Poll: I Miss Cheats....

[Terramax]

Recently bought Soul Calibur IV. OK, took a long while.

Start playing and realise half the characters, levels, and character-creation parts all need to be unlocked.

You know what? 15 years ago, there would be a cheat to allow all that open straight away, and you, the gamer, being able to play the game however you want.

Nowadays, NOOOOOOOooooooooo. Can't be having any cheats in games. It's all about stupid achievement points. Screw achievements. I want to enjoy the bloomin' game! I want debug modes like in Tenchu, GTA3, and Sonic the Hedgehog, where I can add enemies, weapons, etc, to the levels. I want level selects so I can go to my favourite parts again and again. I want unlocks so I don't have to play modes I don't want to, or play controller-throwing inducing, uber-hard bosses 100 infuriating times in order to unlock the best selections in the games. And I want my God modes in FPS games so I can literally fly, and consume bullets like a sponge so that I'm literally death from above.

So, question is, am I the minority here?

 

[IceForce]

I like cheats too.

These days, I have to resort to using mods or trainers to achieve the same effect (good thing I game on PC), since so many games don't have cheats anymore.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

I like cheats too.

These days, I have to resort to using mods or trainers to achieve the same effect (good thing I game on PC), since so many games don't have cheats anymore.

Same here. Playing by the rules is all fine and dandy for a while, but nothing spices a game like cheats. I kind of pity console gamers on that one, as they usually have to jump through so many hoops to get the same results as a simple cheat table on PC...

 

[IllumInaTIma]

Well, on PC we have trainers and amazing little program called Artmoney. But yeah, I know what you're talking about. Still remember couple of GTA cheats, LEAVEMEALONE anyone?

 

[Comocat]

Don't miss them to be honest. Nowadays most "cheats" have just been amalgamated into the gameplay and instead of cheating your way there you just have to earn it instead. It's often a fun incentive to play further, and often quite rewarding too. I guess it just depends whether you want everything here and now. Much like when I sleep with someone, it's as much about the build up as it is the climax. Just wanting the climax there and then, and have done with it all straight away kinda kills it for me.

Rather it depends on whether or not you consider doing things in a video game "achievements." I think a big problem with video games recently is the fact they need to bribe you with unlocks to condition a player to keep going; masking poor content with the thrill of a reward. For me video games are about fun, so cheat codes don't bother me.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I was never really into cheats even when they were popular. If I'm going to unlock something I actually want to put the effort into unlocking it, and there is just something very enjoyable to me about taking an insane amount of time to finally get that unlock/reward that I've wanted so badly. That's not to say that I don't enjoy just playing the game when it is all unlocked, but that generally comes down to which games are good and which ones aren't so good.

As for cheats that actually change the core gameplay, I also wasn't too fond of them. If it is something to make the game easier (ex. God mode), then I don't get any enjoyment from it. The first time through I want to actually be challenged, and those cheats remove so much of it, and the second time and so forth loses some enjoyment because I'd rather tear through enemies that gave me trouble my first time through by simply using the skills I developed the first time. Again, it gives me a sense of satisfaction in how far I've come. However, if the cheat just adds some comedic value to the game, then I might play it until the joke gets stale.

There is one thing, though, that I absolutely love to see put in games anymore...

I want level selects so I can go to my favourite parts again and again.

Oh man, how I wish I saw those more often. Any game that includes level select is sure to get a lot more replay value from me than those that force you to play through the whole thing just to play those few levels that were beyond anything else the game offered. It also reduces the unnecessary grind in getting 100% completion.

 

[Comocat]

Rather it depends on whether or not you consider doing things in a video game "achievements." I think a big problem with video games recently is the fact they need to bribe you with unlocks to condition a player to keep going; masking poor content with the thrill of a reward. For me video games are about fun, so cheat codes don't bother me.

Personally I don't, I was more talking about completing missions to unlock extras such as characters and costumes, as opposed to being able to input a code to do so.

I think those features are can be fun, but sometimes I just want to unlock it all and move on with my life. I don't think the gaming experience is ruined by having options to unlock everything, or earn it by completing missions. For example, Super Smash Brothers unlocks characters and levels when you do certain objectives, but I only play SSB when I'm tired of grinding in WoW, so unlocks like that annoy me. It's a game I play to just relax and 2 years later I'm still unlocking characters and levels.

 

[Norrdicus]

Yeah, I miss cheats too

I was just playing Just Cause 2 last week, and thought how awesome it'd be if you had an infinite money cheat. All the guns and vehicles you ever wanted

 

[Doom972]

I liked them when I was a kid and only started gaming. It was my training wheels. I don't need them anymore, but recognize their importance.
However, most of today's games are so easy I'm not sure you need those training wheels.

On the PC, it's usually just a matter of figuring out how to access the developer console (almost every game has one) and use cheat-like commands. Aren't there Game Shark or Game Genie or similar devices for current-gen consoles?