I don't like cheating in games. I'd rather die and replay a segment or stage over and over again until I actually complete it. And who are the idiots that buy a game and a strategy guide with it? Especially if it's a damn RPG title. That has to be the biggest waste of money, ever. You might as well go to your friends house and watch them play the game. However, there are rare occasions when cheating ends up making a game fun to play. Here's a list of games where cheating enhances the experience.
I'm not sure if the other console versions have the same problem as in the Xbox one, so I don't know if it applies to them, too. As you know, nudging in pinball games is very important, because it can save your ball from going down the gutter. However, you gotta be careful with it, because if you nudge too much, the machine will lock up, tilt, and you'll lose your ball anyway. The problem with The Gottlieb Collection is that nudging takes advantage of the Xbox controller's sensitivity. The real problem, though, is that it's too sensitive. You can nudge the left thumbstick a little and still end up tilting the table, which leads to many frustrating situations. Thankfully, the game has a cheat code where you can turn off the tilt. Granted, it almost destroys most of the challenge, but it ends up making The Gottlieb Collection enjoyable to play.
Okay, here's the thing about Mr. Bones: only half its stages are good. The rest are shit platforming stages or weird gimmicks that are annoying to play through. Everytime I try to play the game, I just can't do it from start to finish, because you have to travel through most of the crap ones to get to the fun ones inbetween. It's a good thing there's a stage select cheat. A REAL good thing.
I don't like playing this game, mainly because of the Dreamcast's crappy controller. Sure, it looked cool when we first saw it with its neat memory card slot, but that damn thing was hard to work with. I'd rather watch the game in action than to actually partake in the chaos. And you know what? I can actually do that! SEGA included a code that just lets you watch Ulala do her thing in that skirt of hers. The game has really enjoyable music, I'll give it that.
Sonic 3D Blast is, for an action game, LONG. Traveller's Tales probably didn't think so themselves, because they didn't bother to include a save or password feature. So, you're stuck playing this game for about 2 hours straight if you want to make it to the final boss. Unfortunately, there's no code or anything that'll allow you to save your progress. There's a stage select code, but that's different. Unlike Mr. Bones, the stages aren't shit, so you're not compelled to skip most of them. So, this "cheat" only applies to people using emulators: save state. The only time I ever use save states is if I'm trying to get snapshots of particular moments for this or another site. However, Sonic 3D Blast is that rare instance where playing it on a emulator makes it better because of save states.
Let's face it, you don't play this game anymore for the missions, you play it for the cheats. If you've ever played Driver, you know that it can get pretty tough at times due to the insane AI and the sensitivity of your vehicle. So, activating most of the cheats enhances the gaming experience alot. Most noteworthy are the invulnerability and long suspension cheats. The no damage cheat seems like it'll be boring, but wait until the felony meter gets filled up all the way, and that's when the fun really begins. At this point, the police cars go bat shit crazy, driving at the speed of light and ramming into your vehicle with brute force. Tons of cars will flip, most will go soaring through the air, and all you have to do is survive long enough to witness all the chaos. Add the long suspension cheat into the mix and... yeah.
This game is just pure garbage. There's only four stages in the game, but it'll be the longest, most frustrating four stages you'll ever have to go through on a Genesis title. The majority of players will just give up on the very first stage, because of how long and annoying it gets. The second stage is mostly based on luck, because you have to protect a ship that you have no control of. It goes wherever the hell it wants, and takes its sweet time doing so. The third stage is a dangerous endurance test, simply because it has a bad habit of freezing up the game when you're halfway through completing it. The fourth stage? I honestly don't think it can be beat. So, what's the wonderful cheat that makes this game enjoyable? The password that takes you to the game's ending cutscenes. It's undeniably the BEST part of this overall dreadful game. I'm still wondering how the hell this game got a sequel...
I'd list more games, but these are the top ones that I can think of at the moment. Maybe next time. Normally, like I said before, I don't like cheating in games, but in instances like these, hey, go for it.