Ethics and Unlockables

Not sure this properly counts as “commentary,” but for lack of a better place to put it…

Anyway, playing some games and reading some stuff has gotten me wondering about a sort of ethical question.

But not simply any ethics, but GAMING ethics.

Typically, if you use a GameShark/Game Genie/Pro Action Replay/whatever, it’s regarded as cheating.

But, is it always?

Case in point: I’d love to get ahold of The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past for the GBA.? I hear there’s a new dungeon to be explored when you beat the Four Swords part, so combine that with my favorite Zelda game to date(followed closely by GameCube’s Four Swords Adventures), and it sounds like a definite win.

Except for one thing.? My understanding is that you need at least two copies of the game to play Four Swords, and brothers and sisters, let me just tell you that ain’t happening anytime soon in this house.

Which basically brings up the point: I want to play this dungeon, but don’t really have the means of reaching it.? I have a ProAction Replay for GBA/DS that I got for cheap on clearance some time ago, but never really used.? I would imagine there’s some code that might unlock the dungeon in question.? But is it cheating to do so?

In another example, one that actually applies to a game I own.? Plugging in Boktai 2 into your DS’s GBA slot for Battle Network 5 unlocks Django Soul, and a completed BN5 GBA game will unlock a version of MegaMan’s Bass Cross form.

Is it cheating if I’m not shelling out more money for these extra games, especially when in the case of the Bass Cross I’d be buying an inferior version of the game I already own and would be playing?

Another example: I have Super Mario Bros. 3 for the GBA, and near the end of last year got ahold of an eReader, when it and its cards are mostly pulled from shelves.? I did manage to secure a SMB3 card pack, however, and have enjoyed the stages it allowed me to unlock.? However, the actual process of connecting everything and actually having to BEAT the stage while it’s all hooked up in order to save it for future replays is a major pain in the ass.

If I used the enhancement device to just unlock all those levels and whatever else they provide, is that cheating?

Now, I have to admit, I don’t know if any of these codes actually exist, so it might be a null point, but I’d be surprised if NONE of them existed.

All the same, which of these, if any, counts as cheating?

LBD “Nytetrayn”

David Oxford

David Oxford, or “LBD ‘Nytetrayn’,” as he is sometimes also known, is a freelance writer of many varied interests who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.

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