Every game includes an inside joke or two. Every developer loves sneaking across snippets of self-referential dialogue, or tucking away pieces of ironic background imagery. Few, however, go as far as Call of Duty 4.

The "Ragtime Warfare" cheat isn't just a throwaway gag - it's a smart, satirical and complete deconstruction of what made "Modern Warfare" so popular. The contemporary story and characters are recast in the sepia glow of a 1920s silent film. The high-definition graphics and sound are replaced by scratched film stock and honky tonk piano music. The intense pace is sped up to cartoon proportions.

Suddenly, saving the world from nuclear annhiliation feels a lot more like rescuing the sheriff's daughter from certain doom on the train tracks. The only thing missing is the mustache-twirling. Care to oblige, Captain Price?

To activate "Ragtime Warfare," you must first beat the game, having collected at least 8 of 30 intelligence items (or laptops) along the way. Having trouble? Try our guide. Once unlocked, enter the start menu during any mission, choose Options, then Cheats. Buster Keaton never killed so good...

We live in a glorious age of technology, one in which the speed and power of computers can finally, accurately recreate the world around us. You know that beautiful bloom lighting that blinds you on your way to work or school everyday? Games have that now! You know the clear, brown sky of a summer's day, or the vibrant brown petals of a spring flower? Yup, those too!

Sadly, the developers of Uncharted didn't get the memo, ruining their title with a rainbow's worth of unsightly, unnatural color. Fortunately, you can fix this problem by finishing the game and switching on the "Next-Gen Filter."
Ah, much better!

 

Next up... delicious Nazis!