43. "Contra"

Release date: February 20, 1987

Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System

Buy it here.

"Contra" is perhaps most well known for its use of the Konami code — up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start — a cheat code that gave players up to 30 lives in the Nintendo version of the game. The Konami code has since been used to find Easter eggs and cheats in various games and websites.

Gameplay objectives include running around and shooting enemies, while trying to avoid getting shot yourself. The game is both a side-scroller and a sort of 3D game, in which players could run forward and backward.