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"More DoTs" cameo in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
ihatemostthings' friend found something fun in the new(ish) game F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Apparently, wandering around in the game, you can come across a little terminal that has some familiar code to anyone who's ever raided with a more-than-enthusiastic raid leader (NSFW). You can click the picture above to see a closeup view of what the screen says.Pretty cute. Blizzard has seen fit to make nods to other games in Azeroth, so it's fun to see other game companies return the favor.
Obligatory video game Easter eggs post: 2009 Edition
Yeah, we know. Every Easter, we write up a historical account of well-hidden Easter eggs featured in video games over the years. You've heard them all by now, we're sure -- the guerrilla credits of Adventure, the "Secret Cow Level" in Diablo II, Yoshi's appearance in Super Mario 64, GTA IV's "Heart of the City," A Link to the Past's Chris Houlihan room, and Symphony of the Night's hidden audio track, to name a few. For more info about these tried and true surreptitious extras, we suggest checking out this GameSpot post.However, this past year saw the arrival of a heretofore undiscovered Easter egg in a title you all know and love -- ladies and gentlemen, we present "The Goldeneye Breakdancing Glitch," viewable in the video after the jump. Apparently, tilting the Goldeneye cart in the middle of a game leads to hilarious impromptu b-boying from any and all on-screen characters. You simply must check it out -- and while you're down there, tell us your favorite video game Easter eggs in the comments!
Lost finally has another HD Easter Egg?
It's been quite some time, but the most eagle eyed among us caught a look at this during last night's episode of Lost, showing an unidentified girl in the shadows during a key scene. It's been some time since the last Easter Egg we picked up on, it's hard to tell if they stopped putting them in or if we just stopped caring, but the debate over who this might be or if it was just a mistake has piqued our interest. So, are you still watching as closely as ever, or will it take a few more hidden secrets, characters rising from the dead or the always interesting Jack / Kate / Sawyer / Juliet romantic entanglement to get this one on the big screen Wednesday nights?
One Shots: An EVE easter egg
Space is a funny thing - you never really know what you'll run across when flying around out there. Sure, you might spot wreckage (especially in EVE Online) or old technology left scattered about, but this is perhaps one of the first true easter eggs we've had sent in to us. It comes to us from Deng Ful, who found this strange black monolith while flying a mission in Ashi. My Gallente drone-mistress, Deng Ful, came across this relic from another science-fiction universe deep in a mission pocket the other day. The only information given on it, appropriately enough, is "It's full of stars".If you've found an easter egg in your favorite game, why not send it in? One Shots is in need of your screenshots! Send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com. Add your name, the game it's from (guild, server and description welcome too) and you're all done. From there, we'll post it out here for everyone to enjoy.%Gallery-9798%
It's-a Mario World: Classic Secrets
Along with the New Year's celebration comes a heap of (potentially unrealistic) personal resolutions for the future and an equal dose of nostalgic recollection of 2008. You have already seen our 10 Best Games of 2008 and the 10 you should have downloaded among dozens of other annual lists, so your sense of hindsight should be fairly well-attuned during this first weekend of 2009. So where, you might ask, does our Mario fit in?This week we are highlighting some classic Mario game secrets which did not necessarily occur in 2008, but which should nevertheless be recalled during all possible occasions if only to reaffirm our steadfast allegiance. These recollections are like wormholes to our early platforming pasts, histories in which the surprising discovery of a well-hidden 1-up or warp zone could redefine the realm of the possible in the Land of the Mushrooms. Yeah, and they are also reminders of what we were doing earlier today. Now, we are no soothsayers, but it's a good bet that 2009 will be full of more coin-hoarding, cape-rippling good times. For now, though, let's look back at some of the top secret areas of early Mario games. Warp to the gallery! It's-a Mario World is a recurring feature in which the ubiquity of Nintendo's flagship character is celebrated. Check back each week to find out what strange and wonderful thing has us seeing power stars. * * * Links of the week: The beat behind Mario 3! | Aren't the Olympic Games over? | Mario > 2008? | This is a Mario Thermos!
One Shots: I wonder what this does
The easter eggs are myriad in Warhammer Online, as we've seen from several screenshots sent in to us by various players. There are portals, places that reference other games, and more. Today's One Shots, sent in to us by one of our regular Warhammer Online contributor Snacky, shows off another such find. Here's Snacky with the details: In my search for further easter eggs, I have found numerous "secret plungers" located in difficult to access locations. This one is located near the Dwarf capital. I will leave what happens once you click it to future adventurers. We haven't run across this one as yet, so we've no idea what happens when you hit this one. Hmm.Are you an easter-egg fiend, intent on exploring the worlds you play in? Perhaps you just like finding a gorgeous view that few have ever seen before. If you've got a view, an egg, an achievement or the like that you'd like to share, we want to see your screenshots! Send them in to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name and a quick description. Your screenshots and tales keep the story going here at One Shots, so send some in today!%Gallery-9798%
Ricole Nichie lurks in the World's End Tavern
Keen-eyed and oddly-geared Dwarf Priest noticed somone a little odd hanging out at the World's End Tavern in Shattrath. Lounging about, sizing up the likes of bag-meister Haris Pilton, the Eye of Divinity let Dwarf Priest see a spectre lurking, lurking at the Tavern's floor. Not a Raven, ever more, but Ricole Nichie. Ms. Nichie has been lurking there for a little while, but you can (apparantly) only see her if you happen to have the Eye of Divinity equipped. And since that comes from the Cache of the Firelord from old Molten Core -- it's not like you're going to see a lot of those flooding the game any time soon. This kind of thing just goes to show how rich World of Warcraft can be, riddled with many easter eggs and sideswipe pop culture references. This one's pretty obscure, even if it's been around for a while -- you have to be wearing a Priest-only item that's not really that useful in current content. Still, it'll keep inspiring the intrepid among us to peer a little closer at the World of Warcraft around us.
Forum post of the day: Favored Son
Telasero of Ravenholdt made an interesting discovery. He claims that he has found proof that Blizzard favors the Horde. He found a some kind of prehistoric bone art hanging from the wall that he believes matches up to the a Cuneiform Symbol for "Favored Son." I am no expert on ancient writing, so I have a hard time verifying the actual symbol, but the pictures are strikingly similar. It could be a coincidence, but I'd like to believe it's an Easter Egg. Is this undeniable proof that Blizzard is playing favorites with the two factions? I don't think so. Breavis of Nazgrel pointed out that Thrall is known as the chosen son, so the symbol could represent him rather than the entirety of the Horde. The battle will likely rage on about which side Blizzard prefers. Drysc has pointed out in the forums that your opinion on which side is favored is usually based on whichever side you do not play. Do you believe this to be a coincidence or not?
NMS08: Head-tracking disappears from EA's Boom Blox
Remember how awesome it was when we found out that BOOM BLOX was going to incorporate Johnny Chung Lee's incredible head-tracking 3D demo? There was dancing in the streets (and an extra helping of crow for the staff here). Well, put away the maracas and forget the confetti: EA has cut the Easter egg from the title. Guess that means the device we rigged from a beer helmet, swim goggles, and an old bag of Cheetos is now completely useless, and we're denied the chance to try out the most amazing development for the Wii that we've seen -- and in a game that would have been perfect for it, too. What happened? EA is mum on the whys and wherefores, stating only that the Easter egg was never confirmed for inclusion.%Gallery-15446%
Strong Bad gives safety tips for playing Wii
It's been a long time since we regularly kept up with Homestar Runner, but there's no doubting that it's still full of the funnies. Take this video of Wii safety tips, for example, which was linked as an easter egg in the latest Strong Bad Email.In this video, Strong Bad tells you how to "enjoy" your game in total, unplayable safety. (Damn that Baba Jaga!) All in all, it's a perfect satire on Nintendo's overzealous safety mentality (although, maybe not as perfect as this).[Via GoNintendo]
Massively Spring Event coverage in pictures (and a video)
Springtime brought many events to our favorite MMOs and Massively was there to report on them. From St. Patricks Day to Easter to April Fools, there was no end to seasonal fare. Click the images below to take a tour of the pictures and places of Spring 2008 in MMOs.Easter More event coverage after the jump.
Celebrating Easter in Second Life
While many of you may have spent yesterday coloring eggs or biting the ears off chocolate bunnies, many people celebrated the holiday virtually in Second Life. For those of you too busy in real life to enjoy virtual life, we've captured some of Second Life's Easter celebration in pictures. Visit giant bunnies, hunt for eggs, join in an Easter parade, and color eggs of our very own all without leaving the safe confines of your browser! So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!%Gallery-19041%
History Lesson: The Original Video Game Easter Egg
We know that most of you are probably familiar with this piece of Atari mythos, but we thought it would be a festive way to celebrate this Easter Sunday. While Robinett's egotistical stunt was definitely ballsy, it doesn't approach some of our favorite secrets throughout gaming history -- like the legendary Secret Cow Level in Diablo II, or the bitchin' audio file hidden on the Symphony of the Night disc. We're curious to know -- what easter egg, hidden in the folds of one of your favorite video games, especially tickled your fancy?[Thanks, Matthew.]
Cool Guys and Girls needed to play Warlocks
Axel on LJ points us to an easter egg on the Official WoW page that I can't help think must be fairly old, but I've never seen it before, so here you go: highlighting text under the Warlock and Warrior listings on the class page reveals some funny flavor text.The US page seems to have been changed from the original above (as of this writing, under Warlocks it says "hey you found some hidden text, there must be some giant conspiracy here"), but the European page shows the original "cool guy/girl" as a recommended player for Warlocks. At least one commenter on the LJ page says this has been around since day one on the main page, and I wouldn't be surprised -- Blizzard is familiar with leaving secrets on the official page for players.
A strange little house in Ashenvale
Some older players might remember when all those empty huts and farms in The Barrens received a new infusion of life, with orc families inhabiting them and acting out stories both humorous (That poor kid being chased by a swarm of bees) and heartfelt (That poor kid waiting for his dad to come home from Warsong Gulch). A forum post by player Lalluna of the Darkspear server pointed out that, quite a few patches later, that liveliness may be spreading to other zones in Kalimdor! Ever since patch 2.3, over in the far west of Ashenvale, just northwest of the Shrine of Aesinna, you'll find a rather lovely looking Night Elf abode, complete with a garden. Inhabiting it is the night elven Edune family: Benjari, Becanna, Elenna, and Aleanna. They seem to have visitors in the form of two humans, William and Sulan Dunadaire, a brother and sister. It's not just a silent tableau either, there's definitely stuff going on, as I'll show you after the break.
Receive the gift of Mojo, ugliest pet frog of them all
Are you the type of person who needs a new pet every once in a while? Sometimes, do you feel like there just aren't enough loyal followers to your name? Well if you're a World of Warcraft player, look no further than Zul'Aman, because for the price of a quick trip and an innocent blown kiss you can have your very own pet frog!The place in question is just in front of Zul'Aman -- don't worry about going inside. Specifically, to the lower right side of front gate, there should be a troll named Prigmon. He normally shows no interest in talking to anybody -- simply resigning himself to his work. However, if you see fit to blow the lonely troll a kiss, he'll respond with, "Feeling' a little froggy, are ya?" and will proceed to gift to you a non-combat pet named Mojo. Of course, he happens to be a frog and quite a poorly textured one at that.We're curious to see if this is something that Blizzard purposely left for players to find or simply some kind of glitch. Or, maybe it's there simply unknown by most people within the developer except for some sly sneaky programmer.[UPDATED] Edited to note that if you /kiss Mojo, he will turn you into a frog and then fall in love with you. He also whispers random things to you such as "Your lily pad or mine?"[UPDATED x2] This was apparently a bug. Prigmon has been hotfixed, and no longer gives you a Mojo of your very own.
Around Azeroth: Help!
Reader Zorkolak of Spinebreaker sends in this shot showing one of the odd little Easter eggs you can find in Azeroth. The highest mountain in Stonetalon Mountains has this little message scrawled across its peak, which Zorkolak found using his farsight ability.Encountered any fun Easter eggs of your own? Tell us about it by e-mailing a copy to aroundazeroth@wow.com with some notes on where the shot came from -- your image may be featured in the next Around Azeroth! %Gallery-1816%
One Shots: A moment in history
Today we've captured a little Easter egg in Tabula Rasa just for you. There are numerous computers throughout the game and most of them are usable -- which means you can see interesting little messages on them. Some are bits of story or lore, others simply give the world and environment a bit more depth than it would have had otherwise. This one, however, is a blast from the past! Using a particular computer in the Cormon base in Raja Gorge fires up Akalabeth, Richard Garriott's first game, published in 1980. (Though how the NCsoft crew managed to misspell Akalabeth with the original game disks hanging in their lobby I'm not sure...!)Do you have a screenshot of your own that you think expresses a unique or memorable moment in your favorite MMO? Send them to us with a description (including game name and location) and you may see it posted here for tomorrow's One Shots. %Gallery-9798%
A really real Halo 3 Da Vinci Code Easter egg
Usually video games are chalk full of secret images, objects or jokes that we call Easter eggs and are things developers hide in their game for the sole reason of having fun hiding stuff. But rarely do we get to use the coined term "Easter egg" so literally as is the case with the latest Halo 3 Easter egg named the Da Vinci Code Egg. Per the video above, you can see that Project Mod Gaming found numerous colorful eggs high atop multiplayer map Sandtrap, each with what looks to be a secret Da Vinci code printed on them. We aren't sure what the special code means, if the symbols are merely decoration for the eggs or why "Dani California" was chosen for the YouTube video, but we are going to fuel the rumor fire and say that this "code" will reveal something. What something? We aren't sure, but we want this Halo 3 Easter egg cracked and cooked sunny side up (we couldn't resist).[Thanks, ProjectModChamp]
Hidden Panda on SSC floor
Astela on Maelstrom sent us this shot of the floor in Morogrim Tidewalker's room in Serpentshrine Cavern. It took me a second to see it, but right there in the designs on the floor, you can see a Panda, calling card of one Samwise Didier, one of Blizzard's lead developers (and lead singer of L70ETC).He's also the creators of the fan favorite Azerothian race we haven't seen in Azeroth yet, the Pandaren (I'm a little disappointed that they didn't show up during Brewfest, actually). Obviously, this is just a hidden Easter Egg done by one of the artists, right? Clearly, this isn't proof that the Pandaren helped build the Coilfang Reservoir or anything like that. Right?Thanks, Astela!
