Walking tall with the aid of a cheat or two.

Hola, bonjour and welcome to the inaugural issue of Cheat Sheet, in which we lump together a bunch of codes and exploits from recent or upcoming games for your breathless perusal. In this episode: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony, Borderlands, Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2 and Tekken 6. Go crazy with gratitude and relief.

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony (Xbox 360) – vehicle cheat

Any time you’re outside, break out your cell phone and insert the following phone numbers to unlock the vehicles below.

Annihilator (Helicopter) – (359)-555-0100
Cognoscenti (Car) – (227)-555-0142
Comet (Car) – (227)-555-0175
FIB Buffalo (Car) – (227)-555-0100
Jetmax (Boat) – (938)-555-0100
NRG-900 (Motorcycle) – (625)-555-0100
Sanchez (Car) – (625)-555-0150
Super GT (Car) – (227)-555-0168
Turismo (Car) – (227)-555-0147

(Big ups to IGN user James Gutierrez)

Tekken 6 (PS3) – weapon cheat

All male characters can use the Sledgehammer and all the female characters can use the Naginata by pressing BACK + LEFT PUNCH + LEFT KICK + RIGHT KICK. Other weapons and special items can be used as well, but the commands to use them vary.

(Hearty back-claps to IGN user BloodyDollFace)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) – unlockable Killstreak

Chalk up 25 kills to get the Tactical Nuke, which obliterates everybody. Sorted.

(Not sure who first discovered this beauty.)

Borderlands (PS3, Xbox 360) – saved game/experience exploit

In the first scene, when you’re getting the tour with the scrap robot, follow him all the way through to the small campsite with the car up on the lift next to the burning tires. Collect all the loot (guns, money) along the way and kill all of the guys. Once everyone is dead simply pause the game and go to exit. It will save your character (level & loot) and start you at the very beginning upon loading your game. You can repeat this as many times as you’d like!

(Tender hugs for IGN user Ray Chambers)

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) – tweak/difficulty exploit

1. Start a game on a difficulty you haven’t finished and go all the way until you have a real gun.
2. Go to in-game option and set the difficulty to one that you have the tweaks unlocked with.
3. Enable your tweaks.
4. “Save and quit”
5. Go to main menu option and set the difficulty back to the one you originally choose.
6. “Continue” the game.
7. Enjoy.

(Grateful kisses to GameFAQs user Flame060)

Fallout 3 was last year’s towering success. It’s no surprise, then, to see later games mimicking its barren, dystopian, desert styling. Borderlands borrows a huge amount from Bethesda’s epic roleplaying/shooter crossover hit, and reviewing it without mentioning this incredible debt is akin to forgetting that the Life of Brian may have been influenced by the Bible. Borderlands is not the Messiah, it’s a very naughty game!

Super Soakers are the interplanetary mercenary's weapon of choice.

Borderlands makes its intentions clear from the opening cinematic. Life on Pandora is colourful, vibrant, ugly and easily splattered across the front of passing buses. The game stamps its own signature on post-apocalyptic bandit-ridden cliches with a refreshing cell-shaded comic look. Fallout 3 saw the future of the 1950’s gone wrong; Borderlands funnels Mad Max through a Futurama kaleidoscope. It’s a bold move for a game that looked good in development even before this radical change in direction, and gives it an instant charm which more serious games lack.

The graphical overhaul also complements the main philosophy behind the game; make it bigger, badder and more powerful. Borderland’s run & gun combat is surprisingly well-honed, and shooter fans will have no problems at all adjusting to the controls. While your starting weapons are the staple guns of the FPS genre, after a few hours play you’ll come across more interesting specimens.

That shotgun looks awfully puny in his hands.

There are machine guns which set people on fire, and sniper rifles which instantly take down enemy shields. You’ll find rocket launchers which splatter bandits with highly corrosive acid, causing them to run around screaming in a lime-green fountain of toxic waste. For those permanently on the lookout for the next big thing, Borderlands’ randomised loot drops and weapon caches are as big a draw as the stat boosts and skill points gained when you level up. Plenty of enemy variety ensures you’ll swap frequently between guns for maximum impact.

Four character types are available from the outset: the soldier, a generic all rounder; the Hunter, a sniper and long range specialist; Brick, a shotgun-toting berserker; and Lillith, a sneaky lady who can become invisible.

The gang's all here. Also starring some giant purple lobsters.

As each character progresses points are unlocked to spend in their skill trees, resulting in greater specialisation. With the ability to play cooperatively with 4 players, a tuned-up team can make short work of giant mutant bosses. Character progress can be saved at “New U” stations dotted around for all your DNA-restructuring and resurrection needs.

Role-playing elements are cleverly interwoven with the shooting action. As your character gets more statistically proficient with their chosen weapons, shots become visibly more accurate. Numbers showing damage inflicted on enemies spill from their bodies in place of blood.