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One Shots: Let's dance!
We're kicking off unusual foe week here on One Shots with a Guild Wars baddie courtesy of Zara: The god Abaddon is the final boss in Guild Wars Nightfall, but players who pause before engaging him can find an Easter egg. If all the human players in the party stop on the bridge and do the /dance emote, he'll dance with you for a few minutes. Here you can see his giant head and hands rocking out. Next he'll kill everyone in your party and your screen will flash the message "You got served," but at least you had some fun before you died. We've started this week's theme with a bang, and now it's your turn! Send a pic of the funniest, most strangely designed, or scariest enemy you've taken on in an MMO to oneshots@massively.com along with your name and the name of the game. Tell us a little about the foe and we'll share it here on One Shots! %Gallery-112285%
Black Ops: Call of the Dead's Wunderwaffe-ful Easter egg revealed
It's no secret that the new Call of the Dead map for Call of Duty: Black Ops packs some major star power, but it also contains some well-hidden firepower. NextGenTactics details how to unlock the map's secret Wunderwaffe DG-2, an Achievement and some hilarious cameos in the video after the break.
Gears of War 3 beta gets a long-eared Easter egg
If you've managed to snag yourself access to the Gears of War 3 beta, you ... need to go play it. Right now. Don't watch the video after the jump, just go experience the magic for yourself. Everyone else, check out the beta's one-day Easter egg after the jump. It's both gory and adorable.
Portal 2's egg-shaped turrets get their own easter egg
Think you've seen all there is to see in the deadly, paneled catacombs of Aperture Science? You might have missed this Portal 2 easter egg: A quartet of hidden-away, musically-oriented turrets, a video of which is posted after the jump. Or maybe you didn't miss it. We're not mind readers, you know.
Portal 2 Easter egg: Valve never meta-ARG it didn't like
A hidden room somewhere within Portal 2 (see the video after the break for more information about its location, if you want) contains a mysterious message from "Adam Foster," which plays a really annoying sound file that turns out to hold three encoded images. What do you find upon deciphering this hidden message? A brief history of hidden Portal-related messages. The three image files encoded in the sound turn out to be slides detailing the ARG that led to the reveal of some Portal 2 info -- also using SSTV-coded images. It turns out that said ARG had a budget of just $100, and used a BBS that was running on a vintage computer with a genuine 2400 BPS modem. You can see all three images in full here, and see (and hear) the coded message in Portal 2 after the break.
Portal 2 contains an 'interactive teaser' for JJ Abrams' Super 8
Buried in Portal 2's "Extras" menu is an "interactive teaser" for Super 8, this summer's J. J. Abrams-helmed sci-fi monster movie. "What exactly is an interactive teaser?" you ask, half-knowing the answer. Do you remember that original teaser for Super 8, in which a train crashes and something lets itself out of a train car? This is like that, except interactive (thanks, Source Engine!), and it takes place from the point-of-view of someone inside the train. You can find it in that copy of Portal 2 you've undoubtedly already purchased or, if you're still stuck at work like we are, watch a video after the break.
Enter at Your Own Rift: The little things
For me, it's all about the little things in life: the smell of a good cup of coffee, the enthusiastic hug of my two-year-old, an illicit pack of Lemonheads candy, or throwing punny tags into Massively articles. While big things are essential to have and get right, it's the little things I find that give life its unique flavor. So when I enter MMORPGs, I'm always on the lookout for little things. Oh, sure, PvP and raiding and overarching epic stories are all well and good, but it's from the little things that the soul and flavor of a game emerges. I'm often far more delighted when I stumble upon a funny little Easter egg in a game than if I win that roll for a purple piece of armor. Today I want to look at 10 little things in RIFT that I've come to appreciate and savor over the past month or so. Maybe these elements don't get all of the glory, and maybe they're even seen as superfluous to some, but without them the game would be far less to me. So while we rush between rifts and struggle with expert dungeons, I'd encourage all of us to take some time to reflect on all of the supporting cast of features that are just as important to the overall effort.
Bulletstorm's 'Red Ring of Death' easter egg exposed
While it may be lost on those playing Bulletstorm on the PC or PS3, Xbox 360 gamers will instantly recognize the cheeky jab at Microsoft for that whole Red Ring of Death thing.
Super Bowl 'Rio' commercial reveals secret behind Angry Birds easter egg
Last night's blockbuster football contest might not have featured the most hee-larious advertisements in all of Super Bowl history -- but you can't say they weren't rewarding. Take, for instance, the trailer for 20th Century Fox's Rio, which featured a split-second image of one of the avian protagonists of Angry Birds, as well as the numbers "13-12." A few of the game's more dedicated players have cracked that riddle -- firing off the birds in a specific sequence and direction on said stage unlocks a special, Super Bowl-themed level, provided you've updated to the most recent version of the game. Check out a video after the jump to see how the bird-firing maneuver is properly executed. Also, we'd like to see more video game easter eggs in television commercials, please. Trust us, ad executives, it's good for you too -- we must have watched that freaking Rio commercial like, twenty times now.
Yes, there is a cow mode in webOS 2.0
Palm's current hardware situation -- or the lack of it -- is no laughing matter, but that doesn't mean the software guys can't have any fun. Turns out that if you receive an email in webOS 2.0 with the subject line "supercowpowers," you get dazzled with... well, a cow show. That's really the only way we can describe it. Kind of apropos for the same guys that used the Konami code, isn't it?
Billy Mitchell's tie makes cameo in Donkey Kong Country Returns
Donkey Kong Country Returns developer Retro Studios doesn't just have a knack for successfully rebooting beloved Nintendo franchises, it's also got a wicked eye for bold fashion statements. For instance, the star-spangled signature necktie of Donkey Kong high-score contender Billy Mitchell (pictured right; from The King of Kong film) must have ensnared the attention of somebody at Retro, as the familiar pattern managed to sneak its way into DKC Returns, hidden in the backdrop of World 3-2 (pictured left). Now, if only the developer could have found a way to sneak in Mitchell's undying admiration of hot sauce, or, you know, his overall winning personality.
Avatar Extended Collectors Edition Blu-ray includes 3D Easter Egg
If you've snagged this week's Avatar Extended Collector's Edition on blu-ray even though you're really waiting for it to come out in 3D, you're in luck. AVSForum poster josephcoatar discovered that by fiddling with the menus, you can unlock an Easter Egg that pops up two 3D special features, the three and a half minute extended theatrical trailer and a four minute "Pandora Discovered" featurette. Even if you do plan on getting your hands on the Panasonic-exclusive 3D release this year, you can cut the waiting down by going to "Live Extras" in the main menu of disc three, pressing down, and slipping on some 3D glasses.
Call of Duty: Black Ops' fabled 'Mannequin Easter Egg' revealed
A few days ago, Activision's Dan Amrich hinted at an Easter Egg located on Call of Duty: Black Ops' fast-paced multiplayer map, Nuketown, accessible by popping the heads of all the mannequins therein with a quickness. After a couple days of trying, one group of players struck gold.
The Daily Grind: What's the coolest place you've ever found while exploring?
Are you an explorer in MMOs? Do you relish taking the path less traveled, seeing just what's over the next hill, and jumping with reckless abandon into any and all mysterious pits you encounter? Then today's Daily Grind is for you, hearty adventurer! So in all your journeys, in all your explorations, what's the coolest place you've ever found far off the beaten track? Was it a magnificent view from the top of a mountain that only a few have ever witnessed? Did you find an easter egg left by the developers that none of your friends know about? Did you even dare to cross into unfinished zones and parts of the world that were "forbidden" and supposedly closed off to normal traffic? We want to hear from MMO spelunkers and rural hikers today -- what's the coolest place you've ever found while exploring in an MMO? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of our readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's The Daily Grind!
Blast the internet with 'Asteroids' applet
Andy writes to tell us his buddy has completed work on the new American Eagle site. No, we aren't directing you to seasonal Zelda jammies (would you wear those?) -- the update includes a "hidden" Asteroids mode! Just add "?mode=asteroids" to the end of any page url to crack this Easter egg open.
Goo.gl URL shortener can also spit out QR codes, if you ask it nicely
Once again, Google fails at being ordinary. Although the claim with its Goo.gl URL shortener is that it's more about quality than features, the search giant couldn't help itself and has inserted a QR code easter egg into the mix. Should you be so daring as to append a .qr at the end of your contracted hyperlink -- such as turning http://goo.gl/JCKW into http://goo.gl/JCKW.qr (both point to this post) -- you'll be treated with a QR code, built especially for you by the company's imaging smurfs. So, in case you still don't have Android 2.2 and its awesome Chrome to Phone functionality, here's an alternative method for transitioning the webpage you're reading onto your phone. Heavens forbid we'd ever have to actually type anything out ourselves.
'Reach Racer' minigame found in Halo: Reach
Already tired of the mundane "shoot aliens" game in Halo: Reach? Thanks to this video from Achievement Hunter, you can move onto "Reach Racer," a two-Warthog racing game buried in Reach. Accessing it is as simple as getting two players to certain spots in ONI: Sword Base. Find out exactly how it works after the break.
Halo: Reach data pad location guide videos
Over on Halo Reach Planet -- the fansite, not the actual planet -- all 19 of Halo: Reach's hidden data pads have been discovered and their locations documented. Head past the break for the video walkthroughs -- only after you've finished the campaign on your own, of course ... having undoubtedly missed a few of these side-story Easter eggs.
Sarcastic announcer Easter egg uncovered in Wave Race: Blue Storm
A NeoGAF forumite going by the moniker "Raoul Duke" recently uncovered a timeworn Easter egg hidden within the folds of the aquatic GameCube racer, Wave Race: Blue Storm -- and appropriately enough, this egg is awfully rotten. By entering in a super-obscure code on the game's audio settings screen, players can change the typically pleasant (and omnipresent) pit crew commenter to a sardonic so-and-so who talks smack about your every action. You can check out a video of this old-new Easter egg posted just after the jump, or, if you feel like taking a hit to your self-esteem for some reason, you can learn the arcane measures you have to follow to find the secret voice track over on NeoGAF.
StarCraft II easter eggs include iPistol, BSOD, and misplaced characters (video)
You'd think with all the pressure of making a StarCraft sequel worthy of the name, Blizzard wouldn't have time for humorous insider references, but StarCraft II begs to differ. The game's designers have expended some of their creative juices on concocting a jolly little iPod-esque advert for a fictional iPistol, which is supposed to let you "take your shot at life." And just in case anyone thought them biased, the Blizzard devs have also had a little swipe at Microsoft, with a Blue Screen of Death adorning the control console of a drill inside the game. Other than those techie witticisms, the eagle-eyed gamer will be able to spot a dancing Night Elf and a Tauren Space Marine from World of Warcraft, as well as Diablo from, well, Diablo -- but we'll let you play the game and figure out where they are for yourself! Skip past the break to see the iAd homage and BSOD screenshot. [Thanks, Michael]
