PlayStation 2 cheats

• A number of exploits and features in PlayStation 2 games have their origins in Easter egg hunts. easter cock and chicken with easter-eggs image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com

  Cheats have been around since the dawn of gaming, be it tilting the pinball table at the local arcade or executing the classic "Konami code" (Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start). The PlayStation 2 has a rich history of cheats that come in three main types, based on their origins and method of execution.

Cheat Codes

• Cheat codes originated from the need for play testers to be able to reach certain parts of a game to make sure they worked. So designers gave them ways of making the game easier for repeat play. Many PlayStation 2 games still contain these cheat codes, as well as other codes added for players to find and enjoy. Some provide benefits such as extra lives, while others are simply novelties, like new character costumes.

Cheat Devices

• In addition to cheat codes built into PlayStation 2 games, a number of third-party cartridges and other hardware additions have been created, such as Action Replay and GameShark. These devices plug into the PlayStation 2 and allow the user to modify the contents of the console's memory. Hardware cheat devices enable users to gain extra lives, more in-game cash and other benefits that would otherwise be unavailable.

Bugs, Easter Eggs and Exploits

• When games are such big business and the turnaround on a title is often so short, it is impossible to test every section of a game's code, or every portion of a massive game's map, to make sure everything works perfectly. The result is that some games contain bugged code or misaligned features that can be exploited to gain weapons, lives and other benefits normally unavailable.