Cheat Codes: what happened and do you care?

[4RM3D]

I was browsing a few achievements (for Duke Nukem 3D) when I noticed an achievement for using a cheat code. Then it hit me, I haven't played a game recently that had cheat codes. In the past a lot of games (well, mostly shooters) had cheat codes. But now you don't see them anymore.

Still, one could argue that custom mods could be considered cheating, if those mods affect gameplay.

If cheat codes are available, do you use them?
Do you think custom mods is considered cheating, if it affects the gameplay (other than making it more difficult)?

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

No, I don't use cheats, but your mention of mods is interesting. I do use mods in some games, such as Skyrim. Hell, I'm even using a mod for Far Cry 3. Many mods tweak gameplay mechanics and statistics, so in a way, you could consider it cheating. But a large number of mods do, in fact, make the game harder, so it could even be considered the exact opposite of cheating.

But eh, there are some cheat-y like mods I have used, I guess. There was one for Skyrim which lessened the time it took for your shout cooldown to reset that I used, mostly so shouting would be more viable in combat and I could afford to mix and match, rather than spam FUS RO DAH as my sole shout because I didn't have time to use any more. That would definitely be considered a cheat, I suppose.

I guess it's circumstantial for me. But for the most part, I don't really use cheats.

 

[Sarasena]

I sometimes use them, and I used to use them a lot more. I fondly remember the days of Furious the Monkey Boy in AoE.

I wish they were still there; it was fun knowing that they were in there, and that they could be used to drastically alter the nature of the game if desired.

 

[Ranorak]

If I recall correctly, Saints Row still uses cheats.
So, they're not totally wiped off the face of the earth.

 

[Thr33X]

If I recall correctly, Saints Row still uses cheats.
So, they're not totally wiped off the face of the earth.

Saints Row and GTA...but the price to pay is that you can't save the game or gain trophies or achievements with them, so it's best to use a back-up or alternate save for them.

The advent of trophies/achievements has a lot to do with it...but in my opinion the reason why there are no cheat codes anymore is because for the most part games have become easier to complete. In the quest for the almighty dollar, game titles...especially AAA games dumb down gameplay enough with the infamous "casual" difficulty to where having a God Mode or Infinite Ammo code is pointless.

 

[Tom_green_day]

GTA has them
Lego games have them.
I'm pretty sure SSX had them.
I was playing another game with them recently, can't remember for the life of me what it was though. It was a recent game and all...

 

[WeepingAngels]

External cheats (Gameshark, Action Replay, Game Genie) went away because of two things:

- Online consoles (they can patch out cheat devices)
- Achievements

I think of unlockables as unlockables, not cheats but I can see the other side of the argument too.

 

[BloodSquirrel]

Cheat codes are pretty much redundant in modern games, where even normal modes are often so easy that you can be half asleep and obliterate the game. Developers also don't like hiding content anymore; if a true god mode was going to be in the game, it would be on the options screen, and five tutorial popups would appear every level to remind us about it.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Cheat codes are pretty much redundant in modern games, where even normal modes are often so easy that you can be half asleep and obliterate the game. Developers also don't like hiding content anymore; if a true god mode was going to be in the game, it would be on the options screen, and five tutorial popups would appear every level to remind us about it.

So your argument is that because YOU don't need cheat codes for modern games that cheat codes are no longer necessary at all?

I don't need cheat codes in Secret of Evermore either but sometimes I use them to get through some tedium, like collecting money to buy ingredients.

 

[BloodSquirrel]

So your argument is that because YOU don't need cheat codes for modern games that cheat codes are no longer necessary at all?

I don't need cheat codes in Secret of Evermore either but sometimes I use them to get through some tedium, like collecting money to buy ingredients.

Yeah, I never said anything about *me* not needing cheat codes. I haven't needed cheat codes since the NES. Making games easy enough so that NOBODY needs them has become standard practice.

 

[WeepingAngels]

So your argument is that because YOU don't need cheat codes for modern games that cheat codes are no longer necessary at all?

I don't need cheat codes in Secret of Evermore either but sometimes I use them to get through some tedium, like collecting money to buy ingredients.

Yeah, I never said anything about *me* not needing cheat codes. I haven't needed cheat codes since the NES. Making games easy enough so that NOBODY needs them has become standard practice.

Great, so you think games have been easy since the NES, can I take that to mean that you think the SNES and beyond didn't need cheat codes?

Also, is it really your argument that we no longer HAVE cheat codes because games are easy?

 

[BloodSquirrel]

Great, so you think games have been easy since the NES, can I take that to mean that you think the SNES and beyond didn't need cheat codes?

You seem to have difficulty with personal pronouns. Here's the rundown:

"Me" and "I" refer to the person talking. When someone says "I haven't needed cheat codes since the NES" it means that the person speaking didn't need them since the NES.

"You" can be either singular or plural, and refers to people who aren't the person speaking, but that the person is speaking to. When someone says "You can beat the game without cheat codes" they mean that the person or persons that they are addressing don't need cheat codes.

"Us" and "we" refer to both the person speaking and the person or persons he is speaking to.

Now let's take this knowledge, and use it to respond to posts without completely misconstruing their meaning!

Also, is it really your argument that we no longer HAVE cheat codes because games are easy?

Seeing as how I explicitly said so twice? Yes, it is.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Seeing as how I explicitly said so twice? Yes, it is.

Sorry, they didn't stop selling cheat devices because they thought that no one needed them. They stopped because they could just be patched out and it becomes a game of cat and mouse game keeping them updated.

 

[KazeAizen]

GTA has them
Lego games have them.
I'm pretty sure SSX had them.
I was playing another game with them recently, can't remember for the life of me what it was though. It was a recent game and all...

I think its more about Contra style cheats then bought cheat. Those have been around since Jak and Daxter 2 but to me and probably to him even though they are "cheats" they don't feel like it because the game gives you willing access to them. i.e. pay enough of "x" to get access to it. Personally I'm with the OP because I do miss the days of looking up an arbitrary button combo that would unlock something awesome. Hell one of my favorite games of all time had one. Mega Man X5 and that one either allowed ultimate armor X or Black Zero which if you also knew where the secret pod was in the second to last level you could have access to both of them.

Its really kind of annoying when I think about it. Cheat codes are in a sense harmless enough. Its one thing if the game breaks just because it can't handle what the code does but its quite another if it breaks because the designers made it so that it does break when the code it activated. That's just being dickish. Its actually a "lost art" that I wish would make a return. Hell if my life plans pan out the way I hope that's one of my goals. To bring back the real cheat code. Program and alternate mode of play because you happened to input the right arbitrary button sequence in the right arbitrary screen at the right arbitrary time.

 

[BloodSquirrel]

Sorry, they didn't stop selling cheat devices because they thought that no one needed them. They stopped because they could just be patched out and it becomes a game of cat and mouse game keeping them updated.

A) It only becomes a "cat and mouse game keeping them updated" if the system requires the user to patch their games every time they play. The PS3 and the 360 can be kept and played entirely offline. If you're looking for a technical reason why you can't put a modern game genie on a console, you might want to look at the fact the systems are locked down as to not allow non-blessed code to run on them in the first place.

B) This assumes that developers *want* to prevent them from providing cheat systems, which doesn't actually answer the question of *why* they don't want cheat systems. And it's not achievements. They could very easily turn achievements off as soon as your Game Genie 360 loads.

C) Being able to patch games really doesn't have any bearing on the fact that developers used to put cheat codes in the games themselves, and don't anymore.

There's no reason why cheat codes couldn't be worked into the current console environment. There's simply no incentive to do so, because any function that a cheat code might provide can be provided by a settings option, unlock, DLC, or other mechanism which already exists. The primary function- making the game easy- has already been integrated into the base product.

 

[scorptatious]

I remember when I was a kid, I often used cheat codes. Whether it be just to see what they look like or to give me access to a level select screen, ect.

Frankly, I don't miss them all that much. Especially not the ones that allow me to skip levels. Although I wouldn't mind cheats that allowed me access to alternate costumes or stuff like in The Simpsons Hit and Run which made it so that hitboxes and wires were all over the place making a come back.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Interesting. I haven't really given a thought to cheat codes in years. Long ago in a galaxy far away I used cheat codes in games like GTA to make things more fun or less tedious. I've never thought of cheat codes as actually 'cheating'. More like short cuts for people who are stuck or want to experience the game in a different way. Cheat codes are a single player thing, after all. Nobody is actually being cheated. (Unless of course you're using some external cheats that affect multiplayer.)

Even though there are still games that allow codes, I haven't even thought of using them. For me, it's neither here nor there what happens in the future with cheat codes. With games as crazy as Saints Row IV, why would I need cheat codes to spice things up? And then oddly, it's game likes SRIV that still use them.

And yes, some mods are definitely the same as using cheat codes.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Sorry, they didn't stop selling cheat devices because they thought that no one needed them. They stopped because they could just be patched out and it becomes a game of cat and mouse game keeping them updated.

A) It only becomes a "cat and mouse game keeping them updated" if the system requires the user to patch their games every time they play. The PS3 and the 360 can be kept and played entirely offline. If you're looking for a technical reason why you can't put a modern game genie on a console, you might want to look at the fact the systems are locked down as to not allow non-blessed code to run on them in the first place.

B) This assumes that developers *want* to prevent them from providing cheat systems, which doesn't actually answer the question of *why* they don't want cheat systems. And it's not achievements. They could very easily turn achievements off as soon as your Game Genie 360 loads.

C) Being able to patch games really doesn't have any bearing on the fact that developers used to put cheat codes in the games themselves, and don't anymore.

There's no reason why cheat codes couldn't be worked into the current console environment. There's simply no incentive to do so, because any function that a cheat code might provide can be provided by a settings option, unlock, DLC, or other mechanism which already exists. The primary function- making the game easy- has already been integrated into the base product.

A) Did you know that the Gamecube Action Replay used to work on the Wii? It doesn't anymore because they patched it out, which is what I said. If you insert the AR disc into a fully updated Wii, it simply won't read it. That's why they won't create a Wii Action Replay (with cheat codes instead of just saves) and I am sure they expect a similar response from Sony and Microsoft seeing as Sony and Microsoft have embraced Achievements and Trophies. Same with the DS, if you put the DS AR into a 3DS it does nothing.

B)You need to read up on how much Nintendo hated the Game Genie, took Galoob to court and lost back in the NES days.


C) As I said, Nintendo patched out the Gamecube and DS Action Replay on the Wii and 3DS. Do you know how these cheat devices work? You have to start the device (which is where Nintendo blocks it) to enable the codes.

It's sad that you really believe there is no market for them. Things are not that simple.

 

[Yarkaz]

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."