Cheaters never prosper….until now!

When I receive a new game or get stuck in a difficult part, I rarely look at a strategy guide or find cheats to overcome an obstacle, until I have beat it on my own gaming abilities. Throughout the years I have never used a game genie, game shark, or even action replay. I have always been curious to see how they work, and I jumped at the opportunity to check out the latest GameShark, and to tell you the truth, I am really impressed.

GameShark is a gamer’s wish come true, due to its humongous code library, ability to update codes, and even allows region free DVD playback. These features alone are worth the purchase price, but one of the biggest draws to using this game enhancer is how you use this product.

Using the GameShark is really easy but at the same time a little confusing. Let me clarify a bit, what I mean by easy is how you physically use the program.   All players have to do is pop in the GameShark DVD, boot up the PlayStation 2, find a code you want to use, then play the game. The concept on how this works is great, where it gets a few penalty marks is the interface.

The interface itself is really nice and somewhat user friendly, but when you start digging in for game codes it gets a little cumbersome and awkward. When you are searching for a game and find one, instead of hitting the “X” button (which for the most part is the “universal confirm button”) you press the right on the d-pad. Also when you do find a code, the code is highlighted in a light tint, it is not hard to tell that it is, but when you are selecting multiple codes it would have been nice to have a “Code Selected” column to see all the codes selected. While this is not a huge deal, it does take a while to get used to how it all works, and it could be time where you are enjoying a game.

As stated earlier GameShark 2 has the ability to allow you to play any DVD from any region around the world. This is a great and welcome addition to many people who like to watch DVD’s from around the world, and have to find some way to get around that. It is very simple to do, boot up the GameShark Disk, put in the DVD, select which region, put the DVD back in and presto, you can watch the movie on your PlayStation 2.

Another great thing about the GameShark is that as long as you have the equipment (Network Adapter and a computer with an Internet connection), you will be able to update the code database to any new games that come out. This will always keep the GameShark current, and you will not have to constantly buy new versions to keep codes for all your games up to date.

Pros:
The two best features that the GameShark 2 provides is allowing you to update the code database (as long as you have an Internet connection and a Network Adapter on your PS2) and a way to beat DVD regions! I mean the price alone is worth beating the DVD region lockouts.

Cons:
While the interface is good, it is still hard to get your bearings at times. Another thing that can be a disappointment to many is that it is also pricy, set at a cool $39.99.

Verdict: 9.1
If you like finding every single thing hidden in a game, yet don’t have the time or the patience to do so, the GameShark 2 will be worth every penny for you. Plus it is always nice to play some of your older games and finding out how to get something that was extremely difficult back then.