Cheating is part of the game

By TOM HAM Special to The Washington Post

Monday, May 17, 2004

You might think you're a pro at video games, but sooner or later you're going to get stuck -- whether it's that last track on "Need for Speed: Underground" or that one particular level in "Tony Hawk's Underground" that you just can't complete. Help is available in the form of cheat codes.

Cheat codes are little bonuses or surprises that help players when they're stuck. Just about every game has cheat codes; the trick is knowing how to use them.

They come in many forms. Some will make you "invulnerable," meaning nothing can hurt or kill you. Others can unlock additional levels and characters. A popular cheat is the Level Skip. Most level- based games require you to play through the game from beginning to end -- level after level in order. But what if a particular level is too difficult and, no matter how many times you play, you just can't get by it? A Level Skip cheat would make your game a lot easier.

Another popular cheat involves unlocking bonus materials. PlayStation 2 and Xbox games come on DVDs, so developers can put a lot of extra stuff on them. Players have to complete the game to view it. With the right cheat code, you can watch all of the bonus materials.

How do you input the codes? The most common way is with a password. Many games have a feature that allows players to save their progress in the game. Sometimes developers have passwords that will unlock features. Simply go to the password screen, put in the special password and it's done.

Another way to input cheats is with unique button patterns on the controller. Patterns can be simple or really complicated. To make things even harder, sometimes there's a time limit for entering the codes.

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