10 Cheat Codes That BROKE YOUR GAME

Now THAT changes things, doesn't it?

donkey kong
Nintendo

Usually, gamers use cheats to either gain a strategic advantage, unlock something that’s normally difficult to obtain, or inconsequentially mess around with how a game functions or looks. For instance, there’s Street Fighter II: Turbo’s secret way to get Akuma, GoldenEye 007’s controller inputs for DK/Big Head mode, and of course, the famously multipurpose Konami code.

However, some cheats go one step further by “breaking the game”, altering elements so drastically that the core experiences and purposes – as intended by developers – are no longer possible.

At times, these shortcuts render titles entirely unplayable (which is especially bad if they’re permanently tied to save files and require people to start all over again to turn them off). In other cases, they make it far too easy to win, thereby erasing all of the challenge and skill that makes the journey worthwhile in the first place.

Either way, the ten cheats on this list fundamentally changed how their respective games worked. Once they were entered, there was simply no going back and no way to play the game as originally planned.

10. Evil Cars - Saints Row 2

donkey kong
THQ

Few modern video game series are sillier than Saints Row, and although 2011’s Saints Row: The Third is often seen as the entry that truly kicked the goofiness into high gear, 2008’s Saints Row 2 did plenty to advance the absurdity.

While its increase in humorous activities, characters, dialogue, and plot are important pieces of that puzzle, Saints Row 2’s greatest trolling comes from a covert tactic that immediately ruins any chances of you having a manageable time in the world.

Obviously, we’re talking about typing “#16” into your in-game cell phone to enable “Evil Cars”.

Shortly after activating it you’ll be running for your life and trying to avoid the myriad of vehicles that suddenly want nothing more than to run you down. Steering clear of them isn’t as simple as staying off the streets, either, as these multi-wheeled foes will slam into you from any direction at any time.

Any save file containing active cheats will have an orange star, too, so be sure to have a clean save to use when you’re done. Otherwise, your progress will forever be altered by an onslaught of automobiles that want to re-enact Stephen King’s Maximum Overdrive.

 
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Hey there! Outside of WhatCulture, I'm a former editor at PopMatters and a contributor to Kerrang!, Consequence, PROG, Metal Injection, Loudwire, and more. I've written books about Jethro Tull, Opeth, and Dream Theater and I run a creative arts journal called The Bookends Review. Oh, and I live in Philadelphia and teach academic/creative writing courses at a few colleges/universities.