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Cheater

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Michael "Macstorm" Cunningham
STAFF EDITORIALIST

Have you ever cheated while playing an RPG? Define cheating, you say? How would you define cheating? Using a cheat code device would seem to be a clear cut example. Is that all? What about FAQs or strategy guides? They do give you an advantage in the game that you would not have otherwise had. Does that count? What about built-in cheats? You don't seem to see at lot of that in RPGs. Yes, there have been some, but it's not that common. Come on, tell me, do you cheat?

Why do people cheat? Is it because the game was too hard? In the case of strategy guides or FAQs, that seems to be the case for many. It's either that or you are a completionist that doesn't want to or can't find everything on your own. Some games can drive you crazy like that. For others it is neither of those. Some people, me included, just get so tired of boring battles that they just cheat to cut down on the misery. A lot of games out there have good stories that compel you to finish them, but the interactive parts of the game are so boring or watered down that you just can't stand to play another minute. Sadly, I felt that way about the PlayStation versions of Lunar my second time through. Cheating and maybe making your characters super strong can make things tolerable while you enjoy the RPG's plot, which did happen in that case.

Is it right to cheat? What does "right" mean? Are you going to get in trouble for cheating in an RPG? No, don't be silly. But can you really claim to have actually beaten an RPG if you had to break out a cheat device to help you do so? Yeah, using a guide or FAQ to help is not that bad. Some games make it almost required at some points. But cheat devices seem to be a different story. Also, cheating on a second playthrough doesn't seem that bad, as long as you've beaten the game once. Cheat your way through a second time and enjoy the story again. I've done that many times with RPGs such as Xenosaga, many Final Fantasy games, and other less mainstream RPGs like Legend of Legaia and Wild Arms. Does it really matter? No, because mostly with RPGs you are the only one that knows.