Welcome to the 32 Dangerous Cheat Codes, a brand new series that will run daily between November 24 and December 25. Join us as we discuss the hazardous ramifications of some of your favorite cheat codes. Today we're taking a break from the typical cheat codes and looking at the magazines that published them. We talk about a twenty year history that involves Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Die Hard Game Fan, Video Games & Computer Entertainment, CVG and more. All this on the newest episode of the 32 Dangerous Cheat Codes.


After four weeks of talking about big heads, minus worlds, secret screens, debug modes and exploitable passwords, I wanted to turn the attention to the magazines that published the cheat codes. From Electronic Gaming Monthly to GamePro to Die Hard Game Fan, every publication had their own unique spin on the tips and tricks section.

You have to understand that this was a time before everybody had the internet, so the only way to hear about the Aladdin level skip or Street Fighter II's bonus costumes was to get the hook-up from a friend or seek out every game magazine you could find. These days you just have to go to GameFAQs or dozens of other code sites, but it wasn't that easy in the late 1980s and early 90s. I would also mention that we had to walk uphill in the snow both ways, but I think that's pretty much a given.

For many Americans, Nintendo Power was the gateway drug for cheat codes. Instead of writing hard-hitting news stories or offering opinionated reviews, the magazine chose to fill up the pages with exhaustive and high-detailed strategy guides. But beyond printing usual dungeon maps and level guides, Nintendo Power also published traditional cheat codes in a section known as Classified Information. This eventually led way to a comprehensive guide book that collected all of the NES, Super NES and Game Boy codes printed over the years.

Tricks of the Trade is what Electronic Gaming Monthly called their cheat code section, and it was a staple of the magazine for most if its run. In the early days, EGM would rate each code using up to five stars. This was later abandoned, replaced by a straight cheat code section with neither bells nor whistles. This eventually led to the magazine trying to make the section more interactive, asking readers to help them crack hard-to-believe codes.

Of course, asking the readers for help was nothing new. GamePro would routinely give t-shirts to anybody that got their code published, which led to the plagiarism issue we talked about on yesterday's episode. On top of having a dedicated cheat code section known as S.W.A.T.: Secret Weapons and Tactics, GamePro would also add little "protips" alongside their overly friendly reviews. The code section proved to be so popular that GamePro attempted to spin it off into its own magazine called S.W.A.T.Pro.

Believe it or not, GamePro wasn't the only magazine to attempt this type of spin-off. Video Games & Computer Entertainment started out with a fairly unspectacular cheat code section before giving it a full make-over and creating Tips & Tricks magazine. This not only proved to be a good business move, but actually outlasted both Video Games & Computer Entertainment and the rebranded VideoGames magazines.

While most magazines had a variation on the cheat code section, they all handled it a little differently. We saw Die Hard Game Fan invent a fun animated character in charge of providing the freshest cheat codes. Mean Machines Sega prided itself on giving user-friendly tips for European, American and Japanese games. Raze, on the other hand, had Hacks & Stacks, which sounds cool, but doesn't make a lot of sense. And don't forget about CVG, which collected codes for both consoles and computers at a time when those two were usually segregated.

You don't see these types of cheat codes listed in magazines anymore. For one thing, there aren't that many video game magazines still kicking, and most people would rather turn to the internet for cheat codes than thumb through a bunch of Game Informer issues. It also doesn't help that many of today's biggest video games have ditched cheat codes entirely, leaving these publications with nothing to print.

In an age before the internet, these magazines were a great source for level selects, sound tests and unlimited continues. It was often the reason why gamers subscribed to Nintendo Power and GamePro, and it remained one of the most popular sections for decades. As compelling as it is to talk about classic reviews and old school rumors, you should never forget the importance of the tips and tricks section.