The hottest Reverse Engineering Substack posts right now

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Under the microscope: Blues Brothers 2000 (Nintendo 64)

Rings of Saturn • 58 implied HN points • 13 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. Previously unknown cheat codes were discovered in the N64 game Blues Brothers 2000, letting players trigger big‑head mode, gain extra lives, add money, become a mascot, view partial credits, and refill health.
  2. Reverse engineering located where controller input is stored and found a function that checks 17 cheat sequences held in an array of structs, which explains how the game detects and applies cheats.
  3. Many additional cheats are present but disabled or inert, and a routine appears to enable extra cheats if a save file is named 'marcus' or 'jawad!', implying developers left hidden features that weren’t activated in the retail release.

Under the microscope: Ford Racing (PlayStation)

Rings of Saturn • 43 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. The commonly cited "GIMMEGIMME" name-entry cheat does not unlock everything on the PlayStation release; that code is from the PC version and was copied into cheat sites for years.
  2. On the PlayStation game you unlock features by holding L1+L2+R1+R2 and entering specific button sequences on particular menu screens, with sequences that unlock all cars, all tracks, show credits, give money, or advance the career car.
  3. Emulator debugging and disassembly revealed the exact RAM addresses, screen IDs, and button-buffer checks that implement the PlayStation cheats, and also showed how GameShark memory writes can force unlocked values—explaining why online codes were often wrong.

Under the microscope: Urban Chaos (Dreamcast)

Rings of Saturn • 58 implied HN points • 29 Nov 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. The Dreamcast build has hidden "fast cheats" you unlock by holding L+R and entering a specific button sequence (stored backwards as "Y R R A B Y R R A B"). Once enabled, hold L+R+Start and press Up/Down/Left/Right to restore health, spawn guns, spawn ammo, or show the character's position.
  2. There are several other in-game codes: one (A,B,X,Y) shows a silly message, another completes the current stage, and another toggles draw distance which you adjust with the analog stick. A few strings referenced in the source (like LARALARA and BLADDUR) are present in code but don’t work in the final release.
  3. Access to the game's source code (and simple reverse-engineering) is what revealed these cheats and how they operate. The PlayStation version doesn’t appear to include the same in-game cheats, though it does have a separate "all levels" cheat available from the menu and shown in source snapshots.

Under the microscope: The Weakest Link (PlayStation, PlayStation 2)

Rings of Saturn • 43 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. The PlayStation game contains undocumented QA cheat codes that let you move the menu on-screen, reveal the correct answers during the fourth question, and shortcuts to shorten or instantly finish a round (which can also give a resume password).
  2. The championship password system was fully decoded: there are 72 passwords encoded as a starting character plus eight two‑bit moves, the full set and a decoding script are available, and the PS2 port uses the same password logic.
  3. These secrets were discovered by comparing memory snapshots and using Ghidra to find and decompile input-handling functions, showing how reverse engineering can expose leftover developer and QA tools.

Under the microscope: Planet Joker (Saturn)

Rings of Saturn • 43 implied HN points • 04 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. Planet Joker is a Japan-only, somewhat clunky Sega Saturn shooter that can be made easier using built-in cheat inputs for unlimited health and stage/weapon selection.
  2. Unlimited health is enabled from the mode select by holding Z+Left and pressing Start, and a debug mission select (letting you choose StageNO, time/score/boss modes and tweak ShootKind/ShootLebel) appears by holding Z+Up+A at the machine select.
  3. The cheats were found by memory inspection; specific addresses and functions control input checks, health resetting, game mode, and mech unlocking (e.g., held-button at 0602b4b8, health flag at 0602b318, game mode at 0602ce60, and an Action Replay code 1602b354 0003 to add the extra mech).
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Extending the demos: Frame Gride (Dreamcast)

Rings of Saturn • 29 implied HN points • 25 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. Demo discs can hide extra or disabled game content that becomes playable when a few bytes are changed.
  2. Frame Gride's Pilot Style and Test Operation demos contain extra stages and different visuals, including an Opera House stage that never reached the final release. The demos also limit mech styles and color choices compared to the final game.
  3. Small patches that set stage availability flags and menu limits can unlock those stages and options, showing how reverse-engineering demo discs can recover prototype content and invite further exploration.

Under the microscope: Michelin Rally Masters (PlayStation)

Rings of Saturn • 43 implied HN points • 02 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. Many published cheats are wrong because the game expects a 13-character code, not the 12-character string that appears on most sites; the correct "unlock everything" code includes a final question mark.
  2. The code system is fairly complex: it uses a 32-character alphabet, three separate checksums, and a PRNG that shifts the alphabet to decode the first ten characters.
  3. Entering a valid code unlocks six bonus cars and enables the WRC and Legends single-player modes, but it doesn’t add any extra drivers beyond those listed in the manual.

Under the microscope: Shrek Extra Large (GameCube)

Rings of Saturn • 29 implied HN points • 06 Dec 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. The GameCube port removed several advanced graphics features from the original Xbox build, leaving rougher visuals and an inconsistent framerate compared to the technical demo of the Xbox version.
  2. Entering the player name GASTON or IDKFA triggers an undocumented cheat that starts on the world map, unlocks every stage, enables a Cheat Menu, and grants $99 to buy all cheats.
  3. The hidden cheat was found by inspecting emulator memory and reverse-engineering the game (tracing a case-insensitive string compare to cheat logic), and IDKFA is a clear nod to Doom’s famous cheat while GASTON’s reference is unknown.

Expansion hack: Yuna Remix (Saturn)

Rings of Saturn • 14 implied HN points • 05 Jan 26
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. The game includes a Bonus Mode unlocked by the SBOM Joycard on the Options screen, which lets you view the game’s movies, images, and sound clips for each section. That hardware check can be patched to always enable Bonus Mode so you don’t need the special controller.
  2. There’s also a hidden graphical debug menu that lets you jump to cutscenes, pick courses, play music, and load battles. It’s not reachable in normal play but can be unlocked by changing a memory check to the required value.
  3. Community patches make both Bonus Mode and Debug Mode easy to access without special hardware or deep hacking by replacing those runtime checks with static values. Those patches and instructions are publicly available so players can try the menus themselves.

Under the microscope: Jet Moto 3 (PlayStation)

Rings of Saturn • 29 implied HN points • 27 Nov 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. Ghidra and a small Python script were used to reverse‑engineer the game's cheat system by mapping letters to PlayStation controller button bit patterns, which let the author extract the actual button combos for each code.
  2. Many decoded codes reliably unlock content or change gameplay — for example EVERYTHING unlocks nearly everything, ALLTRAC adds bonus tracks, SEASONS opens Season levels, and other codes enable turbo, camera modes, and special hops — and some codes must be entered at the title screen while others work during play.
  3. Not every discovered code has a visible effect: several camera codes do nothing, STUNT and RACE appear unused, and some cheats have prerequisites (e.g., COP requires unlocking Granny), so results vary by code.

Under the microscope: Chaos Control (Saturn, PlayStation)

Rings of Saturn • 29 implied HN points • 25 Nov 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. The Saturn "Remix" (PAL and NTSC‑J reissue) has a mode‑select controller code that unlocks mirrored versions of the stages, which you then enable from Options → Level.
  2. The original Saturn release includes an invincibility code (A, C, X, Z, B, Y, R, L entered on the title screen) that prevents damage and can be toggled on/off by holding B, and
  3. The PlayStation release also has an invincibility code (L1+R1, L2+R2, L1, R1, L2, R2 on the title screen) that makes you invulnerable but cannot be toggled off.

Expansion hack: Industrial Spy — Operation Espionage (Dreamcast)

Rings of Saturn • 87 implied HN points • 02 Aug 25
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. Industrial Spy: Operation Espionage is a Dreamcast game that has an exciting debug menu. This menu can be accessed through a patch that reveals hidden game features.
  2. The debug menu includes options like a Sound Test, a 3D model viewer, and even a secret mini-game that resembles Breakout. It's a cool way to explore the game further.
  3. The game has a function that allows players to skip to different missions by altering a specific debug flag, making it easier to experience parts of the game without starting over.

Under the microscope: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (PlayStation, Dreamcast)

Rings of Saturn • 58 implied HN points • 01 Dec 24
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. There are new cheat codes in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 that have been undiscovered for 24 years. This was found by someone analyzing the game and its cheat code system.
  2. A special Python script was created to discover these cheat codes by attacking the game's hashing system. This method used a combination of known button sequences and permutations.
  3. One of the new cheat codes allows players to turn off shadows in the game. Another doubles the score, which can make gameplay more interesting!

Intel & AMD: The First 30 Years

The Asianometry Newsletter • 2 HN points • 31 May 23
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. Intel's founding purpose was to exploit the semiconductor memory market, leading to the creation of the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004, in 1971.
  2. AMD started as a reliable second-source provider for chips, using reverse-engineering to produce the Am9080 and becoming a major seller in the market.
  3. The rivalry between Intel and AMD escalated over time, involving complex legal battles over microcode and patent infringements until a settlement was reached in 1995.

Shellcode thần chưởng: luyện assembly

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 0 implied HN points • 03 Mar 07
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. Shellcode depends on the operating system because it needs the OS's resources to function, just like any other software.
  2. Assembly language, while initially complex, is actually simple because it lacks abstract concepts and directly corresponds to machine code.
  3. Writing in Assembly can lead to significantly smaller executable sizes compared to higher-level languages like C, which is advantageous for creating compact shellcode.

Testing a mobile app using a device you don’t have

Cybervelia • 0 implied HN points • 17 May 23
đź•ą Technology Reverse Engineering
  1. Testing an IoT app without checking its BLE communication can be a missed opportunity.
  2. Reverse engineering an app involves dissecting core components like device name, service discovery, and behavioral analysis.
  3. Understanding how to create a fake device, connect it to the app, and analyze exchanged data can reveal valuable insights in app testing.