PixyJunket

Ding ding ding!! We have a winner!

PixyJunket

Interesting.. I always thought NARPA SSWORD followed the same "random" scheme. Obviously, your quoted text sounds like it comes from somebody who actually knows what they are talking about so I'll trust them that it is actually hard coded. However, I always heard that NAR stood for North American Release. This makes more sense to me because as you may or may not know, the password system was created specifically for the North American release; the Japanese versions of Metroid and Kid Icarus used a save feature very similar to The Legend of Zelda.

CreatureX

Well the Justin Bailey code may be a random code, however it was printed by Nintendo in their magazine way back in the old days, which makes it an official code. That is why it's so well known.

flair

I found the original thread about the nar password over at (gasp!) gamefaqs.com

http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gen...6037900&page=0

It is a good read if you have the time.

I also found people saying the North American release like you said pixy. I also found this password:

ENGAGE RIDLEY
MOTHER ****ER

all of it in caps, obviously the **** part is blanked by the forum censor. I tried it out, it works, but with some "odd" effects.

PixyJunket

OMG!! It's an official password!!

Heh, about the NARPASSWORD debate, the NAR could be a number of things, but we'll never know "for sure" unless one of the developers came out and said it. The only thing I'm curious about is why it was hard-coded into Metroid, and Kid Icarus had no hard-coded passwords. (Yes, ICARUS FIGHTS MEDUSA ANGELS is random, so don't even go there.)

tanman

What are the other "odd" effects?

And the justin bailey code does work on the classic rerelease.

Breakfast with Girls

Well, considering that it gives you everything, allows invincibility and infinite missiles, leaves all items and doors intact, bypasses all checksum routines, and Tohru Narihiro was responsible for the game's North American conversion (including the password system), I would say that it's almost certainly an official password.

cheapskate

That's one wrinkly looking t-shirt...

Combined with the hideously veiny, ropey arms inside, probably makes it one of the least appealing items of clothing I've seen for some time.

Were we supposed to be commenting on the t-shirt?

beefjerky

Man, Gameskins makes some pretty lame looking shirts, but that shirt has got to be the lamest of them all.

flair

The screen is blurry and you can barely make out your charecter. You start at the first screen but when you run left or right the screen doesnt scroll. If you go all the way to the right, you end up over at the far left side of the screen, the same thing happens if you go to the left (if that makes sense). Basically, it is unplayable.

PixyJunket

Oh.. I know that.. it's been proven through the source code that it's the only hard-coded password in the game. What I meant is we'll never know the real "meaning" (if there is one) of the initials NAR.

cliffzig

I was playing around with Kid Icarus and stumbled upon this code:

PbPbPb PbPbPb
PbPbPb PbPbPb

Takes you to the last level how fun.

EDIT: Or it just shows the ending I can't remember.

prince_of_saturn

http://www.gamewinners.com/nes/Metroid.htm