The Death of the Cheat Code

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Sometimes I see a game I really like and before I decide I want it, I go to gamefaqs to look for good cheats. Instead of cheats, I find achievements and trophy guides in the "codes" section. It's been happening to a lot of games in recent years.

I have a habit of cheating on videogames whenever I play and I do it all the time. I do play videogames where I don't have to cheat but there are very very few games like that and my way of playing is different from other gamers.

The Rise and Fall of Cheat Codes

We had the Konami Code which had a different effect in every game that had it.

Some games had a level select that could only be activated in the Sound Test options by playing certain tracks in the game in a certain order.

Some games had passwords. To see a password, you either had to finish a level or game over and then write it down. If any of us had any spare time before passwords were posted on gaming sites, we could type in a password using brute force with all combinations until we hit a password that gave 99 lives and/or all power ups on whatever level the password sent us. Soon passwords provided cheats themselves and unlockables but these passwords were more specific than just random jumbled letters and numbers or any other miscellaneous characters.

Some games you needed a special cartridge for cheating (Game Genie or Action Replay) but they were far from perfect (I played Megaman X and put in the invincibility code and one hit killed me instead). They got better in later years.

Soon games had a button combination letting you activate specific codes at the start screen, the options menu, or when the game was paused.

There were many cheats out there but we only cared for invincibility, infinite ammo, infinite lives, all power ups, unlock everything, etc. Some special effect codes were put in just for fun like Big Heads, Skinny Bodies, Kid mode (makes characters short), and many others.

Now here we are introduced with achievements and trophies which is kind of nice but as the rise of accomplishments came, the cheat codes began to decline.

Not many games today have cheats anymore. The cheat code is on its death bed. If there is one thing I would do, I would press Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A to leave flowers on Cheat Codes' grave.

I think this has less to do with the achievement system itself and more to do with the fact many games are online now; a hacker just needs to edit one file in order to become supergod online.

That's nothing to do with cheat codes though. Usually that involves editing a save or game data file to use the game in a way that isn't intended. I think there is nothing wrong with in game cheats to make games more fun or make things easier for the more casual players. GTA games for example can be really fun with the use of cheats.

Amen to that - oh cheat codes, i miss you!

On the other hand - Easter Eggs! Woohoo there are so many now !
Gnomes in Battlefield 3! Dinos!

Cheating online is a prevelant problem even without in game codes, plus it would be a simple matter for a programming team to make a game with codes that only work when in single player.

Ye olde "ALT-F4" cheat code works every time.

Which is grand if you have a pc that can play games, but I think most don't.

i remember when codemasters started charging you for cheat codes through the use of a premium rate number. cheapskates.

all it takes is changing one variable.

It hasn't failed me yet. Whenever I play WoW or ST:O, and I'm in a raid group, just as soon as the Boss is killed, I send on the raid channel, "QUIK EVYBDY ALT-F4!! !". Sure enough, at least one person will suddenly disconnect, leaving at least one less person to share the loot with.

If you're gonna cheat, cheat big!

lol

IIRC, EA let you buy cheat codes for there early single player 360 games right through the xbox marketplace.

I think alot of the single player games still have cheat codes, but if you use them then you don't earn any achevements/ trophies until you turn them off.

Hacking/ cheating in online multiplayer is just lame.

LOL!

[opinion=mine]

Anyone who falls for the "ALT-F4" cheat in an MMORPG doesn't deserve an online connection!

[/opinion]

As I've come to understand it, the fall of the cheat code could be perhaps traced to an organization like the MPAA and RIAA, namely the Entertainment Software Association.

They're a conglomerate group of lobbyists like the MPAA and RIAA, and they're also the droll puppets behind the boring drek that is known as E3.

The big three and some of the best corporate stooges are proud members of this association, and decline in Easter eggs can be traced to the ESA.

I only use trainers for singleplayer games. I never use them in multiplayer. Cheathappens member

Although in single player games with autosaving you can use that to stop something bad from happening.