About Big Head/Size Change Codes

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

These days the majority of my Youtube/internet in general time is spent watching gaming competitions such as Let's Races, and one group I follow recently went back to Goldeye for some deathmatches. One thing they were considering before deciding not to was using the Big Head code, aka 'DK Mode' because this one also increases the size of the arms making everyone look like gorillas.

These things were everywhere in the N64 era. Turok had a code that shrunk everyone as well, and another that made the colours all weird. If there were human characters and it was a shooter or sports game, odds were it had a Big Head code in there somewhere. Not that it was a crucial part of a game or anything, but why aren't they around anymore? The heads in Call of Duty and such are still polygon models, just vastly more detailed and lifelike than they were 3/4 generations prior. I guess making them huge like that would make them look less realistic, but people who enter codes like that aren't expecting realism- they want to make things look funny.

Any thoughts on why cheats like that have all but disappeared from gaming? What was your favourite weird cosmetic-altering code for a game?

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

"MY ARTISTIC VISIONNNNN!!!"

Honestly, developers (Publisher) are keen on locking things down so people can't effect the game in some way that might potentially make the game appear bad. Even though we know most people would ignore it or think of it as a selling point.

Also, time and resources, as minimal as it is to add some code that bloats the heads, is still time and resources that can be spent on adding in that sweet motion blur and bloom.

My favorite codes though? GTA cheats are still almost iconic, creating open world mayhem. However my first cheats were actually from the aforementioned Turok. They were, and still are, the only cheats I have burned into my memory.
BEWAREOBLIVIONISATHAND is the first cheat I did memorize. Of course, that's a bit of a cop out as that just unlocked all the games cheats at once.

 

[beyondbrainmatter]

My favorite? Well:

Spoiler

 

[EyeReaper]

I'm pretty sure cheats disappeared around the time dlc got popular. Because why put in a code for free levels when you can charge $5.99 for it?

While I absolutely love Big head, DK, silly modes like that, and really wish they'd come back, what I want even more is for couch co-op type games to return the "unlock absolutely everything" codes. Honestly, what is worse than bringing over your favorite fighting game to a buddy's house, only for half the cast to be arbitrarily locked off because duh, they didn't beat the shitty story mode twentysome times. And nowadays I can't even bring a memory card with all my saves cuz everything's on a hard drive. The future!

 

[FPLOON]

Because who the fuck wants to use cheat codes anymore outside of people that are as old as 35 and up, anyway? People under the age of 34 don't want that kind of tomfoolery in their gaming especially if it does not fit the overall tone of the game itself! It will create pseudo-controversy in and of itself!! (But seriously, I have no fucking clue...)

Other than that, I mostly liked the cheat codes in The Simpsons Hit & Run that made you invincible, make the horn button make your vehicle bounce, and the one that made all opposing vehicles explode upon impact from your vehicle...

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

Honestly, developers (Publisher) are keen on locking things down so people can't effect the game in some way that might potentially make the game appear bad. Even though we know most people would ignore it or think of it as a selling point.

Also, time and resources, as minimal as it is to add some code that bloats the heads, is still time and resources that can be spent on adding in that sweet motion blur and bloom.

Pretty much what I guessed as to the reason why. Heaven forbid something trivial as comedy get in the way of the tech demo.

I see that Arkham Knight got one though.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

I'm pretty sure cheats disappeared around the time dlc got popular. Because why put in a code for free levels when you can charge $5.99 for it?

...

How many games actually gave you free levels through the use of cheat codes? I remember some cheat codes that unlocked levels that were supposed to be unlocked through gameplay, and I'm pretty sure there were some with debug levels or joke levels, but I don't remember any that unlocked the kinds of levels that would be sold as DLC. I'm sure there was at least a few games with it, but it was far from common practice.