Yesterday Mister Adequate and I were reminiscing about quirks in older video games that wouldn’t exactly work today. He mentioned inputting code into your computer from a booklet and getting a complete game out of it (I wonder if this is a Britfriend thing because I don’t recall that on this side of the pond), and I mentioned amusing anti-piracy devices in game booklets (“To continue, enter the code on page 24.”)
Obviously these aren’t exactly the types of things that could be replicated today, to much effect– most games are much, much too big for the code to fit into a small booklet, and any anti-piracy devices of the earlier type could be completely negated by the internet. Still, it’s neat when games take that as inspiration to push themselves outside of the confines of their digital world– getting Meryl’s codec code from the Metal Gear Solid box comes to mind.
What are some fun or interesting quirks that you guys remember from earlier games?
I remember having a Basic book that would give me code for games. All I’d have to do is type the code in to my Apple II and I’d get to play the game. Keep in mind, though, that by code I mean line-by-line Basic code. XD
Super Ghouls and Ghosts. Beat Sardius, win the game…LOLNOPE. Play through it again to find a special weapon that is the only one that can defeat him.
Pressing several buttons simultnously to activate cheats like skipping a level in giana sisters on the C64.
Also, changing the game by typing in POKE commands after loading but before actually
running the game.
I had an old version of Carmen Sandiego which would require you enter some specific piece of geographical information (something like agriculture statistics that you couldn’t possibly remember) from an atlas provided with the game…
Also, Sega Genesis X-Men: The storyline is that Magneto has put a virus in the Danger Room. After completing the second-to-last level, Xavier appears and instructs you to reset the computer system to clear the virus. The level is the only one with a time limit, so the first time I played through it I can’t figure out how to do it. The clock had ticked down to the last bar. In panic and rage, finally having beaten the level soon to get wiped out when the clock runs down, I hit the game unit’s literal Reset button. The game doesn’t go back to the start screen. Instead, it fills up with binary, then a cutscene, then the last level. Damn cool.
in fairy tale adventures on the amiga u had finish a phrase that could be found around a map u got with the game. I still remember “scorn murderous… deed”, or something like that. That must have been late 80’s early 90’s.. Gee..
The C64 also had alot of quirks, like a game not working but then it sometimes did. So we would try getting it to work by sitting really still while the tape recorder was spinning, spinning.. and sometimes it worked! Can’t remember what game it was though..
I also did the inputting of code to get a game, but the games sucked even by my low standards.