10 Biggest Secrets In Console Arcade Games
Descriptions
Video game programmers like to hide secrets in the games they design. Home gaming consoles are a treasure trove of opportunities for game designers to hide Easter eggs for fans. With so many games to choose from, gamers have been uncovering secret details for years.
Some secrets hidden in console arcade games are easy to access with the right combination of buttons being pressed. But others require an intricate sequence of moves and perfectly timed actions of all players. No matter how big or small, gamers love traversing console arcade games to find secrets game designers choose to hide within their products.
10 Sega Master System Hidden Game
The Sega Master System was a console that brought the arcade home. The Master System used 3D glasses and light guns that allowed players to feel like they were playing a larger arcade console without competing with other players. Many early gaming consoles had a small selection of gaming cartridges that players could choose from.
However, the Sega Master System included a secret game that players could easily access once they learned the secret code. If players held the 1 and 2 buttons on their controller, they could play Snail Maze. Snail Maze was a simple maze game where players were depicted as a snail and had to find the exit within a predetermined amount of time. While rudimentary, Snail Maze was free and one of the easier secrets of home consoles to unlock.
9 Street Fighter Player Positions
Street Fighter has an iconic roster of characters from the arcade to the home console version. When Street Fighter 2 came to the home console, players could choose their fighter from a simple screen. Street Fighter 6 uses the same system for players to select their fighters, but the order of the fighters is important.
The latest installment of Street Fighter has the same roster and places the fighters in the same order as Street Fighter 2. When side by side, it is easy to see the purpose of the roster order is to show the evolution of the fighters and how their designs have been upgraded. While subtle, the Street Fighter roster is a nod to the game's past and potential future of more character design upgrades.
8 Donkey Kong Hidden Initials
Programmers have made it a trend to put their initials or names in the games they're working on. Donkey Kong programmer Landon Dyer created a complex series of steps that would reveal his initials on the game's title screen. This Easter egg wasn't revealed until 2009.
According to Kotaku, the steps to reveal the initials "LMD" on the Donkey Kong title screen are as follows:
Play a game, setting a new high score that is either 37,000, 73,000 or 77,000. The digits for hundred thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones may be anything. Kill off all of your remaining lives, but your last death must be by falling.
Then set the game difficulty to 4 (press the option button 3 times.) Wait for the game to cycle through the demo screen where Kong jumps across the screen, then at the title screen, the programmer's initials, LMD, will appear.
The steps are complicated and specific, so revealing the secret took a long time. However, for gamers who want to say they found the most well-hidden Easter eggs finding LMD on Donkey Kong is worth the effort.
7 Sleepy Mario
Super Mario Bros. dominated the '90s with at-home gaming after being a staple in arcades across the globe. Nintendo is known for adding Easter eggs to its games, and Super Mario Bros. 64 is no exception. Mario will fall asleep in the game if he doesn't move for a while.
Most Super Mario Bros. 64 players have noticed this detail but still find it cute when Mario plops down and dozes off. No matter how long gamers have played, Mario only takes a minute to decide he is sleepy and wants to nap. This makes finding the napping Easter egg easier than other Nintendo secrets.
6 Contra's Famous Cheat Code
Contra was one of many arcade games adapted for at-home gaming in the '80s and '90s. The biggest secret in Contra was the inclusion of the Konami Code. Many gamers are familiar with this cheat code since it's in many games, but not many know it was first used in Contra.
The Konami Code can be entered by pausing the game and pressing up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, and Start to resume Contra. The Konami Code gave players 30 lives in Contra, so fighting enemies and winning the game was easier. One bonus of using the Konami Code in Contra was its fairness. If the two-player option was selected, each player received the benefits of the cheat code, not just the player who entered the sequence.
5 Pac-Man Lives Forever
Pac-Man is an arcade staple, but the Atari 2600 version of the game brought the fun of the arcade home for many families. With straightforward gameplay, it is hard to see how Pac-Man could have any secrets. However, there is a way to unlock unlimited lives in the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man that many players don't know about.
Pac-Man's infinite lives cheat can be unlocked easily, but it does take time and skill. Players have to eat one ghost on the first board of the game and not die. On board two, players have to eat two ghosts. This sequence must be completed through board four. After eating four ghosts pressing up, down, and up again, and dying, infinite lives are unlocked.
4 Space Invaders Double Shots
Space Invaders was a popular arcade game of the '80s and was released for Atari 2600. Space Invaders has a lot of room for cheat codes and hidden features as a simple point-and-shoot game. One of the quickest ways to get an advantage in Space Invaders is to engage the double-fire feature.
Before starting the first round, gamers should hold down reset, and power on the Atari 2600. Once the game has started, choose game one. Doing this unlocks double-fire and makes clearing the aliens from the screen easier. This trick is perfect for gamers trying to earn a high score.
3 Secret Breakout
Video game consoles have included hidden games for many decades. The Nintendo 3DS included a few versions of the game Breakout, but instead of the brick being in a line, they spell out different search engine websites. As one of the few consoles with internet access, the Nintendo 3DS includes a browser page and is the only place where the secret game can be unlocked.
Players must tap their pen in the white space next to the search engine options to get the free Breakout levels. It seems simple, but the taps must be done to the beat of the Super Mario Bros. theme song. Once it is tapped correctly, the top of the screen will change, and players can choose which website they want to demolish. The 3DS secret continues the legacy of Nintendo hiding things in their consoles for dedicated fans to find.
2 Invincibility in Asteroids
Asteroids had one of the simplest game designs ever but still included cheat codes and Easter Eggs. Like many great arcade games, Asteroids had a secret sequence that would grant gamers many lives or invincibility. This feature lets players continue their gameplay indefinitely and get a super high score.
Games Radar reported that there is a way to get 99 additional lives and gain invincibility when playing the PS1 version of Asteroids. They list the code as "Press Down(2 times), Up(2 times), Circle, Square, Triangle(2 times)" for invincibility. For 99 Lives, Games Radar says, "Press Up, X, Down, Triangle, Left, Square, Right, Circle." Either code provides gamers with hours of playtime and high scores.
1 Dig Dug's Scoring System
Dig Dug was introduced in the '80s and was a popular arcade game. The game gained so much attention that it was adapted for many at-home systems, where it continued to gain fans. No matter the version of Dig Dug, the scoring has been a mystery to many players as it seemed random.
Gamers have now revealed a secret system determining how many points they earn in Dig Dug when enemies are defeated. Most players think that the colors of the soil are meant to represent the layers of the Earth—the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core. But the colors represent the points earned by inflating an enemy in that area. The lowest and darkest level earns players the most points.
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