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[nani17]

I truly miss the days when most games allowed you to input ridiculous codes to have even more fun while playing their single player games, but nowadays it seems to be a rarity that a single player game allows it.

I've heard people say it's due to trophies and achievements but in GTAIV if you enter cheat it would turn off unlocking them.

So does anyone else miss them or is it just me? What were your favourite ones?

 

[ShinraMiddleMananger]

In super return of the Jedi for SNES you can enter cheat codes to start at various levels in the game. If you enter CDWLTY you can start at the shield generator.

 

[Cutty Flam]

Damn this thread brings me back. Remember cheatplanet.com?

Used to print out the cheat codes lmao. They were for NFL Blitz 2000 and 2001, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, SSX Tricky, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

 

[Yamisan]

I never used them, cheaters are looked down upon no matter the platform.

 

[regawdless]

I miss the hilarious cheat codes that kinda broke the game.

Nowadays on PC, in sp games I often use mods or cheat engine to adjust the game to my preferences. Like disabling inventory weight limits in games etc.

 

[Kupfer]

I used to buy various magazines with a huge amount of codes for hundreds of games. This was in the 90's before we had internet.

Who remembers this one?

 

[ThaGuy]

Mortal kombat's sega genesis blood code comes to mind. A,b,a,c,a,b,b. Good times

 

[Dr.Morris79]

'EAT LEAD MUDDY FUNSTER'

Sad times that these died out to a degree. There was nothing better than looking them up or earning them after completing a game. In medieval times we used to have things like this..

And poke cheats in Zzap 64..

 

[nani17]

I never used them, cheaters are looked down upon no matter the platform.

Events when you already beat the game you never went back and had fun with cheats.

 

[Spukc]

A+B+C START

 

[xrnzaaas]

Personally I didn't use cheats to make the games easier, I liked the crazy ones to mess with the physics or spawn some rare stuff like cars or weapons to have some fun. I also miss good trainers although they haven't died out completely.

 

[Shubh_C63]

Unpopular opinion.
But I wish Sekiro had cheat codes in the form of exploration and collectibles.

Bad at games. Well this is bare minimum you need to be good to find 25 items hidden in our beautiful game. Collect and x2 speed unlocked till the next area.

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

I do in a way. I’ve paid for the game let me play it how I want to. In my case nothing to do with ‘gettin gud’ it’s time in the day that I don’t have.

How many people aren’t going to see 80% of the souls games for example?

Just finished Control on PS5 and didn’t realise you could play it all the way with cheats on that didn’t affect trophies.

It’s up to me isn’t it how I want to play? I’m not hurting you and I don’t play online so let me do my own thing.

 

[German Hops]

Ye good ol' days..

 

[FeldMonster]

Yes, I strongly miss the days of cheat codes. My siblings and I would use GameGenie (Super Nintendo) and GameShark (Nintendo 64) to have all kinds of fun. When you have significantly less money, replaying games endlessly with various cheats on dramatically extended playability.

As for the most memorable, I will forever have the following codes burned into my memory for codes built into NBA Jam Tournament Edition:

• Left, Right, A, B, B, A: Monster Jam from anywhere on the court
• Down, Right, Right, B, A, Left: Always on Fire

The codes in NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat were interesting, as you had limited time and/or slots to input them, and there were far more than you could input, so each time you played was an opportunity for a unique experience. No small wonder that they were ported to console by the same teams.

One of the reasons I especially like my Dreamcast, and just purchased a DC Digital for it, is that it is the newest console that I own that has a GameShark (a real GameShark, not the later, game save only versions).

People who didn't grow up with cheat codes, either in-game or the cartridge add ons don't understand the importance to those who did. Losing cheat codes in modern games leaves a massive gap in the video game experience, like losing a genre. Can you imagine if one of your favorite genres just ceased to be released on Next-Gen consoles and every generation afterwards?

 

[ResilientBanana]

Doom Eternal Has satiated my needs for unlocks and cheat codes. More modern games should be like this, instead of paying for stuff all the time. Better yet, just give me the option to earn things instead of buying them but also give me the option to buy them.

 

[Umbasaborne]

Why include cheat codes when you can sell them for ten bucks a pop?

 

[Arcadialane]

Very much so, all games should have cheat codes, so much fun can be had by fucking around with them. GTA:SA comes to mind the most, spawning jet packs and hydras, infinite life/ammo. And laso if you sucked, or there where annoying mission to get passed, Just another element I don't like about modern gaming, the 'get gud' stuff. Nobody cared back in the day, do well, suck/use all the cheats, nobody cares, just have fun.

 

[Krappadizzle]

HexEditors do what MsftSonyNintendon't.

 

[TheContact]

as a PC player, not so much because many PC games allow you to do console commands
but I do miss gameshark, you could have a lot of fun with that.
cheating was super taboo among my friends though as they didn't feel the victory was earned, but i always thought it was fun. i remember looking up a gamefaqs guide for a puzzle in one of the anima dungeons in xenogears and they considered that cheating too, but damn fuck that puzzle

 

[VulcanRaven]

I used them a lot on PS1. The big head mode in Spider-Man (2000) was great.

 

[eyesabitdull]

On consoles, yes. I kinda do miss them.

But on PC, nothing has changed.

Just open a trainer like WeMod and just add in a cheat if I really wanted to.

Some games are fun with cheats for just a fun time without having to bog yourself down over things.

Or old games that I'm replaying and just lazy to go through the motions of grinding.

 

[Krappadizzle]

as a PC player, not so much because many PC games allow you to do console commands
but I do miss gameshark, you could have a lot of fun with that.
cheating was super taboo among my friends though as they didn't feel the victory was earned, but i always thought it was fun. i remember looking up a gamefaqs guide for a puzzle in one of the anima dungeons in xenogears and they considered that cheating too, but damn fuck that puzzle

Goldeneye with the gameshark was awesome. You could unlock the full levels for MP and just go crazy by running to the end of the facility and mine it up and tease your buddy to come and get you.

I loved Gameshark, made a world of difference in a lot of the games I played as a kid. I used my Gameshark all the time with my Sega Genesis too.

A few years ago I bought a Genesis. It was a model 3 though which doesn't work with the Gameshark, which annoyed the hell out of me.

 

[Fashionably Late]

As a kid in the 90s I remember saving my money to buy the big codebook from Tips & Tricks magazine every year. Was always exciting to unlock hidden characters or other powers. Now instead of including a couple bonus items via cheat codes everything is just paid DLC. As an adult I don't really care, but I can't help but wonder if kids are missing out on something today.

 

[Krappadizzle]

As a kid in the 90s I remember saving my money to buy the big codebook from Tips & Tricks magazine every year. Was always exciting to unlock hidden characters or other powers. Now instead of including a couple bonus items via cheat codes everything is just paid DLC. As an adult I don't really care, but I can't help but wonder if kids are missing out on something today.

Tips and tricks and then online was Cheat Code Central(CheatCC). If I didn't have an issue of T&T with codes, I'd check CheatCC as soon as we got back from the Video Store with a new game rental for the weekend.

My Dad would get so annoyed, "Don't you want to play it without cheat codes first?"

 

[stranno]

Colin McRae Rally cheats were amazing:

SILKYSMOOTH: 60FPS with reduced graphics.

DIDDYCARS: Micro Machines mode, of course, it was a Codemasters game after all.

BLANCMANGE: Jelly car with dynamic inertia (sick!).

 

[Kuranghi]

Its a travesty that no one has mentioned fucking GAMEWINNERS yet, memorial here:

GameWinners.com -- 1995 - 2017

That was always my first stop for cheats.

Favourite cheats: NHL 98 PC version, you pause the game and type "mantis" or "check" really fast on the keyboard and you get disturbing distended players with really long arms and necks for mantis and check makes every contact between players be a full body check If you check them at the glass I beleive it ALWAYS smashed too, so much fun haha.

I looked for footage of the cheats but all I can find is a child playing NHL 99 on N64 with cheats, recorded in 2020, enjoy!:

 

[Reality Czar]

I have lots of memories of using the no gravity mode on cars in GTA: SA and just flying around. Even more fun than the regular game.

 

[MiguelItUp]

I miss fun cheat codes that did something ridiculous or amusing to the game/gameplay. I remember Die Hard Trilogy having quite a few of those, haha.

 

[Esca]

I'm single player game I use to use them to get some extended life out of a game by using them once i already completed the game (except gta, it's just a much better experience cheating). I never used them that much outside of console commands in pc games to increase carrying capacity if it was possible

 

[Revolutionary]

Absolutely. I even had a Gameshark Pro, which was essentially an extremely early version of Cheat Engine. It was awesome.
On that note, cheats still exist with the aforementioned Cheat Engine. I sometimes use it to cut down on massive grinds in games that don't respect the player's time.

 

[stn]

Yes, definitely! Back in the day I used to hack Gameshark for WWF No Mercy, and it basically made the game completely different (just search on Youtube and you'll see what I mean). I also love having unlocks like skins, weapons, and missions, which adds to replay value. Some games just add those things as paid DLC rather than in-game rewards.

 

[IDKFA]

I miss them for Total War.

Although I still love doing a normal campaign, I also liked to do a Med 2 campaign where I didn't need to worry about funds and just swarmed Europe with huge armies and have a massive tech advantage.

 

[LordOfChaos]

Honestly I think I enjoyed Skyrim a lot more with cheat codes. No encumbrance and infinite endurance. The start is slow and plodding without them.

 

[nani17]

 

[Kuranghi]

I miss fun cheat codes that did something ridiculous or amusing to the game/gameplay. I remember Die Hard Trilogy having quite a few of those, haha.

Totally! I can't find footage of 2 or 3's cheats but here is a link to part in a video where some guys are trying out cheats for 1:

 

[nani17]

Totally! I can't find footage of 2 or 3's cheats but here is a link to part in a video where some guys are trying out cheats for 1:

These are some of the cheats I'm talking about. Just allowing you to have fun with the game

 

[SpongebobSquaredance]

I never used them, cheaters are looked down upon no matter the platform.

Online yes, offline no.

 

[Fashionably Late]

Tips and tricks and then online was Cheat Code Central(CheatCC). If I didn't have an issue of T&T with codes, I'd check CheatCC as soon as we got back from the Video Store with a new game rental for the weekend.

My Dad would get so annoyed, "Don't you want to play it without cheat codes first?"

Completely forgot about Cheat Code Central! We had pages and pages printed out from there. I even remember making copies for my friends since we were some of the first in our group to get broadband internet.

 

[TheDreadLord]

A lot of offline RPGs would be more enjoyable if some sort of cheat codes were available. On PC, most of the time you have access to a console or something like that. Why not the same on a videogame?

 

[Shut0wen]

Damn this thread brings me back. Remember cheatplanet.com?

Used to print out the cheat codes lmao. They were for NFL Blitz 2000 and 2001, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, SSX Tricky, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Cheatplanet was the shit, i remember fondly using that website for turok evolution cheats so i can kill everything in the zoo

 

[TheMan]

Had a game genie for NES and I loved it. Never did pick up any similar device later.
Do I miss them now? Kind of I guess? Not really.

 

[jaysius]

Nope, cheat codes were always pathetic, if you can't play the game move on, play another one. Video gaming is supposed to be a hobby if the thing is causing you so much grief you need to cheat in it, then you're doing it wrong. Accept that you suck and move on to another game that you don't have to cheat in.

 

[Kuranghi]

Whoaaaaa, even megagames is still around!:

MegaGames - Game Trainers, Cheats, Mods, Fixes, News and Videos for Games

MegaGames - founded in 1998, is a comprehensive hardcore gaming resource covering News, Trainers, Mods, Videos, Fixes, Cheats, Patches, Editorials, Freegames, Demos, Emulators and more

megagames.com

Where I used to get all my dodgy trainers that probably installed the 90s/early 00s equivalent of bitcoin miners.

 

[Kuranghi]

Nope, cheat codes were always pathetic, if you can't play the game move on, play another one. Video gaming is supposed to be a hobby if the thing is causing you so much grief you need to cheat in it, then you're doing it wrong. Accept that you suck and move on to another game that you don't have to cheat in.

I think you're missing the point. He means changing the game for fun, by making silly things happen, its got nothing to do with cheating to win the game. Don't be a grumpy!

I've got a good mind to find out where you live and come round and force you to drive the jelly car in Colin McRae rally for 30 minutes until you've got all this silliness out of your system.

edit - Have you got kids?!??

 

[Kuranghi]

I think you're missing the point. He means changing the game for fun, by making silly things happen, its got nothing to do with cheating to win the game. Don't be a grumpy!

I've got a good mind to find out where you live and come round and force you to drive the jelly car in Colin McRae rally for 30 minutes until you've got all this silliness out of your system.

edit - Have you got kids?!??

See! Dr. Morris knows what I'm talking about!

He's living the high life, his missus is walking around doing the gardening in Lara Croft style hot-pants while his kids are inside trolling other kids in Fortnite with aimbots and wallhacks. He's a doctor as well so you can trust him more than the average plebian.

 

[SpongebobSquaredance]

Nope, cheat codes were always pathetic, if you can't play the game move on, play another one. Video gaming is supposed to be a hobby if the thing is causing you so much grief you need to cheat in it, then you're doing it wrong. Accept that you suck and move on to another game that you don't have to cheat in.

The cheat codes in games like Tony Hawk didn't necessarily give you an advantage. I'm talking about big head mode, moon physics. snowboard mode etc.
And even the cheats that gave you an advantage were totally fine. It is just to fuck around with the games mechanics.
How lame that you reduce it to such an outrageous "get gud" argument.

 

[Darko]

I need one for that new tony hawk to unlock the levels

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

I didn't even like the big heads in NBA Jam as a kid.

"Cheat codes ruin the integrity of the experience". I remember saying that to my Mom as she lifted me out of the car seat.

 

[Videospel]

Just finished Control on PS5 and didn’t realise you could play it all the way with cheats on that didn’t affect trophies.

What? Does it work for Steam as well? I hit a plateau in the game where it's too hard to be fun.