806 lines
31 KiB
Plaintext
806 lines
31 KiB
Plaintext
Nintendo GameBoy
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Maintained by Marat Fayzullin [FMS]
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EMAIL: fms@wam.umd.edu
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IRC: RST38h
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version 2.0
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4/13/1994
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I. GameBoy: General Description
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II. Cheats, Passwords, Strategies, etc.
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III. List of the best games
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IV. GameGenie Questions
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V. Programming, Hardware, etc.
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*** Unanswered Questions
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UPDATES: 1. GameBoy mail-server and mailing list! <--*YEAH*
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2. Mortal Kombat cheats
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3. Yet more cheats, codes and passwords
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I finally found some time to update the FAQ. Sorry for the huge
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delay, this semester was a busy one for me. Anyway, here is a
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new v.2.0 of the FAQ.
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People, could somebody subscribing for "Electronic Gaming World"
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and other similar magazines go through the "S.W.A.T." sections in
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them and write down all GameBoy cheats/passwords/etc. not included
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into this file? I would appreciate your help.
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As always, FAQ may contain errors. Also, some information is
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missing. If you find an error or have a missing piece of information,
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email your comments to me. Notice that this file contains some data
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on GameBoy's internals. Any additional information in this field
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will also be greatly appreciated (read "Unanswered Questions" section).
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**************** I. GameBoy: General Description ******************
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CPU: 8-bit Z80 at 2.2 MHz
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RAM: 16kB internal
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ROM: 512kBit, 1MBit, 2MBit and 4MBit cartridges are known
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(64kB, 128kB, 256kB and 512kB). Probably, there are
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smaller kinds as well (16kB and 32kB).
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Sound: 4 Channels (Stereo: 2L/2R)
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Video:
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Display: Reflective LCD 160x144 dots
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Colors: 4 shades of gray
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Sprites: 8 sprites 8x8
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Communications: Serial port (?)
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Up to 4 Gameboys can be connected together using these ports
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Baud rate: ???
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Protocol: ???
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Power: 6 Volts, 0.7 Watts
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4 AA Batteries - 35 hours
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OR
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Rechargable battery (NAKI) - 12 hours
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* What are an advantage of GB in comparison with other portable videogames?
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The same reflective LCD screen which is considered to be the weak point
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of GameBoy, is its advantage. Other systems, such as Atari Lynx or SEGA
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GameGear, use backlighted color screens which consume several times more
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power than reflective LCD of GB. Thus, these systems need 6 AA batteries
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instead of 4 AAs needed by GB and drain these batteries in about 6 hours.
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Also, dots on GB's LCD are much smaller than dots on the color screens of
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other portables which [given that you have a good light source nearby]
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means that GB's LCD looks crisper. The other advantage of GameBoy is that
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it is the only portable videogame you can actually PUT INTO YOUR POCKET.
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Both Lynx and GameGear are too big for it.
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Speaking about variety of games available for GB, I would *NOT*
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consider it an advantage of GB if we are talking solely about its
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technical characteristics. Amount of software written for the system has
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nothing to do with the system's hardware architecture. It is rather
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determined by commercial success of the system and [in fact] by how it
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is marketed. There are many technologically superior systems which just
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didn't make it because of poor marketing [TurboGrafx is an example].
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**************** II. Cheats, Passwords, Strategies, etc. ****************
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1. Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge passwords
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H - Heart C - Candle B - Ball . - Space
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Central Castle: HBC. Hard Mode (like Castlevania I): .B.B
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Belmont's son's realm: HCBB Music Test: HHHH
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Count Dracula: BHCH Easy Mode (9 lives): CCHH
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2. Nemesis cheats
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Pause the game and press these buttons:
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To get SPEED and SHIELD: BBBBBAAAAA
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To get SHADOWFIGHTERS,SHIELD,LASER,MISSILES: UUDDLRLRBA
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( U-[UP] D-[DOWN] L-[LEFT] R-[RIGHT] A-[A] B-[B] )
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3. Fortified Zone passwords: 1111,3375,1681,1122
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4. Pipe Dream passwords:
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5:HAHA 9:GRIN 13:REAP 17:SEED 21:GROW 25:TALL 29:YALI
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5. Last password in Dr.Franken: JHT87 [HEART]V7VN VG20Z
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6. How to get to Medusa Cave in Final Fantasy Adventure?
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Find an oasis with two palm trees and walk in 8-like manner around
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them:
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+->>-+ <<-+
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| PP | PP |
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+-<< +->>-+
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7. Faceball 2000
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Start on level one. Find an exit. Shoot it five times, then explore
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the level some more. You will find extra lives and speed-up power-ups.
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You will also have five exits to choose from, each of which takes you
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to a different level (level select).
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Contributed by Mark Kaufman.
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8. Zen the Intergalactic Ninja passwords:
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C - Can B - Bottle T - Tire A - cArdboard box . - Space
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Passwords: [.CBB] [T.AT] [CBAB] ...and the final one: [BTCC]
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9. Possible cheat in Final Fantasy Legend II:
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On some stage of the game double-clicking on the Trashcan [or, maybe,
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trying to "move" Trashcan to the different position in the list] will
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allow to increase Agility or Strength of the party members. This trick
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appeared only once and I couldn't repeat it. I also got responses from
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two people who encountered similar effect. Everybody who has more info
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on this trick, send email to me.
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10. Tecmo Bowl codes [contributed by Kelly Gillilan]:
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Invisible Team: 397BFFA5
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Mirror Matches:
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Washington 5B7FBFA3 Denver CFBFF7A0 Indianapolis 43AFFEAC
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Miami 46AFFDAB Cleveland 49AFFBA9 L.A. 969FDFA5
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San Francisco 9C3F7FA5 Dallas 63AEFFA5 New York 269DFFA1
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Chicago 697BFFA5 Minnesota AC37FFA9
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11. Stage select in Penguin Wars:
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At the character select screen, pick the character, then press L+B,
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then press A and [START].
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12. Some interesting passwords for QBillion: WALL,IDEA,NOON
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13. Some interesting codes in Shanghai:
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MAN - tough level REV - reversed tiles STF - credits
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14. Invisible opponents in SoccerMania:
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At the title screen, press UUDDLRLRBA, then press [START]
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15. Passwords for Korodice:
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[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]
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EASY 94347 68890 24486 49320 28076 96545 83193
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AVERAGE 22307 64422 43059 46403 50136 17443 99007
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16. Selected passwords for Mickey Mouse/Bugs Bunny:
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10:WZFS 20:ZTPZ 30:WYCZ 40:TX9W 50:2TWX 60:YTKX 70:SHE2 80:XHO2
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17. Snoopy's Magic Show passwords:
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1N1B XZ10 V5K2 CA1H 424V VS10 C417 CS1V VUY0 12ET 2UV4 VU12
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Z2JH 2207 C21I ZUUV 7UBB BE10 CE1Q HEO4 CEIB VHNX 1H11 B6N0
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CD1T CD1D
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18. Fish Killer passwords:
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21:UIRE 22:CXMT 23:HOBL 31:KAPG 32:SNWD 33:FQJV A1:PAHN A2:ESZC
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19. Battle Ping Pong codes:
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7822 6524 1604 0781 5802 8731 0511 1199
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20. Burai Fighter Deluxe passwords:
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HGKM GBAL IDCP CPFJ MHCB LEOJ JJOE ODEN COHL DKLF KDPI AFKP
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21. Migrain Acclaim passwords: L2:0742 L3:X480 L4:586Y L5:3081
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22. Blodia passwords:
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AIJD DIFP DJGN BKQF ANPD CNGL APQD DQMQ BNCE CPHI
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23. Solomon's Club passwords: GZ3ZNN 2Z3NND CZ3DND
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24. Awesome Klax pattern:
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last brick --->4 2 1 1 2
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1 4 3 2 1
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3 3 4 3 3
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1 1 2 1 1
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1 2 1 2 1
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25. Mega Man games:
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Mega Man Mega Man 2 Mega Man 3
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1234 1234 1234 1234
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A ** A *** A * * A *
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B * B * B ** B * *
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C ** C *** C ** C **
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D D * D ** D
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26. Roland's Curse:
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QKMTTQHP (fire wand/magic axe) FRTTTGTP (sword/power crystal)
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at maximum power, only 25 sword hits to kill Barius.
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27. Selected paswords for Navy Blue:
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65:MVCROEOX (CRUISER) 89:YLNFEMHQ (TARTAN) ??:KAFSKYLG (TOMCAT)
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73:MBZRLYOC (SEA SPARROW) ??:YLNYDMIS (CARRIER) ??:FLTHVMXP (TRIDENT)
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81:MUDLTEOH (TOMAHAWK) ??:FKMWCMHK (FANTOM) ??:FLTCWMHN (FINALE)
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28. Final boss in Bionic Commando: S - Square T - Triangle C - Circle
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ABCDEF
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1 SCSSCC
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2 TS TSC
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3 TSC TC
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4 CT CCT
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29. Mortal Kombat:
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In order to play as Goro,
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1. Beat the game normally.
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2. Wait for credits to scroll by.
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3. When "The End" appears, hold UP+LEFT+SELECT+A
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4. Enter initials and press A
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5. Play as Goro!
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Playing as Goro, hold A+B and then press DOWN. Goro [you] will
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disappear and the time will go much faster. Your opponent will
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be constantly repeating same move and won't be able to hit you.
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These cheats were contributed by Jim Hsu and Timothy A. Meushaw
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30. Bill and Ted's level passwords:
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2: 555-4239 3: 555-8942 5: 555-4118 6: 555-8471 7: 555-2989
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8: 555-6737 9: 555-6429 10: 555-1881
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*********************** Other cheats, passwords, etc. ********************
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Adventure Island : Stage Select : RLRLABAB at the title screen
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Adventure Island 2 : Power Up : 0894
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Amazing Penguin : Level 37 : 916328
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Amazing Tater : Floor 3 : YBTF5ZZFT2
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Amida : Passwords : TLKSS, LEIQX, VOTAJ
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Atomic Punk : Level 50 : B0MNDPBL3NCB3L2H2DJJ
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Avenging Spirit : Expert mode : U+A+B at the title screen
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Batman : Sound Test : U+R+START at the title screen
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Battle Bull : Level 48 : $F**
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BattleToads 2 : 5 toads : Holding D+A+B press [START]
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Boomer's Adventure : Level 55 : ANCIENT
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Boxxle : Lvl 11, Rm 8 : Q*HT * = Spade
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Boxxle 2 : Level 5 : 0K84
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Brainbender : Level 5 : 3081
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Bubble Bobble : Level 100 : KZ5J
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: Stage Select : KGBJ, then use L to select level
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Bugs Bunny : Level 79 : XHO2
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Bugs Bunny 2 : Level 27 : KING
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Burai Fighter Deuxe : Level 5 : DKLF
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Catrap : Level 100 : R61H
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Chase HQ : Stage Select : Holding D+A+B press [START]
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Contra : Extra Lives : UUDDLRLRABAB[SELECT][START]
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Cyraid : Last Level : RUGGER
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Dead Heat Scramble : Stage Select : BBBBBBBBAAAAAAAA then B one less time
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: : than the number of wanted level
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Deadalian Opus : Stage Select : ZEAL
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Dick Tracy : Level 5 : 56115
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Extra Bases : 7W 0L : 2CCZ
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Fish Dude : Stage C-3 : SE
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Fist Of The North Star: Last Level : XKP72QNVHRJGU5
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Flappy Special : ? : AK00
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Flash : Level 13 : FUNHOUS
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Fortified Zone : Level 4 : 1122
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Gargoyle's Quest : Last Level : SWXE-CBFJ
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Godzilla : Last Level : JXRB7K&948HPD32#JN
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GO! GO! Tank : Cheat Mode : LURULLURULUL[START] at title screen
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Hunt for Red October : Stage Select : B[SELECT]LR[START] at title screen
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Hyper Loderunner : Level Select : Enter QM-0388 as passcode
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Kirby's Dream Land : Cheat Mode : D+[SELECT]+B
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Lock & Chase : ? : Press AABBABB at title screen
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Mercernary Force : Stage Select : Holding U+[SELECT]+A+B press [START]
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Navy Blue : End : FLTCWMHN
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Ninja Boy : Stage Select : UUDDABAB, holding A press [START]
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: Continue : Holding A press [START]
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Operation C : Stage Select : UUDDLRLRBABA[START] at full title screen
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Pitman : Stage Select : Q16KXW [Stage 95]
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Power Mission : Level 11 : LRDMR1
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Prince of Persia : Final Battle : 71196464
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Q Billion : Stage Select : TOIL
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Raging Fighter : Plr vs. Plr : UUDDLRLRB, then A for dk., B for normal
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Roger Rabbit : Level 6 : RTJBWW43
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Rolan's Curse : End : PQRJLNPC
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Snoopy's Magic Show : Level 58 : V5YO
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Snow Bros. Jr. : Stage Select : Holding U+[SELECT]+B press start at
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: : the title screen
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Solomon's Club : Level 4-10 : QDDHSY8
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Spanky's Quest : Stage Select : 0119
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Spud's Adventure : Stage Select : BANCHOU
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Star Trek : Planet Killer: 3516.7
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Super Mario Land 2 : Easy Mode : [SELECT] at the pipe screen
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Tail Gator : Last Area : 8093
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TMNT : Extra Life : Pause game, then UUDDLRLRBA[START]
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: Bonus Games : Holding A+B+[SELECT] press [START] at
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: : the config screen (?)
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Tetris : Expert Mode : D+[START] at the title screen
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Turrican : Stage Select : Holding [SELECT] press [START] at the
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: : title screen
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*********************** III. List of the best games ******************
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This list is compiled based on the ratings and reviews I got from
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various sources. The fact that some game is in the list doesn't
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necessarily mean that it is the best game for you; it just means
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that this game is worth checking out. I put asterisk (*) next to
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my personal favorites. For the current information about the best
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games, send mail containing one word, get_gameboy, to
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paien00@dmi.usherb.ca to get "Nick's GameBoy Game Ratings List".
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1. RPGs:
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*Final Fantasy Legend |
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*Final Fantasy Adventure (2MBit) +-----> These seem to be everybody's
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*Final Fantasy Legend 2 (2MBit) | favorites.
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Final Fantasy Legend 3 (4MBit?)|
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Zelda: Link's Awakening (4MBit)
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2. R-Type-like shoot-em-ups:
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Nemesis
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*Gradius: Interstellar Assault (2MBit)
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3. Platform Games:
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*Metroid II
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SuperMarioLand II (4MBit)
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*Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
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*Batman
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*TMNT: Fall of the foot Clan
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Operation C
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Mega Man 1,2,3
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BattleToads
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Gargoyle's Quest
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4. 3D Games:
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*Altered Space (platform game)
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Faceball 2000 (shoot-em-up)
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5. Sport Games:
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Jack Nicklaus Golf
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F-1 Race
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6. Logic/Strategy Games:
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*Shanghai
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*Tetris
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Chessmaster [watch for revision, there are two of them]
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*Spot
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4-in-1 packs 1 and 2
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Dr. Mario
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Ishido
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7. StreetFighter clones:
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Mortal Kombat
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Raging Fighter
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8. Classical Arcade games:
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Asteroids
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Missile Command
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Centipede
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Pacman
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9. Flight Simulators:
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Turn and Burn
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Top Gun
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***************************** IV. Game Genie ****************************
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1. How it works?
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GameGenie allows you to substitute some of the codes in the cartridge
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ROM with your own codes. For example, you can substitute the default
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number of lives with your own number. GameBoy GameGenie allows to
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substitute up to three codes.
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2. Where to get the codes?
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GameBoy GameGenie codes are available through anonymous FTP at
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netcom.com directory /pub/vidgames/gamegenie
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6828 Jun 14 1993 gbcod1.txt
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5798 Jun 14 1993 gbcod2.txt
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5256 Jun 14 1993 gbcod3.txt
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5606 Jun 14 1993 gbcod4.txt
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5668 Jul 24 03:11 gbcod5.txt
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2122 Oct 26 23:21 gbcod6.txt
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6341 Jun 14 1993 gbin02.txt
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11011 Jun 14 1993 gbup01.txt
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13427 Jun 14 1993 gbup02.txt
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3. What is the meaning of the digits in GameGenie code for GameBoy?
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* All digits are in hexadecimal system
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GameBoy GameGenie Code: DD2-103-???
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DD - Data Byte
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0,1,2,3 - Address, reads as 3210
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??? - Meaning of these digits is unknown.
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It is suspected that they represent the
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ROM paging register, but no information
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is available.
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Example: 3D2-ABF-3BE - Set 3Dh (DEC A command) at address F2ABh
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4. Some commonly used Z80 instructions with their codes:
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Code(s): Instruction: Common Usage:
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3Eh xxh - LD A,xxh Load default number of lives (energy,ammo,etc.)
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3Dh - DEC A Decrease number of lives (energy,ammo,etc.)
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3Ch - INC A Increase number of lives (energy,ammo,etc.)
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00h - NOP DO NOTHING (set this instead of 3Dh)
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5. CodeMasters' address and phone number:
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Codemasters
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Lower Farm House, PHONE: +44 926 814132
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Southam,
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Warwickshire.
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CV33 0DL
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UK
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* I didn't try calling them. If you get any additional information from
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CodeMasters, please, email it to me
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********************* V. Programming, Hardware, etc. *******************
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1. Are there any GameBoy emulators for the personal computers?
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YES, there is a GameBoy emulator for the Commodore Amiga called ToyBoy.
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This emulator can be obtained by FTP from AmiNet sites:
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ftp.luth.se: /pub/aminet/misc/emu/Gameboy68000.lha
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ftp.etsu.edu: /aminet/misc/emu/GameBoy68000.lha
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wuarchive.wustl.edu: /systems/amiga/aminet/misc/emu/Gameboy68000.lha
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Unfortunately, this package is incomplete. It doesn't have documentation
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and a Z80 assembler. The author of ToyBoy is unknown. According to some
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sources, ToyBoy was stolen from a company called Argonaut developing
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Amiga->GameBoy cross-development system for Nintendo. Other rumors say
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that there is a demo console based on this emulator. The ToyBoy package
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found on Aminet includes:
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a) GameBoy emulator
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b) Binary file for Tetris which can be run by emulator
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c) Source code of Tetris in Z80 assembler
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Following information was mainly obtained by exploring the Tetris source
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code which came with ToyBoy. Information about GameBoy's hardware is
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extremely hard to find. Most of it is incomplete, uncertain and vague.
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If you have any information [especially about things listed in
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"Unanswered Questions" section], PLEASE, email it to fms@wam.umd.edu.
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2. Addresses of GameBoy I/O ports:
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GameBoy seems to access I/O ports as memory cells rather than as real Z80
|
|
I/O ports i.e. instead of IN A,(Port#) we have LD A,(Port Addr). Here are
|
|
several port addresses and their usage:
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EA64h: Joystick (INPUT)
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Bits: Meaning: When buttons are pressed, appropriate
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0 [LEFT] bits go to "1"s
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1 [RIGHT]
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2 [UP]
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3 [DOWN]
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4 [A]
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5 ?
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6 ?
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7 ?
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EA62h/EA63h: Low/High bytes of the Character Set address (OUTPUT)
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Using these two ports you can set an address of the Character Set
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table for GameBoy's video controller. This address should be EVEN(?).
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There may be up to 256 (?) characters 8x8 dots each. Character's
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pattern takes 16 bytes. Each dot has two bits in two consequent bytes:
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Addr: db 00010000b
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| |
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+------------> Dot with color 2 (10b)
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| +----------> Dot with color 1 (01b)
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| |
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Addr+1: db 00001100b
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Here is an example of the character using colors 0 and 2 only:
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db 00000000b,0
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db 01111100b,0
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db 11001110b,0
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db 11011110b,0
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db 11110110b,0
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db 11100110b,0
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db 11000110b,0
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db 01111100b,0
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Let C be a code of the character. Then the pattern of this character
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in the table will be located at
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PattAddr(C)=CharSetAddr+16*C
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+---> This is the address in EA62h/EA63h
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EA60h/EA61h: Low/High bytes of the Character Map address (OUTPUT)
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These ports define the address of the table video controller uses as
|
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a Character Map. This 20x18 table contains codes of the characters
|
|
being displayed on the screen. Let X,Y be coordinates of the character
|
|
(starting at the left-upper corner). Then the address of this character
|
|
in the table will be
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CharAddr(X,Y)=CharMapAddr+20*Y+X
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+---> This is the address in EA60h/EA61h
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3. Is it possible to build a backlight into GameBoy?
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NO, it is impossible to make a backlight for the reflective LCD.
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|
Nevertheless, it is possible to put a light source inside GameBoy so
|
|
that it will be above the screen. Don't forget that opening GameBoy will
|
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void the warranty though.
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4. Are there any game copiers for GameBoy?
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No stand-alone game copiers are known. Nevertheless, there seem to be
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GameBoy adaptors for MultiGameDoctorII, MultiGameHunter, SuperWildCard
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|
and SuperComPro. Also, there is a device allowing to play games stored
|
|
on credit card-like magnetic cards which is produced in Japan and isn't
|
|
sold in U.S.
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5. MultiGame cartridges for GameBoy:
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Yes, these cartridges are at least half-illegal because their producers
|
|
violate copyright law.
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Yes, these things exist for GameBoy. At present time, there are four
|
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kinds of them: 48in1, 64in1, 86in1 and 105in1 (although there were rumors
|
|
about 200in1 cartridge also). They all seem to contain the same basic set
|
|
of games most of which are either old Nintendo products (like Alleyway or
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Tennis) or low-quality games from other companies with a couple of good
|
|
games added. Number of games in such a cartridge is actually SMALLER than
|
|
it is written on the box because some games are present in two or three
|
|
copies (with a number of lives and other things changed). For example,
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64in1 cartridge contains only about 48 DISTINCT games. At least 27 of
|
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them can be classified as "logic" or "strategy" games. There were many
|
|
requests to list games multigame cartridges contain. So, here is a list
|
|
of games how it appears in a menu of a 105in1 cartridge. Other multigame
|
|
cartridges contain subset of games listed below. Notice large number of
|
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japanese titles and repetitions. There are also some titles which actually
|
|
respond to the same game.
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turtle ninja bouken jima super mario land motocross
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|
penguin land kid kiki mickey mouse crocodile
|
|
dr. mario solomons club head on dr mario
|
|
ishido battle city bouken tennis
|
|
volley fire boxing trump boy klax
|
|
bubble ghost master karateka othello puzzle boy
|
|
hong kong tetris minisweeper heiankyo alien
|
|
bouken 3 flipull hyper loderunner amida
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|
yakuman match mania pala medes world bowling
|
|
loopz bouken 4 alleyway koro dice
|
|
puzzle road spot castelian dragon slayer 1
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|
space invader snake war bouken 5 flappy special
|
|
pipe dream koi wa kakehiki bouken 6 pitman
|
|
tasmania story soukoban 2 shanghai kinkong escape
|
|
arkanoil ls caste star gate bouken 7
|
|
super kid super turtle super mario go tank
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|
bouken 8 spec mouse big ghost excite bike
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|
penguin egg spec turtle adventure 2 tank
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|
kiki mouse small ghost motor bike adventure
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|
big penguin speed runner bom bom alley 1992 castelian
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|
thunder force luck boy adventure 4 sp turtle
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|
mario boy adventure 5 loder runner sp alley
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|
sp motocross adventure 6 sp invader sp kid kiki
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|
easy tasmania adventure 7 turtle ii sp mario
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|
gogo tank adventure 8 sp mouse adventure island
|
|
sp penguin happy boy happy ghost bouken boy
|
|
sp tasmania
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6. Using GameGenie with multigame cartridges:
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|
No, GameGenie DOES NOT WORK with multigame cartridges.
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7. Japanese cartridges:
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|
These are cartridges which are not available in U.S., although you can
|
|
find them if you are lucky. Following descriptions of japanese cartridges
|
|
were prepared by Mark Kaufman.
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* Name: Parodius Type: Shooter Producer: Konami
|
|
Graphics: 10 Sound: 10 Playability: 10 Overall: 10
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|
|
This is the legendary Japanese shooter to which all others are compared.
|
|
It is awesome, huge, creative, challenging and fun, fun, fun.
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|
* Name: Twinbee Type: Shooter Producer: Konami
|
|
Graphics: 9 Sound: 9 Playability: 9 Overall: 9
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|
|
Another Japanese cart that should be sold over here. It's better than
|
|
90% of all GB games.
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8. Why some GameGenie codes don't work?
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|
Some games exist in several different versions. Although these versions
|
|
look exactly the same, the actual program codes differ. Therefore, while
|
|
some GameGenie codes work with one version of the cartridge, they aren't
|
|
guaranteed to work with other versions.
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9. Where is GB Zelda FAQ?
|
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|
|
The GameBoy Zelda FAQ list is supported by Michael Evans
|
|
[evansmj@NeXTwork.Rose-Hulman.Edu]. Another strategy guide for GB Zelda
|
|
is written by Christer Ericson [Christer.Ericson@cs.umu.se].
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10. Where to get parts to repair GameBoy?
|
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|
|
Mark Kaufman found address of the company selling replacement parts for
|
|
GameBoy [as well as Sega AC adapters and Atari parts]. Here is their
|
|
phone number and a list of GameBoy parts they carry:
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MCM Electronics TOLL-FREE: 1-800-543-4330
|
|
FAX: 1-513-434-6959
|
|
VOICE: 1-513-434-0031
|
|
M-F: 7AM-8PM EST Sat: 9AM-6PM EST
|
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|
#83-2285 $3.50 Gameboy Type 32 Pin Connector
|
|
(replace worn or corroded cartridge jack inside GB)
|
|
#83-1570 $1.49 Controller Replacement Pads
|
|
(set of three)
|
|
#81-1605 $7.95 Schematic Diagrams
|
|
(THIS should be interesting! =))
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|
|
Game Bit Drivers (fit tamper resistant star screws):
|
|
#22-1145 $9.95 Small bit for GB cartridge
|
|
#22-1150 $9.95 Large bit for GB battery packs
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11. GameBoy cartridge pinouts [not complete]:
|
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|
|
Pin Function
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------
|
|
1 Vcc
|
|
2 ? Connected on Gameboy, but not used on GamePaks.
|
|
3 /RESET
|
|
4 /WR
|
|
5 ? Used by paging PAL on high capacity GamePaks.
|
|
6-21 A0-A15
|
|
22-29 D0-D7
|
|
30 /RD
|
|
31 ? Connected on Gameboy, but not used on Game-Paks.
|
|
32 GND
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
12. GameBoy memory map [speculation]:
|
|
|
|
FFFFh ----------------------
|
|
|
|
Gameboy peripherals
|
|
Cartridge address frame is filled
|
|
C000h ---------------------- by 32kB of ROM in small cartridges.
|
|
In large [>32kB] cartridges it has
|
|
16K of internal RAM following structure:
|
|
READ WRITE
|
|
8000h ---------------------- -------------------+-------------------
|
|
|
|
|
Paged ROM bank | 8kB battery-backed
|
|
| RAM (if paged in)
|
|
Cartridge address -------------------+-------------------
|
|
frame |
|
|
Bottom 16kB of ROM +-------------------
|
|
| Paging Register
|
|
0000h ---------------------- -------------------+-------------------
|
|
|
|
Paging Register has 5 bits - D0-D4 which represent 32 16kB banks of
|
|
memory. Bank 0 is a battery-backed RAM.
|
|
|
|
13. Which games are best to buy?
|
|
You can use a list of best games included into this FAQ-file. It is
|
|
incomplete and quite biased though. To get most recent information,
|
|
send email containing a single word get_gameboy to
|
|
paien00@dmi.usherb.ca to get "Nick's GameBoy Game Ratings" list. It
|
|
also seems to be biased, but let's hope that it will look better
|
|
when more people contribute to it.
|
|
|
|
14. Mail-server and mailing list for GameBoy:
|
|
They are maintained by M. S. Manley. The address for both is
|
|
|
|
gameboy@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
|
|
|
|
Try fingering this address to get more info.
|
|
|
|
In order to access mail-server, send email with subject "archive"
|
|
and body containing a list of commands. At the beginning, you can
|
|
send a letter containing only one word: "help" and the server
|
|
will send you a help-file with the list of all available commands.
|
|
|
|
In order so subscribe for the mailing list, send email with subject
|
|
"subscribe". You can include your email address in the letter body,
|
|
otherwise it will be taken from the header. All other mail sent
|
|
to the above-described address and not containing keywords
|
|
"subscribe", "unsubscribe", "help" or "archive" will be forwarded to
|
|
the mailing list.
|
|
|
|
My personal thanks to M.S.Manley. =:)
|
|
|
|
|
|
********************************* Credits: *******************************
|
|
|
|
Thanks to all people who sent their comments and
|
|
contributed to this document! (list follows)
|
|
|
|
Mark Kaufman - Cheats for Faceball 2000 and passwords Pipe Dream.
|
|
Descriptions and ratings of some games. MCM
|
|
Electrionics' phone numbers.
|
|
Yi-Min Wei - Comments about software sections of the FAQ.
|
|
Kelly Gillilan - Excellent list of cheats and passwords.
|
|
Tecmo Bowl codes. CodeMasters' phone number.
|
|
Peter Knight - Cartridge pinouts and a memory map. Codemasters'
|
|
address.
|
|
Jim Hsu - List of passwords and codes and MK cheat.
|
|
Timothy A. Meushaw - Mortal Kombat cheat.
|
|
Robert Newman - Various cheats and codes.
|
|
M. S. Manley - Maintaining GB mailing list and mail-server
|
|
|
|
|
|
**************************** UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ************************
|
|
|
|
If you have any information about GameBoy, feel free to send email to
|
|
|
|
Marat Fayzullin (FMS)
|
|
fms@wam.umd.edu
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. Meaning of the last three digits of GameGenie code?
|
|
2. Memory Map of GameBoy?
|
|
3. Author of ToyBoy emulator?
|
|
4. Pinouts of the GameBoy cartridges?
|
|
5. Programming sprites, sound, screen scrolling, serial port?
|
|
6. Connecting GameBoy to TV?
|
|
7. GameGenie codes not listed in the official updates?
|
|
8. Game cheats and passwords?
|
|
9. Complete version of GameBoy emulator?
|
|
10. Classified listings of the games with ratings from 0 to 9?
|
|
11. Game Copiers for GameBoy?
|
|
12. "Generic" cartridges allowing to use reprogrammable ROM plugged
|
|
into the socket or static RAM?
|
|
13. Pinouts of GameBoy's serial port?
|
|
14. Ports' addresses and their usage?
|
|
15. Where to get triple-blade screwdriver to open GameBoy? ;)
|
|
16. etc. etc. etc.
|
|
|
|
* Reviews: Please, send your reviews of GB games. Rate four categories:
|
|
|
|
Graphics Sound Playability Overall
|
|
|
|
Give ratings from 0 to 9 for each of these categories. Also, classify
|
|
the game [RPG, shoot-em-up, classic, etc.] and give information about
|
|
the cartridge size and manufacturer. Games which get more than 2 ratings
|
|
from different people, will be mentioned in the FAQ. I still couldn't
|
|
collect enough of these raitings to come to any conclusions.
|
|
|