BySVG StaffMarch 11, 2016 7:02 pm EST
For as long as video games have been around, there have been ways to essentially cheat and play through the experiences with certain advantages. Thanks to cheat codes, the unskilled or the lazy could perform a series of sequential button inputs that would result in them having an easier time of it in the game. We've gathered some of the best cheat codes that games of yesteryear offered—ones we used so much that we've committed them to memory. Activate God Mode and check out these classic cheat codes!
The Konami/Contra Code
We might as well get this one out of the way. The Konami Code is arguably one of the best and most famous of cheat code inputs: Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. While the other nickname for the cheat is the "Contra Code," what's interesting is that it first appeared in Gradius for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Then, thanks to its popular use in Contra, it blew up. Nowadays, you can even use the Konami Code on many different websites to unlock special content. Go ahead and try it out.
The Sims - Rosebud/Klapaucius
What's great about The Sims series is that you can live out the lives of your characters and help them attain a level of success to set them up for life. You'll start with a humble home with hardly any furniture and less space than their neighbor's custom walk-in closet. But if you hit Ctrl+Shift+C and then type in "rosebud" or "klapaucius", you'll get some free Simoleons to spend on upgrades and furniture. Who needs to work and feel fulfilled when you can just buy a lot of stuff and build a crazy mansion using any expensive materials you want?
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Money, health, and armor cheats
There are many, many cheats in the Grand Theft Auto series, but none are more useful than this particular cheat for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Rapidly press R1, R2, L1 , X, Left , Down, Right, Up, Left, Down, Right, and Up to give yourself $250,000 and heal all of your health with a full set of armor to boot. We don't even have to look at the code or recall it from memory since we've used it so much, it's been committed to muscle memory. The other great thing was that it would "heal" whatever banged-up vehicle you were using. It could even be a good alternative to a Konami Code tattoo, if you had enough space for it!
Doom - God Mode
How's this for a classic? Anyone who just didn't feel like trying and just wanted to blast baddies in the face without consequence could just type in "idqd" or "iddqd" on their keyboard while playing Doom to activate God Mode. While God Mode was no stranger to the realm of gaming, there was something more viscerally satisfying about using it in Doom. Without the fear of being killed, players were emboldened to rush head-first into the first-person action, knowing that they were impervious. If only you could activate God Mode in real life.
Super Street Fighter II Turbo - Unlocking Akuma
Akuma was one of the coolest and most feared characters in Super Street Fighter II Turbo and the only way to get him was to be a little patient and to know the right sequence for selecting him on the Character Select screen. Players would have to highlight Ryu for three seconds, then go to T. Hawk for three seconds, press left and highlight Guile for three seconds, press down and highlight Cammy for three seconds, and then press left and then up to go to Ryu for three seconds. After getting back to Ryu and allowing three seconds to pass, players would have to then press HP+ MP+LP+Start. After all of that, you'd have access to one of the most feared fighters in the series (with some of the worst defense, but oh well).
Max Payne - Infinite Bullet Time
Max Payne was one of those experiences that gripped players and compelled them to play through the entire game in one go if they could. The story was so chock-full of noir and the action was so addictive that you couldn't help but want to play through Max's adventures. If you wanted to add a little more drama to the action (and if you wanted to cheat a little), you could press L1, L2, R1, R2, Triangle, X, X, and Triangle when paused to give yourself infinite Bullet Time. The code was slightly different for the other versions of the game. You could gracefully dive in and out of cover while firing off well-aimed shots into your enemies, effectively perforating them in whatever way you saw fit. This cheat basically turned Max from a detective into a gun-toting Time Lord.
NBA Jam - Infinite Fire
In the classic arcade basketball game, NBA Jam, you could be "on fire" if you were playing well and made three baskets in a row. Think of being "on fire" as a buff that lets you get infinite turbo on the court and gave you better shooting accuracy. If you wanted to play on easy mode and always wanted to be "on fire," all you'd have to do is press B seven times before starting a game and then hold Up, Y, and B until tip-off. From then on, you could blaze around the court and just start making it rain three-pointers. Boomshakalaka, indeed.
