This is a list of software programs to be used with Sony PlayStation 2 video games and cheat devices. (For files to be used with the PC versions of the "Grand Theft Auto" series of game, go to the Grand Theft Auto PC page.) A few of the documents I've written at GameFaqs require programs listed on this page. Additional video game links can be found on my Links page.

• Joker Commands (website) - Just put checkmarks in the boxes for the buttons you want to use to trigger your code, and get the four digit value from the column in the middle. Of course, you actually need a joker code for your game in order for these digits to be useful (you put the four digits into the last four spots in your game's joker code). The Grand Theft Auto games used the Reverse Joke Hex digits. This site is not recommended for novices. You need to, at least, have a basic understanding of codes, as I am not providing any technical support for this site.

• ADXUtil - Ver. 2.2.1 (Win32/GUI version) (230 Kb) - Take ADX audio files on PS2 game discs (usually stored in AFS files) and convert them to wav and mp3 files (mp3 encoding requires lame_enc.dll). It can create and extract AFS archives; add, delete and order streams on existing AFS archives; batch encode/decode; and encode/decode "on-the-fly" when adding or extracting files on AFS archives. It should be noted that it doesn't give the true file names of the ADX files (it renames them based upon the order they are in the AFS file), but usually this doesn't matter anyway. (archived copy of original program homepage)
  

• AFS Explorer (Ver. 3.7) - Browse and extract the contents of the AFS files on PS2 game discs (usually graphic and audio files are contained in them). (alt url - click on "Descargar" near middle bottom of page to download)

• CBCMaker - Used to write/create Codebreaker .cbc/Day1 files. These contain a list of codes for a game, which can be transferred to your CodeBreaker if you have a USB pen drive. This program writes .cbc files, but it CAN NOT READ OR EDIT them. Use CB2Util to "read" .cbc files.
  NOTE #1: The .cbc files this program creates do not contain the digital signature that is required in order for CodeBreaker v8+ to read/see them. These .cbc files can be natively used in Codebreaker v7, but in order to use them in v8.x, v9.1, and v9.3, you need a special update.bin file that removes the signature check (that file and the program are both available on that page - along with a tutorial on how to use the program).
  NOTE #2: The Upgrade.bin file must stay on your USB drive and be in your PS2 when the CodeBreaker loads everytime you want to add unsigned Day1 files, otherwise the CodeBreaker won't see the unsigned Day1 files.
  NOTE #3: From my experience, when writing a description of a code, 54 characters is the maximum amount that will fit onto a TV screen. Anything longer will trail off the edge of the TV screen. You experience may vary if you have a larger TV.

• CB2Util - Extract (and optionally decrypt to unencrypted hexidecimal format) all cheats from CodeBreaker code files (.cbc), encrypt or decrypt PCB files, convert PCB files into ELF files, and check digital signature on CBC and PCB files. The program currently supports unsigned (V7) and signed (V8) Day1 code saves (.CBC), and PCB files (upgrades/homebrew/etc). This program will read/extract the data from .cbc files, but it will NOT WRITE OR EDIT them. Use CBCMaker to write .cbc files.
  NOTE: This is a command-line program, and thus does not have a graphical user interface. Once you're in the command prompt and have navigated to the directory containing the program, you can then pass commands to it. Here are two common examples:
  * Extract the contents of a code save file to a text file:
       cb2util.exe gta3.cbc > gta3.txt
  * Extract and decrypt (to unencrypted hexidecimal format) the contents of a code save file to a text file:
       cb2util.exe -d gtavcs.cbc > gtavcs.txt
  NOTE: I have created a .reg file that will allow you to do batch conversions from CBC to TXT from the Windows Explorer right-click menu. You can download it here. A readme file and an uninstall file are included.

• Ghostbusters POD Unpacker (old version) - Extract/unpack the files contained inside the .pod files on the game discs of the PlayStation 2 and PC versions of Ghostbusters: The Video Game. When you run the program, press Extract, select the .pod file to extract, then select where on your hard drive you want to extract it to. It's as simple as that! On the PS2, the pod files are in the root directory on the disc. On the PC, the .pod files are inside setup\data1.cab, setup\data2.cab, and setup\data3.cab (you can open the .cab files using any good archive utility, such as the freeware IZArc). Both discs are in DVD-ROM format, so you can view them using a regular DVD-ROM drive (the PC disc is dual-layer, so make sure your computer's DVD-ROM drive can read dual-layer discs). The Ghostbusters game uses Terminal Reality's POD5 format. Their earlier games use earlier version of the POD format, which may or may not be compatible with this tool.
  
  AN ALTERNATE POD UNPACKER:
  Maki (Multi Archive Knowledge Interface) (alt url) - with the Rayne plugin.
  The Rayne plugin allows for the extraction of data files from the POD archives in BloodRayne, BloodRayne 2, Ghostbusters. (Extract plugin rars to the Maki main directory so that they're in the .\plugins directory.) What's nice about this program is that you can select which files to extract, unlike the Ghostbusters Pod Unpacker, which extracts ALL files. On the Archives tab, you simply open the POD file, check the boxes next to the files you want to extract, and select Extract from the right-click menu (or press CTRL+E).
       However, Maki doesn't let you choose where to put the extracted files. It automatically extracts to subdirectories under where the original POD file is. So if you use the POD files that are installed on the PC when you installed the game, your extracted files will be located in subdirectories of C:\Program Files\Atari\Ghostbusters
       BUG: Because Maki puts extracted files into subdirectories under where the original POD file is, if you try to extract from the PS2's POD files while reading them off the game disc, you'll get this error: "Application Error: Exception EFCreateError in module Rayne.dll at 00015D21." The only workaround is to copy the POD files from the PS2 game disc to your hard drive.

• GTA Censor Remover (Online Version) - Allows you to remove the censor in GTA: San Andreas and unlocks the removed 'Hot Coffee' interactive scene found after a successful date with one of your girlfriends. It can also be used to change the region of your Xbox save. This program supports PS2, Xbox and PC saves. Please note, this program is only compatible with the original version of the game. It will NOT work on the re-released "Special Edition."

• GTA: San Andreas Gallery Viewer - View and save your Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas gallery pictures on your PC. You must first use PS2 Save Builder to extract the GALLERY.DAT file from your save so you can use it in this program.

• MFAudio - Ver. 1.1 (60 Kb) - Take a variety of audio files on PS2 game discs and convert them to wav files (or just play them).
  MFAUDIO BATCH FILES FOR MY AUDIO EXTRACTION GUIDES
  • Grand Theft Auto III
  • Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
  • WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth
  • WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It

• OmniConvert - Can encrypt and decrypt codes for all commercially available cheat devices available in North America, and most (if not all) cheat devices available in Europe and Asia. That includes all encryption formats for CodeBreaker, Game Shark, Action Replay Max, and Xploder; and unencrypted hexidecimal format, of course. The converted codes can be outputted to one of these file types: Text, Action Replay Max (.bin), CodeBreaker (.cbc), and Xploder/Game Shark (.p2m). This program is the successor to MAXConvert and also replaces CB2Crypt.
  NOTE: The .cbc files this program creates do not contain the digital signature that is required in order for CodeBreaker v8+ to read/see them. These .cbc files can be natively used in Codebreaker v7, but in order to use them in v8.x, v9.1, and v9.3, you need a special update.bin file that removes the signature check (see the CBCMaker section above).
  AR2v2 KEY CODES: I don't know very much about code converting, but a while back I picked up this information on converting to and from Game Shark/Action Replay v2 format. For the most part, anytime Action Replay 2 version 2 (aka Game Shark 2 version 2) codes are involved you will need to use a key code. It doesn't matter if you converting to or from, you need a key code. Here are the three different Action Replay 2 encryptions, so you'd know which key codes to use for which codes. In OmniConvert, you can change the key code by going to Options - Set AR2 Key Code.
  
  

  Encryption: 1456E7A5 Key Code: [not needed] Codes that use this encryption method usually have a one line Master Code (Enabler/Must Be On/M Code), which looks like this: xxxxxxxx 14xxxxxx      Example:      Final Fantasy X-2 (JAP)      M Code      EC879A34 142F7D74 Encryption: BCA99B83 Key Code: 1853E59E Codes that use this encryption method usually have a two line Master Code (Enabler/Must Be On/M Code), which looks like this: 0E3C7DF2 1853E59E xxxxxxxx BCxxxxxx Encryption: F8FCFEFF Key Code: 1645EBB3 Codes that use this encryption method usually have a two line Master Code (Enabler/Must Be On/M Code), which looks like this: 0E3C7DF2 1645EBB3 xxxxxxxx F8xxxxxx You can also convert Action Replay 2 Master Codes to any other format, just like it was a regular code. Note: If you're converting Action Replay 2 Master Codes, you do not convert its keycode. Example Final Fantasy X-2 M Code 0E3C7DF2 1853E59E <- DO NOT CONVERT THIS EE8EE582 BCD845DA <- Convert This EE8EE582 BCD845DA <-> FA767F87 32AC4CB8 <-> F010190C 002FAA57 (Action Replay 2) (Code Breaker) (Hexidecimal) Thanks to Azagthoth0666, Tommy24, and anyone else who wrote the reference material I used to put this together.

• PS2 Cheat Code Encryption Look-Up - Find out what encryption your cheat device codes are in. Only does one line codes. Doesn't handle CBv7+, GSv3&4 (new encryption), and GSv5. (As of 4/26/2006, they put v1 back on the site, in place of v2 [81Kb].) I'd love to find a new program that does what this one does, but has been updated more recently to include ALL formats.

• PS2 Save Builder - Create, extract, and convert between many popular game save formats (AR Max, CodeBreaker, nPort, XPort, Sharkport, and more).
  USEFUL INFO: You can even use this program to delete and rearrange saved games in your GTA: Vice City save file, since the game makers left out a Delete option. You could probably also use it to rearrage the saved games (change the number in the title of each save to something from 1 through 8) in GTA3 and San Andreas as well (both of those games have a built-in delete option, so you don't need this program to do that).

• San Andreas Radio - Do audio extraction from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (presumably for all PlayStation 2 versions). Be sure to follow the instructions in the program's Help menu. This program will not work on the PC version of the game.

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CodeTwink.com: Do NOT submit game saves to this site (formerly the official CodeBreaker website). You will lose ownership of your saves if you do it, and they will modify it to replace the game's icon with their own. If you later request that they delete your save from the site, your request will be denied. You should submit them to GameFaqs, where you will retain ownership of it, and they will post it without modifying it. FYI: When the CodeBreaker device takes a game save from the memory card and puts it onto the USB device, the .cbs file it makes retains the original game save icon. It's only when the site staff posts saves to the website do they replace the original icon with their own.

GameFaqs.com: Do NOT waste your time submitting "cheats" (codes, passwords, unlockables, easter eggs, glitches, and secrets) to GameFaqs because they will no longer accept them, no matter how much they meet their posted criteria, and how legit the information is. The person in charge of accepting/rejecting submissions ("Sailor Bacon" aka "SBAllen") won't even give you a reason why the "cheats" were rejected (their generic, useless "Not A Cheat" excuse is not a reason). One day I may post to this page the details of the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories glitch and easter eggs I tried to add in April and May 2007, with examples of how they meet the criteria, and how I was never given a REAL reason for why they were always rejected. For right know, I just want to make people aware of this issue (so they don't waste their time like I did). As for what you CAN submit to GameFaqs, pretty much everything else (guides, reviews, saves, etc.) will be accepted, assuming your information is accurate and properly written.

Read/Write/Edit .CBC Files: The only program I desparately need, but have not been able to find, is one that would allow the reading/writing/editing of CodeBreaker "Day 1" (.cbc) files. There's a program that writes the files (CBCMaker), and a command-line program that "reads" them (CB2Util), but nothing that would read, write, AND edit them. Ideally, it'll be great if it could output digitally signed CBC files so that the update.bin file isn't needed, but I can understand if that's not possible for legal reasons.
I'd love to be able to delete codes from the official .cbc files without having to do the routine of extract a signed CBC file to text using CB2Util, edit in Notepad, copy and paste into CBCMaker in order to rebuild into an unsigned CBC file.
I really have no idea why the CodeBreaker folks didn't release a program for their users that reads/writes/edits the .cbc files. It's not like the .cbc files could be used with any other cheat device. This added user-ability would result in more people buying CodeBreakers (since the competition doesn't have such tools). At least that's what I think. If anyone knows where to download such a program (assuming one was ever created), please e-mail me.