Sometimes in our travels across the Internet, we find certain gems that are really great reads. For DS lovers out there who've picked up a copy of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, we've got a gem that you'll really like: a quick list of helpful, non-spoilerrific tips to help make your gameplay experience easier.

The list tackles everything from the basics of actually using the stylus to roll (a feat that's tougher than you'd normally expect) to treasure hunting on the high seas. For us though, the best tip happens to be the one about making money: dig everywhere for rupees and you're bound to find some big scores!

In any case, feel free to check out the read link for all sorts of information you can use to save the day in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.

First off, if you hate spoilers, you have no business reading the succeeding paragraphs. Just back away from this one, read another QJ article and be completely happy playing this nice title. Skipping this one won't ruin your life, we assure you.

Still reading? Don't say we didn't warn you. If you haven't bought The Simpsons yet but are planning to, you'll either be real happy or real pissed with what you'll find out. This is your last chance to back off.

 

Destructoid reports that EA gave them a spoiler of sorts regarding this title. It turns out that there's a Wolfenstein level hidden in the game which can be unlocked. For the uninitiated, Castle Wolfenstein was one of the fathers of FPS and is certainly an icon of modern gaming.

Destructoid explains "in the Medal of Homer stage, Bart and Homie are hired to steal white flags from a town trying to surrender so that they can get firebombed. However, if you put your chores aside and transform into Bartman and fly across the channel you can snake around an abandoned warehouse and find the hidden area. Smash a few boxes out of your way and you'll find a door to Duffenstein, a replica of the great old-school FPS Castle Wolfenstein."

So there you have it. If you feel like revisiting the old school, The Simpsons will give you a chance to get some nostalgic treats. Otherwise, just enjoy the game and the nice movie, too. The Simpsons is available on Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and Sony PSP owners everywhere.

Action Replay DS users, please pay attention. A new firmware version for your favorite code and cheat program for the DS is now out and about. Firmware version 1.52 brings with it a brand new manual code entry feature that'll work great with the soon-to-be-released Trainer Toolkit DS that lets you crack and share your own codes for Datel's Action Replay.

According to CodeJunkies, another important feature of the v1.52 update is that it includes the DS side of the Action Replay "Trainer" software, which is necessary if you're planning on using your Action Replay DS in conjunction with the imminent Trainer Toolkit hacking suite.

Upgrading the firmware is as easy as falling asleep in the middle of a history class. Just connect it to the Action Replay Code Manager PC application that came with your Action Replay then click the "Software Upgrade" button.

If you are finding the recently-released Harvest Moon DS just a little bit tricky, we at QJ are on hand to give you a little help with these tips for the game as well as an unlockable GBA Cast! If you are a real Harvest Moon fan and own the GBA titles Harvest Moon Friends of Mineral Town and More Friends of Mineral Town, you can import characters from the games by booting up Harvest Moon DS with the GBA game cartridges (one at a time) inserted in the DS' GameBoy slot. It's as easy as that! Another tip concerns an easy money making scheme for new players, submitted to IGN by Freyashawk.

First of all, enter the Excavation Site and save your game. Then go to dig for jewellery but whatever you do make sure you don't save your game. Instead, make a little note of the map cells where you found the jewellery by digging up the whole excavation site. Then (here's the masterful bit) go and reload your last save and go directly to the spots where you found the jewelry pieces before and dig those squares. Save your new found riches, and reset the Excavation Site by exitting and re-entering the map.

The glory of this tip is that you can repeat this again and again - the jewellery locations will be randomized upon entry to the Excavation Site and you can repeat this as long as you want (or as long as your character's energy holds out). While not helpful when other opportunities to earn more revenue open up later on in the game, you will find this very helpful early on.

When a writer for the Washington Post decides to write about video game cheating, then it gets very interesting.

It's not all that bad, the Post writer surmises in Monday's issue after looking through all his notes. First of all, in one way or another, we all cheat. Second, in many cases, cheating is built into the game. Third - and this one was interesting - it's a (mostly) legally-sanctioned multimillion dollar industry. ("(Mostly) legally sanctioned multimillion dollar industry dedicated to cheating?" said this QJ writer while reading the paper with his usual cup of coffee. "I knew I shouldn't have taken up politics in college!").

There's enough evidence in print and on the net to support the third premise. GameSharks, hacks, Tips & Tricks (and the cheat code sections of other game mags), strategy guides (both official and third-party), GameFAQs, even MyCheats.com, the impatient (or unscrupulous) gamer's version of Wikipedia. Even deleting the cheat codes alone, an industry built on holding your hands through a game makes a statement about cheating.

Cheating is so un-PC. Maybe it should be called "assisted gaming."

Return to the first premise. That industry's customers: those who purchase the strategy guides, the gaming mags, visit the websites, even exchange tips and hacks with other players. If there is an industry dedicated to helping players to win at any cost (usually the price of the strategy guide), it's probably because there are players dedicated to winning a game at any cost.

To reiterate, is that necessarily a bad thing?


Read on at the full article.

For every extremes, there lies in the middle a certain shade of gray. And while it clouds up certainties in your judgments more often than not, these gray areas do provide you with a whole lot of breathing space.

Take for example, cheating. Folks have always preached others, especially the younger ones, about the evils of cheating, be it in doing your physics assignment on the projectile of the apple falling from a ten-story building), or a cheapshot that you pulled against the opponent's quarterback.

Whatever it is, we all, at some point in time, have muted that tiny little voice at the back of our heads and just went ahead and did the abominable: cheat. It just can't be helped sometimes. Like a good drug that is a bad habit. Thank goodness the gaming industry ain't so square about cheats! In fact, Datel has manufactured a whole software dedicated for it!

The Action Replay for DS and DS Lite allows you to "hack" into the system, and therefore help yourself to a healthy serving of bypass techniques for almost every game. Packaged in a blister pack, the Action Replay has been found by reviews to be very easy to use. One only needs to plug it in, turn it on, replace the game, and voila -- you are all set to play, armed with your cheats. The other good thing about this is that the software is easy to install, intuitive, and is actually updated frequently. So even with the newer games coming up, you can almost be certain that the Action Replay will pick up on its cheats.

Action Replay's current database is very large, thus allowing lots of options for all the most popular games. Subscription is also allowed to other sites who may want to host files. However, the downside of this product is that it is currently limited to codes provided by Codejunkies. And while it is frequently updated, it still does not support lesser known games. And we all know for a fact that just because a game isn't as popular, it does not in any way mean that you wouldn't want to have cheats for it. But the even bigger evil that can be spawned from this is that it potentially could open the floodgates for online cheating. And nobody wants that can of worms to be opened, right?

So this Datel product falls in the gray area. But though that may be, it still, of course, has its own version of extremes. It's just a matter of determining which side you will be on.

All those wannabe Pirates out there can rest in peace now that Buena Vista games have released game cheat codes the for the DS, GBA and PSP version of their latest sword slasher Pirates Of the Caribbean:Dead Man's Chest. No longer will you have to be as skilled as Jack Sparrow himself as these cheat codes will help you unlock hidden treasure, restore your grog, upgrade your ship, and secure advantages to assist your quest for the Dead Man's Chest minus all the hard work of playing without these codes. Input these codes during gameplay and they'll be worth their weight in doubloons.

PSP Cheat Codes:
tctctccx (tctctccx)* Full Health
tccttsxx (tccttsxx)* God Mode
tccttsss (tccttsss)* One Shot Kill
ccctttxx (ccctttxx)* Unlock Treasure Levels
ccctttss (ccctttss)* Unlock Kraken Battle
tttssxcc (tttssxcc)* Unlimited power moves

t = Triangle Button
c = Circle Button
s = Square Button
x = X Button

DS Cheat Codes:
Cheat Keys Sequence
Restore Health 8 Y Button, Y Button, SELECT, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left
Restore Savvy 8 X Button, X Button, SELECT, Up, Down, Up, Down, Up
Invincibility 20 Up, Down, Left, Right, Right, Right, Right, Right, Left,
Right, Up, Down, Left, Right, Up, Up, Up, Up, Up, Left
Infinite Power 11 Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L Button, R Button, SELECT
Ludicrous Weapons 6 Y Button, Y Button, X Button, Y Button, Y Button, Y Button
(Oversized Weapons)
Seasickness Mode 6 X Button, X Button, Y Button, X Button, X Button, Y Button
(Camera Wobble)
Ghostform Mode 6 Y Button, X Button, Y Button, X Button, Y Button, X Button
(Player is transparent)
Banker's Cheat 5 Right, X Button, X Button, Right, Left
(Gain 10 Gold)
Fast Music 6 Y Button, SELECT, Y Button, Y Button, Y Button, Y Button
Slow Music 6 Y Button, SELECT, X Button, X Button, X Button, X Button
Get Blunderbuss 6 Down, L Button, L Button, Down, Down, Down
Get Pistol 6 Down, L Button, L Button, Down, Down, Right
Get Rifle 6 Left, L Button, L Button, Up, Up, Up
Get Chicken 6 Right, L Button, L Button, Up, Down, Down
Get Pig 6 Right, R Button, R Button, Down, Up, Up
Get Axe 10 Left, L Button, L Button, Down, Down, Left, Up, Up, Down, Down
Get Executioner Axe 10 Right, L Button, L Button, Up, Down, Up, Right, Right, Left, Left
Clear Cheats 6 X Button, X Button, X Button, X Button, X Button, X Button
*(Clears Ghostform, Invincibility, Infinite Power, and Fast/Slow Music cheats.)*

Game Boy Advance:
1. Invulnerable - Right Button, Left Button, Up, Up, LKey, RKey
2. Magic Wind (Always Behind) - Up, Right Button, Down, Left, Left, Right
3. Restore Health - Select Button, R Button, A Button, L Button, Left, Right
4. Exit Map to Island Nav (or go to next island) - Left, A Button, Left, Select Button, Down, Down
5. Unlock Rumors - A Button, L Button, Select Button, A Button, Right, Up
6. All Ship Upgrades - Right, Left, Left, Down, Up, Select Button
7. Best Jack Upgrades - Right, L Button, Down, A Button, Left, Select Button
8. Restore Grog/Food - A Button, Select Button, Left, Down, Right, Up
9. Add 1,000 gold - A Button, L Button, Select Button, R Button, Right, Right

Datel has announced the release of their newest Action Replay device for the NDS and NDSL called Action Replay DS. Datel has released several accessories for Nintendo's DS system, but never released a specific Action Replay device for the system. In the past, customers had to settle with a GBA/NDS combination Action Replay device that would only allow you to download and use other people's save data and not just use cheat codes. However, Datel finally released a NDS-specific version that will allow NDS users to cheat like never before! This new Action Replay will retail for 25$ (USD).

The device operates in a very simple matter - boot up the cartridge and select the cheats you wish to load. After you have selected your cheats, you can swap out the cartridge for your NDS game cartridge and cheat away! These cheats range from unlocking a new character in Mario Kart DS to freezing time while playing the game and give yourself a few stars while you are frozen! This is truly a great device, something in which a lot of NDS users will find handy for those very hard NDS games (sarcasm there folks!)

  

With the upcoming release of the DS Lite in Europe (a few more hours to go...), you might wanna like to give yourself an unfair advantage through the Xploder Cheat Saves for Nintendo DS which is fully compatible with the Lite version of the Nintendo handheld.

Xploder Cheat Saves contains cheat saves for the latest and greatest games, and gives you access to the official online Xploder database for the latest cheat save downloads. All you have to do is drag-and-drop the cheats for your favorite games from the web to the PC, and then to the DS all in a matter of seconds. Have maximum money at your disposal, obtain all special items, unlock secret levels and hidden characters and much more. The possibilities are endless indeed!

Latest saves include:
    * Nintendogs: Dalmatian and friends – Max money and trainer points, all items unlocked
    * Pokemon Link – 30% of Link List obtained
    * Metroid Prime Hunters – Start at 4th Boss/Planet
    * Animal Crossing: Wild World – All gold tools and maximum money available
    * Super Mario 64 DS – 100% complete game (USA)

What an easy way to get through gaming life huh? It also allows you to back-up important game saves from DS game cartridges to your PC, and free up valuable save slots, you can even add save descriptions, or delete unwanted game saves, all at the click of a mouse button. Available now from retailers and the online store. The Xploder Cheat Saves comes complete with high-speed X-Link cable, ensuring a smooth, fast and safe transfer to and from the game card. It has a price tag of roughly $46 (24.99 UK Pounds/ 34.99 Euros).

Nintendo's newest Mario game has players everywhere nearly emptying their wallets, and now here's their chance to finish the job. Nintendo has release the players guide for New Super Mario Bros, at a basically reasonable cost of $16.95 USD, to the US and Canada. At their website you can page through the beginning of the guide with a nifty little interactive window. Take a look, and maybe you can pick one up for yourself (I'm sure they won't hit popular supermarkets for a week or two yet). Click the link below.