Game Genie - Gaming Historian

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ธ.ค. 2011
  • Gaming Historian gives a complete history of the Game Genie by Galoob. This device not only made cheating easy, it helped define fair use in the video game industry. Take a closer look at the device and how it worked.
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ความคิดเห็น • 2.3K

  • @noralasiah5623
    @noralasiah5623 5 ปีที่แล้ว +563

    Cartridge: The player has 2 lives left.
    Nes: What? I can’t hear you!
    Game Genie: They said the player has 3 lives left.

  • @shindrithargriethrat8408
    @shindrithargriethrat8408 4 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    I asked for a game genie for Christmas. My mom bought it and I found the receipt, it felt like Christmas took a million years to finally arrive. It was awesome. Little known fact, you could actually stack two of them together and double the codes you could put in.

    • @ryanp5052
      @ryanp5052 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      What did double codes do?

    • @shindrithargriethrat8408
      @shindrithargriethrat8408 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@ryanp5052 You could put twice as many codes in than you could with one.

    • @sarcasticdude2320
      @sarcasticdude2320 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      What id you used 3?

    • @shindrithargriethrat8408
      @shindrithargriethrat8408 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      @@sarcasticdude2320 I assume you could put in even more codes.

    • @Hexstream
      @Hexstream 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Imagine a Beowulf Cluster of Game Genies stacked together!
      (I wonder what the actual limit would be?)

  • @CrimsonFox36
    @CrimsonFox36 3 ปีที่แล้ว +337

    I love how Sega endorsed the Game Genie as a giant middle finger to Nintendo.

    • @lightningandodinify
      @lightningandodinify 2 ปีที่แล้ว +41

      Sega was cool to everyone but themselves. If they trusted Sega America, the company would be flawless. Sega was before my time, but man am I sad they're gone 😞

    • @Baddawg_313
      @Baddawg_313 2 ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Genesis does what Nintendon't.

    • @minix07
      @minix07 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@Baddawg_313 eggsecly

    • @minix07
      @minix07 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @Shoenheim okay

    • @funlover163
      @funlover163 2 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      @@lightningandodinify Sega still here. They just don't seem to manufacture hardware anymore.

  • @Biosynthnut
    @Biosynthnut 4 ปีที่แล้ว +96

    I used it once to see the MK1 "Blood" effect, on the SNES.

    • @benharrison5816
      @benharrison5816 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Same here, I was hyped to finally have blood! Then was sorely disappointed lol. At least Nintendo finally caved in and we got MK2 which was dope.

    • @ctobias1984
      @ctobias1984 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Biosynthnut abacabb

    • @Blazeinone
      @Blazeinone 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Genesis does what nintendont

    • @fuzzydunlop1753
      @fuzzydunlop1753 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@Blazeinone making a ton of shitty add-ons and failing so hard they had to stop making hardware all together you mean?😏

    • @Blazeinone
      @Blazeinone 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Fuzzy Dunlop the genesis is not what made sega quit making hardware it was the Saturn and 32x

  • @KaneRobot
    @KaneRobot 8 ปีที่แล้ว +211

    I had the Camerica one. Live in Michigan, went to Canada on family vacation right after the gaming mags broke the news it was blocked in the US and brought one back. After taking the code book to school I was the coolest kid in 6th grade for like...a day because I had this "weird illegal Nintendo cheat thing."

    • @williebeamish5879
      @williebeamish5879 4 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      the digital cache of illegal fireworks.

  • @adoboawesome
    @adoboawesome 8 ปีที่แล้ว +155

    Damn, five years old, and the quality isn't utterly embarrassing. Hats off, Gaming Historian guy.

  • @djandiek
    @djandiek 4 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    I love seeing young people showing an active interest in the history of video games. You made me smile ☺

  • @dacypher22
    @dacypher22 4 ปีที่แล้ว +93

    It really is mind-blowing how much of an impact Judge Fern Smith has had on the video game industry. She presided over this case, Atari vs. Nintendo and the Tetris cases.

    • @TonyDrecaps
      @TonyDrecaps 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I'm so glad she approved it!

    • @wolfetteplays8894
      @wolfetteplays8894 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@TonyDrecaps same. Otherwise it would’ve set a far more dangerous precedent

    • @TonyDrecaps
      @TonyDrecaps ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@wolfetteplays8894 yep! Close one

    • @dacypher22
      @dacypher22 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @SuperNostalgia. Are you saying that Judge Fern Smith is......god?

  • @redavatar
    @redavatar 8 ปีที่แล้ว +789

    It's kinda amusing how all these stories have "and then Nintendo sued ..." in the middle. Nintendo sure loved to lawyer up back then!

    • @xLithiumFlower1
      @xLithiumFlower1 8 ปีที่แล้ว +49

      I guess after the Universal issue they lawyered up hardcore

    • @gluserty
      @gluserty 8 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      Nintendo really knew how to put on their law suits for sure. Video gaming was a new industry at the time though, and there just weren't a lot of rules in place yet.

    • @DustinRodriguez1_0
      @DustinRodriguez1_0 7 ปีที่แล้ว +89

      Ohhh yeah. Nintendos litigious nature is why I never owned a Super Nintendo or Nintendo 64. I LOVED my NES, but when it came time to go 16-bit, I specifically asked for the Genesis for Christmas instead of an SNES because of Nintendos lawsuit against Galoob. I was only 10 years old or so, but I followed that lawsuit religiously and was supremely pissed off about it. This video makes it sound like the lawsuit was a quick little couple-week affair. No. It dragged on for years. The Game Genie wasn't even released until quite late in the NES lifecycle because of the dickwad lawyers at Nintendo. No way was I going to give them more money if they were going to do things like that. Even at 10 years old I had more backbone than gamers today are able to muster. I actually didn't play the SNES because the company did things that hurt gamers. Simple. Whereas today, EA poops out something like that online Simcity game that screws millions of people and the modern community of gamers made it the best-selling game on Origin of all time. If you wonder why game publishers nowadays do terrible things to their customers, that is why. Because gamers can't bring themselves to actually not play the games no matter how bad it gets.

    • @samuelmeredith2830
      @samuelmeredith2830 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I was thinking the same thing.

    • @critter2
      @critter2 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      well i can't fault them in some cases i am sure you feel the same if you weren't making money on something that took hours upon hours dayys and moths to admit. and they weren't the only company to sue

  • @DukeNukem2020
    @DukeNukem2020 9 ปีที่แล้ว +238

    Ironically enough, if your NES won't play games anymore because the pins were worn out, the game genie actually fixes the issue and makes games work 90% of the time.

    • @crescentfreshbret
      @crescentfreshbret 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      DukeNukem2020 Yep. That was the only way I could play games on my NES until it finally bit the dust completely last year.

    • @daytonasayswhat9333
      @daytonasayswhat9333 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That's not really ironic.

    • @Autrain1980
      @Autrain1980 4 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      @@daytonasayswhat9333 Kind of is. Nintendo sued the Game Genie, yet their games won't work without it.

    • @daytonasayswhat9333
      @daytonasayswhat9333 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Autrain OK. That makes sense.

    • @jamessanders145
      @jamessanders145 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      I always thought the game genie had connectors that were slightly too large and the lack of proper contact between console and cartridges was a result of using the game genie. I never expected the game genie to be and unintended solution.

  • @ronandheather3079
    @ronandheather3079 4 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    The game genie was a prize to be admired! It was absolutely amazing and totally gave us a whole new experience in gaming

  • @aBerlin1945
    @aBerlin1945 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Kids these days will never know the struggle of living without Game Genie

  • @Larry
    @Larry 9 ปีที่แล้ว +477

    What I learned recently, and the most crazy thing about the Game Genie was it was invented, developed and sold by two teenagers and their Dad. (The Darling Brothers)

    • @franknitti9126
      @franknitti9126 6 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      Larry Bundy Jr maybe you should go make a video about that instead of stupid fuckin kickstarter videos

    • @martinhowser4094
      @martinhowser4094 6 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      Larry Bundy Jr : and one of those brothers allegedly had a Ferrari for every one of his toes, but allegedly couldn’t get laid.. so he placed a full page ad in a national newspaper.. allegedly....

    • @karnagefails333
      @karnagefails333 6 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Frank Nitti Damn dude...

    • @helpnt804
      @helpnt804 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Larry Bundy Jr I

    • @RikoJAmado
      @RikoJAmado 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Hey! I know you! You were the winner of this year's Channel Awesome Hunger Games! :-D

  • @darkbowserdofus9978
    @darkbowserdofus9978 8 ปีที่แล้ว +555

    TH-cam could use a few Fair Use lessons from Galoob.

    • @zitz2572
      @zitz2572 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Indeed!

    • @hideofreakingkojima5457
      @hideofreakingkojima5457 7 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      And the companies who are so desperate in stealing people's money by taking their monitization without any consequences.

    • @jacobthesitton9142
      @jacobthesitton9142 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Agreed

    • @dhawk1755
      @dhawk1755 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Darkbowserdofus99 I experimented with samples and loops. They banned a video I posted, that had a backwards, modified copywritten looped sample. Not sure how they even figured out the sample I used. Wasn't for profit. You can cite a fair use law on your video, and it might work.

    • @DoomFinger511
      @DoomFinger511 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I think all people should be treated fairly

  • @goodall1bay
    @goodall1bay 3 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    I remember requiring a game genie to get the NES to even work.

  • @stonedmelodic7918
    @stonedmelodic7918 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    very informative. nice pace. no weird flashing logos or crazy music. thanks for making a quality video man!

  • @xen84
    @xen84 8 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    8:12 I used to have one of these Game Boy versions. That little compartment in the back of it held a tiny little code book, so you'd always have it with you. Pretty clever design choice given that it was meant for a portable system.

    • @musican67557
      @musican67557 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      My compartment handle broke off, though. Don't play with it like I did.

    • @DMBWater0
      @DMBWater0 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I know this comment is really old, but had to chime in. I also had it too. Mine came with stickers that you could put on the back of games in case you lost the booklet.

  • @cabbycabby1770
    @cabbycabby1770 9 ปีที่แล้ว +14

    I had the gameshark for PS1. It was damn amazing. Plugged into the serial port on the back and was also used as a huge memory card. Good memories.

  • @leviblanchard8256
    @leviblanchard8256 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love the background music...shining force holds a special place in my heart. I played it through 3x.

  • @BrotherChrisBuffalo
    @BrotherChrisBuffalo 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    So cool to see your video! I remember when I got the GG and how it breathed new life into so many of my NES Games. A few of my favorite games to use the GG on were Super Mario 3, River City Ransom, Ninja Gaiden 2 and (lol) enabled me to finally beat frigging Top gun as well as a few others. Thank you for making and sharing this!

  • @ImTheKingOfHyrule
    @ImTheKingOfHyrule 10 ปีที่แล้ว +324

    The real reason Nintendo wanted to block the Game Genie was because it made their 1-900 help hotline irrelevant, and for Nintendo, artificial difficulty was an easy way to make kids run up their parents' phone bill, which for Nintendo was pure profit.

    • @xXNuclearWarXx
      @xXNuclearWarXx 10 ปีที่แล้ว +36

      That, and it effectively allowed you to bypass the CIC lockout chip which they were none to thrilled about.

    • @cloudtx
      @cloudtx 9 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Interesting theory!.

    • @ashdragon1
      @ashdragon1 9 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      cloudtx
      It's not a theory

    • @cloudtx
      @cloudtx 9 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      ashdragon1
      It is unless there is undeniable proof.

    • @Lonsoleil
      @Lonsoleil 7 ปีที่แล้ว +45

      Timstuff
      Nintendo was an evil, greedy monopoly back then. It's a really good thing that they have totally lost their control over the video game market.

  • @gaoutlaw
    @gaoutlaw 9 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    Super Mario 3 had a boatload of Game Genie codes, multi jumping and start and stay as Hammer Mario were fun ones to use.

    • @kelly3014
      @kelly3014 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      C. Dawg Knight My favorite was infinite lives!

    • @ingonyama70
      @ingonyama70 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      It took me forever, but I found the Holy Grail: Start and Stay as Tanooki Mario. I was a fursuited, statue-y god among turtles.

    • @zeroturn7091
      @zeroturn7091 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Power Winged the whole game.

  • @geekguitars
    @geekguitars 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Oh man, my brother and I got a Galoob Game Genie for Xmas in 1991. Loved it. Not just the cheating, but it was like truly experiencing the game all over again. We still have it with the code book and it still works

  • @waro9637
    @waro9637 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    There are a whole bunch of advertisements for the Game Genie in comic books I own. I never knew what it was until seeing this video though.

  • @tribaltroll
    @tribaltroll 8 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Ah the memories... My friends and I would stay up all night trying all the codes and seeing what kind of craziness we could create.

  • @dwaynedibbly
    @dwaynedibbly 10 ปีที่แล้ว +541

    i like this guys vids as he doesnt like some hyperactive idiot like most youtubers do in order to get attention. Just the facts Jack. :)

    • @doclorianrin7543
      @doclorianrin7543 10 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Was about to post the same comment.

    • @AntiJewluminatiDwarf
      @AntiJewluminatiDwarf 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      +Hillary Is Evil I always liked those haha was good time to relax in class

    • @PKWinning07
      @PKWinning07 7 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      That's actually why I like these videos, it's got a real cool classic PBS vibe from it. I find some modern documentaries overdramatic and most TH-camrs just straight up obnoxious.
      I absolutely love videos games and video games history but I simply can't enjoy sitting through neckbeards pandering torwards sugared up 13 year olds which is most of the content out there.

    • @AntiJewluminatiDwarf
      @AntiJewluminatiDwarf 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      K.Louis well said

    • @gilavalos2400
      @gilavalos2400 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Exactly, some presenter act like crackheads with all that crazy arm and hand movement.

  • @rcala1980
    @rcala1980 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Why would you give this a thumbs down? The presentation is mostly factual and less commentary. Also very structured and accurate. Great job!

  • @shawnthegr8
    @shawnthegr8 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    you are bringing back memories, the gold years i call them

  • @JohnRiggs
    @JohnRiggs 8 ปีที่แล้ว +399

    I'm guessing the very first thing everyone did with the Game Genie was jump over the flagpole in Super Mario Bros. I know that was the first thing I did.

    • @nathanhamman418
      @nathanhamman418 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      John Riggs: RIGG'd Games my game genie never worked, though I got mine second hand

    • @superduper7397
      @superduper7397 6 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      John Riggs: RIGG'd Games and run forever after it

    • @edvance1030
      @edvance1030 6 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      My gaming career begun in the 16 bit era with my Mega Drive, but I didn't have a Game Genie or any cheat device until the 64 bit era when I bought a Gameshark for my Nintendo 64. I had a lot of fun with it.

    • @jshepard152
      @jshepard152 6 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      You can do that without cheating.

    • @worldrecordcherrylicker8228
      @worldrecordcherrylicker8228 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      well actually uhhh i guess so but thats considered a glitch so uhhhh i guess u can make it harder for u to do it with the glitch...

  • @mcgibs
    @mcgibs 9 ปีที่แล้ว +58

    The best thing about the Game Genie was making your own codes that glitch the game just enough to still be playable. SMB 2 was one of the best for this. Iridescent Mario, creepy glitched out music composed of sound effects, shit was great.

    • @nicholastosoni707
      @nicholastosoni707 9 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Makes you wonder if that's where all the ".EXE" creepypastas come from.

    • @charlesdiamond1904
      @charlesdiamond1904 9 ปีที่แล้ว

      mcgibs true , i didnt really mess with custom codes for nes, but i did that a lot for gameboy

    • @daminmancejin
      @daminmancejin 9 ปีที่แล้ว

      mcgibs I still make my own codes on the sega genesis I still have fun with my game genie

    • @mcgibs
      @mcgibs 9 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Speaking of experimental game glitching, when I was really young I remember putting a small sticker on a couple pins of a Mickey Mousecapade cartridge just to see what it would do. It actually scrambled the layout of the levels to the point they felt like secret levels. Thankfully I was able to pick the sticker and gunk back out of everything without damaging the cart and my NES.

    • @tomaszakrocki8501
      @tomaszakrocki8501 9 ปีที่แล้ว

      mcgibs That's awesome.

  • @maverickhunterrob2557
    @maverickhunterrob2557 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love the intro music. It's very nice to listen to. Great video as well, I learned something new :)

  • @theshaolin2391
    @theshaolin2391 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Veeeery interesting. I've always been curious about the history of the Game Genie and you summed it up perfectly.

    • @theshaolin2391
      @theshaolin2391 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Btw there's an "NES 2"? *KABLAAAAM!*

  • @EricGarringer
    @EricGarringer 8 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    Game Genie was indeed an "enhancer," not a "cheat." Sure, if desired, one could make a game easier, but I remember there was also codes to make a game far more challenging. It simply allowed the player to customize the games level of difficulty (or ease). And it provided a seemingly endless combination of codes to make each time the game was played unique. Game Genie was a terrific add-on.

  • @Nixsy924
    @Nixsy924 9 ปีที่แล้ว +59

    i cheat to experience a new way to play after i beat the game a couple of times

    • @PrekiFromPoland
      @PrekiFromPoland 9 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      ***** Everyone does. Most players are curious beings and will try to meddle with the game after beating it. That's why developers must think like a player and think of many design details. A classic example - Deus Ex: "OK, I've already beaten the game! Now let's go to that woman's bathroom and find out what happens! :D"

    • @CoalTrain22
      @CoalTrain22 9 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      PrekiFromPoland What happened when you went to the Woman's bathroom in Deus Ex.

    • @PrekiFromPoland
      @PrekiFromPoland 9 ปีที่แล้ว

      Oh c'mon :P Manderley, the chief of UNACTO will chew you out for doing that. Now talk about immersion.

    • @kwc0435
      @kwc0435 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Nixsy924 like how you play gta 5 and want to make your punches explosive to destroy los santos

    • @markh8189
      @markh8189 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      I like to cheat not because of a hard game. I like to cheat because it can make a game extremely fun. For example, moon graivty in Mario 64

  • @megamarsonic
    @megamarsonic 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Just scored a Camerica Game Genie for three bucks. As soon as I saw the Camerica logo, I almost instantly remembered this video (which I haven’t seen in YEARS) and what you said about it being a little harder to find than the Galoob version. Thanks, Norm from nearly 12 years ago! 😊

  • @Raphy99997
    @Raphy99997 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    man im so glad Ifound you this channel is so cool, such a cool host, keep it up bro, much love for you and the things you do

  • @erikadunne6855
    @erikadunne6855 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Many memories of going to my friends house and plugging the game genie into super Mario 3 and beating the game in a course of an afternoon! Who cares if it was cheating or not. We were a bunch of kids and had a blast.

  • @DeAthWaGer
    @DeAthWaGer 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Would have been awesome to see you browse the tiny books that come with the Gameboy and Game Gear versions. They're adorable. The portables also had stickers you could put on the backs of your cartridges with the codes on them!

  • @FolkLaurr
    @FolkLaurr 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love this channel, so much nostalgia

  • @kregadeth5562
    @kregadeth5562 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks! I really appreciate you and the work you do. I very much enjoy the videos that you make

  • @DeRockMedia
    @DeRockMedia 9 ปีที่แล้ว +54

    Every gamer knew back then that sometimes you NEEDED game genie to enjoy the game...funny how they thought ppl would enjoy them less. Usually due to limited lives were the reason games got frusterating

    • @DeRockMedia
      @DeRockMedia 8 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ***** my guess would be sumtimes it took certain companies alot of time to make levels..so they did a few and made them hard as fawk. Just a guess tho

    • @altrick9693
      @altrick9693 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It was once again the unoriginal thought process of the industry. Limited lives were a vestige of arcades, once ported there was no need but to spend five minutes adding in an unlimited mode? Too much work. Far easier to throw them into the arcade but with limited graphics and resolution, and just sue whoever cameup with something better.

    • @DoomFinger511
      @DoomFinger511 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      There were so many games I gave up on because they got so hard. I only went back and enjoyed all the levels because game genie (and later game shark) let me have those few extra lives I needed, or get past that one ridiculously hard boss that popped up way too early in the game. To think about all those last levels programmers spent time working on that so few people saw cause the game was too hard to reach it.
      On that same note I get why they made it hard. A game that took longer then a day to beat was considered a long game. Due to limited sized and lack of a save feature (for earlier games) making it harder was the only way to stretch it out.

    • @pauldavis5665
      @pauldavis5665 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeah, some games were just frustratingly difficult. It was nice to have a game genie on hand so you know you could dial back the difficulty on any game if you wanted and add to the enjoyment of the game. It was better than pulling the game out of the system in frustration and smashing it to pieces with a hammer. lol

    • @DeRockMedia
      @DeRockMedia 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@pauldavis5665 i always aggressively try to break the NES romote in half with my hands when i got frustrated....luckily my 5-8 year old me was weak af

  • @DIE-KDSE
    @DIE-KDSE 8 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    It looks like a strapon for game cartridges

  • @jmckendry84
    @jmckendry84 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Ah, I remember wanting one of these for my Game Boy, but never got one! Been watching some of your videos, they're very interesting and give me a little nostalgia hit as I remember the games consoles of my childhood!

  • @paulbrown5937
    @paulbrown5937 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Man I love the music you add on to your videos! :D

  • @OneTrueBelmont
    @OneTrueBelmont 9 ปีที่แล้ว +68

    I'd like to think that because of the Game Genie, companies realized that maybe they shouldn't set all their games to HARD as the default.

    • @Chronon88
      @Chronon88 8 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      +OneTrueBelmont They did it to make the games last longer. Renting was a big thing and game would easily flop if it was too easy and everyone could beat it during one day. Game Genie let people see everything in a game right on the spot and I bet that was the issue what Nintendo had with it.

    • @OneTrueBelmont
      @OneTrueBelmont 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Chronon
      Well you have a point there.. The never ending fight between gamers who just want to play something and creators who want to make some money.

    • @soylentgreenb
      @soylentgreenb 8 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      +OneTrueBelmont Nonsense; there were obscene memory constraints. It was not possible to make a game last without being either hard or very grindy. Super mario bros is literally 20 minutes long if you disable all collision detection. Mastery was the core value of old games because it couldn't be otherwise.

    • @tackthewise6421
      @tackthewise6421 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Metroid is like Lunatic+ Chapter 22 on Fe awakening. You know what I'm talking about.

    • @invidious07
      @invidious07 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      It wasn't so much "set to hard" as it was that many early NES games were originally arcade games designed to gobble up quarters. When ported over to the NES some added free "continues" that perform the same function as putting in more quarters, but some didn't add anything, you just lost when you ran out of lives and you were done. The only way to beat the game was to play flawlessly during a single multi hour session. Just look at the original TMNT game, I defy anyone to beat that game without cheats or save states.

  • @85Zeroangel
    @85Zeroangel 9 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Thanks, I needed a subject to write about in my immateriel law class, and now I have one about gaming and fair use. And I was only watching this video because I didn't know what a Game Geini was.
    How the world works.

    • @BlindLibrary
      @BlindLibrary 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      these are the best things to write about:
      Especially when curiosity has you pondering.

  • @gilavalos2400
    @gilavalos2400 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love your channel and thanks for uploading such great videos.

  • @SuperKillersz
    @SuperKillersz 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I could watch your videos all day, they are interesting

  • @tubey84
    @tubey84 8 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Proper weird... just playing Shining Force on Steam, stopped playing, turned on this video and heard the soundtrack in the background. Completely threw me; thought I hadn't turned the game off!

    • @jmonlive
      @jmonlive 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Lee: Actually sometimes game music hangs, even why all other game output on a pc terminates!

    • @davethomas543
      @davethomas543 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Shining force 2 is the greatest game ever!!!!

    • @jc.1191
      @jc.1191 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I was playing and checked too. lol

  • @johnk9707
    @johnk9707 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Omg you used the song from Guardiana castle in Shining Force! Awesome!

  • @mr4cccc
    @mr4cccc 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Man thank you so much for making this video growing up I thought I was the only person who had one even now if I asked someone about it they don't remember Thank you man

  • @luxuryhomes8889
    @luxuryhomes8889 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    bro u are the best video maker ever- your content is on point on all your videos.

  • @spiv
    @spiv 10 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    galoob v nintendo is something every gamer should study

    • @BlindLibrary
      @BlindLibrary 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Without Nintendo, no modern console would be here today.
      Nintendo was the very God of the games in the 80s.
      It was a perverbial 'book of genesis' that laid a foundation quietly built upon even now.

  • @Justin-Hill-1987
    @Justin-Hill-1987 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I would love to see a video about the history of the early online video gaming devices, including, but not limited to, Sega Meganet, Sega Channel, The Satellaview BS-X, and X-Band.

  • @dongeraci8599
    @dongeraci8599 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The Gaming Historian is without a doubt one of the BEST retro gaming channels on TH-cam. I confess that I'm a bit snobbish when it comes to my passion, retro games, there's nothing new you can tell me. Except, the Gaming Historian. There are Discovery channel documentaries (etc) that are not as nearly well thought out and RESEARCHED as the content on the GH. Honestly, I don't know how he does it. The man goes well beyond Google for his info. You sir, have my utmost admiration and respect.

  • @pmaes11
    @pmaes11 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I have the Camerica version of the Game Genie, I was so excited when I got it. I spent many hours in Major Video (pre-BlockBuster) deciding which NES games I wanted to rent that could use the Game Genie.

  • @historybuff1986
    @historybuff1986 8 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    Shining force music! good choice

    • @HgRoller
      @HgRoller 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I knew I recognized it! I was trying to figure out what game it was from.

    • @freedumb719
      @freedumb719 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Michael Fiorelli. I heard it and I'm singled someone else recognized the music. I remember that music just like it was 22 years ago.

    • @Burn_Angel
      @Burn_Angel 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Guardiana Castle.

    • @jesusontiveros4860
      @jesusontiveros4860 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Shining force ftw!

    • @jc.1191
      @jc.1191 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      And final fantasy 2!

  • @Sly88Frye
    @Sly88Frye 9 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Hold on. Gameshark is still around? I only remember ever using that on PS1 and N64.
    Once again, another great video here.

    • @JASpiring
      @JASpiring 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      The video dates from 2011, which is nine years ago. You commented four years ago, and well, a lot can change in five years. And sure enough, no new Gamesharks in that time - the most recent were for the Nintendo DS and Playstation Portable, both current systems at the time of this video but later replaced by the 3DS and Vita.

  • @meks0613
    @meks0613 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The StarFox ending theme at the end tho!!!!💖💖💖💖

  • @NothingButAshs
    @NothingButAshs 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I used to work for Galoob on the GG. Testing and creating codes and some editing on the manuals. One of my first video game gigs when i was in highschool...writing some of those blurbs describing the games got tedious sometimes...trying to dude-ify everything. But there are some great stories from those days.

  • @DoomRater
    @DoomRater 7 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    The explanation at 6:23 isn't.. quite right. At least not in most Game Genie codes. Typically what happens is that the game's code that takes something away from the lives counter is modified so that it doesn't do anything. The behavior described in the video would mean if the player GAINED an extra life, the Game Genie wouldn't count that either. But in the case of Super Mario Bros, it does. So it's not freezing the number of lives in this case, it's just overriding the code that takes away a life when you die. By the days of Game Shark, it was much easier to find the number of lives in code within just the Game Shark Pro's tools itself, meaning that most Game Shark codes just froze the variables instead of finding the parts of code that modified its value- though that wouldn't be too hard to discover with a disassembler built in as well.

    • @HopUpOutDaBed
      @HopUpOutDaBed 7 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      all game genie is is a hex editor. All you're doing when you put in a code is replacing one line of code with another, so you're right it doesn't actively do anything, it simply says "replace this code with something else." If you enter enough codes you could theoretically get the game to do whatever you want (though there's a limit to how much game genie can actually modify)

    • @DoomRater
      @DoomRater 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      HopUpOutDaBed right, the example given though was that Game Genie would freeze the variables in memory by always writing the same value to them, which also gives the intended effect but has the side effect that your lives or energy won't go up either- and that's demonstratably not what happens with must Game Genie codes I've seen. Game Shark codes often do this and it's easy to find said variables in memory. Triggering an interrupt when a value is accessed in memory from a Game Shark to rewrite the code being used to modify it is a bit beyond what the Pro version was capable of doing though. So people just modified variables and froze them at a value instead to get the intended effect.

    • @DoomRater
      @DoomRater 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      HopUpOutDaBed right, the example given though was that Game Genie would freeze the variables in memory by always writing the same value to them, which also gives the intended effect but has the side effect that your lives or energy won't go up either- and that's demonstratably not what happens with must Game Genie codes I've seen. Game Shark codes often do this and it's easy to find said variables in memory. Triggering an interrupt when a value is accessed in memory from a Game Shark to rewrite the code being used to modify it is a bit beyond what the Pro version was capable of doing though. So people just modified variables and froze them at a value instead to get the intended effect.

  • @nicholastosoni707
    @nicholastosoni707 8 ปีที่แล้ว +64

    "It's just like a book. If you want to start at Chapter 11..."
    * snicker *

    • @ky-gp4sz
      @ky-gp4sz 8 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      you can. If the kid wants to start at World 8, because he's been through all the earlier levels before and doesn't want to spend an hour doing it, why shouldn't he be able to? -Steven Klein

    • @nicholastosoni707
      @nicholastosoni707 8 ปีที่แล้ว +39

      ky Oh, I was just thinking of a very old joke:
      "If buildings can't have a Floor 13, then why can books have a Chapter 11?"
      It's a pun on Chapter 11 bankruptcy, I think.

    • @lunayoshi
      @lunayoshi 8 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      +Nicholas Tosoni Oh, I thought you were implying one of the companies filed for Chapter 11. XD Close enough.

    • @dsandoval9396
      @dsandoval9396 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      "why can't books have a chapter 11" LOL!

    • @BlindLibrary
      @BlindLibrary 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Or perhaps; Alter a few concepts; Get more than just 1 thing at a time; 999 lives?; Activate a special reward feature with 1 coin; Lol?

  • @triffton1
    @triffton1 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    ok you have the music from shining force in the background. That is simply outstanding

  • @SammeLagom
    @SammeLagom 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love your channel man.

  • @KhanGarth
    @KhanGarth 8 ปีที่แล้ว +41

    oh man i love 90's commercials.

  • @isaacshemp901
    @isaacshemp901 8 ปีที่แล้ว +294

    Game genie: Mario Maker before Mario Maker.

    • @JMLRetroRoom
      @JMLRetroRoom 8 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      Lunar Majic was a true Mario Maker before it came out.

    • @brochacho.
      @brochacho. 8 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      +Isaac Shemp That's a shit comparison.

    • @isaacshemp901
      @isaacshemp901 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      You're a shit comparison.

    • @brochacho.
      @brochacho. 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      Isaac Shemp You mad?

    • @isaacshemp901
      @isaacshemp901 8 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      No, are you?

  • @dannyx1791
    @dannyx1791 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    This channel is great. Many thanks

  • @littlenemos1536
    @littlenemos1536 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I LOVE the Shining Force and final fantasy music in the background, so epic. Best game ever.

    • @dangelini1137
      @dangelini1137 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Which final fantasy game is that music from?

  • @danielgardiner214
    @danielgardiner214 8 ปีที่แล้ว +56

    2:07 Does anyone else see the game genie flipping of the public while having fun with a fiery redhead? Or is that just me?

    • @SpuddyWesker
      @SpuddyWesker 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      +Daniel Gardiner i see it

    • @billyrigney4455
      @billyrigney4455 8 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      +Daniel Gardiner Well spotted.

    • @Trekpanther
      @Trekpanther 8 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      +Daniel Gardiner Damnit, now I can't unsee it.

    • @StudioInkblot
      @StudioInkblot 8 ปีที่แล้ว

      Oh.

    • @marshallperry2446
      @marshallperry2446 7 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Well, I can never not see that now. thanks.

  • @cloudbloom
    @cloudbloom 8 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I used game genie but my favorite was the game shark for ps1. Final fantasy 8 debug menu was unreal

    • @kellyandauroru7331
      @kellyandauroru7331 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      cloudbloom If you get Crash Bandicoot do the game shark code that gives you Stomy Ascent so hard it was cut from the game.

    • @stolensentience
      @stolensentience 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Final fantasy 7*

  • @spillsndebris
    @spillsndebris 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    seeing the code entry screen really took me back. it really was like making all your games new again.
    and the images of the super Nintendo game genie... that was one of the sexiest devices I'd ever seen at that time. I loved the way it clicked into the groove of the SNES cart and had the power switch.

  • @ssheeessh
    @ssheeessh 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    35 second introduction with no ads.
    TH-cam sure was different back in the day

  • @thekinginyellow7029
    @thekinginyellow7029 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This series has trained me to just see red whenever I hear the name Howard Lincoln.

  • @TheMrRuttazzo
    @TheMrRuttazzo 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    4:28
    No matter what, Googly eyes make everything look hilarious... Everything. :D

  • @MiketheratguyMultimedia
    @MiketheratguyMultimedia 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Got the Game Genie and the Super NES for Christmas of 1991 (yes, it was the best Christmas of my entire childhood). The first game I tested on it was Ninja Gaiden II. I couldn't believe that it really worked, that I could make myself invincible. I was so excited for this awesome little device.

  • @shellbacksclub
    @shellbacksclub 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    just about to recommend u do a video on the Game Genie! but of course u were already on top of it! Super content creator! ur awesome! 👍

  • @Thex-W.I.T.C.H.-xMaster
    @Thex-W.I.T.C.H.-xMaster 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I wish we still had cheat devices today 😢😭.

    • @evanparker
      @evanparker 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      games a are a WHOLE lot more lenient. much less needed.

    • @tristan6509
      @tristan6509 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      it's called mods, everything is in software now, although it is mostly on PC since on a consoles, you have to modify the hardware since everything is locked out nowadays...

  • @garynordeen4296
    @garynordeen4296 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    GAME GENIE WAS released in North America. I bought one.

  • @DiCasaFilm
    @DiCasaFilm 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    OMG OMG SHINING FORCE CASTLE THEME AT 1:40 ❤️❤️❤️ Gaming Historian I'm a subscriber and fan of yours but now I love you.

  • @frod79
    @frod79 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Random Astyanax sighting. I remember getting that game for Christmas when i was 11. Thanks for the memory!

  • @firstclaims30
    @firstclaims30 7 ปีที่แล้ว +78

    These kids now a days will never know how fun those days were

    • @wynterfoxx2517
      @wynterfoxx2517 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Efrain Espinet Unless you're one of the many modern kids who play NES.

    • @retrograde889
      @retrograde889 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Efrain Espinet very very true

    • @dwg8084
      @dwg8084 7 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      Efrain Espinet I'm sure they'll get by between battlefield, darksouls and internet porn.

    • @Hendrix67297
      @Hendrix67297 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Nope Dope these were for pussies who could not cut the mustard.

    • @MatthewCampbell765
      @MatthewCampbell765 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      To be fair-there are two modern equivalents of the game genie: Developer Consoles and Mods.

  • @JMLRetroRoom
    @JMLRetroRoom 8 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    Did you know that the Gameboy Game Genie works on the SNES inside the Super Gameboy adapter? It doesn't actually fit out of the box. You have to disassemble the Gameboy Game Genie to make it fit. Line up the cart slot and it will actually work. I did this when I was a teenager (14-15 or so, I'm 33 now). I was shocked that it did work. All the codes and everything run as if it was on the Gameboy itself.

    • @groenekever
      @groenekever 8 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      +jlo138 not shocked it was a gb player... ;) it plays also the camera

    • @jmonlive
      @jmonlive 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Why be shocked silly?

    • @DoomFinger511
      @DoomFinger511 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hey dawg, I heard you like game genie so I put a game genie in your super nintendo with a Super game boy with a game genie inside that.

  • @MicahBuzanANIMATION
    @MicahBuzanANIMATION 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    You look like a kid here! You've come a long way. Quality from the start.

  • @Danny_Rux
    @Danny_Rux 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Just discovered your channel today and it's damn cool and interesting.

  • @akramirez
    @akramirez 9 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    So Nintendo sucked at copyright claims back in the day too. Who would have guessed. But in all seriousness, fuck Nintendo. Sorry, I meant, good video.

  • @ImmortalOne-LoLo
    @ImmortalOne-LoLo 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Putting a game in the genie was the only way some of my games would work

  • @dsuess
    @dsuess 8 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great episode!

  • @mastersplinter3901
    @mastersplinter3901 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Brings back many memories, this video does..

  • @denzal689
    @denzal689 9 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I have a Game Genie that fits in the NES 2 perfectly...

  • @cantryss
    @cantryss 9 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    Can you imagine a game genie device with the online era of gaming we have now? I know PC deals with cheaters a lot. Consoles to to a extent as well. This product could also be sightly responsible for people's desires to exploit glitches, or bad game designs now to give the individual a "edge".

    • @Xorthis
      @Xorthis 9 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      They exist in some ways. The way it works is by directly changing memory values within the game. On the PC, things like cheat engine have existed as long as x86 gaming, but today thankfully the application of such hex debugger programs is impossible in online play due to server side components. Except on the Wii and DS... The backup flash carts and software have built in hex editors and the developers don't protect the exploitable memory locations due to the fact that you shouldn't have such access in the game. Online play with Nintendo became a cheater's heaven.

    • @Darkfa1r
      @Darkfa1r 9 ปีที่แล้ว

      AR powersaves 3ds

    • @Falsechicken
      @Falsechicken 9 ปีที่แล้ว

      Andrew Bond Powersaves are not exactly the same though. They can give you 99 lives or similar things by altering the save but cannot directly edit the memory like older Gameshark/Action Replays could. They could add whole new functionality sometimes like key combos triggering cheats and such. Or changing the players speed, refire rate for weapons, etc.

    • @MartinX192
      @MartinX192 9 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Dreamcast gameshark just about ruined the original Phantasy Star Online way back 2001. So, yes i can imagine

    • @SZF123456
      @SZF123456 9 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeah GameSharks with PS2 online, god damn it was terrible

  • @mechamussolini
    @mechamussolini 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    wow that intro is painful in 2021, love it!

  • @erichhudson2090
    @erichhudson2090 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video. Nicely done.

  • @bryguysays2948
    @bryguysays2948 7 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    Game Genie isn't cheating. When you've played the same level you can get past after dropping 50 bucks on it, the GG comes on handy. Believe me I own one for the NES.

    • @k1productions87
      @k1productions87 7 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      What makes Nintendo's argument fall flat on its head is the fact that the Game Genie doesn't create anything. Anything you do with it is immediately erased every time you turn off the machine, which means the consumer cannot profit off of it in any way other than personal enjoyment of something they already purchased... from Nintendo.

  • @ronnyclayton194
    @ronnyclayton194 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Miss the days of altering codes just to see what would happen, the possibilites were endless.

  • @DiCasaFilm
    @DiCasaFilm 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    OMG OMG SHINING FORCE CASTLE THEME AT 1:40 Gaming Historian I'm a subscriber and fan of yours but now I love you.

  • @pbailed8007
    @pbailed8007 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    I do love the music in the end of your video

  • @Brycer345
    @Brycer345 10 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I got a Camerica Game Genie. :)

  • @Richard_Nickerson
    @Richard_Nickerson 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    3:30
    Fun is subjective, Nintendo.
    You say it's not fun to have infinite lives or something, others say that's the only way certain games are fun to begin with.

  • @vitodereine5360
    @vitodereine5360 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love that Star Fox 64 outro... great vids, you just gained one more subscriber..

  • @eastcoastandloveit3857
    @eastcoastandloveit3857 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great info, and easy watching . Thank you I really liked this video.