The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

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The most infamous "cheat" code when first released, every 7th grader I knew had that code memorized to allow for you to have 30 lives when you started the game. With the 3 available continues, that meant you had a total of 90 chances to finish the game. So a lot of people did.

But even though that code made it an easy game to finish, players kept on coming back to it, simply because it was a fun shoot 'em up to play. Add to the fact you could play co-operatively with a friend just made it that much more enjoyable.

The story is simple enough...an alien invasion force called "Red Falcon" wants to take over the world, and you have to stop them. You start the game with a semi-automatic rifle (which basically shoots white dots against the enemy) but you can quickly upgrade your weapon by finding power-ups along the way. You could get a machine gun, force field gun or laser rifle, but the creme de la creme of the weapons was the spread gun, which shot five bullets at a time and cleared the screen of most enemies. You did everything in your power to make sure you got it, and you tried everything in your power to avoid getting a different gun so you wouldn't lose it.

The graphics, bright colour and catchy music (especially the end music after you defeated a boss) made it a hit, and sequels are still made to this day. Super C and Contra III were the last two installments of the game that really kept the feel of the original Contra game, and hopefully with the Xbox 360 and the upcoming Playstation 3, we might get a nice update that just might revitalize the series.