Top Secret (Exidy)

Top Secret
Developer: Exidy Publisher: Exidy Platforms: Arcade (Exidy 440 hardware) Released internationally: 1986 This game has a hidden developer message. This game has hidden developer credits. This game has hidden development-related text.

Top Secret is not an Exidy shooting gallery game. Has the world gone topsy-turvy?! This is actually a driving game with a steering wheel, a pedal, and 8(!) other buttons.

Hidden Message

A hidden message can be seen through the following steps.

• Enter and set this cheat in MAME's topsecex.xml cheat file:

  <cheat desc="Hardware Error">
    <script state="on">
      <action>maincpu.pb@6000=01</action>
      <action>maincpu.pb@6028=02</action>
      <action>maincpu.pb@61C2=03</action>
      <action>maincpu.pb@61FF=04</action>
    </script>
  </cheat>

• Reset the game. An error message should appear on the boot screen.
• Put this cheat into topsexec.xml and enable it:

  <cheat desc="Bypass Hardware Error">
    <script state="on">
      <action>temp0 =maincpu.mw@8720</action>
      <action>temp1 =maincpu.mw@950A</action>
    </script>
    <script state="run">
      <action>maincpu.mw@8720=1212</action>
      <action>maincpu.mw@950A=1212</action>
    </script>
    <script state="off">
      <action>maincpu.mw@8720=temp0</action>
      <action>maincpu.mw@950A=temp1</action>
    </script>
  </cheat>

• 
  A new message should appear on the screen.

After a few seconds, the E2 PROM will be initialized. As in Crackshot, the machine will reboot afterwards. It's likely that Exidy's support crew (But not Beny) could have done something to the arcade cabinets to bypass the hardware error, prompting this message.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Audio Credits

This message is in the sound CPU at F361:

COPYRIGHT (C) 1984 EXIDY INC
M VON STRIVER
V TOLOMEI
K NICHOLSON

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Alternate Title

An earlier, more infringe-y title can be found at the very start of the Program ROM:

0077 (C) 1986 EXIDY INC

Exidy even produced flyers under this early title, advertising a sit-down cabinet that was also scrapped.

(Source: Original TCRF research)