Cheats for the Nintendo DSi

Full Access

• Some Nintendo DSi cheats allow you to access all characters within a game without defeating certain aspects of the game. For example, instead of defeating X amount of levels or bosses before unlocking a character, a cheat can be used to open all characters ahead of time. Other cheats allow you to access any level of the game at any time. For example, instead of playing the game as a straight narrative, you can jump to any level you wish. "Lego Batman" is an example of a DSi game that offers both kinds of cheats.

Staying Healthy

• When you play a video game, oftentimes your character has a limited amount of health. Once this health vanishes, your character dies and the game is over. However, some DSi cheats can make your character invincible throughout the entire game. For example, "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" offers a cheat that prevents you from ever getting injured. This is ideal if you find yourself stuck in a difficult level, or just want to breeze through the entire game. Other cheats -- like those offered for "Transformers: Autobots" -- allow you to restore your health at any given moment. This also prevents your character from dying.

Not Wanted

• There comes a time in some DSi video games that you find yourself surrounded by enemies, with little to no way out. One such game is "Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars," where the "enemies" are ironically police officers. Luckily, a cheat exists that will lower your wanted level. Lowering your wanted level means that the enemies who are chasing you stop. "Transformers: Autobots" is another game that features a wanted level, as well as a cheat to eliminate it. These cheats are used during gameplay, allowing you to lower your wanted level at any time.

The Walkthrough

• A walkthrough isn't necessarily a cheat, but comes in handy if you are stuck on a particular level or cannot defeat a particular boss within a DSi game. A walkthrough is basically a guide -- or step-by-step directions -- for playing the entire game. The walkthrough is typically uploaded by fellow video game enthusiasts onto a video game website. A walkthrough will explain how the control scheme for a particular game works -- or what buttons do what -- and how to navigate through a specific level without dying. This is handy if you purchase a used DSi game that does not contain a user manual. Combining cheats with the knowledge you obtain from a walkthrough will increase your odds of beating any DSi game.