The internet lies: cheat code edition

I've looked into the Digital Pinball games a bit, and came across this debug system. You can see it if you crash the game, for example.

The most interesting thing I found is that the "trial version" of Last Gladiators not only has the full game on it, but a single flag is all that separates it from the full game. That is, the retail version has the trial screen and limits, just turned off; and the trial version has the retail title screen and limits turned on.

"Venus Shell Debugger" - this is the crash handler.

 

Digital Pinball: Necronomicon does have two title screen button codes, but they're pretty lame compared to the first game's. I'm reasonably confident that there's no hidden table.

First enter:
C, B, A, A, B, C, Y, Z, X, Right, Right

Then enter:
Down, Down, Down, Down, A, B, C, Up, Up, X, Y, Z

After that, you can hold L+R when pressing start at the title screen to see the credits (hold A, B, or C) to make them scroll.

You can also get a sound test if you hold L+R when pressing start to select a table.

The "turn the retail game in to the trial" flag is there at 060459c4. The Venus Shell Debugger is also there (also the debug menu mentioned by TCRF won't work because SYSTEM.RES isn't on the disc).

I'll do a reverse engineering article about Last Gladiators sometime; I have some notes already. If you're really familiar with it, let me know!

 

Another one from the depths of unpleasant-to-play Saturn games:
https://twitter.com/memory_fallen/status/1780219847105818796

Funky Head Boxers: at the title screen, press L, B, R, C, Z, X, Y, A. Your character will get a wireframe cube head.

I haven't checked the Plus version.

 

That's a nice find, wireframe bodies as well looking at the screenshot.

I assume that you already did this long ago, but did you check the Sonic games for extra codes? Sonic 3D Japan version had a stage select based on holding down buttons in the menu but it was never found / doesn't exist in the US/PAL versions. We just got a measly in game level skip instead :-D. Sonic R PC has a command line arg to unlock the hidden track + hidden characters. Maybe there's a code in the Saturn version to do similar? I doubt Sonic Jam has much going on, there isn't anything to unlock besides that competition mode in Sonic World.

 

Sonic 3D Blast: I found the missing "cheat mode" code for the Japanese version, a previously unknown debug camera, and a weird camera view change trick. I put them on Retro after discovering them, so they're now part of the historical record!

I've done a lot of messing around with the special stages - in particular I found that the Tails and Knuckles models are almost as versatile as the Sonic model (ref), that you can change two bytes to skip the main game and just play the special stages (ref), and messed around with some multi-character stuff (ref).

Sonic R: I confirmed the non-existence of any codes on the title screen (aside from rotating the R) and any unknown save game unlockables. For what it's worth, the assembly for Sonic R is the worst (hardest to analyze) of any game I've looked at (the non-special stage parts of 3D Blast are almost as bad)!

Sonic Jam: The competition mode is the only button code outside of the classic games; I checked! Lots of interesting stuff in Sonic World, though. Like 3D Blast, the Tails model is more functional than you might expect (ref), and it can handle multiple characters (ref).

 

Ah nice, at least you found some cool stuff along the way (loving the character swaps in the special stages).

 

I found a cool unused four player mode in High Velocity, and in writing that up, Danthrax at Sega Saturn Shiro tracked down a bunch of cheat codes for that game that are known to the Japanese Internet. I validated their presence in the game code.

The sequel also has a bunch of codes undocumented in English. I verified their existence also!

 

I checked the Megami Tensei game from 1995, Devil Summoner, and it doesn't have the same logo!

 

Tenchi o Kurau II: Sekiheki no Tatakai - GameFAQs lists a code for the PlayStation version, but not a corresponding one for the Saturn. It's:
R, Y, L, X, A, B, R during the "Press Start" sequence

 

Bubble Symphony - I fixed a transcription error for the "Always access secret rooms" code.

Interestingly, the game recognizes some alternates for Classic Mode:

Code (Text):

1. A, B, A, B, A, B, Right, C
2. Left, B, Left, C, Left, A, Left C
3. C, B, A, Left, Right, B, C, Right

There's also another button sequence that's not hooked up:

Code (Text):

1. C, B, A, Left, Right, B, C, Right

It's just like the others in that it sets a flag (060ecc97) and plays a sound effect, but there's nothing actually listening for it.

The flag does have reads, but I don't know where they are - a few minutes of playthrough with a breakpoint set didn't get any hits. Any ideas?

 

I don't know Bubble Symphony well, but for future study, this site basically covers it in detail (in particular the 'extended play' section after the review further down).

Bubble Symphony - LET'S TRY!! (gaminghell.co.uk)

The three different codes are all codes from original Bubble Bobble, it's an easter egg. Put in any classic code to get classic mode.

I'd be looking for the Saturn to have equivalents for all of these. These are the arcade codes.

Super Mode
Up, Start, Right, Jump, Bubble, Left, Start, Down. The curtain will turn blue.
You'll now be able select between Normal Mode and Super Mode.
Power Up Mode
Down, Bubble, Jump, Start, Left, Right, Left, Start. A tone will sound.
You'll now permanently have the Shoes, Green Candy (fast-firing bubbles) and Red Candy (fast-moving bubbles).
'Original' Mode
Jump, Bubble, Jump, Bubble, Jump, Bubble, Left, Start. A tone will sound.
You'll now always get the Treasure Room doors to appear, even if you die on the way there.
Classic Mode
Any of the codes from the original Bubble Bobble, so...
Left, Jump, Left, Start, Left, Fire, Left, 1P
Fire, Jump, Fire, Jump, Fire, Jump, Right, Start
or Start, Jump, Bubble, Left, Right, Jump, Start, Right.
The backgrounds will be removed and all music replaced with the soundtrack of the original Bubble Bobble.
Human Mode
Left, Down, Up, Jump, Right, Start, Bubble, Right. A tone will sound.
You'll now start the game as the human versions of each character- even on the character select screen!

EDIT - and I see actually looking at the hidden content page, it does! Needs better descriptions for some of them though.

 

Another Bubble Symphony research suggestion @Bo102010

If you input all the same character (like AAAAAAAA) as your high score name, it's replaced by a random Taito game name. That site has found loads via trial and error, but did they find them all?
Bubble Symphony - THENEWZE BUBBLEBO MASTEROF FINALBRO (gaminghell.co.uk)

 

I updated the bubble symphony page with proper descriptions of each code + the missing classic mode codes. They all match the original arcade codes except for the hidden options menu which is Saturn exclusive.
Bubble Symphony/Hidden content - Sega Retro

 

64 of them is correct!

The game stores them at 06057700.

Code (Text):

1. ARKANOID
2. BUBBLEBO
3. CHACKNPO
4. DARIUS
5. ELEVATOR
6. FAIRYLAN
7. GYRODYNE
8. HALLEYSC
9. INVADER
10. BENBEROB
11. KIKIKAIK
12. THUNDERF
13. METALBLA
14. NINJAWAR
15. OUTERZON
16. PUZZNIC
17. QIX
18. RASTANSA
19. SCI
20. TIMEGAL
21. UNDERFIR
22. VOLFIED
23. WYVERNFO
24. EXTARMIN
25. MIZUBAKU
26. CADASH
27. FINALBRO
28. NIGHTSTR
29. GRIDSEEK
30. GALACTIC
31. WARRIORB
32. LIGHTBRI
33. PULIRULA
34. KAIZERKN
35. VIOLENCE
36. EXZESUS
37. POWERWHE
38. TOPRANKI
39. CHAMPION
40. MIDNIGHT
41. RAINBOWI
42. CAMELTRY
43. OP WOLF
44. SYVERION
45. THENEWZE
46. MASTEROF
47. DONDOKOD
48. AIRINFER
49. MEGABLAS
50. SCRAMBLE
51. FRONTLIN
52. MS ISSAC
53. RAIMAIZ
54. FLIPPUL
55. GUNFRONT
56. RIDINGFI
57. TOPLANDI
58. DINOREX
59. CRIMECIT
60. AQUAJACK
61. SPACEGUN
62. RUNARK
63. GUNBUSTE
64. CHASE HQ

 

Pu-Li-Ru-La/Arcade Gears - the codes listed here are all correct. Alas, there aren't any others to find.

Also in Arcade Gears news, I added the corresponding stage select code for XMultiply.

 

there are *TWO* PC versions of Panzer Dragoon. The one you show above is the common one, but there is also a super rare NV1 port that was bundled with the card. I have a copy of that version, but my PC with my NV1 is currently in storage, so I can't try the version code on it.

It's slightly less crazy than you think, because they were developed in tandem. It just took them 2 years longer to finish Zwei. But they developed both games at the same time, hence the pandoras box stuff.

Speaking of Panzer Dragoon Zwei stuff, I assume everybody knows about the undocumented dual stick support? It is the only game in the entire sega saturn library that will work with *TWO* mission sticks. It is not advertised on the box or manual in any version, nor does the mission stick itself even mention that this is possible. To get it to work, you'd have to buy TWO mission sticks, and have the idea to take one half of one of them, and plug it in to the slot on the other mission stick that's intended for left hand mode, and then decide to play Zwei.

If you do use two mission sticks like this, one stick controls the dragon, and the other controls the crosshair.

When you swap discs in PDS on a real saturn, the moment you open the disc drive, it takes you to the saturn bios screen. Each disc has no idea whether or not it was swapped, when you swap a disc it is the same as if you booted the game from power off. You have to go to the title menu and load your save on each disc every time you swap. When each disc ends, it saves for you.