Those experienced with emulating older games are likely aware of community-made texture packs. Emulators can use these to improve the textures of older games, giving them an unofficial remaster of sorts. Older 8-bit and 16-bit sprite games lack that ability to load in improved textures like that, though we have seen modernization attempts in the form of widescreen and 3D enhancements for retro emulators. Mesen NES Emulator, however, has the ability to load "HD packs", which take the original NES ROM, and use custom-made graphics packs that make them look more like SNES games, such as Mega Man 2 using the art from Mega Man 7, or Castlevania 1 using sprites from Super Castlevania IV. ROMhacking.net features many of these, uploaded to their site, featuring some standout releases such as:

Zelda 1: Remastered
Contra: Remastered
TwinBee Remastered
Castlevania HD Trilogy

There's also a group effort to creature an HD pack for Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link, which is currently a work in progress. You can check some of them out for yourself at the source below. Would you use any of these, or do you prefer to play the games in their original format?

Source

 

[mister_smang_n_watch]

I really like the Zelda 2 one, looks really nice. Is it still being worked on though? Hoverbat's Zelda 2 is already awesome though. Would love to have that one on the switch or vita. For people saying they look like flash games, I mean nobody's forcing you to play them. Kinda fun checking them out even if there are better hacks out there. I just love seeing all the stuff people come up with on emulators and hacks and graphics packs, for better or for worse. Even shitty demakes like Mario World on NES or Genesis. Love it

 

[pedro702]

i really dont like the look of the game imo, they look fake and plastic a like like some sort of flash cheap game imo.

 

[mlgfx]

Personally I think using a CRT filter is better, but that's just me

It actually IS just you

 

[Foxi4]

You seen how much a NES costs these days? Wish I'd picked up one of every console from charity shops before they all got retro value.

They’re honestly not *that* expensive, even with the overly inflated U.S. prices. You need to know how to bargain hunt, and get comfortable with performing minor fixes - that’s how you get a good deal. You’re talking to a guy who bought a PS4 Slim back in the day for the sole purpose of tearing it apart for a cool project (it’s been used for its intended purpose precisely zero times), I’m not the best gauge of what’s a reasonable spend on gaming-related items.

 

[Bobsy]

I don't quite get this kind of remaster. If I play games from that era, I will usually do it for the nostalgia and look for a faithful emulation.
If I want a good platformer with pixel anesthetics, there are tons that are more user-friendly and polished while still in the spirit of the classics. This lies in between those two options and I am sure some people like to toy with the classics, I just don't see the point.

 

[Marc_LFD]

I don't quite get this kind of remaster. If I play games from that era, I will usually do it for the nostalgia and look for a faithful emulation.
If I want a good platformer with pixel anesthetics, there are tons that are more user-friendly and polished while still in the spirit of the classics. This lies in between those two options and I am sure some people like to toy with the classics, I just don't see the point.

Same.

These graphics honestly don't look great (they do remind me of browser games), imo.

 

[Bladexdsl]

this pretty much seems it up

 

[Taleweaver]

Personally I think using a CRT filter is better, but that's just me

Emulation really goes in two different directions... Let's see how this goes in ten years...

Group A: we're now emulating the high pitch sound some crt monitors used to make, mimicking bad cabbie reception and forced channel switching to ensure you live the FULL NES Zelda emulation how it was!

Group B: now we can render 3D images of the textures, reshape them in 3D on the fly and create holo projections on your sofa so Zelda NES never looked better!

 

[Kioku]

Emulation really goes in two different directions... Let's see how this goes in ten years...

Group A: we're now emulating the high pitch sound some crt monitors used to make, mimicking bad cabbie reception and forced channel switching to ensure you live the FULL NES Zelda emulation how it was!

Group B: now we can render 3D images of the textures, reshape them in 3D on the fly and create holo projections on your sofa so Zelda NES never looked better!

CRT filters look so awful, I’m not sure why they’re a thing. If people want the look and feel of a CRT, there’s more sensible options… like… I don’t know… buying a CRT?

So weird…

 

[ZeroT21]

CRT filters look so awful, I’m not sure why they’re a thing. If people want the look and feel of a CRT, there’s more sensible options… like… I don’t know… buying a CRT?

So weird…

I can't help it if I were born in a era when the Famicom and SG-1000 were a thing ,good times

 

[Kioku]

I can't help it if I were born in a era when the Famicom and SG-1000 were a thing ,good times

That’s why it makes more sense to get a CRT. Picked one up and going all the way back to the NES just looks great. The filters can’t match it.

 

[gukingofheart]

Not a fan of any of the remakes.
The only improvement I make when playing NES games, is removing the blur effect.

 

[Taleweaver]

CRT filters look so awful, I’m not sure why they’re a thing. If people want the look and feel of a CRT, there’s more sensible options… like… I don’t know… buying a CRT?

So weird…

Not sure why you're quoting me (I'm personally more in my described B group. And yes, that includes stretching and coloring classic Gameboy titles), but there's an easy answer to that. So much so that I'm sorry if it comes across as dismissive

Buying specific hardware defeats the purpose of emulation. So in that sense, the crt filter makes a lot more sense than most options of emulators.

 

[gumbyx84]

Anyone test these with the Mesen core in RetroArch?

 

[MDP]

Neat

 

[Shubshub]

Some of them look drop-dead gorgeous compared to the 8-bit source material.

View attachment 365152

I guess if you are just considering that actual art

It doesnt do justice for the way the map is laid out at all, It just looks jarring

 

[DiscostewSM]

This was from almost a year ago.

 

[Wavy]

So retro...

The Megaman one above however looks really cool

 

[DaniPoo]

Wow, how can so many people miss the point...
Isn't the news that it's possible to use "texture packs" with NES games?
So why so many negative comments about how you think the one texture pack being shown off looks bad to you? It's just one texture pack...

But the fact that this works could allow someone with a more artistic skill to create a better looking one. It could potentially lead to many different texture packs existing for a game and you choose one that you think looks good. Don't be dense..

 

[Wavy]

So why so many negative comments about how you think the one texture pack being shown off looks bad to you? It's just one texture pack...

I know it's just "one" texture pack, I was just making a joke ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (I even said the Megaman one looks cool!)

Hell, even I think the tech is cool too! Like the Zelda pack doesn't look super bad at all. Not that I'd use it myself, but still.