Daily Easter Egg #26: Super Mario Bros. Hieroglyphs in Super Mario 64

In Super Mario 64, there is a rather nice reference to the Mario games of old. In the Dark World, most players are too busy going through Bowser's lethal traps and minions in such a hurry that they aren't paying attention to the low-poly pillars on the platforms. If you zoom in on one, there are some interesting markings. It would appear that there is a subtle hieroglyphic marking that someone (maybe Bowser?) left for our beloved plumber. An 8-bit Bowser having an iconic battle with the moustached hero straight out of Super Mario Bros. It's a very tiny nod, but it's always refreshing to see a big title remember it's roots.

Daily Easter Egg #25: Fire Emblem: Awakening and Quite Possibly the Smoothest Movie Reference Ever

One of the sleeper hits of 2013 has to be the character driven masterpiece that is Fire Emblem: Awakening. The 3DS title was the defibrillator to the aged franchise that was in desperate need of a good title to be relevant in the U.S. (Ike fighting for his friends in Smash Bros. couldn't keep gamers interested for long). The game was hailed by critics, and the lasting legacy has been pretty immediate.

Being so thick in plot and dialogue, there was bound to be a little elbow room for Nintendo to have some fun with easter eggs for the epic. Today's easter egg is clever little nod to what must be the development team's favorite action flick, Taken. In case you haven't seen it, Taken is essentially every overprotective parent's ultimate nightmare: A secret agent's daughter is kidnapped overseas and thrown into a situation that could nothing short of terrifying. There is one scene in particular that comes to mind to anyone who has seen the film.

When the Avatar confronts Gaius in a.....questionable situation, he begins getting super defensive, and spewing out all sorts of craziness. To the untrained eye, this little gem might slip by, but he makes a reference to Liam Neeson's incredible speech. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself!

Daily Easter Egg #24: Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Memes....Wait WHAT?!

When a game is made in today's times, it is almost a given that at some point in development, the game designers were sharing a good laugh from something they found online. One of the more popular things of course is the hijinks of memes. Everything from felines yearning for a hamburger with cheese or a scumbag wearing his Yankees cap sideways and informing someone of a real terrible action. One doesn't often get to experience the jump from internet shenanigans into video games, but that's exactly what we're going to find today, in one of the darkest and most unlikely places. Put on your coolest digital shades, we're heading into the world of Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

One of the (probably augmented) legs of the journey has Adam Jensen looking for a hacker that's on the run. After sneaking/rampaging his way through the security, he will come across the work area of said hacker. While examining his set up, there will be a series of sticky notes on display. One in particular, has a phone number and a name (a very awesome name if I do say so myself) with a drawling beneath it. The drawling is that of the "Forever Alone" face on one of the internet's most well known memes. Plenty of fish out there in the sea, buddy,

Daily Easter Egg #23: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II's Reference to The Phantom Menace

Atton Rand in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

This is probably the longest titled egg yet! That being said, I hope it won't disappoint! In the game, one of the first characters the player meets is a criminal named Atton Rand. If the player character is female,  he will ask if you are an angel. He then retorts with "Aw, I'm kidding. That was the worst line I've ever used. Hope some poor kid doesn't start using it."
This is a reference to when a young Anakin Skywalker asks Padme if she's an angel in The Phantom Menace. I can't decide if this reference was meant to be a jab at how cheesy the script was for the prequel movie or not.  I'm sure many would agree to the notion that it was insulting seeing as how many people detest the three prequel movies.

Daily Easter Egg #22: Conker's Bad Fur Day's Connection to A Clockwork Orange

The resemblance is terrifying

Conker's Bad Fur Day is a rated M game, believe it or not, released for the Nintendo 64 in 2001. This seemingly kid-friendly game had to have disclaimers saying it contained mature content so parents wouldn't buy it for their children! Some of this mature content included an opening cut scene that was inspired by the movie A Clockwork Orange, in which themes of violence, dystopia, and psychological unrest are represented.

To see the both scenes played out side by side, click here!

(Source)

Daily Easter Egg #21: Aliens in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

If you've ever played a game from the creative mind of Hideo Kojima, you already know that there are always a wealth of easter eggs scattered throughout his games. Some of them are clever nods to different works that have inspired the game design guru, others are just plain weird. Maybe sometime soon we will explore more of them, but today's easter egg comes from the least expected place it could ever be. Space. The Final Frontier. 

In Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, after your epic battle with the frantic killing machine in stealth camouflage that is Laughing Octopus, Old Snake will be prowling through the mountain trails in the blistering sun to track down scientist Naomi Hunter. Things are getting pretty desperate for our aging hero, and he risks losing his only lead if he can't find his target soon.

Once you reach a bend through the mountain, there will be a circular patch of grass that you can crouch  down by. Doing so will trigger a flashback conversation with Snake's old handler Colonel Campbell. He recalls driving home from work and experiencing a light overcoming him and coming to back home.  Judging by the crop circle, it's safe to assume that the Colonel was abducted by aliens. Take a look at this retelling of a close encounter of the fourth kind:

Do you have any memorable Metal Gear Solid easter eggs that you liked, or ones that have stood out from the others to you? Let me know, I'd love to hear them!

Daily Easter Egg #20: Super Mario 64's Stone Tablet in Ocarina of Time

How the tablet appears in Super Mario 64, resulting in the trolling of millions

How it looks in Ocarina of Time

The rumor surrounding this tablet was probably one of the biggest gaming urban legends of its time. Supposedly, according to this tablet which is located in the courtyard of Peach's Castle, Luigi could be unlocked by collecting all the gold coins in the game which number 2401. The inscription on the tablet can be interpreted by some as "L is real 2401", which prompted many to try and collect all the coins in order to unlock Luigi. This rumor is of course false, but many believed it to be true back when Super Mario 64 was released.  The tablet actually reads "Eternal Star", which makes more sense considering there is a statue of one right above it.

This trolltastic tablet can also be found in Dodongo's Cavern in the N64 version of Ocarina of Time (I'm actually not sure if its in the 3DS version or not). I just find it fascinating that yet another element from the world of Mario can be found in Hyrule as well!

(Source)