Game Genie (Mega Drive)
From Sega Retro
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| Made for: Sega Mega Drive | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer: Codemasters | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distributor: Galoob (US), Camerica (Canada), Hornby (UK), Power Games (FR), Famosa (ES, PT), Tec Toy (BR) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: Cheat tool | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Mega Drive version of the Game Genie is a specialised cheat cartridge (or "video game enhancer") developed by Codemasters and sold by Galoob that allows the user to manipulate various aspects of games.
Contents
Hardware
The Game Genie attaches to the end of a cartridge and is then inserted into the cartridge port of the console for which it was designed.
Upon starting the console, the player may enter a series of characters referred to as a "code" or several such series that reference addresses in the ROM of the cartridge. Each code contains an integer value that is read by the system in place of the data actually present on the cartridge. The Game Genie cannot manipulate RAM, though it can make the console read different values from SRAM.
Because they patch the program code of a game, Game Genie codes are sometimes referred to as patch codes. These codes can have a variety of effects. The most popular codes give the player some form of invulnerability, infinite ammunition, level skipping, or other modifications that allow the player to be more powerful than intended by the developers. In rare cases, codes even unlock hidden game features that developers had scrapped and rendered unreachable in normal play (an example of this is the final Hidden Palace Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 2).
The Game Genie was usually sold with a small booklet of discovered codes for use with the system. However, these booklets would eventually become inadequate as new codes were discovered and new games were released that were not covered. To address this, an update system was implemented, where subscribers would receive quarterly booklet updates for a fee. In addition, Galoob also ran ads in certain gaming publications (such as GamePro) that featured codes for newer games. Today, these codes and many others discovered by players can be found for free online.
On the Sega Mega Drive, the Game Genie can function as a country converter and bypass the TMSS (TradeMark Security System) since most of these games are only "locked" to their respective regions by the shape of the cartridges and a set of a few bytes in the header of the ROM. In other cases, Game Genie codes can be entered to allow a game to be played on any region console.
Hidden content
- Main article: Game Genie (Mega Drive)/Hidden content.
History
Though developed by Codemasters, distribution was handled by Camerica in Canada and Galoob in the United States (and Europe, with the help of third-party distributors). Following the controversy of a Nintendo Entertainment System version of the device - of which Nintendo unsuccessfully tried to block, the Mega Drive (and Game Gear enhancer) were adopted by Sega as officially licensed products.
The Game Genie brand has since been discontinued, however the idea lived on through Action Replay and GameShark hacking devices on newer consoles in the years which followed. Game Genie codes have since become a supported feature in most emulators.
Scrapped successor
A new set of Game Genies called "Game Genie 2" were in the works in 1993 which would store codes and not require codes to be entered each time booting up the system. It was also going to have code searching features similar to the Pro Action Replay. This means it could probably alter RAM as searching for codes that affect ROM would have been more difficult. Due to some Game Genies recently being released it was decided to hold off the release of the new version until at least the following year, but wound up being scrapped instead.
Official code books
In the US, Galoob offered a subscription service in which "code updates" would be sent to Game Genie owners quarterly over the course of a year. Generally these books were released to cover new games, i.e. software released after the Game Genie's launch. This service was not unique to Sega console owners. Later Game Genie releases incorporated the codes from these books into the codebook which shipped with the cartridge.
Manual and Codebook
Manual and Codebook (alternate)
Volume 1, No. 1
Volume 1, No. 2
Volume 1, No. 3
Volume 1, No. 4
Volume 2, No. 1
Volume 2, No. 2
Volume 2, No. 3
Volume 2, No. 4
Volume 3, No. 1
Volume 3, No. 2
Volume 3, No. 3
Volume 3, No. 4
Volume 1, No.1
- 688 Attack Sub
- After Burner II
- Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
- Arcus Odyssey
- Bimini Run
- Crack Down
- Desert Strike
- The Faery Tale Adventure
- Forgotten Worlds
- The Immortal
- James Buster Douglas Knockout Boxing
- PGA Tour Golf
- RBI Baseball 3
- Road Rash
- Shadow Blasters
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Super Monaco GP
- Taz-Mania
- Tommy Lasorda Baseball
- Turrican
- Valis III
Volume 1, No.2
- Alien 3
- Batman (More Codes)
- Bulls vs. Lakers and the NBA Playoffs
- Dragon's Fury
- Evander Holyfields Real Deal Boxing
- F-22 Interceptor
- Ghostbusters
- Golden Axe (Sega Classic Edition)
- Greendog, The Beached Surfer Dude
- Joe Montana II Sports Talk Football (Alternate Codes)
- John Madden Football '93
- King's Bounty
- Krusty's Super Fun House
- NFL Sports Talk Football '93 Starring Joe Montana
- Pit-Fighter
- QuackShot (Alternative Codes)
- Revenge of Shinobi
- Revenge of Shinobi (Sega Classic Edition)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Team USA Basketball
- The Terminator
- Toki: Going Ape Spit
- Two Crude Dudes
Volume 1, No.3
- Aquatic Games Starring James Pond
- Batman Returns
- Chakan
- Ecco the Dolphin
- Galares
- Lightening Force
- Menacer
- NHLPA Hockey '93
- Road Rash 2
- Rolo to the Rescue
- Simpsons Bart vs. The Space Mutants
- Sonic the Hedgehog (More Codes)
- Splatterhouse 2
- Streets of Rage 2
- T2 The Arcade
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - The Hyper Stone Heist
- World of Illusion
- X-Men
- Pit-Fighter (Alternate Codes)
Volume 1, No.4
- Batman Revenge of The Joker
- Blaster Master 2
- Bubsy
- Buck Rogers Countdown to Doomsday
- Chuck Rock
- Cool Spot
- Fatal Fury
- James Bond 007 The Duel
- Jungle Strike
- Jurassic Park
- Mick and Mack as the Global Gladiators
- PGA Tour Golf 2
- Risky Woods
- Shadow of the Beast II
- Super Monaco GP II
- Super Thunder Blade
- TaleSpin
- Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster's Hidden Treasure
- Toys
- WWF Super WrestleMania
Volume 2, No.1
Volume 2, No.2
Volume 2, No.3
Volume 2, No.4
- The Addams Family
- Barkley: Shut Up and Jam
- Chester Cheetah...Wild Wild Quest
- Disney's The Jungle Book
- Double Dragon 5 Game
- Dune: The Battle for Arrakis
- Fatal Fury 2
- Formula One
- Lethal Enforcers
- Mazin Saga Mutant Fighter
- Pirates of Dark Water
- R.B.I. Baseball '94
- Race Drivin'
- Streets of Rage 3
- Sub-Terrania
- Super Street Fighter II
- Terminator 2: Judgement Day
- Virtua Racing
Volume 3, No.1
Volume 3, No.2
Volume 3, No.3
Volume 3, No.4
Game Genie (Mega Drive) codes
A copy of Game Genie Mega Drive codes
Magazine articles
- Main article: Game Genie (Mega Drive)/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
US TV advert
BR print advert
also published in:
- Sega Visions (US) #10: "November/December 1992" (1992-xx-xx)[3]
also published in:
- Computer & Video Games (UK) #134: "January 1993" (1992-12-15)[4]
also published in:
- Mega Force (FR) #13: "Janvier 1993" (199x-xx-xx)[5]
also published in:
- Mega Force (FR) #15: "Mars 1993" (1993-0x-xx)[6]
- Mega Force (FR) #19: "Ete 1993" (1993-0x-xx)[7]
- Mega Force (FR) #21: "Octobre 1993" (1993-10-08)[8]
Physical scans
| Mega Drive, US (older) |
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.jpg){kind=small} Cart |
| Mega Drive, US (version 2) |
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   Cover
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Cart  Manual |
| Mega Drive, US (version 3) |
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  Cover
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Cart  Manual |
| Mega Drive, UK |
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 Cart |
| Mega Drive, UK (Extra Power) |
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 Cover
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 Cart |
| Mega Drive, FR |
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  Cover
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  Cart  Manual |
| Mega Drive, ES/PT |
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 Cover
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| Mega Drive, BR |
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   Cover
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  Cart |
| Mega Drive, CA |
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 Cart |
Technical information
ROM dump status
| System | Hash | Size | Build Date | Source | Comments | |||||||||
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32kB | 1992-02-19[9] | Cartridge (US/EU) | Revision 00 | |||||||||
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32kB | 1992-07 | Cartridge (US/EU) | Revision 01 |
References
- ↑ VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, "October 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 26
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Computer & Video Games, "September 1992" (UK; 1992-08-15), page 12
- ↑ Sega Visions, "November/December 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 2
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "January 1993" (UK; 1992-12-15), page 5
- ↑ Mega Force, "Janvier 1993" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 2
- ↑ Mega Force, "Mars 1993" (FR; 1993-0x-xx), page 29
- ↑ Mega Force, "Ete 1993" (FR; 1993-0x-xx), page 75
- ↑ Mega Force, "Octobre 1993" (FR; 1993-10-08), page 85
- ↑ Game Genie (Mega Drive)/Hidden content
| Sega Mega Drive cheat code devices |
|---|
| (Pro) Action Replay | Game Genie | Game Wizard | Genipak | Magicard | Vzlomshchik Kodov |