So, there are projects like these;
https://github.com/ihhub/fheroes2
Projects that in one way or another aim to modernize a classic, or try make it more playable on modern machine, or just try to expand on things (like gzdoom does)
what other projects are out there in a similar vein?
I find this a little difficult to search for, even with specific terms (i tried finding myself)
The Mario 64 PC port is a pretty impressive feat, basically a complete open source reverse-engineering of the N64 game which you can then compile as a native binary (using you own copy of the ROM (legally acquired, of course) for the assets) with QoL improvements such as 60fps, wide-screen, high-resolution, free camera movement, and more. Plenty of different versions out there, I liked Render96ex.
i tried running it once, never got to actually…getting it to run, ill try again
It definitely required a little bit of technical knowledge, though that was on Linux, I believe there’s a Windows version which might be a bit more beginner-friendly. There are also other forks of the project which might be simpler to start with.