Konami Code

Overview

The Konami Code is a cheat code that appears in many of Konami's video games, using the button inputs Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Pressing Start at the end is technically not part of the code, but the action is commonly associated with it. Though associated most commonly with Contra, Gradius is the first game to use the code. It has become a staple of Konami games, and even some of the company's games that don't use the code still reference it in some way. The code has become ingrained in gaming culture to that point that it is no longer limited to Konami games, as titles such as Half-Life 2 and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal use variations of the code.

Konami has also poked fun at the code's expected use. If the player enters the Konami Code in Gradius III on the SNES, the player's ship will blow up. Instead, the bonus that one would expect the Konami Code to grant is given through the input Up, Up, Down, Down, L, R, L, R, B, A START.

Uses Outside of Video Games

The Konami code features as an " Easter Egg" (a hidden, secret feature) on many websites, often replacing the Start button with enter, and sometimes omitting Start altogether:

• Entering the Konami Code on any GameSpot page will take the user to the the Hints & Cheats page for the NES version of Contra.
• By inputting the Konami Code and pressing enter on any page on Giant Bomb, the user's web browser will navigate to the site's page for the game Contra.

• On April 27, 2009, visitors to the website ESPN.com discovered that by inputting the Konami Code on a computer keyboard and pressing Enter, a filter would activate, overlaying the page with pictures of unicorns and altering the text to reference items as being "sparkly" among other, similar adjectives. The filter was removed on the same day as its discovery.
• On Google Reader, entering the Konami Code on Google's RSS feed compiler will skin the site with a ninja skin.
• On Digg, entering the Konami Code will expand all the comments on the current page.
• KonamiCodeSites.com tracks websites that use the Konami Code and requires the viewer to enter the Konami Code to view it.
• On Facebook, a lens flare appears when scrolling up and down the main page after the code has been entered.

Uses Inside of Video Games

• The Konami Code unlocks the achievement, "Should Auld Acquaintance..." for 10G on the Xbox 360 or a Bronze Trophy on the Playstation 3 in 2K Games' and Irrational Games' "Bioshock: Infinite". This code should be entered at the main menu after pressing start, selecting the correct brightness, and adjusting one's screen dimensions.