Battlefield 3/Battlefield 4 – EA Franchises
Battlefield 4 has plenty of Easter Eggs; players are continuing to find new ones within each individual DLC expansion. So far, soldiers have found the Megalodon, the Yeti’s hideout, the Sand Castle, and even a T-Rex. Taking a step backward in the saga, Battlefield 3 is rife with secrets and references to other EA-published titles. Discovered references include a unit from Battlefield 2142 (Operation Riverside map), the Wake Island Memorial where DICE remembers those who have fallen in previous Battlefield titles, Issac Clarke’s Dead Space 2 helmet (found on Epicentre), a model of the Normandy SR-2 from Mass Effect (found within Donya Fortress), and Faith Connor’s shoes from Mirror’s Edge (Markaz Monolith).
In Battlefield 4, packaging slips addressed to Visceral EA can be found, along with a Mirror’s Edge commercial (Campaign, 2nd mission), and some bottles of wine labeled with past Battlefield titles and references (i.e. “Frostbite” and “1942”).
Suda 51 Games – I Love Strawberries, Don’t You?
While it isn’t apparent at first, several Suda 51 games from Grasshopper Manufacture have some kind of reference to strawberries. It sounds ridiculous at first, but the evidence is as follows:
- No More Heroes series: In every iteration of No More Heroes, one of Travis’s favorite anime series happens to be Bizarre Jelly 5…no, it’s not a real series, however, a trailer and a Bizarre Jelly bullet-hell shooter can both be unlocked in the games. The leader of the five girls (the red, buxom one) happens to go by the name “Strawberry”.
- Lollipop Chainsaw: Not only does Juliet Starling love lollipops, but she has a favorite flavor that she absolutely adores….Strawberry.
- Shadows of the Damned: Garcia’s shape-shifting ghost companion, Johnson reveals that strawberries are actually a cruel joke by Flemming, as they are actually composed of ground-up human tongues. During the course of the game, Garcia will come across gates that will only unlock after he crams a specific item into the lock’s mouth. These items are a human brain, an eye, or- you guessed it- a strawberry.
- Killer Is Dead: A fairly straightforward one, the pattern on the shirt worn on Brian Roses consists of strawberries.
Bayonetta – The Best of Capcom and Sega
Bayonetta is filled to the brim with references to other Capcom and Sega titles, though several of them require a bit of research, and will definitely get overlooked on the first playthrough:
- Dr. Robotnik’s Funeral: After the opening chaotic falling sequence, players are shown the closing moments of a funeral for “Eggman the Destroyer”, which may be a reference to Dr. Eggman, better known as Dr. Robotnik from the Sonic franchise.
- Viewtiful Joe’s Death: In the same graveyard, a tombstone reads “JOE: ‘Red Hot’ Home Run Hitter”, with “Red Hot” being a reference to several elements of the Viewtiful Joe series.
- Rodin the Merchant: Every time Bayonetta enters Rodin’s shop, he has a random phrase to say. One of these is “Hey, check this out. Whadya buyin!? Heard that in a game once.” “Whadya buyin!?” is one of the Resident Evil 4 Merchant’s trademark phrases.
- I Learned That From Dante: Several members within Bayonetta’s development team worked on the original Devil May Cry titles. Subtle references are made through Bayonetta’s dialogue, including “Let’s rock, baby!” (spoken by Dante right before the title screen in the first Devil May Cry) and “Flock off, feather-face!” (also from the first Devil May Cry).
- Movie Buff: “Tentacles…Why did it have to be tentacles?” is a reference to the famous “Snakes…” line from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- Luka’s Cross-Franchise Girlfriends: During Chapter V, Luka lists off four ex-girlfriends- Claire (Claire Redfield, Resident Evil), Trish (Devil May Cry), Silvia (Joe’s girlfriend, Viewtiful Joe), and Ammy (shortened nickname of Amaterasu, Okami).
- The Arachnid Returns: One of Bayonetta’s summoned Climax monsters is a giant lava spider, modeled after the first boss in Devil May Cry.
- Going Tunes: The music for the Route 666 segment consists of two remixes; the first is “Splash Wave” from OutRun, with the other being the theme from After Burner.
- Space Harrier Umbran Witch Edition: Chapter XIV is essentially a Bayonetta-themed Space Harrier remake, including the oval-shaped projectiles and a snake for the ending boss. The background music is a remix of the original theme. At the beginning of the section, Bayonetta speaks the line “Welcome to my fantasy zone”, which is another direct reference, as Space Harrier opens with the line “Welcome to the Fantasy Zone!”
Borderlands 2 – What Isn’t A Reference?
Uh, you better check the Wiki on this one. From weapons, to skills, and even hidden areas, Borderlands 2 is bursting at the seams with Easter Eggs and pop culture references.
Nintendo Games – Totaka’s Song
To this day, the Totaka’s Song Easter Egg remains as one of gaming’s most elusive secrets. Why? No one has found every single instance of the short 19-note melody. Totaka’s Song is a hidden musical verse found in supposedly every game that Nintendo Composer Kazumi Totaka has been affiliated with. The song is usually found through a cryptic method of the player being in a specific area, and then waiting for a set period of time. So far, it has been found in over 15 games, including Luigi’s Mansion, Mario Paint, Animal Crossing: City Folk, Yoshi’s Story, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins and Pikmin 2:
