0The death of cheat codes is maybe the saddest phenomena in modern gaming. As someone who grew up playing games first on the Amiga, then the PS1, then Xbox, and on to the 360, I noticed a jarring change between the last two. The huge drop in the number of cheat codes. While achievements are a pretty cool trade-off, I’d still much rather be able to wreak havoc on the game worlds. Take GTA: San Andreas’ huge variety of weaponry you could summon into the arms of CJ, the ability to spawn jump-jets, jetpacks, or a tank at your command. Now compare it to GTA V’s largely cosmetic cheats, and feel as disappointed as I do.

Cheat codes brought a crazed, libertarian atmosphere to gaming, giving you experiences that weren’t hemmed in by what the game thought you should be up to. You were the god here, and you could shape the world however you liked. If that meant placing objects stupidly in the debug mode, then God dammit, that was your right! If you wanted to cause the game’s heroine to detonate into polygonal shards, it’s up to you. On this list, I’ve collected some of my favorite cheat codes from gaming, from the 90s through to the 00s. From arming your ninja hero with lightning bolts, to exploding cows, to infinite bullet time and a velociraptor called Steven, they are the good, the great, and the dumb. Any cheats you think I should have included? Let us know on Facebook!

15 Making Doomguy A Doom Deity

To be fair, the chainsaw pretty much did. [Via entertainmentfuse.com]

Now, I enjoy the new Doom as much as the next guy, but the original still holds a special place in my heart. It was the first PC game that I ever played, and the memories of destroying Imps with a shotgun are held extremely fondly. Doomguy, as the protagonist has come to be known is already something of a demigod, with his ability to run at around 90mph very well-known. However, one cheat code goes even further. Entering the word IDDQD would make Doomguy invulnerable to even the toughest demonic monsters, perfect for playing the game like an 80s action movie. No challenge, just gore, fun, and lots of guns. Pair it with the code IDKFA, and you’ll conjure the game’s arsenal out of thin air. Bring it on, Satan.

14 Semi-Truth In Self-Advertising

[Via cheatcodesgalore.com]

The Legend Of Zelda is a hugely influential game, but it’s also a cheater’s paradise. Game Genie cheat codes could be used to create a vast range of mischief. From turning yourself invincible to giving yourself infinite bombs, you could warp the game into whatever shape you wanted. However, you don’t need a Game Genie for maybe the best cheat in the game. If you named your hero “Zelda” (strangely, not Link), you would get to start the game at the second quest, which normally requires having beaten the game. You start the second quest with most of the items in the game, and then head off to roam around tougher dungeons, located in different locations to the first run. Useful for those who just want to adventure, or more of a challenge.

13 Eternal Explosions

[Via ROTSECHSMAN/Youtube]

The GTA games are one of the handful of modern games that still joyously include cheat codes. GTA V’s skyfall and moon gravity cheats are talked about so much, it's easy to forget the amazing ones in GTA III. From entering “chittychittybb” (which would allow vehicles to fly), to “weaponsforall” which lives out an NRA fantasy by arming literally everybody — and don't forget the simple “bangbangbang.” By entering this, you would make something magical happen. Well, if your idea of magic features a ton of explosions, anyway. It would cause every car on screen to spontaneously detonate. Whether you want to use it when you’re cornered by police to literally go out with a bang, or just for a bit of deadly fun, there’s something beautiful about just causing spontaneous explosions like a wizarding Sylvester Stallone.

12 Never Was A Successful Dairy Farmer

Ah Christ, Daisy's at it again. [Via Katarina Monroe/Youtube]

From exploding cars to exploding cows. Yep, you read that right. Like an extreme reaction to a CJD epidemic, the original Neverwinter Nights lets you summon flying, exploding cows into your game world. Because Diablo II’s cow level clearly didn’t provide enough bovine-based hijinks for the RPG world. To bring the beefy blow of exploding cattle into your world, you’ll first need to activate the debug mode by inputting “Debugmode 1” into the console. After that, all you need to do is type “dm_cowsfromhell” into the console, and, well, you’ll see. The results are pretty spectacular, not to mention potentially suicidal, as the cows can also harm you. If you’ve never been a fan of the basic D&D combat found in the Neverwinter Nights games, give it a go! It’s sure to spice up your game.

11 When Tomb Raiding Goes Bad

"Hey Lara, how's the raiding going OH JESUS!" [Via Sal Heck/Youtube]

Tomb Raider II brought a superb array of cheats, with one set up specifically to catch you if you entered a cheat wrong. See, lighting a flare, walking one step forward, one step back, turning around three times and then backflipping would grant you weapons, flares, medkits, and ammo. Doing this to get a grenade launcher in the Venice level is one of my fondest early gaming memories. Do this without lighting a flare though, and what happens? Aristocratic adventurer Lara Croft is turned into Cluster Croft, exploding in the sky like she’s part of a Fourth of July celebration, raining exploding pieces of herself down onto the level. The first time you saw it, it was either frustrating or hilarious, depending on if it surprised you, or you knew about it, respectively. One thing’s for sure though, it’s a cheat people will never forget.

10 Getting Starfoxed

I think the mescaline's kicking in, Mr. McCloud. [Via eweble.com]

Did you know that Star Fox has a hidden, surreal level? It’s even an alternate ending to the game! The area, known simply as “out of this dimension” can be accessed via the third level. You must shoot two waves of asteroids that appear before flying into the bird that appears afterwards. Doing so will transport you to this mysterious dimension. To call it a bad trip psychedelic experience is an understatement. The enemies are made of paper, and you face down a living slot machine. This part can be beaten, by getting triple 7s on the slot machine. What can’t be beaten is the level itself, however. There is literally no way out, leaving Fox stuck there and unable to complete the story. It’s a grim, creepy ending to an amazing game.

9 Ending The End

I mean, he's not aged well, but you can't have everything. [Via ibtimes.co.uk]

The Magnificent Seven-style list of enemies you face off in Metal Gear Solid 3 are all superb, but The End is a particularly well fleshed-out opponent. An ancient sniper, over 100 years old at the time of Operation Snake Eater, he has over time been infected with a parasite that lengthens his lifespan and gives him preternatural sniping abilities. His only company is an adorable parrot which he uses as his spotter. There are several ways to put an end to The End, which you (kind of sadly) have to do. You can snipe him early in the game, engage him in a sniper duel, or, if you’d prefer, you can use his advanced age against him. By getting into the duel, saving, and moving your system clock forward by a few days, you’ll come back to find that he’s died of old age. Guess he must’ve been more frail than he looked.

8 Spielberg's Legacy

A motley crew of characters if ever I've seen one. [Via unseen64.net]

It’s not controversial to say that the Medal of Honor series borrows a lot from Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, particularly in its sequel Allied Assault. Since the game’s story was created by Spielberg, this is perhaps, not too surprising. However, the game also paid homage to another film of is. By typing “SSPIELBERG” into the Enigma machine in the game’s menu, you could play as a Velociraptor called Steven in deathmatch, modeled after the raptors in The Lost World: Jurassic Park! Steven the raptor was far from the only hidden character in the game. You could also play as a German Shepherd dog, Winston Churchill, Shakespeare, and a dazzlingly creepy nutcracker doll. It may have been just 1v1, but in what other games can you see Churchill, in full on orator getup, face off against a velociraptor? That’s what games are missing these days.

7 Rewriting The History Books

The apex predator in action! [Via tinypic.com]

Age of Empires is a series that it’s easy to forget about these days. For a while back in the early 00s though, it was a huge challenger to games like Civilization in the strategy game world. Controlling a handful of hunter gatherer types, you would attempt to grow your kingdom into a huge civilization, with 12 civilizations to choose from. However, you could also enlist some futuristic help, if you found that your nation’s warriors were a little lacking. This help came in the shape of the sports car known as Winsett’s Z, activated by typing in the code “BIGDADDY.” The Z came equipped with a rocket launcher, giving it the damage to kill most units in the game in a single hit. It was also the fastest unit in the game by a long way.

6 Giving Ninjas Even More Tools

Demons, swordplay, and ninjas. This game ruled. [Via giantbomb.com]

Did you ever play the PS1 stealth game Tenchu: Shadow Assassins? It was a beautiful melange of historical ninja stealth and crazy Japanese mythology, and the only game, as far as I know, to feature both assassination missions and fights against a demon warrior. You’d usually be equipped with a range of typical ninja equipment, including a katana, grappling hook, smoke bombs, and caltrops. By opening the debug menu you gained access to far more interesting ways to take down your foes. As well as the usual debug fare of messing with the player’s and NPCs’ positions, you could also channel Zeus and throw lightning bolts around, or just straight-up get a gun. It was a beautiful little coda to a bizarre game, from a series I miss terribly. Tenchu Z wasn’t enough, dammit!

5 The Matrix On Ludes

The face of slomo sales! [Via giantbomb.com]

When you think of Max Payne, I’m pretty sure the first thing you think of is the incredible bullet time. Combined with Max’s propensity for diving leaps, the Matrix-inspired slomo brought gun-fu and balletic violence to video games with aplomb, and spawned countless imitators. If you found that the amount of bullet time allotted to you by the game just wasn’t enough, you’d just have to suck it up, like so many bullets to the face, right? Wrong! If you entered L1, L2, R1, R2, Triangle, X, X, Triangle on the pause menu, the genie of high-fps cameras would come down from on high, and grant you unlimited bullet time. You can, if you choose, play through the entire game in slomo if you fancy it. Neo, eat your heart out.

4 Debug The Hedgehog

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? [Via polygon.com]

Tenchu is far from the only game to have an incredible debug mode. In fact, there’s a far more famous example in the shape of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Unlike Tenchu however, the debug mode cannot be accessed through a combination of button presses, instead, it requires something a little more arcane. By using the level select cheat, then going to the “sound test” menu, you have to play effects 01, 09, 09, 02, 01, 01, 02, and 04. After inputting this sequence, debug mode will be unlocked, and in this game, debug mode is wilder than Sonic on Saturday night. You can move existing objects, and place countless new ones, wrecking merry hell on the carefully designed levels. You can also gain invincibility, slow down time, and break the rule of “gotta go fast” by slowing the game speed to a crawl.

3 Look Ma, No Helmet!

[Via MetalSmasherGaming/Youtube]

The reveal that Samus Aran is a woman was a big point in the original Metroid (SPOILER ALERT). However, it needn’t have been. You could, if you desired, play through the whole game as a helmetless Samus, if you’d prefer. By entering the password “Justin Bailey,” Samus is instead rendered as an apparent member of an 80s dance troupe, complete with leotard and one of a number of hair colors. The password also starts the game in Norfair, giving you a bunch of missiles and screw attack, amongst other abilities, as a kickoff. The mystery of just who Justin Bailey may have been is something of an enduring one. Mentalfloss investigated in 2016, and found that it likely wasn’t a person at all, but just a coincidence, with the name being a lucky coincidence, the result of the game’s password generation.

2 Warp Factor Cheating, Mr. Mario

[Via DimeXProphet/Youtube]

The Warp Whistle is probably one of the most famous cheats in video games. It is, however, so famous that you may not pay much thought to your memories of first finding it. The whistle, first appearing in Super Mario Bros. 3, was originally from The Legend of Zelda, and took some finding. The first one required breaking through the game’s two dimensional rendering: in World 1-3, you jump on the white block, press down several times, until Mario goes crashing behind the scenery, and run to the end of the level, within a limited amount of time. Once you have this one, getting the second is comparatively easy. In World 1’s fortress, you must fly to the top right of the level with the help of a Raccoon leaf, land on a ledge, and run to a hidden door. Once you have these two, you can get to World 8, and finish the game in record time.

1 Let It Bleed

The youth of the 90s, I don't know. [Via gamesrevisited.com]

Let’s talk about censorship in video games. So, as hard to believe now that Mortal Kombat’s juddering sprites once caused massive controversy with their depictions of cartoonish violence, they absolutely did. Two Senators, Joseph Lieberman, and Herb Kohl, even investigated its potential effects on the nation’s moral turpitude. When the SNES and Genesis versions came out, they were both censored. On the SNES, the blood was tinted grey and said to be sweat, while most fatalities, which the series is famous for, were removed. However, on the Genesis, the uncensored content was happily left in, for anyone to find, thanks to the now famous “blood code.” The gratuitous, silly violence of Mortal Kombat, which so outraged the two senators, led to the video game industry having to create its own ratings board, and thus, the ESRB rating system was born. No more would games be hauled up in front of government, as their suggested age rating would be clearly displayed. A true fatality from the games industry.