Welcome to the 32 Dangerous Cheat Codes, a brand new series that will run daily between November 24 and December 25. Join us as we discuss the hazardous ramifications of some of your favorite cheat codes. Today we're probably going to ruin the Sega Genesis in hopes of pulling off a Last Battle cheat. Things are going to get destroyed in this brand new episode of the 32 Dangerous Cheat Codes.


We've looked at a lot of codes over the last two weeks. From fully-clothed sex scenes in Grand Theft Auto to infinite money in SimCity to swimming through Mario's minus world, we've talked about an extremely diverse list of cheats. One thing you've probably noticed is that most of these codes are fairly easy to pull off, often only requiring a simple button combination. Today we're going to go in the complete opposite direction and talk about one of the most complicated cheats of all time. It's a tip so dangerous that it has a good chance of actually ruining your Genesis.

So get this: In order to attempt today's code, you're going to need a copy of Last Battle laying around, along with the Space Harrier II cartridge, a controller and, of course, a Sega Genesis system you don't mind breaking. I told you this was going to be complicated.

First, put in your copy of Space Harrier II and go into the options screen. Now - without switching off the power - carefully remove the game and insert your Last Blade cartridge. Push the reset button, and when the screen says "Legend of the Final Hero," press and hold the A, B, and C buttons and the start button.

What does it do? That's not important, because nobody in their right mind is going to go through all those steps and potentially ruin one of their beloved retro consoles. It's also unlikely that people still have copies of these poorly-received first-generation 16-bit games sitting around. And even if they did, does anybody really want to revisit Last Battle? I don't think so.

Of course, the real question is how anybody figured this code out in the first place. How bored do you have to be to look for cheats by yanking games out of the system? And is Last Battle really that mind-numbing? If that's the only game you own, then I can understand why you might want to destroy your Genesis.