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[Larxia]

Quite insane and out of nowhere. People made a tool to recompile 360 games, and released a native PC port of Sonic Unleashed.

"Unleashed Recompiled is an unofficial PC port of the Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed created through the process of static recompilation."

GitHub - hedge-dev/UnleashedRecomp: An unofficial PC port of the Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed created through the process of static recompilation.

An unofficial PC port of the Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed created through the process of static recompilation. - hedge-dev/UnleashedRecomp

github.com

They also released the recompiler on github:

GitHub - hedge-dev/XenonRecomp: A tool for recompiling Xbox 360 games to native executables.

A tool for recompiling Xbox 360 games to native executables. - hedge-dev/XenonRecomp

github.com

XenonRecomp is a tool that converts Xbox 360 executables into C++ code, which can then be recompiled for any platform. Currently, it only supports x86 platforms due to the use of x86 intrinsics.


This project was heavily inspired by N64: Recompiled, a similar tool for N64 executables.

I'll definitely try it later, and I'm really curious what other games will manage to be ported with this. This is great for preservation of games that never got PC ports / remasters.

 

[drotahorror]

I can't remember if the game is good or not, trailer makes it look pretty great though. Amazing job to the people that did this.

Splatterhouse 2010 could really use this treatment.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Lost Odyssey when?? Sounds very promising. Seems like this could open many doors.

 

[Larxia]

I can't remember if the game is good or not, trailer makes it look pretty great though. Amazing job to the people that did this.

Splatterhouse 2010 could really use this treatment.

It's kind of mixed. It's overall a pretty good game with a great atmosphere and amazing visuals for its time, and there is a good sense of adventure in it.
However, the game is split into two type of levels, the day levels, with sonic, which are really beautiful and fun to play, and the night level with werehog, which are too long from what I remember and can be quite a chore, because they're mostly focused on combats instead of speed. I remember really not enjoying the night levels when I played it back then, the game would have been better without them.
It's been a very long time since I last played it on ps3, so I'll probably replay it and see what I think about it nowadays.

 

[SnapShot]

Heck yeah, Best Sonic Game, finally fans giving it the appreciation it deserves

 

[Magic Carpet]

Warehogs be compiling.

 

[BlackTron]

Will this finally let me bypass that godforsaken plane level early in the game made of nothing but QTE's?

 

[kevboard]

so apparently this also runs at a decently stable 60fps on the Steam Deck.

I absolutely will have to look into this.

 

[Black_Stride]

Damn where is my Sonic Unleashed disc?
Time to go hunting through the store room again.

Lucky ive already got a transfer cable so should be easy work getting this dumped.
Just gotta hunt down that disc.

 

[Mownoc]

Hopefully this leads to more recompilations. Fable 2 finally getting a PC version would be great.

 

[Edder1]

Now add some new textures and path tracing to this bad boy and we're really cooking.

Edit: This has to hurt for Sega who recently did Colours and Generations remasters and were probably planning to this next.

 

[ShirAhava]

3D Sonic peaked with Unleashed. This is awesome news! also #datOST

 

[Soodanim]

I don't care about the game, but the Recomp idea being picked up for the 360 in general is brilliant. When N64Recomp appeared I wondered how much potential it had, so it's great to see it expanded.

I wonder if it's a solution for the famously difficult to emulate OG Xbox

 

[SkylineRKR]

Game isn't bad. Its actually quite good minus some caveats. Werehog itself isn't bad. He can do some fun brawler moves and the slower paced platform sections break up the pace. The hubs are pretty good, as well.

The downsides are that Werehog levels take too long, they can last well over 30 minutes. And the typical Sonic Team camera will cause for some questionable deaths. Another issue I have is the levels being gated behind medals, though many platform games do or did this. And for my liking there are a bit too many pitfalls in Daytime. Generations 3D levels feel a bit more fair and are easier.

i beat the game on XSS a few years ago when it was FPS boosted. Overall I liked it. Decent challenge, and absolutely amazing 7th gen graphics. Even though the res wasn't enhanced its evident this is one of the best looking PS360 games.

 

[Kataploom]

Damn, will finally have a gears 2 and 3 on PC

 

[Astray]

Edit: This has to hurt for Sega who recently did Colours and Generations remasters and were probably planning to this next.

People will still buy on consoles, plus there's a PC contingent that wants things to just be playable without messing with settings.

 

[KuraiShidosha]

I haven't been a fan of the Sonic series since it made the jump to 3D, but I'm just here to show my love to the incredibly talented people who sacrifice their time and energy so we can enjoy the fruits of their labor, for free. I know my life has been made significantly nicer because of people like them.

 

[Fafalada]

I wonder if it's a solution for the famously difficult to emulate OG Xbox

Recompiled titles still come with an emulation backend, it just has less runtime dependencies.
Basically they either have to solve the same compatibility problems, just with less concern for performance, or over time every individual title needs to be tweaked to work in code (which is what a lot of emulators do with so called 'hacks' too). Most of these projects also take a really long time for each title(though AI models may help here in the future).
I suppose it's crowdsourcing compatibility issues to a potentially larger number of contributors(though that depends this really catching on), but it doesn't solve anything much in of itself.

 

[simpatico]

There needs to be a movie. A digital version of Armageddon. Instead of recruiting miners to do impossible space mining, they'll recruit Sonic die-hards to do impossible 4D coding. The catch is, they'll have to find a way to somehow motivate the Sonic fans by making the goal Sonic-related. Like, if they achieve making the code and saving the planet, OG Sonic Team will reunite to reboot Sonic Adventure.

 

[Holammer]

Just saw this on Twitter, very nice. They even added Playstation glyphs. 10 points to Gryffindor!

 

[Fahdis]

Why the fuck aren't companies just re-hiring these people to just port old games. Its damn free money.

 

[64gigabyteram]

so apparently this also runs at a decently stable 60fps on the Steam Deck.

I absolutely will have to look into this.

its literally the original game warts and all on modern platforms. If it didn't run 60fps on Deck i'd be rioting

 

[64gigabyteram]

You people have no clue how stoked I was to see this told to me by my friend. Not just because of the convenience of being able to play one of the most underrated Sonics on PC, but also because the original game performed like shit on the 7th gen systems.


No FPS counter needed, you see how awful that shit runs. the FPS improvement turned the Werehog from barely tolerable to actually decently fun.

And it's a marked technical achievement too, considering that the last recompilation was for an N64 game.

Sonic fans out here decided to 1 up that effort by recompiling a game 2 gens after Majora's Mask on a system considerably more complex
The future for recomps is looking bright, if this is the stuff they can accomplish.

 

[KyoZz]

Give me Fable II please

 

[Hookshot]

Someone explain this to me because

XenonRecomp is a tool that converts Xbox 360 executables into C++ code, which can then be recompiled for any platform. Currently, it only supports x86 platforms due to the use of x86 intrinsics.

Just sounds like it stole existing code and converted it to a different language, but surely that doesn't magically make it not piracy? Me turning a movie into camcorder footage is still deemed theft.

 

[64gigabyteram]

Just sounds like it stole existing code and converted it to a different language, but surely that doesn't magically make it not piracy?

The game's files aren't being distributed in any shape or form by this project. It's simply a converter that makes 360 games possible on PC.
Piracy is when you distribute copyrighted material that isn't yours and is paid to access.

 

[ThisIsMyDog]

Someone explain this to me because



Just sounds like it stole existing code and converted it to a different language, but surely that doesn't magically make it not piracy? Me turning a movie into camcorder footage is still deemed theft.

who gives a shit

 

[BlackTron]

You people have no clue how stoked I was to see this told to me by my friend. Not just because of the convenience of being able to play one of the most underrated Sonics on PC, but also because the original game performed like shit on the 7th gen systems.

The reason I'm more worried about mods than performance is because it was already fixed on Series BC. Not that it shouldn't be on PC too, or even better, but this game isn't trapped in purgatory like some other titles.

 

[BlackTron]

Just sounds like it stole existing code and converted it to a different language, but surely that doesn't magically make it not piracy? Me turning a movie into camcorder footage is still deemed theft.

I mean they stole the code, unless they happened to have the Xbox 360 disc laying around. The same one of two ways everyone else is going to use the tool.

Edit: the clarify. They made the tool available. Same way you need a Zelda ROM to play the port of OOT. Maybe you got that ROM with a cart dumper. Maybe you didn't.

 

[64gigabyteram]

The reason I'm more worried about mods than performance is because it was already fixed on Series BC. Not that it shouldn't be on PC too, or even better, but this game isn't trapped in purgatory like some other titles.

Being trapped on owning a Xbox is being trapped in purgatory. No one is gonna be buying them shits in 3 years.

Not to mention that this PC port includes support for above 60fps and above 720p resolutions, 2 things that the Series B/C versions don't have.
And you can turn off the Werehog Battle music too, which is great because the night stages have amazing music that's interrupted by all the fighting.

 

[BlackTron]

Being trapped on owning a Xbox is being trapped in purgatory. No one is gonna be buying them shits in 3 years.

We have different definitions of "trapped in purgatory" here. For me it means that the well-performing version does not exist.

 

[64gigabyteram]

We have different definitions of "trapped in purgatory" here. For me it means that the well-performing version does not exist.

fair. I just think that ultimately the accessibility is also important and worthy of being considered. Not everyone has an Xbox. I was having a lot of fun playing the B/C version, then I sold my Xbox. Can't exactly play it anymore now, so this port is great for me.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Bizarre choice for a first game to use as a showcase for the recomp tool.

 

[BlackTron]

fair. I just think that ultimately the accessibility is also important and worthy of being considered. Not everyone has an Xbox. I was having a lot of fun playing the B/C version, then I sold my Xbox. Can't exactly play it anymore now, so this port is great for me.

Like I said, it doesn't mean it shouldn't come to PC too. It's a great thing. Just not as great as the situation you postured by posting a video of the 360 version. Moving on from that would be a celebration, but we already did. So I really don't feel it at all beyond mod potential.

 

[cyberheater]

Would love to see a Quake4 port

 

[Esppiral]

Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon next!

 

[BlackTron]

Bizarre choice for a first game to use as a showcase for the recomp tool.

Maybe Goldeneye will actually have the opportunity to be cleaned up and "finished".

 

[Larxia]

Bizarre choice for a first game to use as a showcase for the recomp tool.

Sonic fans are on another level regarding modding, and they did this for Sonic Unleashed. It will most likely benefit other games in the future.

 

[StereoVsn]

What’s wild to me is that we don’t see this sort of effort from large companies.

Microsoft couldn’t allocate a small dev team to be focused on these sort of retro efforts to bump up their GamePass library?

 

[SomeGit]

They added the option to disable the battle theme, based.

 

[Spiral1407]

Looks and runs beautifully on my laptop. Couldn't be happier. The recompilation team are legends.

I guess I don't need my Xbox 360 anymore...

Now add some new textures and path tracing to this bad boy and we're really cooking.

Edit: This has to hurt for Sega who recently did Colours and Generations remasters and were probably planning to this next.

And after how bad the Colours remaster was, I couldn't care less about their official offerings. I already own the OG game anyways.

Someone explain this to me because



Just sounds like it stole existing code and converted it to a different language, but surely that doesn't magically make it not piracy? Me turning a movie into camcorder footage is still deemed theft.

You have to provide the game files yourself, so nothing is stolen here. Stop trying to downplay how big this is.

Bizarre choice for a first game to use as a showcase for the recomp tool.

The team are big sonic fans and many people underestimate how popular Unleashed is in that community. It's hilarious how it went from being hated to loved in the span of a decade. I loved it from day one.

 

[poodaddy]

Could a tool like this be made to produce unofficial ports of PS3 titles as well, like Tokyo Jungle and 3D Dot Game Heroes? I always love seeing legendary games preserved when the company who owns the IP refuses to do what's necessary to preserve them. Just a good reminder that this hobby is exactly that, a hobby, and it's supposed to be supported and expanded on by the community first and foremost. We all need to have a little more of the mentality to get actively involved in the preservation of our medium 's art, so much respect to this team for their incredible work for preservation of art.

 

[U n i o n 0015]

Absolutely amazing. I love seeing this come to N64 and now Xbox 360. I'm hoping someone takes this recompilation idea to Forza 4.

I've played it on emulation but there's still some errors. Would LOVE to play a native PC port.

 

[kruis]

Bizarre choice for a first game to use as a showcase for the recomp tool.

Sonic fans. Nuf said.

 

[cireza]

You people have no clue how stoked I was to see this told to me by my friend. Not just because of the convenience of being able to play one of the most underrated Sonics on PC, but also because the original game performed like shit on the 7th gen systems.


No FPS counter needed, you see how awful that shit runs. the FPS improvement turned the Werehog from barely tolerable to actually decently fun.

And it's a marked technical achievement too, considering that the last recompilation was for an N64 game.

Sonic fans out here decided to 1 up that effort by recompiling a game 2 gens after Majora's Mask on a system considerably more complex
The future for recomps is looking bright, if this is the stuff they can accomplish.

Game has been 60fps on Series B/C for a while and this was undoubtedly what it needed the most. More support and features is always good, but the experience there has been great. People had means to not be trapped with the base version for all these years.

 

[kruis]

Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon next!

Infinite Undiscovery
Project Sylpheed: Arc of Deception

 

[64gigabyteram]

Could a tool like this be made to produce unofficial ports of PS3 titles as well, like Tokyo Jungle and 3D Dot Game Heroes?

PS3 and 360 are completely different architecture wise, someone would need to step in and make a similar recompilation tool for the PS3.

I nominate Uncharted 2 to be the big game showing off the technology when it happens. And it will happen.

 

[Larxia]

Playing it right now, it still looks great minus some textures (also wish we could turn off the depth of field). The lighting was so good for a game from 2008.
Runs perfectly well too so far. They included some options to increase shadow resolutions, improved lightmap filtering, resolution scale, MSAA etc...
I have it at 150% resolution scale (from 1080p), 8X MSAA, 8K shadow resolution, and it barely uses my gpu, I love old games lol.

 

[drotahorror]

I wonder how one would get into the recompiling scene? Is it insanely complicated with zero programming skills?

 

[MMaRsu]

Someone explain this to me because



Just sounds like it stole existing code and converted it to a different language, but surely that doesn't magically make it not piracy? Me turning a movie into camcorder footage is still deemed theft.

Do you understand what a recompiler is?