So I've been adding hidden content to the wiki again, and have been working on the two mega drive Shining Force games. One thing I've found since I started cheat hunting is that certain games just seem to be magnets for made up cheats and mistakes and these two were some of the worst I've found so far. You can sort of see why. Two quite similar games that people get mixed up, complicated codes that require multiple steps, some codes are region specific, some codes require a completed save, some codes were only discovered by hackers much later so most sites don't list them and they're buried in forum posts. Basically the perfect storm for rubbish on the internet! Anyway, I think I've finally got it all figured out except for one curiosity. Lots of sites list a Japan only code for Shining Force 1 which claims you can control the enemy characters by putting a quick code in when a battle starts. I think this is a fake as I can't get it to work, no one on the Shining Force fan site where people are hacking the game ever seem to have posted about it and no youtube videos appear to exist. Maybe people are getting mixed up with SF2 where there's a well known code that lets you do that. So I'm throwing it out here, has anyone ever managed to put in a code and control the AI in Shining Force 1? Here's what I've come up with, I'm actually quite proud of it! Shining Force/Hidden content - Sega Retro Shining Force II/Hidden content - Sega Retro
You've done well. And yes it's super common to find cheats on GameFAQs or whatever that don't work. I was going through Saturn games a few months ago, and the success rate was even more dire. The early 90s Japanese magazines we have are probably a better source for cheats, because they tend to provide screenshots. You also get the occasional undocumented bug. If I had the time and patience, I'd go through them all (although it's probably easier for someone who can actually read the language).
Thanks @Black Squirrel , I have a vague goal of having every game you can grab on Steam Classics have a hidden content section which reflects current knowledge (and most importantly, isn't full of made up codes or just gameplay hints that aren't hidden at all). Not that that stops me looking at stuff I know very well from the 90s as well (looking at you, entire Mortal Kombat series on the Mega Drive!) Anyway back on topic, come on people, dust off your copies of Shining Force and try and input that code! There's also an interesting hidden battle if you just wait for the credits to roll in SF2 (with a map shaped like Sonic The Hedgehog no less), I think the only way I'm ever gonna get a screenshot of that is to let the TAS run through to the end. Or cheat with PAR codes or something, though that seems less legit somehow.
Thanks @typhoon for adding the secret battle for SF2 to the wiki, I think we're as complete as we're ever gonna be for that series now. Interestingly nothing out there at all for Shining in the Darkness.
I spoke too soon, I assumed these were fake but sfcentral confirms they work https://forums.shiningforcecentral.com/viewtopic.php?t=44639 https://forums.shiningforcecentral.com/viewtopic.php?t=49602 The name trick sounds more like an overflow bug to me. Maybe it inspired the proper rename codes in the Force games?
