There are cheat codes & then there are game hacks. Cheat codes were cool in that it gave you an advantage that you couldn't normally.
With game hacking, yes, you can do the infinite health, lives, etc. but you can do so much more. I like being able to find things hidden in the game that you couldn't find through normal playing or through a simple cheat code.
For example:
- Did you know that in the SNES game Natsume Championship Wrestling that there are leftover characters that you can play as from the Japanese version of the game? Using a player modifier code for the Pro Action Replay you can access Giant Baba, The Patriot, Mitsuharu Misawa, & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi. Through normal playing you can't play as them, nor can you unlock them as the localized, North American version used fictitious wrestlers.
- Did you know that in Fight Night Round 2 that the Nintendo Gamecube version contained an unlockable character Little Mac (from the Punch-Out series)? System exclusive unlockables are nothing new. However, when the PS2 version was produced, Little Mac was never removed from the final cut. You can't unlock him, but using a Code Breaker & a player modifier code, you can play as him. Although, he doesn't look like Little Mac from the Mike Tyson's Punch-Out. He bears more a of a resemblance to the main character from Super Punch-Out.
- Did you know that in the PS1 version Command & Conquer: Red Alert Retaliation you can produce an army of civilians & Albert Einsteins? You can even produce what is call a "Phase Transport" which is similar to the APC, but is undetectable to enemies (until it attacks), plus it can hold one person. Using the Gameshark made that possible.
One of the other things I liked especially with the PS1 & PS2 era of game hacking was being able to use "Joker Codes". For those not familiar with the term, they are used to turn a particular effect on or off with the press of a button (or combination of buttons). Its especially useful if a certain code causes the game to crash at certain points. I made the best use of Joker Codes when I played the WWF / WWE Smackdown games for the PS2. I liked using them along with rule modifier codes. These would let you create various match types that weren't possible through normally selecting it. Such as a submission only triple threat match.
I wish Game Genie, Pro Action Replay, Codebreaker, & Gameshark were still physically produced for the current generation systems.