Gaming - News
The Infamous Metroid Cheat Code That Didn't Exist In Japan
By CORIN MJ BAE
One of the most famous cheat codes in gaming history comes from the original “Metroid” — if players typed "JUSTIN BAILEY" into the game's password menu, it would start them halfway through the game with some upgrades and Samus in a suitless sprite. However, this code was exclusive to North America and Europe, and may have just been a coding fluke.
The reason the "JUSTIN BAILEY" code never existed in Japan comes down to the fact that the Famicom included save slots while the Nintendo Entertainment System did not. This meant that the NES version had to use a password system that gave players a code that would return them back to the biome they were in when they died, and "JUSTIN BAILEY" was one of them.
Fans were able to figure out that any string of characters could work as a passcode in the NES version of "Metroid," so long as its last two digits could be validated by the system. It’s theorized that "JUSTIN BAILEY" was famous because the code was easy to remember, spelled out a recognizable name, and generated a helpful save state that could be interpreted as a hidden cheat.
