Game Genie (Game Gear)

Game Genie
Made for: Sega Game Gear
Manufacturer: Codemasters
Release Date RRP Code US 1994 $39.9939.99 7358 EU 1994 7358

The Sega Game Gear version of the Game Genie is a specialised "cheat cartridge" (or "video game enhancer") developed by Codemasters which allows the user to manipulate video games.

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 Game Gear (and Mega Drive 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.

Operation

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.

The Sega Game Gear's Game Genie has a more complicated design than those for other systems. When inserted into the cartridge slot, another slot will pop-up to insert the Game Gear cartridge. It also has a compartment which contained a book of codes.

The codes were printed on sticky labels to put on the back of the Game Gear cartridge. When entering codes, the player could easily see what to type in rather than looking through the book. Many of these codes can now be found online as well.

On the screen in which a code is entered for the Game Gear Game Genie, a player typing the word "DEAD" will cause the screen to move up and down, possibly as an Easter egg.

Promotional material

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #16: "December/January 1993/1994" (1993-xx-xx)
also published in:

• GamePro (US) #54: "January 1994" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in GamePro (US) #57: "April 1994" (1994-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Game Gear, US
Cover
Cart

Game Gear, UK
Cover