The sands of Mars are hot on your face. A light wind doesn’t cool you down, but it does hide your approach from the enemy. You crouch down and wait for your invisibility to kick in. The bad guy doesn’t even know you’re there. You wait for the right moment, then sprint hard and BOOM! nail him with your melee attack. The defeated enemy goes flying backward, hits the barrier, and then goes through the barrier halfway.
This gaming glitch I got on Destiny the other day is nothing compared to some of the best glitches, Easter eggs, and other little secrets that have been in video games over the years. Let’s take a look at the ones that didn’t require you to hit Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A.
#1. Galaga
Nothing really beats the Easter egg that’s in Galaga. First you’ve got to survive Level 1. On Level 2, you’ve got to leave the two bees that are on the far left so that they’re the last bad guys. Once that happens, they’ll start swirling around, diving, and attacking. Be patient, wait 5 minutes, don’t die, and the ships won’t shoot any more missiles at you for the rest of the game. It works on the PS3 version as well as the coin op version of the game. Sure there are other glitches and getting the Enterprise on the 8th bonus stage is fun, but you’ve got to get this one done first if you’re ever going to make it to Level 256.
#2. Super Mario Brothers
You could write an entire piece on just these glitches if you really wanted to do it. My personal favorite is still the World 1 to World 8 warp that you can get on Super Mario Brothers 3. It’s on Level 1-3 and you’ve got to find the white platform. Get on top of it, then hold the down button until you go behind it. This will give you a warp whistle. Then complete the first fortress and make sure that you’ve got the cool raccoon suit on. Fly over the final door, get another warp whistle and then use them in tandem without selecting a destination.
#3. Crysis 2
Another personal favorite of mine is the disco elevator. It’s on the Dead Man Walking mission. Go through the office building and you’ll find a couple CELL soldiers getting down with the full rave effect. Strobe lights, a disco ball, and even fog are all included on this one. It will definitely bring a smile to your face the first time you see it.
#4. GTA IV
Some hidden elements in a video game aren’t very subtle. Take this gem that you can find in the wonderfully named Statue of Happiness. You’ll need a helicopter to get up to the doors on the statue. There are signs that say “No Hidden Content This Way.” Yeah. A door is between the signs. Go through the door and you’ll get to see a giant beating heart. Nice.
#5. NBA Jam
My roommate in college at a 200 game winning streak on NBA Jam before I ended up beating him. I only beat him once, but hey – I’m the guy who ended the epic streak. In NBA Jam, you can also unlock political characters from the Bush/Cheney era. If you’re tired of Washington gridlock, I highly suggest picking up an older version of this classic and duke out the issues Futuresport style.
#6. Halo 4
This Easter egg is one of the few that have given me a genuine laugh. When you’re on the 6th mission, you may notice a couple of guards that are standing near a forklift. Go ahead and hang out with them. They’re pretty cool guys. They’ll even start talking to each other after a few minutes. When they do, you’ll notice that the guards are actually Andy Richter and Conan O’Brien.
#7. Black & White
Having a name like mine, it’s pretty surprising when there’s a little Easter egg that is waiting for you. Imagine the surprise someone has in this video game when it whispers your name in the same death voice it uses when your villagers die. The first time I heard it, I thought I was being called for dinner. Then I realized it was the game and a whole new level of creepiness came about. Come to think of it, I don’t think ever played this one after that.
#8. Monkey Island
I spent my childhood playing some classics. Remember Commander Keen? I also spent numerous hours being insulted by Monkey Island. Then on one fateful day, after I couldn’t take it any more when a puzzle was just getting the best of me, I slammed my hands down onto the keyboard. In return, I got told that I’d won the game. Come to find out, all you have to do on any Monkey Island game is to hit Ctrl-W and you win. “You beat the game?” I was asked numerous times. Yes. Yes I did. All because of an Easter egg.
What Easter eggs, glitches, and other little hidden treasures have you enjoyed finding in your video games? Share your favorites in the comments below!
