Having spent so much time lately with my Game Boy Advance SP and Game Boy Advance games in general, I’ve put my GameShark SP to good use.  This is one of the most elusive game enhancers out there, but not for good reason.  On the off chance that you have no idea with the GameShark SP is, allow me to quickly explain.  Much like Galoob’s Game Genie line and Datel’s Action Replay series of enhancers, the GameShark SP is a cheat device for GBA games.  By interpolating itself between the handheld and the game cartridge, it uses codes to affect the behavior of the game.  Infinite lives, infinite ammo, infinite anything, stage selection, super jumps, and a stocked inventory are just a few of the cheats available.  The GameShark SP comes pre-loaded with hundreds of codes already and includes the capacity for the user to add several more.  With this thing active, games can become an entirely different experience.  You can even make ’em harder if you enjoy things like kicking yourself in the balls.

Seeing as how most of you already know what this thing does, let’s get into the various ups and downs associated with this pricey little relic.  There are actually 2 different models of the GameShark SP, but due to their aforementioned pricey nature, I’ve only had experience with one.  Usually if old items like this are expensive it’s because they’re scarce and the GameShark SP is no exception.  Typically these items are scarce because they’re sought after and/or were produced in limited quantities; this is certainly not the case with this particular GameShark.  As it turns out, the GS SP is preceded by a pretty nasty reputation.  If you take a few minutes to glance around at product reviews or search the listings on eBay, you’ll find that these things break.  A lot.

Now they don’t snap in half or catch on fire, rather something goes screwy with the internal software.  As such, finding a GS SP in working order can be tough and these things regularly fetch over $50, a sharp contrast to nearly every other outdated video game enhancer. (They’re usually extremely cheap, in case you were unaware.)  I’m unsure if one model is more prone to problems than the other, but the common thread seems to turning on too many codes.  With too many codes activated at once, apparently the GameShark SP completely stops working.  Back when the product was commercially active, Mad Catz would fix the issue (or so I’m told), but nowadays my best advice is to be careful and don’t be fooled by units selling at low prices (be cautious of anything under $40, and be damn sure that the seller will confirm correct operation or that a store will let you either test or return it).  Unfortunately “bricking” the GS SP seems to be an all too common occurrence.

How many codes is too many?  What’s the magic number?  So far there doesn’t seem to be any hard science behind it (not that Mad Catz has made us aware of anyway), but according to jilted consumers, 5 or 6 seems to be the upper limit.  I found the instruction manual online and read through it to see if I could find any warnings, precautions, troubleshooting, or anything of the sort.  The only thing I ran across talked about what to do if a game crashed, at which point Mad Catz suggests turning on fewer codes.  Since there is no physical limit to the number of codes that can be activated simultaneously, keeping your GS SP in working order can be a nagging concern.

Personally I don’t understand how the GameShark’s software can be affected, since it imparts software patches on the game’s data, not vice versa.  With so many other cartridge-based cheat devices between the Game Genie line, several Action Replays, and numerous GameSharks, it seems odd that an issue like this never reared its head before or since, especially since they’ve all used more or less the same principle.  However, I’m not quick to dismiss the dozens of testimonials either.  Part of me tends to think there’s another issue at play, maybe even something like a manufacturing defect that only affects a certain production run.  It just doesn’t seem as simple as 7 or 8 codes ruining the device for good.  The tinkerer in me wants to push my device to see what’ll happen, but the part of me that paid for it doesn’t want to take the risk.

Besides getting a little nervous every time I use the damn thing, it works great.  There’s an on/off switch to control the effects of codes during gameplay and a smooth, clean interface.  The menu is simple to navigate, selecting codes can be done in seconds, and since a thorough cleaning of all of my GBA SPs, the GameShark, and all my games, I haven’t had a single problem with it from a software perspective.  It’s so simple and quick and yet also so helpful that it’s hard to imagine it causing so many headaches for so many others.

I do take some issue with the physical design of the GameShark SP.  The “SP” suffix would seem to imply a specific connection with the later GBA SP units instead of the older original model.  Like all cartridge-based enhancers, it must protrude.  Were this on a stationary console or top loading handheld it wouldn’t really be a big deal, but with it sticking out of the bottom of the GBA SP, it’s easy to bump the device and shift it around in the GBA SPs cartridge bay.  You won’t really know that you’ve bumped it mind you, but you have.  Shifting the unit mere fractions of a millimeter can cause the game to freeze, so its true portability is slightly compromised.

And how do I know the problem is strictly of a mechanical nature?  Because I’ve left the GS SP turned on in the (stationary) Game Boy Player for long periods of time and have yet to have an issue.  In fact, I left it on for the entire duration of my time with Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance which took about 3 or 4 days to complete.  This segues nicely in my next point; the GameShark SP is perfectly compatible with the Game Boy Player!  Due to the shapes involved one must position the GameCube / Game Boy Player combo in a slightly unorthodox way.  The front of the console needs to have available space underneath so that the GS SP can fit without bearing the weight of the GameCube, and this is pretty simple to do by just pulling out the console a little bit and letting it overhang slightly off the edge.  The GameCube still makes plenty of contact to remain stable.  It may look a little funny, but it’s all 100% functional and that’s all I really care about.

The e-Reader and GameShark can’t be chained together, but this really isn’t a problem since I doubt there are any codes for e-Reader games.  However, this isn’t to say that the GameShark SP and e-Reader can’t both be used on the same game.  In order to use the e-Reader cards within a game, one needs two GBAs.  One GBA has the cartridge inside, the other has the e-Reader, and both are linked with a link cable.  Logically one could set up the e-Reader GBA normally, followed by the second GBA housing both the e-Reader and game.  Confused?  I’m not.  Buy all this stuff and you’ll understand.  Anyway I haven’t actually tried this yet, but I see absolutely no reason why it wouldn’t work.

Another fun but pointless thing to do is chain together as many Game Boy-related enhancers as possible!  I have no idea what would actually happen if I attempted to actually use this setup, though I’m sure nothing useful would come of it.

I hope to have a long and prosperous run with my particular GameShark SP, but I’ll never get all the “bricked” reports out of my head.  I’d like to spend some time with the other model as well and do more research into the two different versions, but it’s a project for another day.  For now, the unit I have (so far) works impeccably and I really can’t complain about anything other than the price tag.  Most of the time I’d unilaterally recommend almost any game enhancer due to their comparatively low costs, but this one may not be for everyone.  Casual GBA fans may want to wait until they’re in deeper waters with the handheld before making this jump…then again, they may jump even higher in price over the next few years.  If you’re a cheat-freak like me though, it’ll probably just nag at you until you break down and snatch one up.  Be careful…5 codes or less!!!

Reviewed by The Cubist