I don’t know, I didn’t build the damn thing.

Then you hit Start, and the game begins plus any changes you’ve initiated. All you’ve gotta do is find the code(s) you want and punch ’em in.

The point is that the Game Genie interface couldn’t be more user friendly. Some codes use 6 letters while others use 8, but I don’t really understand the reasoning. It uses roughly half of the alphabet and has enough space for 3 lines of code, 8 characters each. Upon powering the system on, there’s a simple code entry screen. You stick the game into the Game Genie, and the other end goes into the NES. It’s roughly half the size of a regular NES cart and has some flimsy black plastic to give the illusion of stability. Quit, and add it to your stack of HARD ASS GAMES that’s now bigger than your stack of NOT HARD ASS GAMES.įor you squares out there, a Game Genie (more specifically the NES Game Genie) is a device that acts as an intermediary between the NES Control Deck and the game cartridge.Play it so long and get so frustrated that you started crying and screaming and your parents outright took the console away.But back then, when shit got tough, you had 3 choices:

Several games made in the last 10 years or less measure success in different ways that don’t exactly translate to clear cut codes. They didn’t always give the player as much of an edge as the Game Genie, but they often included options to skip around to different levels, provide infinite ammo, or lift other restrictions that resulted in an easier game. Around the time that CD-based media was becoming popular many games utilized built-in cheat codes. The only other comparable cheat device I had as a kid was a Game Genie for the Game Boy, but so enamored am I with these “game enhancers” that I expand my collection of them every chance I get. This item was an essential part of my NES experience as a child and still is today. Original Nintendo games are way too hard! Yes, I am a cheater, and yes, I’m OK with that. I still have several, if not all, of these, and the original code book is no more than 10 feet away from me right this second. I was lucky enough to get one of these as a child, and what’s more, my parents even let me sign up for the code updates that were sent through the mail.

We all know an endless supply of lives isn’t the only factor when it comes to beating many NES games, but boy is it an appealing possibility when you’re 6 years old. I still have foggy recollections of the commercials advertising infinite lives… infinite lives was the big selling point. It seems like more and more people are forgetting about this clever tool, which is really a shame.

Game genie to play super famicom