I think as retro gamers of many years, we all have encountered along the journey certain games that were either horribly difficult (unfairly so in some cases) or plain extremely flawed for one reason or another. Some of these games would sort of be a "waste" were it not for a code that suddenly makes the game a whole lot more inviting to play.

What is your game and code?

For me, it's Equinox (SNES). The game just punishes you with pixel perfect jumps, death terrains galore, crazy puzzles and a brutal 1 death style system. However, if you go to the title screen and press L, L, R, R, L, L, L, R, R, R, L, L, R, R, L, R... you are granted infinite lives and magic power. It certainly makes the infuriating experience (and flawed gameplay) a lot more "fair" and enjoyable. I use the code mainly for the infinite lives. You can really abuse the unlimited magic powers if you want, though. I try not to, as best as I can.

Typically, I am not a proponent of cheats. I don't look to play a game with cheats enabled, particularly the first time through. But some games, like Equinox, are simply a mutha without it. So, what's your game? Post it and the cheat that makes it (more) playable/enjoyable!

BTW, since we are on the subject of codes, anyone else a big fan of non-password retro games that have a level select cheat? That's my favorite kind of cheat... it increases a game's longevity by quite a bit. And makes the fact that the game lacks a PW or save option a lot more bearable.

Goldeneye had a handful of cheats that made the single player game more fun, and its "fair" in that your progress doesn't count when the cheats are enabled. And you have to earn the cheats, not just punch in a code lol. For exmple, I loved playing the single player game with the Cougar Magnum, my favorite gun in the whole game. Sounds like cannon-fire, and if you were good you could get 2 or 3 guys in one shot. Made me laugh getting an accuracy rating of like 150% lol.

(deleted so I don't hurt anyones feels)

/players 8 in diablo 2. It raised the amount of drops, but it wasn't actually a code to help you. It simulated the game with 8 players, and I always ran solo, so it made the monsters tougher.

The sims and rollercoaster tycoon had a few codes that had me keep playing after I was bored of regular gameplay.

When I was a kid,I used to use a Game Genie on Ring King to get maximum points on strength,speed,and stamina since it took forever to level up in training mode and you got nothing if you lost and usually the computer was always at least slightly better than you. Last year I found a legit way to beat the world champ using just the base stats by outpointing him through picking my shots and keeping my distance,but it's very boring. Using the GG to knock the piss out if your opponents was definitely more fun.

Contra for sure.

That 30 lives cheat made the game at least worth playing by giving you a chance. A very small one.

I know it can be beaten without it but I don't know very many people who could beat it with the 30 lives cheay nevermind without it.

Cue the person whose the best at every video game and will post somerhing like:

"pfft that games easy. I beat it with one hand with my eyes closed, while rabid mongoose were nibbling on my toes and a 747 jet turbine was blowing me outta my chair. Fuckin casuals."

It's not a code, but there's a spot in the Gambit stage of Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge where you can farm extra lives by jumping offscreen repeatedly. I'm not clear whether it's an exploit/glitch or an Easter egg, but it's in both the SNES and Genesis versions, so I tend to think it's intentional.

Without that trick, the game would be borderline unplayable. There's no excuse for it not having continues or a password system -- it's the type of game that really should have passwords -- but maybe that was Marketing's decision ("We need to screw the renters!"), and the developers tucked this in to compensate.

Someone will say that regardless of the game. But in the case of Contra, I'll say that I always used the code and had no trouble beating it. Then eventually, I started trying it without the code and I got better and better and realized it's highly memorizable and pretty predictable. You just have learn how to make smarter moves. And keep the spread gun.

I almost never use cheats these days, but for me, I don't find Sim City (SNES) enjoyable unless I do the tax trick. But then I end up getting bored with having too much money too and it doesn't feel like a real accomplishment.

I have a Festers Quest prototype that has invincibility built in. It's totally cheating but it's only way I can actually make any progress in the game

That should have been the final version of that game. Woof.

Festers Quest gets a bad rap, its super easy with a turbo controller. Actually it even says to get one in the instruction manual. It makes me think if some companies that made those kind of games made them on purpose to get in with nintendo so they had to buy nintendo accessories to beat the game. Even Silver Surfer is easy with a turbo controller!

Anyway to add to this, just from a game I recently made. Recca. Thank god for the infinite lives code. I enjoy this game a LOT and have no interested trying to 'really' beat it. I just love blowing up everything, it has a very soothing affect on me.

Ill also add NARPASSWORD for Metroid, just when I wanna play it and run thru it, and not grind for everything. Ive beaten it without it, but to me its more fun just to explore and have all the weapons at start.

Legacy of the Wizard. Final boss code. Lol that game was/is too confusing. But I loved the music and sound effects so I kept on running around in circles and never really progressing. So one day my uncle put this cheat in where all I had to do was select the blue character (I think the young sister character?) and go jump up into the dragon portrait. BOOM! Straight into fire breathing boss battle. The battle music for it is so memorable to me. And I always found it strange that I couldn't play the actual quest worth a crap but I could beat that dragon every time...

Game Saving isn't the right word, but Need for Speed 3DO had this awesome code where you honk the horn or something and it cause all traffic to launch sky-high. It's hilarious to watch. Also useful and dangerous.

I dated a chick a few years back who owned at Fester's Quest. It kind of blew my mind to see the game look so easy with the right person playing it.  

Mainly Mega Man. Besides that I don't use codes, even when I beat Tyson, I worked my way up to him.........many times.

B.O.B. for SNES had a password system, so it already wasn't too bad. However, if you died you lost all your ammo and powerups, which was just frustrating enough to make me not want to keep playing. The trick I used to keep it interesting was to put 9 as the 2nd digit in any password, which gave you 99 ammo of all weapons and 9 of every power up. Made it much easier to continue after dying.

contra for me. I love that game, but without the common 30 lives code, I don't think I would have ever kept playing it.