phenoProtect Reverse Engineering (Technical Paper)

NeoGeo ROM Extractor launches with 29 supported games

Dr_RetroMod · 2026-05-13T23:44:23+00:00

Edit: Metal Slug 3 is now supported, thanks to terminatorhexs direct contribution (😁 thnx) So 30 games are supported now 🙏 ______________________________ I’m pleased to share the first public release of NeoGeo ROM Extractor. This is an early preservation-focused Python project designed to rebuild verified Neo Geo ROM ZIPs from supported PC releases that the user legally owns. This does not 'dump' game carts, but 'extracts' digital store versions on Steam/Amazon/GOG. The project uses a modular system: each supported game has its own extraction module, while the main extractor handles the shared workflow. The aim is to make the process cleaner, easier to test, and easier to expand over time. This first release supports 29 games: 3 Count Bout Alpha Mission II Art of Fighting 3 Crossed Swords Ghost Pilots King of the Monsters 2 Kizuna Encounter - Super Tag Battle Last Resort Magician Lord Metal Slug Metal Slug 2 Metal Slug 4 Metal Slug X Mutation Nation Ninja Commando Ninja Master’s Over Top Robo Army Samurai Shodown IV Sengoku Sengoku 2 Soccer Brawl Super Sidekicks The King of Fighters 2003 The Last Blade The Last Blade 2 The Super Spy Top Hunter Twinkle Star Sprites What it does Scans supported game folders Uses per-game modules to locate and extract ROM data Rebuilds emulator-ready Neo Geo ZIP files Validates output files using known hashes Handles game-specific extraction quirks through individual modules Keeps the core extractor general-purpose and reusable Important notes This project does not include ROMs, BIOS files, game data, or copyrighted assets. You must provide your own legally acquired source files. This is an early release, so support is intentionally limited. Some games may require further work, and some outputs may depend on the exact PC release version used. Current status The project is now ready for public testing and feedback. After this release, I may open a short request window for additional games, but support will remain focused on titles I can personally verify and test properly. Credits This project was informed by public Neo Geo preservation research and existing community work, including projects such as NGPrimeClaim, goNCommand, mslug-rom-extractor, and other documented extraction research. Full credits are included in the README. The goal is preservation, verification, and transparency. LLMs were used in the making of this project GitHub release: https://github.com/DrRetroMod/neogeo-rom-extractor

Hi all,
It has been a while since I released a DRM reverse engineering technical paper.
This time I analyzed phenProtect. It isn't a good protection scheme, but at least it is different from the others. Plus this is a perfect sample for newbie reversers.

English: https://www.lucadamico.dev/papers/drms/phenoprotect/CarreraGrandPrix.pdf
Italian: https://www.lucadamico.dev/papers/drms/phenoprotect/CarreraGrandPrix_ITA.pdf

As usual, you need the original game disc.
Enjoy

*IF YOU KNOW MORE GAMES PROTECTED BY phenoProtect PLEASE LET ME KNOW*

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Luca91

Well-Known Member

Newcomer

Level 7

Jun 16, 2024

FYI: another game protected by (a newer version of) phenoProtect is Zanzarah – Das verborgene Portal (German version).

It was a bit more difficult to patch because it uses .ins script instead of .inx, but still very easy when compared to other DRMs of that time.

Reactions: KleinesSinchen