Best SM hack.

[MetroidMst]

Cliffhanger is much harder than Eris, though Eris also has some troublesome parts to it as well. (Try Eris, and if you can't handle that, Cliffhanger is out of reach.)

Small hacks that I really enjoy are;
Searching For Items. (My favorite hack still.)
Oxide. (Barf Kraid!)
Stardust. (Weird palettes, but still fun.)
Final Stand. (May be too difficult though.)
Mockingbird Station. (May also be too difficult.)

Otherwise, some of the larger hacks alongside of Super Zero Mission are Redesign, Z-Factor, and Phazon Hack 0.3. (These are the four largest hacks in existence IIRC, and all are really good, though they also offer up some challenge.)

There are more good hacks than these, but that should keep you occupied for a little while.

[Crashtour99]

Otherwise, some of the larger hacks alongside of Super Zero Mission are Redesign, Z-Factor, and Phazon Hack 0.3. (These are the four largest hacks in existence IIRC, and all are really good, though they also offer up some challenge.)

You forgot about Ice Metal. 

While it may not be among the largest, it still sits quite well among the top 5 SM hacks.  Plus it's more exploration based instead of challenging, so if Redesign/Z-Factor/SZM are a bit tough for your liking then Ice Metal may be right up your alley.

[Quietus]

I'll add that any list is very subjective, since all players like different things.  Some like hard-type hacks, and others like non linearity. Some like novelty hacks, and some like complete overhauls.

For my usual recommendations, I'll add that every player should run through Redesign.  It's still great today, and it was the landmark hack that got a load of us interested in hacking (Super Metroid) in the first place.  Outside of Redesign, I thoroughly recommend Stardust (short - one of my favourites!), Life, and Z-Factor. :^_^:

[Nikoshiba]

I Heard a lot about Redesign...
I have The feeling this game is really hard...

I want to train before my skills and then have a try...

Well my favorite type of hack is ones wich smell like "Made by fans for fans"...

For now, SZM, black plague, Digital Cube or Phazon are like that for me...
But I have a looooooot of hacks to play...!

[Quietus]

Redesign is certainly harder than the original game, but I wouldn't class it as hard, especially against some of the other hacks out there.  The main thing people tend to not like about it is the altered physics.

[Lunaria]

Wow, this thread is a blast from the past, 3year(ish) bump? Really? Not that it's not an interesting topic.

Also I'm going to have to disagree when people say redesign is for everyone or not classed as hard; It's way harder than the original and it's obviously designed with die hard super metroid fans in mind. :/
The only reason people around here think it's not hard is due to how much they have played super metroid and super metroid hacks; As doing so obviously raises the players skill.

[Quietus]

And I would have to disagree with that. :razz:

I'd disagree because I believe that the majority of people who play Super Metroid hacks (or any other hacks for that matter) have already played the original game a lot of times, and are well acquainted with Samus's abilities.  They are therefore already proficient when starting any new hack.  Redesign was not much of a step up for me at all, and it was solely changes to physics that threw me.  On the flip side, as experienced as I am with the original game, hacks that are designed to be hard are another thing entirely.  No matter how experienced you are with the original, Impossible will test your skill.

[MetroidMst]

Well, Redesign also has the biggest "fetch-quest" of any hack that is required to beat it. Not to mention a death trap with Speed Booster, the Grapple segment, a Hells Run (Though that isn't bad really, saves everywhere.), and the escape with multiple death traps 10 minutes into it. I would say it is a good deal harder, but it isn't nearly as rough as some other hacks out there. (And people complained about my lone Speed Booster escape! :( )

[Vismund Cygnus]

Having played SM quite a lot, I really enjoyed the physics changes of Redesign, a point that Mst will argue is either a maker or breaker for the hack. It gave the hack a very unique feel IMO. Adjusting to it from normal physics made for some interesting segments, particularly in places knowing that were the physics normal, I'd be able to get that just-barely-out-of-reach item. It was a lot of fun for me, and really that's the most important thing. It's why I prefer Redesign to, say, Z-Factor. While Z-Factor was great, Zaridia. So much Zaridia. It went from difficult to painful. Maybe that's just me being a nub.

[Nikoshiba]

SupMetroid is my favorite game of all time but I'm not at all a "Abilities Freak".
What I love in that game is to be alone in a world I don't know and find a way in it...

I finished the original one several times but I didn't master IBJ or wallJupning...

I began ta master IBJ and single wall jumping by playing hacks (SZM in fact... and I'm still a poor IBjumper and an horrible Shinesparker).

So... what I like in hacks is to feel being a "new" game...

[Quietus]

Yeah, that's one of the things I love most about hacks.  They're like a continuations of a game I love.  Sometimes, if the mix is just right, it's like the first time you slammed that cartridge home, and played Super Metroid on your SNES. :cool:

[Eppy37]

(And people complained about my lone Speed Booster escape! :( )

Your Speed Booster escape is sick, twisted, and you should feel terrible for making it, even though we know you won't feel terrible...

[Weterr123]

Toss up between Eris 2012 and Super Zero Mission for me. It's hard to decide between those two as they both have so much to offer. The difficulty of Eris along with it's superb graphics makes it stand out in my brain when I think of Hacks. Same for Super Zero Mission, the Tourian aspect especially sticks out. Both games were planned out really well, and I honestly can't fault either of them.

I've yet to complete Redesign and Z-Factor - I got about halfway through each (guessing this figure, derived from items collected) - but I was very impressed by both. I got to grips with the Redesign physics very quickly, and therefore the quick flow of running through and not taking forever to fall was very enjoyable. Z-factor's opening sequence sticks out for me. If you were wondering, I only got about halfway on each as I made the mistake of tackling them at the same time - BIG MISTAKE. I advise NOT to have two hacks on the go at a time - very confusing, especially if both hacks use the same or similar tilesets.

Cliffhanger (normal version) was the second hack I played after Super Zero Mission. This was possibly THE most testing hack for me, and I hate myself for abusing savestates (only did this on Cliffhanger), but fortunately Daltone released a version with save points, so I will be going through it again. Putting the difficulty aside, this hack is right up there for me - Dmantra's ability to create new ways of tiling with vanilla tiles is to be praised. I love walljumping, and this hack's primary focus is just that. If you haven't played it, get a move on haha!

Ice Metal and Phazon 0.3 deserve a mention for sure too. Phazon was epic in the way that EVERYTHING aesthetically was changed. However, I found the gameplay somewhat tedious with the extremely looooooooooooooong rooms. But I don't want to disrespect RedMonkey, his work is great and I can't wait for his next project. Ice Metal was just all-round cool - graphics, gameplay, and mapping were done very well, and the hack had a great balance to it.

I have played a few other hacks, but these ones are the big hitters for me.

[Vexium]

Hi there! I'm new to this community, and I'm new to the SM romhacking scene. I have recently completed:

Super Metroid Zero Mission
Redesigned
Eris 2012
Digital Cube
Darkholme Hospital

Currently, I am playing Z-Factor (a little stuck, though).

Based on http://www.dubreuil.ca/mapstation/, I have acquired the following for future play:

Advent
Cliffhanger
Dependence
Escape from Planet Metroid
Golden Dawn
Hyperion
Ice Metal - Uninstall (re-palette or original?)
Legacy
Life
Limit
Mockingbird
Oxide
Pantheon
Phazon Hack 0.4
Search for Items
Stardust

-----------------

I figured this was a good place to start, but I'm curious about your own person favorites and what you guys consider the quintessential SM hack(s).

Thus far, my favorite has been Redesigned, but Eris 2012 really impressed me and got me excited to get on this site and check out more SM hacks. It's shocking how many there are, like it was videogame heaven! :D

Anyway, any suggestions on building further, reducing, or ordering (which to play first, etc.) this list I have would really be appreciated also.

But yea, feel free to just talk about what you consider the best or your favorites.

And thank you for this community! Really honored to find this place!

[Quietus]

To be honest, you've started with some of the best, so you may not find them all to the same standard.

From your list, I can recommend Stardust and Life.  Stardust is by far the best quick play, and Life has a difficulty on par with the original game, so if very much feels like a continuation.  Oh, and stick with Z-Factor.  It has it's bad moments, but it's generally a great hack. :^_^:

Edit: Also, this is kind of relevant.

[Vexium]

Oops! didn't mean to make a duplicate thread - i was trying to find if there was a thread like that. search didn't do any good.

well, in any case, this can pick off where that thread left off. any remarks on those on the list is appreciated too.

[Digital_Mantra]

At this current point in the metroid hack community, the entire concept of 'Best SM hack' or worst or even categories themselves are at best, redundant at this point.
There are enough hacks released that will cater to any enthusiastic player of any background or skill level. It's politics man, gotta have those academy awards.
I sold my trophies for beer, smokes and anime.

Personally, I think we all hold our own top/mid/lower tier hacks.

[Lunaria]

You should get around to playing ice metal though, all my sources are pointing towards it being pretty gud.

[Vexium]

so far Z-Factor is proving to be really immersive, more so than I expected.  I think next I will try Ice Metal

[Kitsune_Phoenix]

*deleted post*