of older, broken games I've been wanting to replay, because I don't want to deal with their broke ass on the actual platforms they can be played on. Couple recent examples:

1. Saints Row 2 on Xenia. Best way to play. PC port is garbo nor does it have the DLC, while the PS360 versions have fps and crashing problems. Xenia fixes all that, supports the DLC, and there's a 60 fps patch.

2. Deadly Premonition. Same story as SR2, except RPCS3 is the best way to play, constant 4k60 and no crashing.

I feel like I'm playing these games for the first time again, now that I don't have to deal with some pretty major issues anymore. Has anyone else resorted to playing older broken games via an emulator to brute force through issues, and if so, which ones have you played?

 

[Mr Hyde]

Deadly Premonition is the only one so far that I've emulated via RPCS3 due to the PC port being completely broken. I'm thinking of emulating Tomb Raider Anniversary on PCSX2 because when I played it on GoG I experienced severe slow downs/frame drops in the Greece level to the point it became unplayable. Ran flawlessly until then at 120 fps so no clue what happened. Couldn't find any info about it either.

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

Recently I've been emulating a lot of older, broken games I've been wanting to replay, because I don't want to deal with their broke ass on the actual platforms they can be played on. Couple recent examples:

1. Saints Row 2 on Xenia. Best way to play. PC port is garbo nor does it have the DLC, while the PS360 versions have fps and crashing problems. Xenia fixes all that, supports the DLC, and there's a 60 fps patch.

2. Deadly Premonition. Same story as SR2, except RPCS3 is the best way to play, constant 4k60 and no crashing.

I feel like I'm playing these games for the first time again, now that I don't have to deal with some pretty major issues anymore. Has anyone else resorted to playing older broken games via an emulator to brute force through issues, and if so, which ones have you played?

Bloodborne soon...

 

[rubik's dude]

Bloodborne soon...

That's a good one, although I wouldn't say BB is broke. 4k60 will be amazing for it.

Along the lines of BB, MGS4 on RPCS3 is a way to play it despite its weird PS3 exclusivity.

 

[evanft]

Bruh, this is such an uncovered topic.

• Bayonetta 2. Neither the Wii U or Switch versions have a consistent frame rate, but playing it in CEMU results in a locked 60 fps.
• Dead Space 2. This is a weird one since the PC version is fine, but the Severed DLC was console exclusive, so if you want to play it then the best way is RPCS3. Game is easy to emulate since it's a multiplatform title that didn't really push the PS3 that far.
• Dead Space Extraction. You can play the Wii version in Dolphin using a mouse and keyboard, which makes it a much smoother and modern-feeling experience.
• Drakengard 3. The game runs like absolute dog shit on original hardware, but can easily run at 4k60 on RPCS3. Absolute dream to play.
• Heavenly Sword. The resolution boost and massive improvement to fps offered by RPCS3 is a game-changer. Really shows off the quality of the game's assets.
• Silent Hill 1. Runs at 20 fps on original hardware. Duckstation can run it at 30 or 60 fps all day.
• Xenoblade Chronicles 2/3. These games have serious image quality issues on actual Switch hardware. Emulation allows you to run them at much higher resolution without issue.

 

[Syphon Filter]

emulation sucks, native is ideal.

 

[Gaiff]

emulation sucks, native is ideal.

Thanks for your valuable contribution. Now if you could please GTFO, that would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[YCoCg]

emulation sucks, native is ideal.

Not if the port is bad or was outsourced to a cheap company. Another good example is the Guitar Hero PC ports, only three of them made it to pc and the ports were trash, it's better to use RPCS3 and emulate those versions instead and you get access to pretty much all games in the series.

 

[Thebonehead]

emulation sucks, native is ideal.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I'm not a fan of emulation either, so I'm with the guy that everyone hates, but...

Metal Slug 2. The game had massive slowdown on original hardware, which made parts of it borderline unplayable (sub-10 fps, tons of dropped inputs). Emulation lets you speed up the processor and fix that. That's cool.

 

[jshackles]

In my opinion emulation fixes most older games, because playing them with upscaled resolutions, fixed frame rates, widescreen hacks, and retro achievements makes a lot of older games feel modern.

 

[BlackTron]

Not if the port is bad or was outsourced to a cheap company. Another good example is the Guitar Hero PC ports, only three of them made it to pc and the ports were trash, it's better to use RPCS3 and emulate those versions instead and you get access to pretty much all games in the series.

Why bother explaining something to someone who didn't bother reading OP?

OP already stated he turned to emulation for select cases in games where both a console and PC version have severe issues, and wants more examples of such cases.

An unexplored and interesting topic. Just ignore this clown.

 

[Gp1]

The new thing now is decompilation ports

That said...

Daytona USA - RCPS3

Basically the only way you can play an Arcade perfect port of Daytona on PC since the original version is more Sega Saturn than the Saturn version.

 

[Spukc]

Every fucking gb gbc gba game?
those screens aged poorly haha

 

[Kenpachii]

Pokemon games, speed up function is a must to play them

 

[Soodanim]

Every fucking gb gbc gba game?
those screens aged poorly haha

That’s a good point. A whole console (GBA) is full of washed out colours and brightness levels set to “Excessive” to try and combat the lack of backlight on the original hardware. Emulation is basically required so that you can use darkening shaders.

 

[YCoCg]

That said...

Daytona USA - RCPS3

Speaking of, the rest of the SEGA arcade releases that gen, Fighting Vipers, Virtua Fighter 2, Sonic the Fighters.

And, if you want, X-Men Arcade and The Simpsons Arcade, it's only way to get the versions for "home release" on PC

 

[Lorianus]

Also if one want to go the extra step, there are tons of texture packs for ps2 games available that upscale them to 2/4k, things like Rogue Galaxy with the anime art style look 10 years younger on 4k res thanks to it.

 

[DrCheese]

Metal Gear Solid Playstation - Total poster child for this.

PC Port is old & certain effects caused it to run like trash.

PS1 version on Duckstation blows everything else out of the water.

 

[March Climber]

Also if one want to go the extra step, there are tons of texture packs for ps2 games available that upscale them to 2/4k, things like Rogue Galaxy with the anime art style look 10 years younger on 4k res thanks to it.

There was also that one RTX Remix version of Need For Speed Underground.

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

I first played Suikoden II on Vita. I had to drop the game due to the saves getting deleted. I played the game last year on a emulator and it ran so much better and I could use Save States. It was a much better experience and I ended beating the game

 

[Panajev2001a]

Recently I've been emulating a lot of older, broken games I've been wanting to replay, because I don't want to deal with their broke ass on the actual platforms they can be played on. Couple recent examples:

1. Saints Row 2 on Xenia. Best way to play. PC port is garbo nor does it have the DLC, while the PS360 versions have fps and crashing problems. Xenia fixes all that, supports the DLC, and there's a 60 fps patch.

2. Deadly Premonition. Same story as SR2, except RPCS3 is the best way to play, constant 4k60 and no crashing.

I feel like I'm playing these games for the first time again, now that I don't have to deal with some pretty major issues anymore. Has anyone else resorted to playing older broken games via an emulator to brute force through issues, and if so, which ones have you played?

How are loading times on Deadly Premonition this way?

So far I found the Xbox 360 version emulated on XSX to be the ideal version I always wanted to play (minus some of the Director’s Cut control fixes fair fair…)… although I will admit that getting it to run on Steam Deck (even without Durante’s fix) to bring smile to my face hehe.

 

[genesisblock]

Can't imagine playing Earthbound 1 without speedhacks. Seriously that game had a severe difficulty curve.

 

[daninthemix]

I somehow completed the PC ports of both Deadly Premonition and Saints Row 2 and now I’m wondering how.

 

[PeteBull]

We are long overdue for infamous 1&2 remaster pack:

 

[The Pleasure]

Who recorded what happened in an American classroom?

 

[YeulEmeralda]

I somehow completed the PC ports of both Deadly Premonition and Saints Row 2 and now I’m wondering how.

I had to download a save file for Deadly premonition because it crashed going into a chapter.

 

[STARSBarry]

Metal Gear Solid Playstation - Total poster child for this.

PC Port is old & certain effects caused it to run like trash.

PS1 version on Duckstation blows everything else out of the water.

But what if I want to watch snake backflip off a missile? Is their a good Twin Snake's emulation?

 

[Klosshufvud]

This thread is just telling what an extremely awesome emulator RPCS3 is. I play Tekken 5DR since Bamco refused to port it to modern systems and it even works online! It's so smooth and responsive. I'm not sure about input lag but it feels way smoother than it did on PS2/PS3. IMO RPCS3 saved a whole generation of video games.

 

[Drew1440]

This will apply to a lot of early 3D/fifth generation games, where the console ports were far superior but suffered from low frame-rate or resolution, yet the PC/DOS version was much more limited like the original Wipeout. Or the PC version used an obscure API (Glide/3D RAGE) which is no longer supported or playable on modern systems.
Some of these games had DirectX support, but it's uncommon or has certain differences.
The PlayStation version of Driver is another example, whilst it had a PC and Macintosh version, I much prefer the music and car style of the PS1 version instead. Plus with modern versions of Duckstation, you can enable perspective correct textures that remove the jitter, and overclock the CPU speed which reduces slowdown.
Sega Model 2 games had PC ports also (Virtua Cop/Daytona USA/House Of The Dead) yet these are inferior to running the games in a Model 2 emulator since you benefit from the better geometry and 60 (well 57fps) framerate.

 

[RoboFu]

I thought it was going to games worth playing.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Latest N64 turbo core for Mister FPGA boosts fps in a lot of N64 games. Turok 2 is pretty playable now in "hi-res" mode.

 

[Gp1]

Speaking of, the rest of the SEGA arcade releases that gen, Fighting Vipers, Virtua Fighter 2, Sonic the Fighters.

And, if you want, X-Men Arcade and The Simpsons Arcade, it's only way to get the versions for "home release" on PC

I believe that both Virtua Cop and VF2 are still acceptable on the PC version, but my memory could be betraying me.

 

[grvg]

The new thing now is decompilation ports

That said...

Daytona USA - RCPS3

Basically the only way you can play an Arcade perfect port of Daytona on PC since the original version is more Sega Saturn than the Saturn version.

Hell yeah. I'm hoping for a ratchet and clank decomp someday

 

[Krathoon]

I did not know the PC version of Deadly Premonition was broken. It seems like they patched up the Director's Cut.

 

[intbal]

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - NES

The game wasn't broken. But it's nearly impossible to beat on original hardware. An emulator with save states allows anyone to beat it (with enough patience)

 

[Krathoon]

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - NES

The game wasn't broken. But it's nearly impossible to beat on original hardware. An emulator with save states allows anyone to beat it (with enough patience)

There is an AVGN episode where they actually beat it. There is a whole saga about it.

 

[intbal]

There is an AVGN episode where they actually beat it. There is a whole saga about it.

Yeah, and it was a monumental task.
The point is that few people are going to put the time and effort into the game to accomplish it.
Emulators "fix" the situation by allowing anyone to complete it.
It's actually rather enjoyable when played with save states.

 

[WoJ]

emulation sucks, native is ideal.

 

[Rudius]

emulation sucks, native is ideal.

Super Mario Sunshine:

GC: 30 fps, 4x3, 480p.
Emulator: 60fps, true widescreen, 4K+

 

[Krathoon]

Super Mario Sunshine is definitley the black sheep of the Mario games. Even Miyamoto was not happy with it.

 

[Rudius]

Two games that get much improved are Need For Speed 3 and 4 from PS1 (the PC versions don't play the same).

On Duckstation they can run at 60fps with a simple PS1 cpu overclock, plus 16x10 aspect ratio, perspective correction, 8K, all that.

A similar thing can be done with the PS2 version of Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2 (different and better game from the PC version): patch for 60fps, true widescreen (HUDs correctly positioned), 8K, 16x AF.


All these games are limited to 30 fps on original hardware.

 

[rubik's dude]

How are loading times on Deadly Premonition this way?

So far I found the Xbox 360 version emulated on XSX to be the ideal version I always wanted to play (minus some of the Director’s Cut control fixes fair fair…)… although I will admit that getting it to run on Steam Deck (even without Durante’s fix) to bring smile to my face hehe.

Loading times are great!

I've heard Yuzu can also play Deadly Premonition: Origins pretty well (which had its own share of issues on the Switch; audio, crashing) which is a remake of the non-DC/360 version. Xenia still has issues with the game I think.

 

[nkarafo]

That’s a good point. A whole console (GBA) is full of washed out colours and brightness levels set to “Excessive” to try and combat the lack of backlight on the original hardware. Emulation is basically required so that you can use darkening shaders.

Most GBA emulators have color correction options that fix this issue.

 

[Krathoon]

Two games that get much improved are Need For Speed 3 and 4 from PS1 (the PC versions don't play the same).

On Duckstation they can run at 60fps with a simple PS1 cpu overclock, plus 16x10 aspect ratio, perspective correction, 8K, all that.

A similar thing can be done with the PS2 version of Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2 (different and better game from the PC version): patch for 60fps, true widescreen (HUDs correctly positioned), 8K, 16x AF.


All these games are limited to 30 fps on original hardware.

That is a thing that always annoyed me about EA. The PC version of their games would sometimes be different than the console version.

 

[Rudius]

Zelda Breath of the Wild is like a PC game at this point. On top of the usual high resolution and framerates you can improve shadows, draw distance, grass density, reflections and even things like day-night cycle duration and camera speed. Vastly improved.

 

[nkarafo]

Latest N64 turbo core for Mister FPGA boosts fps in a lot of N64 games. Turok 2 is pretty playable now in "hi-res" mode.

All N64 emulators have this except Ares.

 

[Senua]

That is a thing that always annoyed me about EA. The PC version of their games would sometimes be different than the console version.

Yup but I'd argue they're all better than the console versions minus Hot Pursuit 2 which is infinitely worse

 

[Gp1]

This will apply to a lot of early 3D/fifth generation games, where the console ports were far superior but suffered from low frame-rate or resolution, yet the PC/DOS version was much more limited like the original Wipeout. Or the PC version used an obscure API (Glide/3D RAGE) which is no longer supported or playable on modern systems.
Some of these games had DirectX support, but it's uncommon or has certain differences.
The PlayStation version of Driver is another example, whilst it had a PC and Macintosh version, I much prefer the music and car style of the PS1 version instead. Plus with modern versions of Duckstation, you can enable perspective correct textures that remove the jitter, and overclock the CPU speed which reduces slowdown.
Sega Model 2 games had PC ports also (Virtua Cop/Daytona USA/House Of The Dead) yet these are inferior to running the games in a Model 2 emulator since you benefit from the better geometry and 60 (well 57fps) framerate.

The original wipeout received a opensource port not so long ago.

It's now the best way to play it.

 

[rubik's dude]

The new thing now is decompilation ports

True! I'm excited for Majora's Mask decomp. I love the original, but 20 fps on the N64 is rough.