What the devil happened to cheat devices?

[Froggy Slayer]

I remember that there used to be many, many fun cheat discs and devices, like Action Replay and Gameshark that you could use to piss around in time long since past. When we got to this console generation, however, there were non. I remember that Action Replay was going to make one for the Xbox 360, but it was canceled for some reason. Why, friends, why?

 

[Fr]anc[is]

My personal theory is that Microsoft got their panties in a twist because it might mess up their precious achievements. The more likely answer is that games got too complex or companies wanted to protect their multiplayer.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Online multiplayer happened. Suddenly cheats could give unfair advantages. Then this mentality got ported over to single player games, with games like mass effect 3 potentiallyy locking players out of their game if they use a mod, thanks to the integration of the multiplayer aspect into the single player game

 

[Swyftstar]

Hell, for that matter what happened to cheats. I agree that achievements had something to do with it. As does this new prevailing attitude that cheating in a single player game in somehow the business of everyone on the internet.

 

[piinyouri]

Achievements/trophies.
Honestly, I'd like to have cheat codes make a comeback of sorts, but outright cheating devices were essentially mad serial killers let loose on a games internal code, slashing and rearranging as they saw fit, and it really wreaked havok with a lot of games, sometimes in the worst case scenario, rendering consoles unplayable over time.

 

[skywolfblue]

I've never really cared for cheats.

All the same I wonder why more games haven't done what Starcraft 2 did: Where when you activate a cheat it disables achievements.

That way you can have both cheats and achievements in the same game, but exclusive from each other so none of the nastyness.

 

[Judgement101]

Like GameShark and ActionReplay? They got sued, heavily. I forgot which company finally sued them but all I remember is it did happen.

 

[Aeshi]

And (at risk of coming of as a "OMG CASUAL" kneejerk) I think games today tend to be a bit more forgiving than the games of then, meaning there's (slightly) less need for them.

 

[madseverus]

Achievements/trophies.
Honestly, I'd like to have cheat codes make a comeback of sorts, but outright cheating devices were essentially mad serial killers let loose on a games internal code, slashing and rearranging as they saw fit, and it really wreaked havok with a lot of games, sometimes in the worst case scenario, rendering consoles unplayable over time.

I agree with piinyouri on this one, cheat devices, although fun when games weren't complicated, played around with internal code and although it's still possible, game developers are most likely wary that devices like this could mess with things they shouldn't mess with.

However I do wish the gta cheat system was brought back, where the developers made certain codes available just to make things more entertaining, I had countless experiences with these type things once I'd finished the games and in my opinion it was the biggest reason I played them for so long

 

[Petromir]

A mixture of achiements, MP and piracy/DRM.
The 1st two are self explanatory the last, well if your trying to to affect piracy why would you let a plugin device change software parameters, it leaves a way in.

 

[FalloutJack]

Hell, for that matter what happened to cheats. I agree that achievements had something to do with it. As does this new prevailing attitude that cheating in a single player game in somehow the business of everyone on the internet.

It's not that they're gone for good. I mean, pick up any Saint's Row game, for instance. It hasn't been phased out, but it has suffered a blow.

I have to agree with the cheat devices problem, though. I like screwing around.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

Achievements/trophies.
Honestly, I'd like to have cheat codes make a comeback of sorts, but outright cheating devices were essentially mad serial killers let loose on a games internal code, slashing and rearranging as they saw fit, and it really wreaked havok with a lot of games, sometimes in the worst case scenario, rendering consoles unplayable over time.

I agree with piinyouri on this one, cheat devices, although fun when games weren't complicated, played around with internal code and although it's still possible, game developers are most likely wary that devices like this could mess with things they shouldn't mess with.

However I do wish the gta cheat system was brought back, where the developers made certain codes available just to make things more entertaining, I had countless experiences with these type things once I'd finished the games and in my opinion it was the biggest reason I played them for so long

I'm hoping that they have the same kind of balls out cheats in GTA V as there were in GTA: San Andreas. You know, 100 foot bunny hops on bicycles, flying cars, low gravity, pedestrian wars, that kind of fun shit.

 

[NegaWiki]

There still are cheat devices, I have an Action Replay for my DSi, but I think most console makers have wised up to them. For example, I can catch any Pokemon and make it so it's always my turn but when I try to battle my friends there's this unbearable lag then it gets "disconnected".
I do think that cheating can have a place in the modern generation, such as not counting anything you do for achievements when you activate cheats and deactivating them during online multiplayer, but cheating has become synonymous with lag switching and spamming.

 

[madseverus]

I agree with piinyouri on this one, cheat devices, although fun when games weren't complicated, played around with internal code and although it's still possible, game developers are most likely wary that devices like this could mess with things they shouldn't mess with.

However I do wish the gta cheat system was brought back, where the developers made certain codes available just to make things more entertaining, I had countless experiences with these type things once I'd finished the games and in my opinion it was the biggest reason I played them for so long

I'm hoping that they have the same kind of balls out cheats in GTA V as there were in GTA: San Andreas. You know, 100 foot bunny hops on bicycles, flying cars, low gravity, pedestrian wars, that kind of fun shit.

That's exactly what I was thinking of! Although I used to play Vice City, the flying car cheat was one of my favourites, especially attempting to park a car on the highest building possible xD Also spawning a tank then making it fly was hilarious.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

I agree with piinyouri on this one, cheat devices, although fun when games weren't complicated, played around with internal code and although it's still possible, game developers are most likely wary that devices like this could mess with things they shouldn't mess with.

However I do wish the gta cheat system was brought back, where the developers made certain codes available just to make things more entertaining, I had countless experiences with these type things once I'd finished the games and in my opinion it was the biggest reason I played them for so long

I'm hoping that they have the same kind of balls out cheats in GTA V as there were in GTA: San Andreas. You know, 100 foot bunny hops on bicycles, flying cars, low gravity, pedestrian wars, that kind of fun shit.

That's exactly what I was thinking of! Although I used to play Vice City, the flying car cheat was one of my favourites, especially attempting to park a car on the highest building possible xD Also spawning a tank then making it fly was hilarious.

From what I'm aware, a partially complete vehicle file for GTA V has been found online somewhere. It includes the Rhino and APC, but I'm not sure if it was faked or not. I'm hoping not.

 

[madseverus]

I'm hoping that they have the same kind of balls out cheats in GTA V as there were in GTA: San Andreas. You know, 100 foot bunny hops on bicycles, flying cars, low gravity, pedestrian wars, that kind of fun shit.

That's exactly what I was thinking of! Although I used to play Vice City, the flying car cheat was one of my favourites, especially attempting to park a car on the highest building possible xD Also spawning a tank then making it fly was hilarious.

From what I'm aware, a partially complete vehicle file for GTA V has been found online somewhere. It includes the Rhino and APC, but I'm not sure if it was faked or not. I'm hoping not.

Oh, if it's true I will definitely be finding myself a copy of that game! If only just to check out the cheats =P

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Ah the action replay, I have fond memories of playing FFVII with Sephiroth thanks to it. Unfortunately they went as soon as cheats died out to achievements. Plus it didn't helped that some of them could be used to play pirated copies of games, if anyone remembers the original psone, cheat cartridge and spring exploit it made playing pirated games super easy.

 

[Froggy Slayer]

Why are so many companies against both single-player cheaters and modders? I understand how it's bad form in multiplayer, but it doesn't cause anyone else any trouble in single-player.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Games got so easy a handicapped sea cucumber could beat them.