Video game developers throughout the years have used cheat codes to add another dimension to the gaming experience. Without the ease of access to the internet, there was a level of secrecy involved in making the game more exciting with the presence of Easter Eggs, hidden items and cheats that had to be discovered by players rather than just searched for on the internet.
These days, games do not use cheat codes in the same widespread manner in which they did through, say the 1990s, with games like Road Rash having a lot of in-game cheats for users. Nowadays, it is much easier to “mod” a game to your own tastes instead of using cheat codes for added advantages.
Also read: 5 things you can do on GTA 5 that you probably didn't know
We go back to the time when cheat codes were a hot topic of discussion in online forums and chat rooms, and when finding Easter Eggs and inbuilt cheats gave a sense of fulfilment and joy to gamers.
We list five such cheat codes which became iconic for games and their players in their own right.
#1 GTA: San Andreas flying car cheat
The GTA open world system is so popular because of the creative freedom of expression it allows players. Anything is possible. From stealing aircraft, robbing an arms and ammunition store, to killing cops, the list goes on. What the GTA platform has also incorporated throughout its instalments over the years, is the ability to use cheats and take even more advantage of the game.
GTA cheats have often been taken advantage of to receive unlimited arms and ammunition, reduce wanted stars, and change weather patterns, but a few cheats are truly iconic and the GTA: San Andreas flying car cheat is one of them.
Although the game had numerous flying vehicles like helicopters, planes and fighters, the cheat allowed you to take flight in your vehicle of choice, be it a bicycle, an ambulance or, a personal favourite, the tank, which you could effectively turn into a jet powered cannon flying through the air and destroying everything in its path. Picture that.
#2 GTA 5 San Andreas fighter jet
A second entry from the GTA series, the San Andreas release by Rockstar became a cult classic due to the widely popular and effective cheats that significantly increased the entertainment factor of the game, bringing in a lot more possibilities in the open world system.
While flying a bicycle or an ambulance in a peaceful San Andreas city is one thing, doing the same when you’re a five-star wanted criminal being chased by the military on foot and in the air is simply not viable. You will get wasted in an instant as you try to fly out of a roadblock.
The developers at Rockstar, however, prepared for this eventuality. Gamers could enter a cheat specific to the platform or console they were playing on and they would instantly have a fighter plane at their disposal. After that, how will it even matter what the cops with their puny pea shooters throw at you?
#3 Contra Konami cheat
Contra was a run and gun action game released by Japanese developers Konami. Originally meant to be an arcade, coin-operated game, it was also released on the computer and Nintendo Entertainment System platforms after its success as a proper video game.
While Konami might not be making arcade games anymore after shifting to the more technologically advanced consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox, it did invent what was probably the most famous gaming cheat code ever in the form of the Konami Code. The Konami Code, which first appeared in the game Contra, has made an appearance on multiple Konami games over the years and has become the stuff of legends.
The Konami Code allowed Contra players to gain 30 extra lives in the action packed game. All one had to do was key in the following sequence on the controller, “Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A and start.” This sequence also worked for games like Gradius and Wreck-It Ralph.
#4 Unlimited grenade launcher in Resident Evil
Unlimited ammunition in a shooting game is a gamer’s wet dream. Unlimited ammunition means having the power to unleash complete carnage at the whims and fancies of the player. The popular horror, survivor game series, Resident Evil, was one such game where it was possible to obtain an infinite number of grenades using a trusty cheat code.
While Resident Evil 4 was one of the few games of its time to allow gamers to actually buy a Tommy gun with unlimited ammunition to destroy enemies, it was bought using currency won in-game rather than with the use of cheats.
What developers did in the remake of the original Resident Evil was to incorporate a cheat in the game which allowed you to get as many grenades as required for your trusty grenade launcher, to deal with the waves of zombies coming at you.
#5 Road Rash unlimited nitro
All kids born in the 90s would have played Road Rash at least once if they happened to own a computer or knew someone with a computer. The game was everywhere. Revolutionary for its time, the game which was launched in 1991, allowed people to indulge in violent, illegal high-speed races on iconic roads like Napa Valley, be chased by policemen, and even steal weapons from rival riders trying to throw you off your bike.
Chasing Mike, Axle and Rhonda became a favourite pastime for gamers then and Road Rash continues to be an absorbing game even now. If racing on fair terms without heavy duty bikes was not your cup of tea, the developers at EA included cheats in the game which allowed you to get cash, faster bikes, Nitrous Oxide systems and more.
One of the most iconic backdoors in the game was the Nitrous Oxide systems cheat. In case you were a Road Rash amateur who wanted that extra dose of speed or wanted to annihilate the opposition after coming a frustrating second in the last race, all one you to do was type “XXZZY” to enter cheat mode and then type “SPOON!” which would give you Nitrous Oxide systems on your bike.
