GameShark is the brand name of a line of video game cheat cartridges and other products for a variety of console video game systems and Windows based computers. Currently, the brand name is owned by Mad Catz, who actively markets GameShark products for the PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and Sega game consoles (see below). Players load cheat codes from Gameshark disks or cartridges onto the console's internal or external memory then the game is loaded and the selected cheats are applied.
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When the original GameShark was released it had some enhancements that were better than the Game Genie-like devices most people were used to. The original model came with 4,000 preloaded codes. Codes could be entered, but unlike the Game Genie codes were saved in the onboard flash memory and could be accessed later rather than having to be reentered. It was originally released for the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation consoles in the Fall of 1995. Models for the PlayStation had an Explorer option that allowed gamers to access most PlayStation disc files, and it was possible to view FMV files stored on the CD. The later models of the GameShark also had a Use Enhancement Disc option. The Enhancement Disc, which InterAct sold for $4.95, allowed users to upgrade the GameShark and add codes to the code list from the disc. Only a few examples of these Upgrade CDs were known to have been published.
The Playstation Gameshark had the following standard features: View Video Image, which allowed you to see the last image stored in the PlayStation's Video RAM, View CD Image, which allowed a user to search the game CD for image files, Play Music, which would play the CD audio, and View CD Movie, function that allowed a user to view FMV (full motion video) files found on the disc. Also included was the option to use an Enhancement CD in order to upgrade the Gameshark and add new codes found on the disc.
The Gameshark Pro series contained a feature that allowed players to find their own codes. During gameplay, the user presses a button on the device to open a code search menu. Finding a code is done by searching memory locations either for specific values or for values that have changed in a certain way (increased, decreased, not changed, etc.) since the last search. After the first search, subsequent searches only look at memory locations that match the specified criteria from the last search. By performing multiple searches the list of matching locations is gradually reduced. Once the list is reasonably small the user must determine which of the found locations is the correct one by modifying them one at a time and seeing what effect it has on the game.
In some games the resulting code may only work in one level or it may cause problems in other parts of the game due to memory locations being dynamically assigned. In these cases the user has two options: attempt to locate a pointer to the data block that their code is attempting to modify, or change the game's programming which is usually located at the same place every time. If a pointer is found and the device supports it a new code can be made which determines the correct location to modify from the pointer. If the device does not support pointers the game programming must be changed instead. Generally the user must use external tools to find the code that accesses this data. If the code is reading from memory it may be changed to read a constant value; if it is writing, it may be changed to not perform the write. These changes may not have the same overall effects as if you were actually modifying the game's code. For example, you may disable the routine that causes you to lose health when touched by enemies, only to find that health is still lost from other hazards.
One of the many Gameshark products was the one for the Nintendo 64. The Nintendo 64 GameShark was the most popular cheating device available for the system, becoming popular after well-known titles such as GoldenEye 007 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time were released. Because of the complex nature of these games, there were many aspects of them which could be modified to produce unique effects. For example, unused content was discovered such as a distant tower on the "Dam" level of GoldenEye 007.
The Nintendo 64 Gameshark Pro featured an in-game code search menu. Versions 3.2 & 3.3 had a parallel port on the back, allowing the device to be connected to a PC with a program called SharkLink. This was intended primarily to make entering large amounts of codes easier, but was also used for advanced hacking. The in-game code search required that an Expansion Pak be installed and that the game did not actively use the Pak for memory.
Unfortunately, the device was well-known for having numerous flaws. Physically it was poorly constructed and lacked a proper cartridge holder which made it very unstable. It was also made from low-grade plastic and cheap components, which led to it being easily broken. In addition the Sharklink software had numerous bugs. Updating the code list would frequently corrupt other parts of the list or the software itself, rendering the device unusable until it was connected to a PC and reformatted, if it was still able to even start up. It also often failed to remember which codes were selected between sessions, and had no protection against power failures; if the power was lost while the code list or software was being updated, the device was very likely to be rendered useless.
The Playstation Gameshark Pro contained much of the same functionality as the standard PlayStation GameShark, as well as unique features only found on the Pro. The advanced features were: Code Creation, which gave you the option to save newly created codes to a standard PlayStation memory card to share with others, and V-Mem (Virtual Memory), which gave you access to an onboard Memory Card feature where you could store up to 8 full memory card worth of saves. Unfortunately the Shark Link software suffered from the same problems that plagued the N64 version
With the introduction of the 9000 model of the PlayStation, the parallel port was removed. This had been the only way to use the GameShark, as it plugged directly in to that port. InterAct then created a GameShark that did not need it. The GameShark CDX came with a boot CD along with a card resembling a standard memory card, which stored the codes. Interestingly enough, even though the CDX could be upgraded, it is not known if InterAct created an upgrade for the CDX.
The GameShark 2 was very much like the CDX Game Shark that came out for the original PlayStation, but for the PlayStation 2. It even included features that could only be found on the GameShark Pro, but like the CDX Game Shark that came out for the original PlayStation codes could be saved to a memory card, one which resembled that came with the CDX version. It made its debut in the Fall of 2000, interesting enough it included a CD only Game Shark 2 for the original PlayStation containing over 14,000 codes.
Almost as soon as the GameShark made its appearance on the store shelves, new codes began to appear in the gaming magazines of the day. In order to create more interest as well as a way to get the word out on their new products, InterAct created a newsletter called 'Dangerous Waters', which was published bimonthly starting in 1996 which featured new codes as well as new products for the Gameshark, such as GameShark.com, which first appeared on the net around this time. Due to the increasing popularity of Dangerous Waters, it went from a black and white 8 page newsletter to full color by 1999, and featured game reviews as well as tricks. Then, in June 2000, Dangerous Waters was transformed in to a full fledge magazine called GameShark Magazine and continued to be published bimonthly, reaching up to 20 pages long and containing much more codes. However, due to problems with Mad Catz, GameShark Magazine had ceased publication by the Holiday 2001 issue. This last issue was unique in that it was a double issue, containing the last GameShark Magazine issue, as well as a special issue by IGN as it was their 2001 Buyer's Guide. It featured new games and systems that were available at the time. It also included a Game Shark CD Sampler disc which featured codes for the PlayStation 2, as well as a handful of game saves.
Gameshark products have never been licensed or endorsed on the systems they were designed to work with, and have been known to cause glitches in games. Some common glitches are games locking up, crashing, behaving erratically or breaking functionality of other add-on devices on the system. One example is the Nintendo 64 Expansion Pack cannot be detected properly while a Gameshark is in the system, when using the cheat engine to make your own codes. Other examples include on the PlayStation, some codes could actually erase an entire memory card.
While the Game Boy device was first released, InterAct acquired the rights to sell Datel's Action Replay and Pro Action Replay devices in North America; these devices were sold under the GameShark and GameShark Pro names. InterAct released GameShark devices for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Saturn, Dreamcast and Nintendo 64. After InterAct's parent company, Recoton, went bankrupt, the rights to the GameShark name were acquired by MadCatz, who relinquished the North American Action Replay distribution rights. Following this, MadCatz sold game save devices under the GameShark name instead of the traditional cheat device, and Datel marketed the Action Replay in North America directly.
The GameShark is currently available for the following platforms: