Don't you just love how so many people quickly jump on the opportunity to talk about playing NES or other legacy gaming systems, but the minute you bring up cheat codes, all you get are crickets!? :)

I remember using Game Genie on several games. Mostly to have infinite flying ability on Super Mario Bros 3 haha. I also remember using it for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at some point, but can't recall what cheats I used on there!

When I felt like I reached the end of playing a game, I popped in the Game Genie and threw on a cheat code or two. It almost always revived my enthusiasm for the game and I wound up playing without the Game Genie shortly afterwards! Once you got past that one level where you could never pass without the help of a cheat code, you learned exactly what you needed to do to win without the cheats!

It was essentially the Nintendo Power Magazine tutorial, without the magazine (or the internet!) :)