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The Story Of The Game Genie - Gaming's Most Famous Cheating Device

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  • The Story Of The Game Genie - Gaming's Most Famous Cheating Device

    In the 80's, if you wanted extra lives, the ability to skip levels, to be invincible, or anything that wasn't included in your console's video game...you were out of luck. That all changed in 1990 when Codemasters created the Game Genie, opening the world of console video games to amazing ways to cheat and to an extent, a form of hacking.

    The Game Genie was important not only for being a groundbreaking device but also for establishing a legal precedent.

    In this video we'll take a quick look at the Game Genie's various abilities and console versions, how it worked, as well as its fight just to make it to the market.

    The Hackmaster

  • #2
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    The Code Hut: http://codehut.gshi.org/

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    • #3
      I didn't watch the video but I could imagine it this short:

      Galoob makes Game Genie for Nintendo, Nintendo's broomsticks are lodged a little too far up their behinds and they try suing, legal crap, Game Genie wins but is treated like crap by every console with no real reason to do so other than to copy Nintendo's BS attitude towards it, PS2/Gamecube/Xbox era starts adding online, next era everything has online and nothing has split screen while having a bunch of microtransactions that cost money and allowing people to use their consoles to buy and download games finally giving them the 1 crumb of legitimate reason for busting cheating software and hacking to prevent monetary theft.

      Everybody was a douche to all forms of the software from Nintendo up until the PS1/N64 era and they had no real reason to be douches about it because there was no way for a cheater to cheat against another player unless it was 2 player split screen, and there was no money to be lost. They all deserve slaps. Except maybe Sega, I think they might have been the ones with a good attitude towards this sort of thing, but I can't remember.
      July 7, 2019

      https://www.4shared.com/s/fLf6qQ66Zee
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      • #4
        Originally posted by bungholio
        They all deserve slaps. Except maybe Sega, I think they might have been the ones with a good attitude towards this sort of thing, but I can't remember.
        I think Sega was the only company to allow it, however, the 3rd party devs weren't all that keen on having players mess with their games in such a way.
        Last edited by Dybbles; 08-21-2017, 08:56:33 PM.
        I'm retired from code hacking.
        I do not take requests!

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        • #5
          In the video (at 7:33), they said Sega fully endorsed the Game Genie, but that they did require that the Game Genie not work with games that had a save feature (battery backup).

          After all these years, I never knew that the inability of the Game Genie to allow you to save games on battery backup games was intentional.
          Last edited by Tony H; 08-21-2017, 10:27:13 PM.
          The Code Hut: http://codehut.gshi.org/

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          • #6
            I've read about the CD Game Genie and apparently it was canned because Galoob felt it was complicating the market and wanted nothing more to do with further distribution. Sonic CD could have had a very cool codes, but then you could always patch iso and burn them on the SEGA CD nowadays, so on the bright side the Game Genie isn't all that necessary. I have a lot to say about the Game Genie ranging from opinions and how it led up to personal impact on my life in gaming, but it would take too long, besides you already know by name.

            To think the Game Genie started out with an idea to turn a knob on a codemasters cartridge giving you selected starting lives.
            Last edited by nensondubois; 08-21-2017, 11:03:17 PM.
            "Roll The Bones" - Rush
            Patreon.com/nensondubois Twitter #nensondubois_Youtube.com/user/nensondubois

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            • #7
              Actually, the Game Genie wasn't even the first true cheating device. I think there was one called the "Game Wizard" or something, for the Atari 2600, no less. Basically, it did the dipswitch crap for you, IIRC.
              Tempus fugit, ergo, carpe diem.

              Time flies, therefore, seize the day.

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              • #8
                Not sure if you guys were aware of this, but Ace interviewed Richard Aplin, the main Game Genie developer:

                http://gamehacking.org/qna/40
                I may be lazy, but I can...zzzZZZzzzZZZzzzZZZ...

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                • #9
                  How they built the first prototype Game Genie gives a new meaning to the word "hacking".
                  Tempus fugit, ergo, carpe diem.

                  Time flies, therefore, seize the day.

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                  • #10
                    I agree, game genie is not the first and only used cheating device.

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