Community Picks: Most Interesting Easter Eggs
In some PC games, you might run across something clearly out of place. It might serve as a hidden surprise for players, or a developer’s way of leaving his or her personal mark on a game. You might need to execute some arcane actions to make the surprise appear, or it could be hiding in plain sight. These phenomena are known as "Easter eggs."
We asked the Tom's Hardware forum community to share their favorite in-game Easter eggs; here they are. (In some cases, we show you how to track them down, too.) Once you're done enjoying the list, you can meet other members of the Tom's Hardware gaming community by joining our Steam group, as well as by contributing to the Curator feed.
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16. ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II’ - Nuketown 2025
The “Nuketown” map in the first Black Ops game was such a hit that Treyarch made a new, futuristic variant of it in the sequel. Because the play area is supposed to be a model neighborhood to show off to prospective customers, the houses are filled with mannequins. If you manage to shoot the heads off of each dummy within the two-minute time limit, you can unlock a special treat: A large screen in the center of town will show a retro Activision logo. Completing this secret task means you can now play some classic Atari games on the screen. Have fun!
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15. ‘Saints Row 2’ - Bunny Easter Egg
The waters west of Stilwater look empty, but if you go out to sea far enough, you’ll find a small island with an arrow pointing in one direction. Following this path takes you to a series of locations that each have another arrow pointing you to another area. Eventually, you’ll reach an island that simply disappears. In its place appears a series of arrows and a giant purple rabbit doll that rises from the sea.
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14. ‘Hitman: Blood Money’ - The Lucky Coin
As Agent 47, you have the ability to execute a target under the cover of a host of stealth methods and disguises, or you can enter an area, guns blazing, and knock off everyone in your path. However, the “Till Death Do Us Part” mission in Hitman: Blood Money contains one of the game’s strangest secrets. The grounds near the left side of the mansion in the level feature a small silver coin. Shooting it brings some unwanted attention to you: Specifically, a group of men in underwear will run toward you and start clapping. So much for the stealth approach.
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13. ‘Dead Space’ - Nicole’s Fate
The USG Ishimura serves as the setting and backdrop for Isaac Clarke’s terrifying mission, but it’s also the workplace of his girlfriend, Nicole Brennan. The infestation of the gruesome Necromorphs wiped out almost every person on the ship, but Nicole managed to survive. In the final stages of the game, however, Isaac (SPOILER ALERT!) finds out that he was hallucinating Nicole’s presence throughout his mission. The developers even give you a heads-up of this twist with the names of each chapter in the game. Specifically, the first letter of each chapter spells out her fate: “N-I-C-O-L-E-I-S-D-E-A-D.”
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12. ‘Dead Island’ - Jason Voorhees
The island of Banoi isn’t just home to scores of undead beings, alas--one of the best-known serial killers in movie history also has a summer home on the island. Just great. Outside of Jason’s home are crucified corpses on stakes. Any lingering zombies are quickly disposed of due to Jason’s speed and ferocity as he swings his trademark machete. You’ll need to deal with him quickly if you want to enter his house, which contains a chainsaw that should make it easier to dispatch zombies.
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11. ‘Star Wars Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire’ - Mystery Science Theatre 3000
The 1995 LucasArts game seems to be just another entry in the celebrated franchise. However, you can add more humor to the experience. Activating “theater mode” allows you to view the cutscenes while a silhouette of R2-D2, Darth Vader, and C-3PO watch with you in the same style as Mystery Science Theater 3000. The dialog in the cutscenes is muted, and you can read the hilarious lines written for each character instead.
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10. ‘Star Wars The Force Unleashed II’ - Guybrush Threepwood Statue
One of LucasArts’ early works was the Monkey Island series of games featuring the now-iconic Guybrush Threepwood. As an homage to the studio’s early days, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II includes a character skin called Guybrush Threepkiller. To get it, you’ll need to destroy three machines located in a room (which also includes Guybrush statues) that appears in the game’s second level. Once the skin's in your possession, you can continue your adventure as the famed pirate.
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9. ‘Dead Rising’ - Jill’s Sandwiches
In Resident Evil, Barry Burton saves Jill Valentine from a ceiling trap. He then jokes to her that she was almost a “Jill sandwich.” The terrible line stuck as a joke among fans, and it even made an appearance in the first Dead Rising game. If you hunt far enough, you'll see that one of the restaurants in the mall is called “Jill’s Sandwiches.” If it weren’t for the zombies roaming throughout the area, the store might be a popular spot for a quick, erm, bite.
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8. ‘Alice: Madness Returns’ - Raz’s Skeleton
This game's twisted version of Wonderland is scary enough, but it also holds a secret that references a popular video-game character. In the Queensland chapter, you can explore a hidden section underneath the castle area. By using a few abilities and weapons, you will eventually find a set of stairs that leads to a shrine that includes a skeleton of Raz from the Psychonauts series. The Double Fine game came out six years before Alice: Madness Returns, but the studio is working on a sequel.
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7. ‘Batman Arkham Asylum’ - The Hidden Blueprint Room
Even as you fought your way through Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady was already working on Batman: Arkham City. The studio teased it by featuring blueprints for the then-upcoming game's location in a hidden room in the warden’s office. You access it by blowing up a wall with explosive gel.
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