Where Have All the Cheats Gone?

MikeWehner

The Dude
Aug 21, 2011
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Where Have All the Cheats Gone?

Cheating used to be an integral part of videogame culture, but Achievements and Trophies ruined that fun forever.

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ZippyDSMlee

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Sep 1, 2007
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They can still do it and even a code breaker type service, the trouble is they do not want to and gaming has become more boring from it...
 

Jezzascmezza

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Aug 18, 2009
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I miss cheats as well...
They used to essentially double the lifespan of any video-game; you'd beat the game without cheats, then you'd beat it with cheats.
 

Ruwrak

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Sep 15, 2009
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I remember that Saints Row 1 & 2 have cheats.
Yes, they have cheats, and achievements.
Yet achievements will be disabled as long as you cheat (logically, kaderp.)
 

EOTD

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Dec 22, 2009
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I can still remember when I found that there where push button cheats for Goldeneye on the n64, also when the rumor went around the school that there was a kid who calmed to have found that cheat to get lara croft naked in tomb raider. I miss those times.
 

BabySinclair

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Apr 15, 2009
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Not that hard of a thing to program, "If cheats are activated, then achievements are locked." Apply it to saved games so players can use them to help get through an area and once they get better at it they can reload prior to the cheating and try it for achievements.

Lot easier on sandbox games that don't have linear missions to implement.
 

ViciousTide

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Aug 5, 2011
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Hell, I don't even get through the single campaigns anymore unless i am on easy. I have more things to do with my time, that is why i love one or two cheats. Even a simple money glitch in Oblivion will help you out greatly to get through the entire game and still have a wonderful experience. Easier to do on the PC than Console of course.

On the console, I bought the Frost Spire. The Flame Atronaught that you get to follow you, got lost falling into a pit in one of the dungeons, and is lost forever. I can't resummon him at all because he is still alive! This is why i don't buy DLC anymore on the consoles, that and the DLC takes up Overly Expensive HDD space. I get the PC version for cheap thru steam sales and then mod to my hearts content. The only reason i prefered Consoles for the longest time was they are dedicated to gaming and are automated to that purpose, plus you could lay on the couch or floor without the need of a keyboard or mouse. Now after saving a lot of money, I have my PC to a 55" with a wireless controller. I still miss they automation though!! I don't want to have to double click on anything!
 

randomsix

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Apr 20, 2009
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Not dead, just transmuted into gameplay in the form of easier modes and regenerating health.

It should be remembered that actually beating games back in the day was an real test and your victory was by no means guaranteed. Bring someone from back then to today and show them a game during gameplay. They'll probably ask what you put in to make it so easy.
 

ThunderCavalier

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Nov 21, 2009
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Quite honestly, I don't think the death of Cheat Codes has anything to do with Achievements, since it's been noted that Rockstar puts them in and just makes it impossible for you to unlock Achievements with them.

Rather, it's that people can complete the game with them and won't pick them up again, or that they're extra coding that won't contribute anything useful. Games are getting longer to develop and more expensive, so you want to cut out bits that don't really matter (like cheat codes), while the designers obviously want people to immerse themselves and enjoy the game that they've created, and cheat codes sort of undermine this.

If designers could, though, I wish they could just throw in something for laughs, like an 'invincibility cheat' or a 'big head code', and make that only available at the end, so people have to complete the game first before they start screwing around.
 

Albino Boo

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Jun 14, 2010
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The demise of cheats has coincided with the rise of multiplayer. Cheats didn't matter in the era of single player but in the world where most fps are designed to be played as multiplayer games they are dead as duck
 

Juan Regular

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Jun 3, 2008
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Ah yes, cheats. I really miss them too sometimes.
And it´s really weird that they´re gone too. There´s nothing wrong with disabling achievements for them, so why don´t they still include them? On the other hand, games have gotten so much easier, even compared to the previous generation, that there´s no real need for them as a helper anymore but I´d still like to fuck around with the game here and there.

I remember Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter though. The only game I know that you can play with cheats and still get the achievements.
 

individual11

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Sep 6, 2010
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randomsix said:
Not dead, just transmuted into gameplay in the form of easier modes and regenerating health.

It should be remembered that actually beating games back in the day was an real test and your victory was by no means guaranteed. Bring someone from back then to today and show them a game during gameplay. They'll probably ask what you put in to make it so easy.
This, a thousand times this. That said, I don't want to be dragged through a time-gate to see one or two generations of games ahead. I'd probably go all John Connor when I got back; trying to save the industry from pay-to-win and 30 min 'gamisodes'.
 

The Artificially Prolonged

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Jul 15, 2008
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It is sad that cheats have died out. The last game I remember that had cheats was Mercenaries 2 which disabled the trophies whenever cheats where active. It does highlight the argument of why don't all games do that to keep cheats in?

At least I still have the console commands on pc games for when I get bored and decide to turn myself into a demi-god to wreck havic on any unfortunate npc that crosses my path.
 

GamemasterAnthony

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Dec 5, 2010
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I was actually going to write up something for the EC guys about cheating explaining the three main reasons people use cheats. Especially considering...games nowadays STILL have the same problems which caused people to use AR and other such devices.

First off...I want to clarify that I don't consider imbedded cheat codes like the Konami Code cheating. If the programmers put it in there, the general assumption is they want to see if you can find it and actually use it. Also, I do not consider using any command and/or manuver programmed into the game and usable by all cheating either. So...you people calling Snaking cheating in Mario Kart? You're just whining because someone else was good enough to pull it off and is therefore better than you.

Anyways...the problems in games requiring cheating. Basically, I'm referring to difficulty control, unlockables, and broken issues.

Difficulty control is the most obvious because not all gamers are alike. Even if you have two gamers with the same experience with the same type of games over the same period of time...they will still tackle a brand new game two different ways. As such, there will be people who will find even the easiest difficulty settings of some games too taxing or those who find the most difficult settings too easy. Heck...there were once codes for the ORIGINAL version of Devil May Cry 3, a game already considered too difficult to play, that made THAT game more difficult!

Unlockables refer to those things that are like Achievements in games, but have a more tangible reward like new stages, new items, or even new characters. Problem is there were still some games in which the unlockables were either items that many felt should've been included from day one, like Sonic and Snake from SSB:B, or are rewards that didn't match the effort put into getting it, like Falco from the same game. Heck...no doubt many here actually used an AR for SSB:M since you didn't want to spend a gabillion hours getting everything unlocked.

Broken issues are pretty much omnipresent in all games. RPGs, however, have a big one in the form of grinding for gold. It's one of the main reasons why most gamers ask for a "gold code" first thing for any DS or PSP RPG. Reason being that trying to grind for money almost always leads to overleveling. I saw this in Dragon Warrior IV for the NES. As Ragnar I decided to grind until I got enough money for the best equips in town before tacking the tower, and found myself three levels higher than I needed to be to tackle the tower...making the boss fight WAY too easy after getting the Sword of Malice.

Personally, I feel the above illustrates why the loss of cheats is kind of a downer, but then again I can understand why they have gone the way of the ghost. As albino boo pointed out, the advent of multiplayer games killed cheats since...well...do you want to play against someone in PVP who turned on the Godmode cheat? Didn't think so.

CAPTCHA: the atedsei

Not any atedsei, mind you. THE atedsei!
 

Eternal_Lament

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Sep 23, 2010
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Maybe I'm alone in this, but frankly I don't think much would be lost if Cheat Codes were gone from the world of games. Can it be fun to look at the game in a way that undermines the point of the game? Of course, but I'd argue that Cheat Codes don't do that. Since the codes are something the developers put in, it would be reasonable to assume then that the Cheats you're using, no matter how much you think they break the game, are still things that the developer designed, so in truth you aren't really breaking or cheating the game, you're just using shortcuts that are meant to be used if you want to use them. You aren't really exploiting the game, you're just playing it in a way that is different, but takes out the challenge of the game. Modding is a different story of course, because with full acess to the tool set you can alter the game in ways the developer never expected the player to do, and can radically change the game you're playing, actually cheating both the game and the developers by doing something with it that was never meant to be done. Besides, without cheat codes the game forces me to get better at it, allowing me to explore and better understand the actual mechanics and little touches the game offers that allows for a better and more fulfilling gameplay experience.
 

Strixvaliano

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Feb 8, 2011
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Usually after I beat a game I'll cheat with it to have more fun with it. Hooray for cheat engine (pc) and trainers! I absolutely hate anyone who uses cheats in multiplayer though, just ruins the whole point and spirit of the game then.

I really miss cheats in games though because sometimes with the right cheats they really extended the gameplay.

The only thing I can think of is that most games now don't need them because they are so easy. The difficulty now-a-days throws me off whenever I fire up an older game and I get my ass handed to me until I switch up my tactics or apply some thinking to get through certain obstacles and situations.