Cheating in games

corblimey

Whether it's using actual cheat codes (infinite health, etc), a walkthrough, or whatever, what do people think of cheating in games. And I'm talking about 1-player games where the only person you're cheating is yourself.

I remember years ago trying desperately to clear GTA III and could not get into that area near the end after your girlfriend has been kidnapped (spoiler! ). I eventually got the cheat code for the tank and rolled right over them. I felt great 'cos without that code I wouldn't have seen the ending, and really that's why we buy these types of games - to clear them.

What do you think?

**Timbuk2**

I personally don't like cheating in games, but that's not saying that I don't do it

When starting games, I don't cheat. But then when I come to a hard part, and can't complete it, I use cheats. But then I sometimes keep on using cheats throughout the rest of the game because I think that every little bother in the game can be solved by cheats, generally I just get lazy

Whenever this happens to me I usually start the game over again and don't do any cheats, so I can feel better, feel like I "really" completed the game

jonnybadd

I used too use cheats for games a lot when I was younger, but not so much anymore. As a second to last resort, if I'm really stuck I'll use part of a walkthrough, then as a last resort cheat.

Retr0gamer

I'd never use cheats such as infinite health and such unless it was for messing around with the game with friends after I've beaten it, e.g. The weapon cheats in gta games with rioting pedestrians with weapons.

I used to never use walkthroughs and would complete all my games on all difficulty levels. However Now I've a huge back log of games and not much time to play them so if I'm stuck for a while I'll use a walkthrough to push me on a bit. I only ever use it when I'm lost never for a boss. I'd finish them the hard way. I remember rambling around shining force 2 for 3 weeks not knowing where to go because of a stupid illogical puzzle (like it was so obvious that I had to use the wood slate on the tree :rolleyes: )

tman

corblimey wrote:

I remember years ago trying desperately to clear GTA III and could not get into that area near the end after your girlfriend has been kidnapped (spoiler! ). I eventually got the cheat code for the tank and rolled right over them. I felt great 'cos without that code I wouldn't have seen the ending, and really that's why we buy these types of games - to clear them.

funny you should mention GTAIII, as that's the last game i used cheats on (i even went so far as to use a trainer to complete that ****ing "gripped" mission:p )

i've had an action replay disc for my gamecube for the past year and a bit and haven't felt the need to use it.
if i get desperately stuck on a game these days, i either give up on it or grab a faq for it...

Illuvatar

I normally will beat it once before I go to using cheats. But most of the time I use a walkthrough for the rest of my stuff, if I need one that is.

Slippin Jimmy

I have cheated in every other GTA game, except for LCS. When I got LCS I decided not to cheat:rolleyes: . I finished the game with a bit of difficulty. I was happy I didn't use any cheats. But the game wasn't that difficult compared o other GTA games.

Rhyme

I tend towards beating the game once or twice and then going mad with infinite ammo etc... i remember one of the first time i indulged in this was Resident Evil 2... beat it the 4 times and the decided to start with the gatling gun and the spark shot, fun.

Pugsley

Retr0gamer wrote:

I remember rambling around shining force 2 for 3 weeks not knowing where to go because of a stupid illogical puzzle (like it was so obvious that I had to use the wood slate on the tree :rolleyes: )

First time I played that game I finished it in 1 sitting (albiet a 20 one), excellent game, thought the first was better though (zylo > all)

As for cheating, the last game I cheated in was GTA3, and before that was probably a mega drive game, cant remember its been so long though. I use walkthroughs pretty often though when Im stumped

yawnstretch

Lately, I've become more aware that people I know are beating most of their games while I trudge along with my life and give my games collection a bash regularly.

However I was shocked to discover that the majority of people seem to be using walkthroughs increasingly. At first I was just surprised, but now Im annoyed and disgusted.

What the hell is the point if everyone has to use walkthroughs? I resorted to one for the first time EVER last week for Prince of Persia 2 (on psp) because it just got so damned confusing with all the time travel and revisiting the same sections of a castle over and over. Eventually, I had to go through it piece by piece again with a guide to see what I'd done wrong.

This is BAD people. Bad, Bad!

At first I felt ok about my use of a guide as it instantly got me on to more interesting bits in the game, but thinking about it - its quite unlikely I would have been able to find my way out of this particular game design loop without a guide or at least returning to a much earlier point in the game so I could play through the stage in one sitting.

What we'll end up with is pre-requisite reading for games and scripted, shallow, single-solution narratives.:mad:

Jimi-Spandex

I've used walkthrough's on few occassions. I don't really have the patience or the time to sit down for a few hours and figure out a single puzzle/bit where I'm lost. I never use them on bosses though.

As for cheats, I used them in GTA for mucking around and stuff, not really on missions. Or in sonic 2 for that weird level maker mode.

Retr0gamer

A walkthrough can help you enjoy a game that would otherwise be marred by a small bit of stupid game design. Two prime examples would be Silent Hill 1 and 3. I almost gave up on the piano puzzle in SH1 and when I figured out what it was I was infuriated to find that I had got the puzzle right but in reverse order. In SH3 there is a puzzle near the start that needs a knowledge of Shakespeare's plays to be solved (only on Hard puzzles). Loved the games and all but these puzzles would have killed the game for me without a walkthrough.

December Son

Retr0gamer wrote:

I used to never use walkthroughs and would complete all my games on all difficulty levels. However Now I've a huge back log of games and not much time to play them so if I'm stuck for a while I'll use a walkthrough to push me on a bit. I only ever use it when I'm lost never for a boss. I'd finish them the hard way. I remember rambling around shining force 2 for 3 weeks not knowing where to go because of a stupid illogical puzzle (like it was so obvious that I had to use the wood slate on the tree :rolleyes: )

You think thats bad? i had last ninja 2 on the atari st. Theres a part in the first level where you have to use a key in a gate. I got they key alright, never figured out what to do next. Fast forward 2 years later and i finally copped it :rolleyes:
I partially blame the manual tho as it never actually taught you how to use objects

Lemlin

I use FAQs if I'm really stuck. Never use cheats though, why pay €60 and ruin a game by having infinite bullets or lives from level 1.

eyerer

December Son wrote:

You think thats bad? i had last ninja 2 on the atari st. Theres a part in the first level where you have to use a key in a gate. I got they key alright, never figured out what to do next. Fast forward 2 years later and i finally copped it :rolleyes:
I partially blame the manual tho as it never actually taught you how to use objects

lol
how often did you play it in those 2 years?


i use walkthroughs when im stuck, i dont use cheat codes...couldn't be bothered
i last used them in the early PS1 days, final doom and die hard trilogy god modes

i last used a walkthrough on mario sunshine for that level in the hotel where you get the star in the room with the pool (annoying because i had tried to go the right route previously but didn't make it through)
before that it was OoT as i recall, found out how to get into the second level....again annoying because i had tried it and mistimed it, then didn't persist cus i didn't know it was the right thing
still annoys me when i think of it tbh...makes me feel like i couldn't defeat the challenge

Jazzy

down, R, Up, L, Y, B, X, A

eyerer

Jazzy wrote:

down, R, Up, L, Y, B, X, A

i'm not sure why, that was the code i read, but the chime went off after pressing B...the X and A weren't needed

i also remember people used to come up with these wild codes claiming they could unlock the bosses...which was a load of crap

Retr0gamer

up, down, left, right, hold A and press start.
C+up, C+down, C+left, C+right
up, up, down, down, up, up, up, up hold, A and press start.

And the orignal, the Konami Code: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A and 30 lifes in Contra, thank you very much. (don't try this in Gradius III)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konami_Code

BLITZ_Molloy

I'll generally beat the core of a game without cheating. But if there are reams of unlockables that require you to complete tons of incredibly dull and mindless tasks then I'm all for cheating.

I mean, what are the hidden packages in GTA for? They're there to sell guide books and create extra revenue.

Reku

With me if it's an RPG I'll usually try play them through, maybe occasionally referencing a guide if I'm stuck, but if it's just some sort of shoot'em-up I'll probably cheat and just enjoy senseless blasting (I buy RPGs for story and content, these I just buy for venting!). Racing, puzzle and platform games I'd usually just play normally.

Kristok

I dont use cheats unless its a game im not bothered playing enough and just want to unlock that charactor to fight with or a track to race on. Cheats generally kill a game for me, once I use them the game looses all its charm. Last time I used one was on san andreas to see what the tank was like but I didnt save anything too my memory card just played around with it then left the game.

Walkthroughs are another story. I dont even consider it cheating to use them if you are really stuck, whats the point in spending a week walking all round the place when you just had to pick up a key you missed somewhere.

Illuvatar

Right on with your deffinition of a walkthrough Kristok.
I like to complete a game 100% most of the time and I'll use a walkthrough to help me with it a bit.

BlitzKrieg

up, down, left, right, hold A and press start

ahh the classic sonic cheat...its how i learned left from right when i was a child (I would mimic holding a controller and input the cheat...)





I'm not fond of cheats...but there have been cases where i have been absolutly stuck and have resorted to walkthroughs (most recent example would be...JUMP SUPERSTARS...but thats in japanese so i'm excused)

But i would sometimes use walkthrough's to entice me to play on. Esp. In Games which i found dull or extremely difficult where i feel like WHATS THE POINT! But a quick peak at a walkthrough indicating whats up ahead...sometimes entices me to play on. OR if nothing interesting (ALA Far Cry) makes me put the game on the backburner.

For Example: I found the early levels of Call of Duty 2 to be tedious and dull, and i was about to abandon it but took a peak at a walkthrough of some later levels, decided to play on for some of the later British levels...very happy i did.

Also Doom 3, boring boring stuff, but played on when a walkthrough mentioned HELL. That was entertaining, pity the rest was'nt.

Pity Final Fantasy 6 is too damn painful (difficult+tedious) at the moment that even with snippets of glory in walkthroughs do not help.

But cheats i rarely if ever use. EXCEPT.

When i have completed a game and use em for fun. ALA Sonic the hedgehog debug modes. Or best of all...The original Half Life. (pulling out a rocket launcher at the first helicopter dropping in marines leaves a wonderful surprise.)

OR

If its a game like the the original GTA where the single player has hit a point where i need to blow of some steam...

Wertz

The end mission in GTA3 was easy IMO it was just a matter of

having kept the bullet proof patriot, and clever use of the scoped rifle to take out sentrys before making a full run....I cleared it on my second try and was highly disappointed when the credits rolled.

The only cheats I use in GTA games are for flying cars, rioting pedestrians etc...adds to the hilarity.



The only thing that I've cheated on was one particularly infuriating part of ICO where

you had to jump on the spring vault thing to get out the little window near the water wheel....turned out I was hitting jump at completely the wrong time, which I'd have never figured out

Cheats for infinite speedboosts in the wipeout games I don't really consider cheats unless you save the laptimes as records...

eyerer

oh yeah, i remember that mission in gta....took me a decent number of tries to finish it...i no longer had the 'spoiler' from above though

if you're talking easy though, the end of VC was weak....with the weapon you had....no contest at all, did it first time iirc

Bubba

anyone who can say they honestly cleared Resident Evil zero, one, two or three without using a walkthrough is pretty impressive!

Retr0gamer

I did and apart from a few hiccups in Resi 1 which took about 2 hours to solve they weren't all that difficult.

jonnybadd

Yup I beat all the resi's without a walkthough. The book/medallion puzzle in the first one took me a good week to solve.

_Ganondorf_

Cheats are fun for some games, like GTA. But gameshark ruined my zelda64 experience cause I just got lazy and used stupid cheats like Fly Mode which just ruin the game, Cause zeldas all about making the most amount of gameplay out of the smallest area, and being able to fly kinda pisses on that..

BLITZ_Molloy

Yeah, that book/medallion one really wasn't clear at all. Finished Resi 1 and 2 without a walkthrough. Haven't played the rest of them.

MrPinK

Iddqd