# GBC action replay compatible with gameshark codes?



## bearlindo (Mar 8, 2012)

Hi as topic says i wonder if some guys here now if the action replay for gbc work with gameshark codes as well. I now them are two different companies but i just wonder if someone can confirm. I also have another question. When i search for the codes i find mostly north american codes can i use them on my europe games or is that dangerous for it?


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## Tom Bombadildo (Mar 8, 2012)

No, you can't use the two different codes. However, most gameshark codes can be made to work on Action Replays, so you might just be able to find the code you need somewhere online.

I believe you shouldn't use them with different region games but I'm not 100% sure on that.


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## alphamule (Mar 8, 2012)

It's trivially easy to find the new code addresses even if the different regions don't (immediately) accept each others' codes.  Most games you can just apply some +/- offset to the existing codes.  It's especially easy using an emulator on a PC and a hex editor to figure out the offset.  Just find the difference in position and add it to/subtract it from the addresses of the codes.

Did the Action Replay and Gameshark for the GBC even use encryption?  I don't seem to remember having to de/encrypt my codes when using my GS and both the real cart+GS+No$Gameboy emulator to find codes.  I do remember that Pokemon Yellow was 1 byte off from Pokemon Red/Blue and it was easy to just add 1 to all the R/B codes to get a list for Y.    I also hacked the door that was supposedly for the GBA only back into Zelda DX or whatever it was called.  The debugger on the PC made that a LOT easier to find!  I put it into the GS and always had the door open when playing on the road.  An alternative was to use an item cheat to get the item behind the door but this was less like cheating since it was really just fixing a 'marketing glitch'.


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## indask8 (Mar 8, 2012)

GameShark and action replay are the exact same thing, it's just the name that change between countries...

Codes should work, but don't forget that action replay codes are usually for european systems with european games and gameshark for US/Canadian systems/games, rom data adresses change between US and euro roms (mostly because of translation/bugfixes) and so code don't work out of the box...

But it's rather easy to find the euro or US equivalent of a code, just find online a cheat for both US/EUR version of the game and seek for the differences like if the US code is XXXXXX80 (XXXXXX are hex data of the code) and the euro code is XXXXXX70 then you only have to add/sub 10 (in hexadecimal) to any code to translate them from US to EUR EUR to US.
This method worked for pokemon gb games for me, I can use any US code on euro games.
EDIT: beaten by alphamule .


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## alphamule (Mar 8, 2012)

And yes, some codes had a different offset.  All codes 'before' the happiness code were the same, if I remember correctly.  Either way, since you know what the values are 'supposed' to look like, it's really easy to just do a code search if you run into trouble.  Actually, this may be the best bet if you get confused by 'hex editor' and 'ram dump' and other such terms.  

It was roughly about the time that the GBA and N64 cheat devices came out that all the codes started getting encrypted.  That was why I wasn't sure if the Action Replay had unencrypted codes.  Codebreaker was another popular unit.  BTW, if getting a GS, make sure to get the 'transparent/black' ones and not the (shorter) gray one - it sucks!  You can use a newer GS to flash the firmware to an older GS with the same hardware, also.  The first image at this Amazon link is the transparent version and the second is the older 'gray' version, BTW.  http://www.amazon.co...31211316&sr=8-2  The second link here has a black one.


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