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3 Great Sources For Computer Game Walkthroughs and Cheat Codes

By Evan Wondrasek, MakeUseOf – July 02, 2010 at 12:30PM

computer game walkthroughsVideo games — the absolute best way to waste a couple hours on a rainy weekend. Or heck, the best way to waste a couple hours on any weekend. You can be a soldier in almost any war (without that pesky risk of dying), fly through space, fight endless hordes of zombies, or micro-manage a virtual life. But, as any gamer knows, there comes a time when you might want (or need) a little help getting through an especially difficult level.

Enter the cheat code.

Cheat codes have been around as long as video games, but thanks to the internet we can now get them in huge stockpiles. In this guide, I’ll introduce you to 3 great sites to get your cheat code fix, many times with the added bonus of computer game walkthroughs and strategy guides.

GameFAQs

GameFAQs was founded in 1995 – making it the oldest (and most popular) site on this list – but it’s still in business today because it provides some of the best video game guides on the internet. Don’t let the “FAQs”, which stands for Frequently Asked Questions, mislead you – GameFAQs mostly contains strategy guides, cheats, and walkthroughs for almost every video game in existence.

Guides at GameFAQs are solely provided by volunteers, so you’ll find a wide variety of gaming and writing styles in their guides. With over 50,000 guides on their site, you’ll have the luxury of choosing from several guides for any one game. I have always been impressed with the thoroughness and quality of guides at GameFAQs, which speaks highly of the volunteers that contribute them.

game walkthroughs

Almost every game has a Cheats tab that contains a full list of cheat codes (if they’re available). Not sure if you want to purchase a game? GameFAQs offers over100,000 reviews, written by volunteers, for almost every game on the site.

computer game walkthroughs

GameFAQs released an Answers section last year where gamers can ask questions about any game they’re playing (not unlike MakeUseOf Answers for tech questions, which you should also check out). The Answers section also has a useful search, often allowing you to get un-stuck in a frustrating video game without waiting for a reply.

CheatCC

CheatCC, or Cheat Code Central, is another pre-2000s gaming website that has amassed a huge supply of cheat codes.  While they don’t offer the wide variety of information that GameFAQs has, you’ll still have access to a gigantic list of cheat codes, reviews (as well as previews of upcoming games), and videos. Most popular games have at least one accompanying strategy guide, but the focus is clearly on cheat codes at this site.

computer game walkthroughs

My only complaint about CheatCC is that they have started using some fairly obnoxious popup advertising that you will occasionally have to click through.

Mahalo Gaming

While I don’t find the Mahalo search engine to be terribly useful (actually, now that I checked, I don’t even see a search engine on the main page anymore), they do offer something very good: HD video walkthroughs of many popular video games. For as good as text-based and even printed-with-images walkthroughs can be, you simply can’t beat an actual video to get through a particularly hard level.

Many of Mahalo Gaming’s video reviews include detailed text instructions for accomplishing certain missions. The amount of time that went into these guides is really impressive, and certainly worth checking out the next time you’re struggling with a game.

Conclusion

With these resources, you should be an unstoppable, game-conquering ninja. And since you’re in the mood for video games, why not check out the rest of our articles about gaming?

Have a cheat code or a source for computer game walkthroughs worth mentioning?  Share it with us in the comments below!

Image credit: haljackey

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