Konami Code
The Konami Code, known in Japan as the Konami Command (コナミコマンド, Konami Komando), is a cheat code that appears in many Konami video games, [1] although the code also appears in some non-Konami games.[2] The code was first used in the 1986 release of Gradius for the Nintendo Entertainment System [3] but was made famous in North America in the NES version of Contra, for which it was also dubbed the "30 Lives Code". While pausing the game or during the title screen, the player could press the following sequence of buttons on the game controller:
- ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A
The code was subsequently re-used in a large number of other games, and has found a place in popular culture as a reference to the third generation of video game consoles. For a while, it caused a lens flare effect upon entering the code on any Facebook page[4], and most recently it has been found to be used as a developer's code for the Palm Pre smartphone [5].
Variations
The original version of the cheat code was designed for the NES controller. In many popular representations of the code, Start is added at the end of the sequence. Select is also sometimes inserted at the end of the code. The exact sequence varies from game to game, and has been adapted to fit the button layouts of different video game consoles. In mobile phone games by Konami, B A are substituted with 5 7 3 on the numerical pad, which is the goroawase pronunciation for "konami."
History
The Konami Code was created by Kazuhisa Hashimoto, who was developing the home port of the 1985 arcade game Gradius, a scrolling shooter released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. Finding the game too difficult to play through during testing, he created a cheat code which gives the player a full set of power-ups, which are normally attained gradually throughout the game.[2] The code has continued to be present in Gradius sequels and spin-offs, including the SNES version of Gradius III, which actually destroys the player's ship upon entering the original code (however, substituting ← and → with the L and R triggers of the SNES controller powers up the ship), all the way through the most recent iteration of the series, Gradius V on the PlayStation 2, where the PS2's Template:Pskeypress and Template:Pskeypress buttons fill in for B and A, respectively.
The Konami code was introduced to many gamers in the 1988 NES version of Contra. Due to the game's intense difficulty, many Contra players became reliant on the cheat code, which increased the player's lives from 3 to 30 (9 to 90 including continues), to finish the game. The game's popularity, combined with the near-necessity of using the code, made it renowned to an entire generation of video game players. This led to the code being used in countless games, and even mentioned across popular culture. For example, references to the Konami code have appeared on web sites (including the activation of "easter eggs", substituting the "enter" key for "start"),[6][7][8] in comics,[9] TV shows,[citation needed] T-shirts,[citation needed] license plates,[citation needed] music,[10] and even professional wrestling.[11]
See also
References
- ^ The editors of GamePro and GamerHelp.com, "The 'Konami Code:' We Must Never Forget," GamePro 235 (April 2008): 63.
- ^ a b "Cracking the Code: The Konami Code". 1up.com. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
- ^ "Geek Trivia: The cheat goes on". techrepublic.com. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyxLBkmHP6g
- ^ "The secret to Palm Pre dev mode lies in the Konami code".
- ^ Posted by admin in Google, Tips and Tricks. "Google Reader Easter Egg". Indiandevs.com. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ http://konamicodesites.com
- ^ Jason Kincaid (2009-05-08). "The Konami Code Strikes Again: Facebook Adds Some Flare". Techcrunch.
- ^ Craig MacIntosh and Francesco Marciuliano, "Sally Forth" Houston Chronicle May 14, 2008.
- ^ The Moldy Peaches, "Anyone Else but You"
- ^ "Wrestler Profiles". Obsessedwithwrestling.com. Retrieved 2009-05-08.