Extreme-G Recompiled

"Welcome to the future of racing. Again."

A static recompilation of Extreme-G (Nintendo 64, 1998) — the brutally fast, weapon-packed futuristic bike racer by Probe Entertainment — rebuilt to run natively on modern PCs without emulation.

No interpreter. No JIT. No mercy. Just raw, recompiled MIPS-to-x86-64 at 500mph.

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What Is This?

Remember screaming down neon-lit anti-gravity tracks at speeds that made your CRT blur? Dodging plasma bolts while your N64 controller's analog stick fought for its life? That's Extreme-G — and we're bringing it back from 1998, one MIPS instruction at a time.

This project uses N64Recomp to statically recompile the original N64 binary into native C code, which then compiles into a Windows executable. The result runs directly on your CPU — no emulation layer, no accuracy tradeoffs, just native speed with the door wide open for HD rendering, widescreen, and modern input.

Why Static Recompilation?

  Traditional Emulation:
  ┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌─────────┐
  │  N64 ROM    │ --> │  Interpreter  │ --> │  Screen  │
  │  (MIPS)     │     │  (per-instr)  │     │  Output  │
  └─────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └─────────┘
                         ^ slow, but compatible

  Static Recompilation:
  ┌─────────────┐     ┌──────────────┐     ┌──────────┐     ┌─────────┐
  │  N64 ROM    │ --> │  N64Recomp   │ --> │  Native  │ --> │  Screen  │
  │  (MIPS)     │     │  (offline)   │     │  C code  │     │  Output  │
  └─────────────┘     └──────────────┘     └──────────┘     └─────────┘
                                              ^ FAST, native, moddable

Every MIPS instruction becomes equivalent C at build time. Your CPU runs the game natively. This is how Zelda64Recomp brought Majora's Mask to PC — and now we're doing it for the fastest racer the N64 ever saw.

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The Game

Extreme-G (1998, Probe Entertainment / Acclaim) is a futuristic combat racing game for the Nintendo 64. You pilot sleek cyberbikes through twisting, looping tracks at insane speeds while blasting opponents with an arsenal of weapons.

What made it legendary:

• Pure speed — one of the fastest games on N64, with a sensation of velocity that still holds up
• Weapons everywhere — homing missiles, mines, plasma cannons, rear-fire rockets
• Iconic soundtrack — pounding techno/drum & bass that defined late-90s gaming
• Track design — loops, corkscrews, tunnels, and stomach-dropping vertical drops
• 4-player split-screen — friendships tested, controllers thrown
• Sonic boom — break the sound barrier and the audio literally cuts out. Chef's kiss.

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ROM Info

Field	Value
Title	extremeg
Game Code	NEGE
Region	USA (NTSC)
Entry Point	0x8004B400 (original), 0x80000400 (recomp)
CRC1	0xFDA245D2
CRC2	0xA74A3D47
ROM Size	8 MB (8,388,608 bytes)
Compression	51 LZSS blocks (custom, not gzip)
Code Size	320 KB decompressed (184 KB compressed)
Functions	726 recompiled (93 libultra identified)
Code Range	0x8004B8A0 - 0x8009B898
Developer	Probe Entertainment
Publisher	Acclaim Entertainment
Release	1998
Build Path	d:\screen (found in binary)
Dev Names	Justin, Darren, Fergus

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Status

Milestone	Status
ROM Analysis	COMPLETE
LZSS Decompression (51 blocks)	COMPLETE
Boot Code Analysis	COMPLETE
Function Discovery (726 functions)	COMPLETE
Symbol File Generation	COMPLETE
RAM Base Identification (0x8004B8A0)	COMPLETE
N64Recomp Config	COMPLETE
N64Recomp Integration (726 recompiled functions)	COMPLETE
Build System (CMake)	COMPLETE
N64ModernRuntime Integration	COMPLETE
RT64 Renderer Integration	COMPLETE
SDL2 Window + Input	COMPLETE
libultra Identification (93 functions)	COMPLETE
ROM Mapping Fix (VRAM-to-ROM)	COMPLETE
BSS Clearing (3 regions)	COMPLETE
Custom Entrypoint Patch	COMPLETE
OS Stubs (33 internal functions)	COMPLETE
Game Boot (heap, threads, VI)	WORKING
Heap Allocator Init	WORKING
Audio Driver Init	CRASHING — data section not loaded
Audio Reimplementation	IN PROGRESS
RSP Microcode Handling	TODO
Playable Build	THE DREAM

Current Phase: ROM Data Section Loading

The game boots. SDL window opens, RT64 initializes (tested on RTX 5070), ROM validates, heap allocator works correctly (8 allocations succeed), game threads are created, and VI events fire. The game gets into audio initialization before crashing due to uninitialized data.

What's working:

• Full static recompilation: 726 functions recompiled from MIPS to native C
• 93 libultra functions identified and properly named (osCreateThread, osCreateMesgQueue, osSendMesg, osViSwapBuffer, osSpTaskLoad, osAiSetNextBuffer, etc.)
• ROM mapping: entrypoint 0x80000400, decompressed code at ROM offset 0x4C4A0 (VRAM 0x8004B8A0)
• Custom entrypoint clears 3 BSS regions, initializes heap pointer, calls game init
• Fall-through function fix: func_800802EC+func_800802F8 merged (MIPS fall-through pattern)
• Missing function added: func_80058738 (called via function pointer, 8 bytes)
• 33 internal OS function stubs for helpers ultramodern doesn't reimplement
• SDL2 audio backend with 48kHz output, heap allocator, game threads
• Keyboard input mapped to N64 controller

Current crash: Heap break in audio init (func_80058890) — the 9th allocation requests 0x4B3FC779 bytes (garbage). The allocation size is read from VRAM 0x8004B66C, which is in the data section below the decompressed code start (0x8004B8A0). On the original N64, the boot code at 0x8004B400 decompresses LZSS to 0x8004B8A0 and sets up additional data in the 0x8004B400-0x8004B8A0 range. In our recomp, this data section contains raw ROM bytes (compressed LZSS residue) instead of the correct initialized data.

Key technical details:

• The ROM uses custom LZSS compression (51 blocks total — 1 code, 50 asset)
• LZSS block at ROM 0x14AC: 184 KB compressed -> 320 KB decompressed
• Code mapped to 0x8004B8A0 - 0x8009B898, ROM offset 0x4C4A0
• Original ROM entrypoint is 0x8004B400 (at ROM 0x4C000), NOT 0x80000400
• Boot stub at 0x8004B400 initializes data at 0x8004B400-0x8004B89F before decompressing code
• Next step: Reverse-engineer the boot stub at ROM 0x4C000 to understand how it populates the data section below 0x8004B8A0, then replicate this in the custom entrypoint

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.x (for analysis tools)
• N64Recomp (for recompilation)
• Visual Studio 2022 with C++ workload
• CMake 3.20+
• Your own legally obtained ROM: Extreme-G (U) [!].z64

Quick Start

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/sp00nznet/extremeg.git
cd extremeg

# Place your ROM in the project root
cp /path/to/your/rom.z64 "Extreme-G (U) [!].z64"

# Run ROM analysis
py tools/rom_analyzer.py

# Dump strings from the ROM
py tools/string_dumper.py summary

# Check recomp progress
py tools/progress.py

Building

# 1. Place your ROM in the project root
cp /path/to/your/rom.z64 "Extreme-G (U) [!].z64"

# 2. Build the patched recomp ROM (decompresses LZSS, fixes mapping)
py tools/build_recomp_rom.py

# 3. Run N64Recomp to generate native C from MIPS
N64Recomp.exe extremeg.recomp.toml

# 4. Re-apply the custom entrypoint patch in RecompiledFuncs/funcs_0.c
#    (replaces the generated recomp_entrypoint with BSS-clearing version)

# 5. Build the native executable
cmake -B build -G "Visual Studio 17 2022"
cmake --build build --config Release

# 6. Run (place extremeg_recomp.z64 in the build/Release directory)
build/Release/ExtremeGRecompiled.exe

Note: Step 4 must be done after every N64Recomp run. The custom entrypoint skips COP0 hardware init, clears 3 BSS regions, and calls the game's real init function.

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Project Structure

extremeg/
├── README.md                 # You are here, going 500mph
├── CMakeLists.txt            # CMake build configuration
├── extremeg.recomp.toml      # N64Recomp configuration
├── symbols.toml              # Function symbols (93 libultra + 633 game functions)
├── .gitignore                # Keeps ROMs out of git
├── src/
│   ├── main.cpp              # Entry point, SDL window, runtime init
│   ├── audio.cpp             # SDL2 audio backend (48kHz)
│   ├── os_stubs.cpp          # Internal OS function stubs (33 functions)
│   ├── rt64_render_context.cpp  # RT64 D3D12/Vulkan renderer bridge
│   └── section_table.cpp     # Recompiled function lookup tables
├── include/                  # Project headers
├── tools/
│   ├── rom_analyzer.py       # ROM structure & function discovery
│   ├── lzss_decompress.py    # LZSS decompressor
│   ├── build_recomp_rom.py   # Builds patched ROM for recompilation
│   ├── string_dumper.py      # String extraction & categorization
│   └── progress.py           # Recompilation progress tracker
├── extracted/                # Decompressed code/data blocks (generated)
├── RecompiledFuncs/          # N64Recomp output (726 functions, generated)
├── rsp/                      # RSP microcode reimplementation
├── lib/                      # Dependencies (N64ModernRuntime, RT64, etc.)
└── screenshots/              # Progress screenshots

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Things We've Found In The ROM

Cracking the LZSS compression and disassembling the code revealed some gems:

• Build path d:\screen — Probe Entertainment was building from a screen directory on a D: drive. Classic late-90s dev setup
• Developer names: Justin, Darren, Fergus — the crew who built this speed demon left their names in the binary
• %s%d.tga — TGA texture loading format strings, confirming the asset pipeline
• p_bikeen_a_BOX_*_pal / c_bikeen_a_BOX_*_chr — bike texture palettes and character data, at least 23 texture boxes per bike
• Vrtbikeen_a_* — vertex data for bike 3D models
• Strike — weapon/attack reference found in the game code
• 51 LZSS blocks — custom compression with the LZSS magic header. 1 code block (320KB), 50 asset blocks. Everything is packed tight to fit in 8MB
• 707 functions in the main code block — from tiny 28-byte leaf functions to a massive 24KB monster (probably the main game loop or renderer)

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The Tech Stack

Component	Purpose
N64Recomp	MIPS → C static recompiler
N64ModernRuntime	libultra reimplementation (ultramodern + librecomp)
RT64	N64 RDP → D3D12/Vulkan renderer
SDL2	Window, input, audio
CMake + MSVC	Build system

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Related Projects

Other N64 static recompilation projects by sp00nznet:

Project	Game	Status
diddykongracing	Diddy Kong Racing (N64)	Boots, renders, playable scenes
racer	Star Wars Episode I: Racer (N64)	Compiles, linking RT64
Rampage	Rampage World Tour / Rampage 2 (N64)	Fully playable at 60fps

And the broader recomp family: Zelda64Recomp (Majora's Mask), which proved this whole approach works.

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Contributing

This is an active research & development project. If you're into:

• N64 reverse engineering
• MIPS assembly
• Futuristic combat racing games from 1998
• Making old things go fast on new hardware

...then you're in the right place. Open an issue, submit a PR, or just star the repo and vibe.

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Legal

This project contains no copyrighted game code or assets. You must provide your own legally obtained ROM. Extreme-G is a trademark of Acclaim Entertainment (RIP). Game developed by Probe Entertainment.

This is a clean-room reimplementation of the runtime environment. The recompiled output is a mechanical transformation of legally obtained binaries for personal use.

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<p align="center"> <i>"The future of racing isn't emulated. It's recompiled."</i> <br><br> <b>Break the sound barrier. Break the recompilation barrier.</b> </p>