At this point, cheat codes go hand in hand with video games. No matter what console or game, there are normally a few secrets the developers have left in that are unlockable with a few simple button clicks.
Before the internet, cheat codes were a thing of mere legend, passed by word of mouth between friends in the schoolyard. Nowadays, they are more accessible than ever. A simple Google can lead you to sites like IWantCheats and other resources great for finding the cheat codes to your favorite games.
In the spirit of this, we’re going to go through three of the most infamous cheat codes of all time, used throughout gaming history,
1) The Konami Code
Arguably the most famous cheat code of all time and one of the oldest, the Konami code was placed into over 100 games made by Konami.
While creating the game ‘Gradius’ in 1985, developer Kasuhisha Hashimoto created the simple pattern of Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start. While testing the game, Hashimoto found the difficulty too hard, so he created a cheat to give him all the bonuses at once. The code was forgotten about at launch and later found by fans of the game, who used it to complete the more difficult levels.
Since then, the code has become widespread, being featured in hundreds of games outside of Konami’s jurisdiction. The code can be seen in various Google Hangouts, and it was even referenced in the Disney film Wreck-It Ralph.
If you’re playing a new game, punching in the Konami Code on the title screen is always worth a go as you never know what it might unlock.
2) The Sims — Rosebud and Motherlode
Anyone that’s played The Sims knows that actually playing the game to earn money and upgrade your character’s home is a long and hard process. In fact, it would seem the developers knew this and included an infamous cheat that pretty much everyone used to boost their funds at the start of the game.
By holding Control + Shift + C and then typing ‘rosebud,’ you could help your sim bloom with 1000 extra simoleons. And for every extra exclamation mark you put after ‘rosebud,’ you would get another 1000 added to your family’s account.
From The Sims 2 onwards, this cheat is accessed the same way except that you now type ‘motherlode’ to access 50,000 simoleons. Rather generously, the game lets you use this cheat as many times as you want, so you can really pimp out your Sims’ homes.
3) Grand Theft Auto — Code/Phone Cheats
Cheats and Grand Theft Auto go hand in hand. Since the series exploded in popularity with Grand Theft Auto III, almost all users have at some point forgone the classic mission-based approach to the game and instead wreaked havoc with an amalgam of game-enhancing cheats.
In the older games, you had to enter certain button combinations to unlock specific perks. However, in later games, this was done all through the in-game phone. By typing in phone numbers (often spelling out messages through in-game texting), you could unlock invincibility, all weapons, or spawn any vehicle right in front of you.
By doing this, Grand Theft Auto’s developers created an entirely new way to play the game, where chaos reigns supreme.
Conclusion
Though they’re not always used, cheats are an essential part of video game history and can enhance gameplay and completely change how a game is played. Hopefully, you can revisit some classics and find a whole new way to play with the above codes.