The internet lies: cheat code edition

You nailed it on Hydro Thunder! Those are the three that the game recognizes.



I checked HOTD2 and didn't come up with anything besides the known code, alas.

 

Thanks for checking, I was sure Hydro Thunder would have more given that Midway absolutely adore their codes, but not this time.

 

Crystal Dynamics liked to put cheats into its 3DO games and ports - I put up a batch of cheats for the Saturn version of Off World Interceptor Extreme here.

 

I've been doing a pass of hidden content again based on this thread and Rings of Saturn of course.

So far we have, Clockwork Knight 2 reorganised and version number code added
Clockwork Knight 2/Hidden content - Sega Retro
Shinobi Legions debug menu described in detail and added a few Rings of Saturn screenshots
Shinobi Legions/Hidden content - Sega Retro

EDIT
Did Titan Wars/Solar Eclipse. Shoved all the codes into a table to make them readable. Still needs work on the descriptions but at least they're all there now. I didn't like the game very much, so there's low incentive to figure out what they all do
Titan Wars/Hidden content - Sega Retro

 

Did a quick pass on THPS for Dreamcast. Here's what it's looking for:

• Unlock everything: B, Right, Up, Down, B, Right, Up, X, Y
• Slow motion: X, Left, Up, X, Left)
• Skip to restart: X, B, A, Up, Down
• Nothing: Y, Up, Y, Up, B, Up, Left, Y
• 13x multipler, doesn't work: A, X, X, Y, Up, Down
• 10x multiplier, doesn't work: X, Y, Up, Down
• Infinite special: A, Y, B, Down, Up, Right
• Big heads: X, B, Up, Left, Left
• Nothing: B, Down, B, A, Left, Y, Down, B, X

The "Unlock Everything" code does work; Officer Dick and all courses are available after entering it.

The multipliers do set a value, but for some reason the effect still doesn't work.

The last code seems to be related to the "Debug menu" mentioned on TCRF, but I'm pretty sure it's not hooked up.

 

Hey Bo, apparently there's a hidden stage in Fighter's Megamix that no one has found:

https://www.polygon.com/gaming/484111/fighters-megamix-hidden-stage-sega-saturn

Is there anything you can do about that?

*edit*
Oh, I see you already posted about it on twitter.

 

Funny enough, I actually found that stage last spring. I assumed it was the Japanese version of Kids Sarah's stage, because it looks so similar! (see the comparison)

As for unlocking it in-game, I made a valiant effort and couldn't figure it out! It's stage index 0x20, and after loading the background assets the game switches the stage to 0x0a, which is the Kids Sarah stage.

From the game code, I think:

• You can't get it through Survival Mode
• You can't get it through Team Battle Mode
• You can't get it with the random Versus Mode option
• You can't get it in Training Mode
• None of the characters have it as their stage in 1P mode

I've gone through every write to the relevant address and not come up with anything! Any ideas? In the Tweet, Yutaka seems to have Deku vs. Deku with 1 win per bout and 45 seconds. Are there additional clues?

Related: in the hidden Readme file, Yutaka describes how you can prevent the CPU from picking characters in Team Battle mode with the X button, so you can have an all VF team versus an all FV team.

---

Edit: I figured it out!

• Unlock Deku
• Go to Team Battle, 1P versus CPU
• Highlight each character in the list with controller 1 and press X on controller 2 to mark them as unavailable to the CPU, but leave Deku open
• Select Deku for all slots on your roster

The alternate stage background will randomly show up in the Team Battle stage progression (replacing Kids Sarah's stage).
Here are the details.

 

Fighters Megamix is on my 'sort out Sega Retro' list, but it does fall into that murky space where it's ambiguous as to what counts as hidden and what counts as unlockable. There seems to be a general rule here that if you unlock content by just playing the game, you stick it on the main game page, whereas if you do something out of the ordinary then it's hidden content. I need to ponder which stuff goes where before I attempt to get it all on the page.

 

Hey Bo, do you only disassemble console games? Do you have the know-how to disassemble arcade games as well?

I ask because, for years now, there's been a code in the arcade Robocop 2 that no one has managed to figure out where it's supposed to be entered. The code is given to you only in the Japanese version if you beat the game with one credit. When you do, you get a secret credits screen, and one of the programmers gives you the code. So far, no one knows if it's even real or maybe just a joke.

Take a look at it here:
https://tcrf.net/RoboCop_2_(Arcade)#Secret_Credits

 

Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Windows 1996)/Hidden content

I've been going through the cheats listed here in the 1996 Windows 95 version of Sonic CD so I can get the actual screenshots for them, as they are different-looking screens than the Mega-CD version. The Stage Select and Sound Test screens I can get to without any problem:



The cheat that displays the developer best times, however, doesn't seem to work, no matter how carefully and accurately I press the keys on the page.

 

I realise you're doing it in a VM to get period accurate shots, but it works with Right, Right, Up, Up, Down, Jump (defaults to space but worth checking you didn't change it) with Direct X version running under sega pc reloaded on Win 10.

 

That's what I've been trying to do, and I even made sure all the keys were at their defaults, but the final press just brings the menu up as if I never entered the cheat. The other two cheats register just fine.

And yes, this is the DirectX version under a Windows 95 VM in PCem. I take it the cheat doesn't work without Sega PC Reloaded?

 

Well that's the question, I'll give it a shot later. Add another data point! I would not expect the changes Sega PC Reloaded makes to have an impact here, but it's always possible @Korama changed something without mentioning it in the description.

 

I did have to input the code quite slowly to get PCEm to accept the inputs, but it does appear to work.


EDIT
I went ahead and updated page, I tossed in a screenshot of 'Fujiwara' half rings mode and a note about default controls as well
Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Windows 1996)/Hidden content - Sonic Retro

 

Huh, I didn't think it'd be that picky with how slow you need to be when entering the cheats. I'm just accustomed to how the Mega-CD version could accept the cheat inputs more quickly. Cheers anyhow!

 

I came up with a new cheat code for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 on Dreamcast:
https://32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-microscope-tony-hawks-pro

Pause the game, hold L, and enter: “Y, A, Y, Up, Down, Up” (three times)

This will make your tricks worth 10x more points.

The Dreamcast version's screen will shake for all of the PlayStation codes, but not all of them actually work. I didn't try them all but here is the full list.

 

Added this one to Skeleton Warriors...

Pause the game and press: Right, Up, B, Y, B, Up, Left, Left, Down, A, Z, Z, L, Z, Down, Left, Left, A

Debug mode will turn on.

• A+B+C lets you reposition your character
• X+Start skips to the next stage
• X+Z shows the coordinates
• Holding L enables slow motion

 

A batch of previously unreported codes for Iron Man / X-O Manowar in Heavy Metal:


I wouldn't be surprised if these were in one of those big cheat catalogs somewhere along the way, but I couldn't find them and had to read them out of the binary.

 

The cheat sites have hallucinated some codes for Silent Scope on Dreamcast. None of the "Hold R, press start" ones work.

The game recognizes 9 on the Arcade Mode "Mode Select screen":

• Right, Right, Right, X: No reticle
• Left, Right, Right, X, Y: Heart-shaped scope
• Down, Y, Up, X, Y, Down, Right, Down, Right, X, Y: Sped-up gameplay
• Left, Left, Right, X, Down, Down, Up, Y, Up, Right, Down, Up, Left, Down, X: Flipped level
• Right, Down, Right, X, Right, Down, Right, X: No scope
• Right, Down, Right, X, Up, X, X, Y, Down, Right, Down, Right, X, Y: Invisible enemies
• Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, X, Y: Play at night
• Up, Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, Down: Only scope is visible
• Right, Right, Right, Right, Left, Down, Up, Right: No enemy location hints

On the pause screen two codes are recognized:

• Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, A, B: Swap health for time
• B, A, Right, Left, Right, Left, Down, Down, Up, Up: Swap time for health

I verified each of the effects!

 

I looked into this and couldn't see where this "keyboard in port D" stuff came from. Nor could I get the cheat code input code to actually work.

The strings people say the game is looking for are present in the binary: goldfinger does indeed have an effect, and you need to enter it before givememoneyordie to get $1M.

There is another code - I don't know what it does, but it's icantdrive entered after goldfinger.

Additionally:

• The game is looking for frame, too. If I knew how to enter it, it would display the frames per second in the bottom right corner (screenshot attached)
• It's also looking for nolock; this uncaps the frame rate.
• Furthermore, it's looking for sniff. This shows network stats.
• Lastly, it's looking for scrub. I don't know what this is meant to do.

Even the stuff about the PC version is unclear about how to enter the codes - I wonder if anybody has actually pulled them off?