Greetings and welcome to an LGR Oddware
follow up of sorts, I suppose you could call this.
Because today we're going to be looking at
the GameShark computer game enhancer
for Windows 95 and 98 games from the late 90s.
Yeah, this is a cheap device for PCs
and this is just very much just a US localization
of the Datel PC Action Replay for Windows 95
that I covered on LGR a little while back.
Of course in that video I established
that it pretty much doesn't work
with my entire library of US PC games,
and then I discovered that there was a US version
sold under the GameShark brand.
Same basic capabilities except that it
was meant to be used with US games.
Whereas the Datel Action Replay in the UK
was meant to use with UK games.
You know, there's enough difference I guess, in the code.
I mean PCs don't exactly have regens,
but it's just a code I guess that's a little bit different
you know, it's expecting either a different patch,
version number, or just the UK release is different enough
in the code base that it just didn't work with it.
So maybe this will work with those same games.
We're gonna try the same games that I did
in the Action Replay video, but I also just wanna take
a look at this package here because not only is it very long
and barely fits in the frame. It's really tall.
I assume this has a VHS tape in here.
The Action Replay version did.
That was a PAL VHS so I wasn't able to play that.
It had a digitized version of the tape on CD
so we were able to see the video anyway,
but this one is of course a US release.
Even though right there it just it still says made
in England so I guess it was still made in England.
But yeah, InterAct a RECOTON Company.
Mmmm, yeah they released a whole bunch
of random peripherals and things back in the day.
I had a bunch of them myself,
but I never once saw this in stores.
This is something that somebody found.
Thank you, for sending the links my way.
I found this on ebay and got it pretty cheap,
and yeah, it's apparently new-ish in box.
So, yeah let's take a look at it.
(box cutter clicking open)
I really don't know what's inside here yet,
just due to the shape of it, I assume a VHS tape.
In fact I think I saw a VHS on one of the other listings
per this US version of the GameShark
for PCs, but I don't actually know.
And then the Action Replay that had the parallel port dongle
effectively used for just DRM as far as I could tell.
But, yeah I don't know if this has that or not
or if it's just the trainer software.
Hmmm
Okay, well there's a dongle.
Ahah, yes this looks mighty similar.
So let's see here, can you swim with sharks?
What is this? Become a member of dangerous waters.
Oh dear, well that's a cheesy thing.
(laughs)
It's just registration stuff so that's fine.
Warranty information, okay.
Yeah it doesn't look like there's
any documentation with this one either.
Same with the PC Action Replay from Datel in the UK,
it's really just this CD-ROM, can't get it out of there.
There we go. So, yeah that's it.
I mean, you don get any actual manual or anything.
There be some, there's like a help file on the disk.
At least that's how it was with the Action Replay
so I suppose we'll see. I'm not expecting much more.
I'm just really thinking this is gonna be a re-badging.
And, slightly different software to work with the US games.
Yeah this is the exact same dongle
that the Action Replay had.
So, you got one side that plugs into the parallel port
on your computer and then a pass through
so you can plug in whatever parallel port devices
without taking up the port, and yeah.
If you wanna see what's inside here its you know,
I'm assuming its the same thing as the Action Replay.
I showed that in the Oddware video.
So that's all that is, really just for copy protection.
As far as I know, and this is interesting, yeah.
The tape seems to be pretty identical.
It even has the same like little yellow VDC sticker there.
It looks like November 29, 1998. Neat.
Well, we'll put this in the VCR first and see what this is.
I guess it'll be able to play since it's NTSC, that's nice.
And then just install it, you know.
This gonna go into the parallel port.
Install the software, but yeah, tape first.
(VCR opening)
(upbeat music playing)
- [Narrator] GameShark is the ultimate game enhancer for PC.
Now you can rewrite the rules.
GameShark takes the latest and greatest
brain-busting games and blows them apart.
- [Presenter] So far this is identical
in terms of script content and whatnot
to the Action Replay, just you know,
different person narrating it and different logos.
- [Narrator] If you've experienced the humiliation
of crashing out at level four
of your favorite action-adventure game
then GameShark is the only tool
you'll ever need to even the odds.
But GameShark doesn't just help you to complete your games
more easily, a unique library of game enhancements
can actually add hours of gameplay to your favorite games.
- [Presenter] Okay I already like this one better
just due to this B roll of that late 90s machine here.
(laughs)
Cuz it just is awesome.
- [Narrator] Routines that change the way
in which the game works.
This could mean you have unlimited energy, extra lives,
invincibility, or any number of special effects.
So for example, when playing Army Men
why not activate the code for infinite health so you
can explore the levels extensively without being killed?
- [Presenter] Okay, well, it really is
just the exact same thing, so.
Yeah it might be on the CD as well.
Let's go ahead and find out though.
So, just gonna go ahead and plug the dongle
into the Windows 98 capture box, the lazy green giant here.
And then, let's get the same four games I tried last time
and try them out with this, see if they fare any better.
Ahh.
Or not.
(Button clicking)
Yeah, it's not powering on at all. That sucks.
I would assume it's not the GameShark that killed it.
Nah I mean, I don't know, that didn't make any sense.
Yeah, it's just totally not turning on anymore.
I guess the power supply went, or something.
Cuz yeah. Man, rest in peace lazy green giant.
I just made this thing.
I gotta replace the power supply sometime.
Whatever, let's try another PC.
I'm bummed out about that, but I'll get it fixed.
Until now though we've got the Packard Bell 955
that I restored on LGR a while back
and yeah, we've got the GameShark software installed.
So far, it's identical as expected.
So let's just try it out.
(upbeat music)
Well I see where 90% of the budget went.
Alright, well this is looking pretty much identical.
Wow, that is one laggy mouse.
I was curious about the about video
if that was the same as the, yeah.
(upbeat music)
Looks the same.
- [Narrator] GameShark is the ultimate game enhancer
for the PC. Now you can rewrite the rules.
GameShark takes the latest and greatest
brain-busting games and blows them apart.
- [Presenter] Strange, wonder why they have her back
And even changed her script to say GameShark
instead of Action Replay.
Yeah, I was expecting the VHS guy, but I guess not.
Alright, is this an even smaller list?
Oh no, how many games is this?
One, two, three, 17 games! Wow.
So there's even fewer titles with codes
than the already pretty lackluster Action Replay did
for PC and Windows 95, wow. Alright.
And it doesn't even have the games I was gonna try.
No Age of Empires, no Tomb Raider 2.
It does at least have Forsaken and StarCraft.
So, alright let's just try Forsaken first.
We just gotta try it out, and this is the original
US Release, which if anything should work it's this.
Because again with the UK Action Replay, you know,
the dongle was working fine, the dongle seems
to be working fine here, the software's doin its thing.
But it was the versions of the game I was using that were
apparently causing issues because UK versions
and US ones I guess differ enough.
So let's see if this original US release works.
And in fact we can actually double check
that that's installed in the correct
or it's looking in the correct spot, which it is.
So that's good. We'll go ahead and launch the game.
Alright so far so good, we've got the code selectors,
the trainer program here, looks like everything
is turned on, there's no error messages.
This doesn't necessarily mean it'll work but let's hope.
Because, oh wow that's right, I don't have a 3D accelerator
installed so we're gonna be running this in software mode.
(laughs)
Oh dear, oh this brings back some
late 1997 memories right here.
So chunky.
Yeah 320 by 200.
Okay.
So we should have infinite everything pretty much,
endless health and ammunition for special weapons we'll see.
(lasers firing)
(explosions)
Well
(chuckles)
Cheats are not working.
Running low on health and out of missiles.
Hmmm
Well, I am thoroughly confused then.
So here's the thing, there's supposed to be
if you look at the help, here's what it would look like
if it were detecting the wrong version of the game.
It would be like can't use this code,
probably the wrong version of the game see help.
And this is what the help tells you, not much.
It basically just says if you're getting this code,
it can't use it with your copy of the game
this means it was made for a different version of the game.
Yeah we pretty much know this
but what version is it looking for?
Maybe we'll have better luck with StarCraft.
Again, original US release here. Let's check it out.
Cuz yeah, that was genuinely my assumption
with the Action Replay not working.
Just cuz I have these US games not the UK games.
Now I'm just more convinced than ever
that this is just a garbage product.
So yeah let's turn on instant build,
free gas and crystals, that's good.
Make sure it's in the right spot.
It is, default installation path. Let's go.
Oh that's different.
It's not a positive difference, but it is different.
Okay so it's actually putting up the error for this.
So it actually has detected one or more codes have failed.
I'll just try switching them on again out of curiosity.
Yeah I have no expectations of this working.
Because it at least has detected
that it won't really work, that's a different thing.
Yay an improvement! Sort of, still doesn't work.
Man, what the heck is this looking for then?
Cuz again, original release here.
Yeah I'm runnin out of resources.
Oh dear.
This is seriously just pointless then, this whole product.
Not StarCraft, StarCraft's amazing but yeah, GameShark.
You can just type in codes for all sorts
of PC games back in the day and that was just
it was part of the experience, everybody knew that.
And even if you didn't know that,
that you could type in codes and download your own trainers
and then you bought this and you thought
this is how you needed to cheat your PC games,
it seems to be that chances are that still wouldn't work.
Are they just throwing somethin
out there to try and fool people?
You know, maybe it did work better
with some of the online patches,
but what an absolute crapshoot, I had no idea.
Again the dongle's working like if I unplug the dongle,
alright unplugged it, go to launch it,
dongle error can't find dongle.
Please insert the dongle into your port.
So yeah, it ahh dropped it, this really is just
for DRM copy protection, and it's doing everything
through software but the software just doesn't work.
At least with any game that I've thrown at it.
I think I've tried at least eight games now,
some of them off camera too, none of them have worked.
Except for Age of Empires just a little bit.
It worked with some of the codes halfway, but that was it.
And these are all unpatched original releases of the games.
And I don't know man, I'm just gonna ahead
and say this is a crap product through and through.
The coolest part about it is the VHS tape
and that's unfortunate.
Well anyway, that's all for this stupid PC GameShark.
This thing sucks.
Hope you found this enlightening
or maybe at least somewhat amusing, I don't know.
Check out my action replay video for more backstory
and whatnot about this product
even though it's kinda crap.
And as always there are other videos comin out
all the time every week here on LGR
so ya know, stick around if that's whacha wanna do.
And as always, thank you very much for watching.