Cheat Codes: what happened and do you care?

[runic knight]

Developers also don't like hiding content anymore

Except behind pay walls...

OT
Cheats have been changed from entering codes to activating unlocked modes/behaviors. Many still exist in various games, just they are not the conventional konami variety.

Games also have become easier, become more rigid in how the developers want you to play and have less a need for cheats outright. Though, when talking about pc games, there is both the mod community and the general debug and other methods for direct cheating.


Though in fairness to mods, many are additional content rather then cheats. Yeah, you can always find "ring of godmod" by looking through mods, but most are new items, enemies, quests, locations and gameplay/UI to make the game more enjoyable and longer, sometimes even harder.

 

[Norithics]

Seems to be a lot of debate about whether people "need" cheats or not these days. Has anyone here ever needed cheats?

I would argue that, yeah, some games practically required them, because they were broken in some very important gameplay aspect that made it next to impossible to win under normal circumstances. Certain sidescrolling arcade brawlers ported to consoles with no respect to the fact that you can't just insert another quarter come to mind. Undercover Cops for the SNES is a very specific example I can think of- once you reach Gunpuncher, that's pretty much it.

 

[Frankster]

I miss cheat codes all the time tbh.

They allowed you to tinker the game and play it on your terms, as you see fit.

They also tended to introduce new ways of playing the game or adding "silly" gameplay options to spice things up.

I couldnt possibly care less about achievements and trophies (i get them for finishing the tutorial ffs! i trip over trophies without even trying!) so the dearth of cheat codes is just one more reason for me to despise that trend.

Mods are cool and all, but not every game can be modded, even on the pc.

 

[tangoprime]

Developers also don't like hiding content anymore

Except behind pay walls...

Pretty much this, I first "noticed" the absence of cheat codes in need for speed titles, where the old ones used to have them, but starting this generation, they went away, and were replaced by XBLM/PSN Store "Exotic Car Pack $2.99" or "Vinyls Pack $1.99" with the disclaimer that you could unlock it all through regular gameplay. It got significantly more egregious with Shift IIRC, where anything you purchase in game gives you the option "purchase with game credit or $."

But looking back, it definitely coincided with the achievement thing. Thanks assholes who wish to stroke their ePeen by showing off how cool you are, and thanks Microsoft for creating achievements to pad out play time on games that would otherwise be over and forgotten in a few hours.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Seems to be a lot of debate about whether people "need" cheats or not these days. Has anyone here ever needed cheats? I always used them after I finished games for fun. Unlimited health, ammo, God Mode, the ability to do things you only wished you could do running through the game initially.... That's just fun.

I like the GTA approach, where they exist but cannot be used online, and achievements are disabled when they're active. I think more games should include them in that capacity, might add more replay value when we're done with their "immersive, artful experiences."

Indeed, using cheats to speed up a second playthrough or just walking through walls to find inaccessible areas left in the game but unused. Going into test levels. Nullifying mechanics you find stupid (like not having the max wallet in a Zelda game, that just leads to frustration as you have to leave rupees behind early in the game).

In game cheats are fine but not as fun as cheats that let you go beyond what the devs intended. Games have always had official cheats so I am not sure why some people think that official cheats are suddenly here to replace unofficial cheats. It seems to me that in the same way official cheats can be deactivated when playing online, so then could cheat devices. Nintendo manages to block them from even starting, that shows that they can recognize a cheat device. The easiest way would be for the big three to officially license cheat devices so they could gain the ability to detect when they are running and disable them for online play.

 

[windlenot]

I think the biggest thing is that they became less necessary for certain games. I dunno, but I can't see any relevant cheat codes for BioShock. They just kinda went as certain game genres grew. And with the extent of online competitive multiplayer, cheats are just unnecessary.

Although, if you are playing a music game or a racing/fighting game, I wholeheartedly believe that there should be a cheat to unlock all songs/characters/stages or else you're a bit of an ass to me. Lookin at you, Smash Brothers... (although I do love Smash 64 and Melee to the core)

 

[Mikejames]

I kind of miss the one's that were pointlessly humorous. I seem to remember a lot of those on N64 and PS1, like the old Spiderman games' "What If?" mode.

Cheat codes were also the only way I saw anything past the first level in games like Superman 64.

 

[BQE]

In a length game with a story I happen to be interested in but gameplay that I find time-consuming and annoying, cheat codes would be a divine delivery. There have been recent times that I've scoured the internet looking for them but to no avail.

I would liken it to taking a hammer to a walnut.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

Last game I played that had built-in cheats was the Force Unleashed, and yes, I used them. I tend not to use cheats on my first playthrough, but any subsequent is fair game, especially if it cuts down on the grinding or tedious of the game.

 

[Alfredo Jones]

Ah, cheat codes. I remember the days of sitting in front of the TV, N64/PS/PS2 controller in hand, and a manual full of cheats so thick you could beat your dog to death with it. I remember looking at the sections for games like Goldeneye 007 and GTAIII-San Andreas and how they absolutely dwarfed all of the other games. I had little tabs taped to each page so I could easily find the sections for games I had. Ah, those were the days. I guess I still get a kick out of using mods, trainers, and console commands to mess with my games but that's only on my PC. I wish developers would bring back honest-to-goodness cheat codes. Maybe they could just lock you out of getting achievements or something if you have any on. I don't care about achievements anyway.

 

[white_wolf]

The games I've played that allowed cheat codes also punishes you for using them, you can't save while cheats are active and once you deactivate them you don't stay wherever you were in the game when said deactivation occurred instead the game places you to where it determined the game play should occur you lose any progress you made on the world and that's what I've noticed cheat codes that punish you.

I can't help but think they've also replaced cheat codes with the gold star program aka achievement unlocked I can't see how these achievements cause the same effect as getting the cheat code right but it must be similar for veteran players not to go crazy over its inclusion or maybe its that the modern gamers don't feel like putting in the time to pull off complicated code entries they feel its a waste but some how the gold stars feel like all the accomplishment they need.

I suppose punishing the player for using codes the company gave you is done to decentivize using them but there is no difference in using the cheat code to beat the game faster or using youtube to get the walkthroughs, boss strategies, and best weapon locations and beating the game faster. I think the game developers don't want to see the resurgence of the cheat code bank roll that went on in the 90's they pocketed very little in terms of cash the people whom made the code books or cheat memory cards made out like bandits and the developers didn't like that they now punish use of codes if they allow it at all so they can have all the control over their product at least on the console side.

Cheat codes made the game fun in so many ways or provided you with that boost and you decided how much of a boost you'd get would you get it all unlimited health, ammo, and all levels or would you only give yourself the unlimited ammo and make yourself have to complete the levels on at least half merit? Or had you tried the same level over and over again for a full year before you'd give in take a boost and finally move on! You decided and that was one of the best parts. Putting them in was a challenge of speed and you really felt good once you pulled off the more complicated codes but when you just couldn't do it you wanted to kill your console.

 

[aguspal]

Archivements happended.

No I dont give a crap about them (The cheats), I couldt care less really. Especially since now you have mods or something if you want to cheat. I love archivements so yeah... bias post.

 

[Oroboros]

Ah cheat codes. Alternate character models, bug head mode, infinite ammo or health-I miss them. It was fun to have the shortcuts and goofy gameplay modifications that they supplied on hand to mess around with. added to content quite a bit, I think. I'd trade them for achievements anyday, personally.

 

[Tanis]

I miss my machine gun rocket launcher.

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

Achievements happened. When they brought them in, they couldn't let people cheat to get them because gamerscore and such would loose legitimacy I guess?

When you get a game you can use cheatcodes in, GTA V being a recent example, achievements are deactivated. So apparently, you can only have one or the other.

 

[dfphetteplace]

I miss cheat codes. I loved just throwing on god made and killing everything in sight. I usually tried to wait until I finished the game though.

 

[TheBlakDrag0n]

Seems to be a lot of debate about whether people "need" cheats or not these days. Has anyone here ever needed cheats?

I would argue that, yeah, some games practically required them, because they were broken in some very important gameplay aspect that made it next to impossible to win under normal circumstances. Certain sidescrolling arcade brawlers ported to consoles with no respect to the fact that you can't just insert another quarter come to mind. Undercover Cops for the SNES is a very specific example I can think of- once you reach Gunpuncher, that's pretty much it.

Maybe I was just an unskilled kid gamer back then, but I never would have beat the Dark Forces games without the cheat codes they built in.

 

[Teoes]

Yeah, I miss using cheats for dicking around and I particularly miss the fun cheats. It's a shame to see effects that used to be a cheat code or hidden sequence away, being sold as DLC.

The closest I've had in recent years has been being able to open the console and muck around with commands in certain PC games.

 

[Soxafloppin]

I only really liked fun cheats like spawning tanks in GTA and things like that.

It seems MS points and Trophies have killed them, I liked how the Uncharted games worked round this though, If you beat the game on Medium, you can use the cheats on Medium and below, but on hard or crushing until you beat those modes respectively.

I'm playing GTA5 at the moment, after I beat it I'l play around with the cheats.

 

[BruceBeer]

At least you no longer have to phenagle around with the game genie to cheat on a console.