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Where did all the cheats go?

Ged
interpolator
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Ged interpolator
So Ive noticed that recently there dont seem to be any cheats in games, especially console games. I have to confess Im a lazy gamer, I dont have time to replay a level 5 times to beat it so I used to cheat at games. I would actually get to see later levels and bosses and enjoy all aspects of the games I buy regardless of my pathetic skill. So how come there arent cheats in games these days? Ive got a stack of games that Ive half finished and I would looove to see the end of but I cant. Anyone else in the same boat as me?

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  • JamesWild
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    JamesWild polycounter lvl 8
    Achievements killed them. Some games like GTAIV have a temporary workaround in that they disable achievements until the game is restarted after entering any cheat.
  • Ged
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    Ged interpolator
    JamesWild wrote: »
    Achievements killed them. Some games like GTAIV have a temporary workaround in that they disable achievements until the game is restarted after entering any cheat.

    Ah that would make some sense although some of us really dont care about imaginary points and would rather have the full experience with cheats. GTA sounds like it had a good idea there, wish more games would do that.
  • ambershee
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    ambershee polycounter lvl 17
    Secret cheat codes used to be a staple. I do kind of miss them; although they kind of died a death when the types of games that used to commonly harbour them also disappeared.
  • X-One
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    X-One polycounter lvl 18
    Another thing that's happening now is essentially "walk-through mode". I'm seeing games with difficulty levels at such an easy level you'd probably have to try and fail.

    If you can, just drop the difficulty to its lowest level. Not always a solution, but sometimes it is.

    As mentioned, achievements/trophies killed cheats in games.
  • haiddasalami
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    haiddasalami polycounter lvl 14
    Cheat codes used to be my favourite part of GTA. Turn on pedestrians attack on sight, and reduced traffic and you got yourself a nice zombie horde game :D Also flying cars
  • FullSynch
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    FullSynch polycounter lvl 11
    I don't know of any games that sell cheat codes. So no, that is not all.
  • slipsius
  • Geezus
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    Geezus mod
    Achievements and "DLC".

    Big Head Mode!... $5
  • Kbrom12
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    Kbrom12 polycounter lvl 8
    I still use my game shark for N64. Fun as hell in goldeneye 007...although after playing newer FPS's the controls for 007 are weird
  • ambershee
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    ambershee polycounter lvl 17
    You should try Quake 2 on the Playstation (it was pre-analogue stick). My god those controls are awkward.
  • SsSandu_C
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    SsSandu_C polycounter lvl 13
    Well built in cheats are still in on a fair amount on games at least on pc. I have to admit I'm not such a big fan of them. I mean I play to enjoy a game and at certain points have a challenge. I've played games with a way harder default difficulty than most of the games that are out now which do focus on the casual and every day joe with a desire to play a game 2 hours every few days. I have no problem with that and I'm quite happy that playing games has become what it is now. Some might disagree but I remember how people who played were seen a decade ago. I like that it caters to a diverse set of people and it is accepted in certain cases as an artform and in other a rival to other entertainment solutions that involve a social side.

    But to get back to cheats... they are still here but not in many games because most games are turning to some sort of online gameplay, and let us face it if you give someone a door to be an asshole... well all know there will be someone who will take it. I've been playing BF3 for some time now and met my share of cheaters. Although they cheat through hacks it is still cheating because the game still permits it.

    Most games now on pc have trainers and other extra programs that are user created to cheat. So basically you can still cheat but with no internal console commands. On another not got to give credit to Valve they are still rocking the console commands cheats. :)

    I've used cheats in the past but only to create mayhem in games as GTA San Adreas and such. In certain cases I used to them to bypass game bugs because I didn't have an internet connection at that time and such. But that was way baaaacckkkk in the day. Now I feel that because of the user target they do pay more attention not to have a need of them, and I do agree that through the game design they should give me the tools to get past an obstacle or boss fight. If they make things too obvious that is another problem and I don't want to ramble on that.(adaptive difficulty ;) ) Well there is lots to talk about and the decision to put cheats in a game should be a logic one. Will it help the user entertain himself or just a way to make things too easy and take away from the experience you actually worked on to make. Oh well I think people and designers will give lots of reasons why they don't put them in some games anymore.

    Achievements? meh personally they are a load of crap in my opinion... I mean It's an artificial way to increase game play time on a game... You know it is like the high score from the 80 games only that the things you have to do to get them doesn't require some outstanding force of skill.

    If you actually read all I wrote then I salute you. You must be reading the A song of ice and fire book series and found new patient to see where thing lead ;) hehe
  • Mark.N
    I think Goldeneye on N64 had the best blend in that you needed to do specific achievements in order to unlock specific cheat codes to use in game. We could use more innovative systems like that.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    a cheater, huh? slowly sonny. hands behind your head. and don't move while we call the lawyers and kickban you from every app store, battle.net, origin and whatever else may be out there.
    Sorry, but you had to post about cheating on the internet? How can you be so careless? but wait till we have those mind-reading "gamer" headsets ready. This will make it much easier to spot punks like you!
  • r_fletch_r
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    r_fletch_r polycounter lvl 9
    FullSynch wrote: »
    I don't know of any games that sell cheat codes. So no, that is not all.

    saints row.

    i dont get the dlc argument tho. just sounds like whining. Guns, and characters were never cheat material. its was God mode, Money, Items, NoClip.
  • ambershee
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    ambershee polycounter lvl 17
    I can think of plenty of games that had weapons, characters etc as cheats :p

    What happened there is that noone wanted to develop content that wasn't a part of the main game; it's a 'waste of money', after all.
  • MartinH
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    MartinH polycounter lvl 8
    SsSandu_C wrote: »
    Well built in cheats are still in on a fair amount on games at least on pc. I have to admit I'm not such a big fan of them. I mean I play to enjoy a game and at certain points have a challenge. I've played games with a way harder default difficulty than most of the games that are out now which do focus on the casual and every day joe with a desire to play a game 2 hours every few days. I have no problem with that and I'm quite happy that playing games has become what it is now. Some might disagree but I remember how people who played were seen a decade ago. I like that it caters to a diverse set of people and it is accepted in certain cases as an artform and in other a rival to other entertainment solutions that involve a social side. But to get back to cheats... they are still here but not in many games because most games are turning to some sort of online gameplay, and let us face it if you give someone a door to be an asshole... well all know there will be someone who will take it. I've been playing BF3 for some time now and met my share of cheaters. Although they cheat through hacks it is still cheating because the game still permits it. Most games now on pc have trainers and other extra programs that are user created to cheat. So basically you can still cheat but with no internal console commands. On another not got to give credit to Valve they are still rocking the console commands cheats. :) I've used cheats in the past but only to create mayhem in games as GTA San Adreas and such. In certain cases I used to them to bypass game bugs because I didn't have an internet connection at that time and such. But that was way baaaacckkkk in the day. Now I feel that because of the user target they do pay more attention not to have a need of them, and I do agree that through the game design they should give me the tools to get past an obstacle or boss fight. If they make things too obvious that is another problem and I don't want to ramble on that.(adaptive difficulty ;) ) Well there is lots to talk about and the decision to put cheats in a game should be a logic one. Will it help the user entertain himself or just a way to make things too easy and take away from the experience you actually worked on to make. Oh well I think people and designers will give lots of reasons why they don't put them in some games anymore. Achivements? meh personally they are a load of crap in my opinion... I mean It's an artificial way to increase gameplay time on a game... You know it is like the highscore from the 80 games only that the things you have to do to get them doesn't require some outstanding force of skill. If you actually read all I wrote then I salute you. You must be reading the A song of ice and fire book series and found new patient to see where thing lead ;) hehe


    Wall of freaking text crits you for 1000pts of bleed damage to the eyes. I'm sure there's a wealth of info in there but please, break it up lol.
  • R3D
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    R3D interpolator
    Most recent non-Valve game i know of that has cheats would probably be Skyrim.
  • TheWinterLord
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    TheWinterLord polycounter lvl 17
  • SsSandu_C
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    SsSandu_C polycounter lvl 13
    hehe Martin, well you see there... what I wanted to create was a text wall like the ice wall in the game of thrones... so that while you go through it you might lose a scroll finger and ear from texbyte. ;) hehe kidding, changed some stuff so my thoughts read better
  • HitmonInfinity
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    HitmonInfinity polycounter lvl 11
    I just thought the internet happened... Cheats used to be mysterious and fun, but now they're just a google search away.
  • Noors
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    Noors greentooth
    Games are easier :/
    Tho i don't think i would have the patience for the 8bit hardcore anymore.
  • Ged
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    Ged interpolator
    Noors wrote: »
    Games are easier :/
    Tho i don't think i would have the patience for the 8bit hardcore anymore.

    Personally I love that games are easier, if I can finish a game in 7 to 10 hours and have an awesome experience thats still at least 3 times as much entertainment as a big blockbuster film to me and then spend a few more hours messing around(multiplayer or whatever) and its been totally worth the money paid and effort of playing it. Also if a game is shorter and easier then the action scenes could be better paced eg call of duty or uncharted. I hate the shooting scenes in uncharted that go on and on as more and more waves arrive, to me that is the worst part of the whole experience because it feels frustrating as you keep thinking it should be over soon and then its not.

    I know there are still cheats in a fair few pc games as has been said, my main issue was with console games. I have so many I would have liked to finish but never will.
    I wish I could see the rest of these games. Sure it wouldnt be what the devs intended but Im sure its preferable to me never seeing the content in the end game at all?

    Interesting to hear all these possible conclusions on the demise of cheats.

    If games actually said on the box somewhere NOW WITH SECRET INVINCIBILITY CHEAT, I would treat that as a major feature and might even buy a game just because I now have no fear that it would end up on the pile of shame :/
  • Joopson
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    Joopson quad damage
    Yeah, I tend to play games to look at the graphics. Sometimes I like a bit of challenge, of course, but lots of times I just want to fly through the environment, immune to all of it, and just enjoy the view. That's why I tend to play PC games. I do miss console cheats quite a bit.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    Ged wrote: »
    Sure it wouldnt be what the devs intended but Im sure its preferable to me never seeing the content in the end game at all?

    hah. I worked on an MMO where all my assets have been packed into the end-game level. Guess I'll never see my own stuff ingame...
  • Ged
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    Ged interpolator
    Kwramm wrote: »
    hah. I worked on an MMO where all my assets have been packed into the end-game level. Guess I'll never see my own stuff ingame...

    aw man that sucks, I guess if youre not physically there in the studio to try a testing or debug build it would be really hard to ever get to that stuff :/

    I reckon all games should have cheats as an advertised feature on the box, or at least all games that devs feel could benefit from such a feature :D
  • ImSlightlyBored
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    ImSlightlyBored polycounter lvl 13
    Ged wrote: »
    Personally I love that games are easier, if I can finish a game in 7 to 10 hours and have an awesome experience thats still at least 3 times as much entertainment as a big blockbuster film to me and then spend a few more hours messing around(multiplayer or whatever) and its been totally worth the money paid and effort of playing it. Also if a game is shorter and easier then the action scenes could be better paced eg call of duty or uncharted. I hate the shooting scenes in uncharted that go on and on as more and more waves arrive, to me that is the worst part of the whole experience because it feels frustrating as you keep thinking it should be over soon and then its not.

    I know there are still cheats in a fair few pc games as has been said, my main issue was with console games. I have so many I would have liked to finish but never will.
    I wish I could see the rest of these games. Sure it wouldnt be what the devs intended but Im sure its preferable to me never seeing the content in the end game at all?

    Interesting to hear all these possible conclusions on the demise of cheats.

    If games actually said on the box somewhere NOW WITH SECRET INVINCIBILITY CHEAT, I would treat that as a major feature and might even buy a game just because I now have no fear that it would end up on the pile of shame :/
    I have nothing to add to this, you've put my exact thoughts in to words.
    I don't have any time for any SNES level difficulty, and I was never that good at the time anyway. Stress is for workplace, not relaxing time.
    So I always thought cheats were good, I'd rent a game and if i was (inevitably) rubbish at it, I'd consult one of the A6 cheat books you got free with magazines and hope I had cheats in there. Level select was a poor mans invincibility; you still couldnt play the game, but you'd get to see just a little of each level.
  • Noors
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    Noors greentooth
    Well, there are the fun cheats that extend a game fun and longetivity. Yeah goldeneye is the perfect example for fps, but Rare was probably back then the best Nintendo developer. They knew about fun.
    Why they are not there anymore is probably explained on the first page. Developement time, money...

    Then there are the invicible cheats that were there because imo the difficulty was most of the time poorly balanced and you needed them to finish the game.

    Honestly i don't really have fun with games where you're so assisted that it's almost like watching a movie. Ofc it might be all pretty, but you always find more satisfaction when you struggle a bit. But that's another problem.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    Noors wrote: »
    Then there are the invicible cheats that were there because imo the difficulty was most of the time poorly balanced and you needed them to finish the game.

    <3 Skyrim - adjustable difficult while you play the game. I wish more games had that. Outright cheating is rather boring and I only resort to it if the gameplay outright sucks and I just want to see the gfx.
  • Lamont
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    Lamont polycounter lvl 15
    PC Games usually have them, consoles... not so much. I do like to use them just to get past a game that I don`t have time for. I just opened up Resistance Fall of Man and Resistance 2. In part one I REALLY wanted a code for unlimited ammo or something just to get through the game (I was falling asleep on some moments). As for Resistance 2, I just need to finish it to get it off the large list of games I have yet to complete.

    Funny, I usually want these codes on FPS games...
  • Frump
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    Frump polycounter lvl 12
    This thread has kind of bummed me out. When I read the title my first thought was the same as the second post.

    I do really miss cheats. I use them a lot in PC games for various reasons, but not ever to actually cheat. I've had to use them in Bethesda games to get around game-breaking bugs, most recently in Skyrim. I've also used them a lot in L4D to cruise around and take screenshots of the environments for reference.

    There should be a movement to bring back fun cheats.
  • Joshua Stubbles
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    Joshua Stubbles polycounter lvl 19
    www.cheathappens.com

    They haven't gone anywhere, you just have to pay for most of them, hah.
  • PaulP
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    PaulP polycounter lvl 9
    My brother does nothing but cheat in games because he's lazy and he sucks at them. Even in games he can't cheat, such as rpgs, he'll level grind the first level for like a week and then breeze through the game. Myself, I just play until I get bored. If a game is too hard I just get angry and get rid of it. Its very rare, but it does suck when it happens.

    One cheat I'll never foget: IDKFA
  • MainManiac
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    MainManiac polycounter lvl 11
    O [] O [] X /\ UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT


    Greatest days ever. It only works in games that they know youll be satisfied by making your own fun.
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    The Konami code is the only code, what are these circles and squares!?
  • ambershee
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    ambershee polycounter lvl 17
    Konami code does not work on Polycount.

    I am disappoint.
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