Just wondering, did you play the original or definitive edition? I had planned to get the original version years ago, but i'm glad I ended up playing the switch version first. One of the new features is being able to change how your characters look regardless of armor. Speaking of progression, there was also a new game+ feature. I'm not sure if that existed in the original, but honestly I haven't used it. I don't see much purpose, unless it's something like Chrono Trigger where you can get 12 different endings with it.
I've tried a bunch of rom hacks, and I feel like it's either hit or miss, no in between. Lots of rom hacks try to be story driven, but end up incoherent. Some have no idea how to scale difficulty, so you end up winning a badge and suddenly the next area has pokemon 15+ levels above you. Some hacks are fantastic. Pokemon Prism for example is probably way higher quality than any of the official pokemon games. And it's a custom made gen 2 game. But i'm glad to hear you adjusted to this forum. I sort of use it as escapism. I understand what you mean about some communities being unpleasant. Pokemon Showdown has one of the most horrible communities I've ever seen.
Fallout 3 hit me much more personally, since that game is literally based on the area I live. There were even a couple exact landmarks and a few buildings I recognized. The game also has a darker atmosphere, since it's not a desert. That entire providence has been failing to rebuild, so the ruins of the cities are still all over the place, and the remaining settlements are poorly constructed.
There was a fun novelty with playing the real NES, but I ended up going back to virtual console. Most of the cartridges needed cleaned since they had been collecting dust for 30 years. It's more convenient just having everything on one system. Mario Kart 8 is fun, and I just hit 5,000 VR online. Ever since I was 7 years old, I've been playing Toad and Toadette in every mario game it lets me. I think the characters are cute, and I ended up with a weird affinity and almost play them exclusively, no matter which game. Mario Kart 8 has a huge roster so I've been branching out slightly, but end up switching back to Toadette. I've been playing those characters so long, if I pick someone else the other person will usually be surprised and say something. Do you have a favorite track? I really like Mount Wario. Zelda NES was an okay experience. It gets pretty cryptic later on, so for the last couple hours I ended up using a guide. Hints are scarce, and you have to decipher them because everyone speaks in vague riddles.
Oh okay just making sure. My sleep schedule is all over the place. Before covid I was awake at 6:00 AM to get ready for classes. Now my classes are online and don't start until 11:30 AM. I was also prescribed an escitalopram, so at night I get these random bursts of energy. Leads me into trying to stay occupied, most of the time I just browse here or youtube.