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Besties Battle Bracket: Easter Eggs
🕑 Added 2025-03-04 06:00:23 +0000 UTC
How do you define a video game Easter egg?
Sometimes, it's the video game equivalent of graffiti, a designer leaving a permanent mark inside their creation, defying corporate policies that would otherwise erase their involvement. Other times, an Easter egg is an expression of fandom, reminding us that the artists we admire have inspirations too. In one iconic case, an Easter egg is a random name that has puzzled game historians for decades.
Some will say it's impossible to rank the best Easter eggs, that it's like comparing apples, oranges, and grapefruits. To them, we say: try to stop us.
Rubric:
Which was more effort to add?
Which was weirder in comparison to the rest of the game?
Which resulted in the louder nose snort?
The contenders:
Cow Level (Diablo 2)
Dog Ending (Silent Hill 2)
John Romero's head (Doom 2)
Wolfenstein 3D Mode (Wolfenstein: New Order)
Adventure's secret room (Adventure)
McDonalds on the Moon (Moonlander)
Mario level (Dying Light)
Minecraft (Borderlands 2)
Justin Bailey (Metroid)
Fighting Reptile (Mortal Kombat)
Chris Houlihan room (Zelda: Link to the Past)
Literal Easter egg (Fallout 2)
Psycho Mantis fight (MGS1)
Sasquatch (GTA San Andreas/Red Dead)
Lost (Just Cause 2)
Comments
Iris Celestine
I mean, at least where I grew up in Norway that's how we do it - "blowing easter eggs" is a regular (annoying) seasonal activity. I guess I get why some people might hard boil them to not have to do that because it's annoying - except that if you keep the egg in it you can't keep it around as decoration or it'll get gross
Brad Heyen
WHAT
Iris Celestine
The thing I can't get past is the boys saying you hard boil Easter eggs. No you don't?? You use a needle to make tiny holes in the top and bottom of the egg and then you blow into the top hole to empty it out! Like it's a super annoying and cumbersome process but that's 100% how you make them
It's Me, Dr. B
A lesser celebrated but good spirited entry: The Star Wars Kid in Tony Hawk Underground. Sometimes talked about as the first meme reference in a video game. https://youtu.be/5T5lNVMSQ7w?si=NEmAjEH1qtqZbs-F
Andrew van Baarsen
It's crazy cow level didn't make top 5, but also they were very misinformed about it so I guess that's part of it.
Andrew van Baarsen
is this a joke
Cave
Just wanted to throw this in here about "Justin Bailey" I really liked hearing Russ's explanation, so much that I doubted it was true because it made me too happy. I did a quick bit of searching and couldn't find anything the substantiate this. I did find this article which lists 3 different names for swimsuits, non of which were "Bailey". I was hoping to find an Aussie to weigh in and I will now consider this matter closed. While searching I found out just how varied Australian slang is and that that makes me feel better. https://manofmany.com/lifestyle/advice/australian-slang-dictionary
Eric Yee
An honorable mention for me would definitely be the Easter egg(s) in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. In one level, if you went down a winding cliff passage outside the main path, you'd find the Lost hatch lit up, and a World of Warcraft skeleton with a quest "!" over his head. I found them naturally and I still think about both of them to this day.
Jarl Snargl
The lack of DICE battlefield Easter eggs is sad.
Bishibosh44
I love the modern "nice besties" but I would enjoy an old-school "fight to the death for SSX and snowboarding with your dad's ghost, we rank art" style duel just for a one-off. Maybe one yearly "Run at the Throne" episode where the Bestie gets challenged by the year's new crop?
Bishibosh44
It's actually punching completely parallel and making a connection across their varied creative mediums is tenuous at best and unhelpful at worst. It makes no sense to put it in analogy. If Monet thought Van Gogh's cooking was bad it wouldn't be because they both make paintings. Anthony is a very successful big boy and doesn't need internet defenders.
CPT_Turboshaft
Just a note on the game "Get to Work", the streamer Atrioc was actually involved in the whole development, and would honestly probably love to talk about it on an episode of the resties with his co-creator/programmer.
Ryan Giglio
Could the besties do a Top 10 Besties easter eggs in video games? 🤔 I’d like to see how they rank Raaandy compared to the Final Pam easter eggs personally
rbar
My go-to was always that terrifying CRYPT under Karazhan with the chained-up corpses floating upside down. Also walljumping into Mount Hyjal from the end of Darkwhisper Gorge (the least desirable place to go)
rbar
the idea that justin mcelroy making fun of the writing in borderlands 2 is punching down is utter lunacy. and i DID like borderlands 2.
Zack Houser
The way I heard Justin talk about “Borderlands 2” it was “eww gross, this game is disgusting trash and not a game.” I believe he said “not a game” and “has no humor” at one point about it. To me that’s past journalistic criticism and rolling into mean. I think being mean about the guy who wrote the game when he is literally your competitor on your other podcast just feels a little yucky. That’s all I’m saying. Fwiw, I don’t even like Borderlands. It’s just like punching down.
Thomas Barker
What game are you referring to?
McKenzie Hine
my favorite easter egg I've found was the cabbage man in bg3 act 3. Can only get the dialogue about him warning off "monastic types" if you play a monk
Bishibosh44
Oh, man. Top 5 Frusshings would be a great April Fools episode.
Bishibosh44
I have no idea what OP is getting at. Justin is a video games critic and Anthony is a writer. Perhaps this is news but these two sorts of folks have traditionally interacted in a critical fashion. No bad blood there as far as I know.
BassToad
Anthony knows his sins
Sierra Powers
I don't know if "I checked all the caves. He wasn't in any of them." is the funniest thing Russ has ever said, but it'd be in my top 5 battle bracket for sure!
Zack Houser
Oof Justin, the guy from The Adventure Zone making fun of the video game written by the DM of Dungeons and Daddies feels a little crass. Not gonna lie.
specwill
I had no clue whose head that was in Doom! I remember it was a big deal to go visit it and shoot it, but as a kid it meant nothing more than that. But speaking of people hiding credits, each Marathon game had a hidden credits terminal with messages and art from the creators, and they were a bastard to get to as I remember. Those games had quite a few Easter eggs, but I remember how much they made you work to see those credits.
ultrapabs
I was very disappointed to learn that after picking up Lost Via Domus for $8 at a used games shop, it is not playable on my series X.
BeerMage
Great ep as usual! I see reptile more of a secret boss than an Easter egg though.
schmattywinkle
Classic Russ seeking the living amongst the dead lul
Shelby Fawn
I cannot believe I pay you money to be subjected to this abject Borderlands slander. ooh, I did find a fun Dungeon Meshi easter egg in Avowed that gave me a solid bowl of soup.
NolanForMayor
Have to shout out the Insomniac Museum from the Retchet and Clank games. Dunno if it counts as an Easter Egg but it was my favorite secret thing to find as a kid.
Allan Thomaz Stiubiener
Ah, cool I never played Skyrim but I can imagine that you're not expecting Glados there.
ThanaThots
WoW had so many Easter eggs back in the day. You had the smiley face under Karazhan, the dancing troll village up in the mountains by Darkshore. It took some intense clipping and climbing on weird geometry to see them.
BassToad
I don't think anything in Borderlands should be considered an Easter Egg. It's basically an entire house made of Easter Eggs, they're load bearing. Without them it would not exist Also, if you want a fun MGS Easter Egg, Peace Walker has a Monster Hunter mission
William (Biggggg5) Mason
Maybe it’s being considerably less invested in the specifics of this episode but I really enjoyed the flexibility in this episode. Picking from 3 options in some of the first round was particularly fun.
Sacha Torregrosa
There's a GLaDOS in Skyrim as well- a boiled creme treat on a potato in a fireplace.
Allan Thomaz Stiubiener
The Easter egg that caught me completely off guard was Glados in Cyberpunk 2077
Walker Weber
A smaller Easter egg but one of my favorites was the jump scare in COD Black ops 2 zombie map mob of the dead. If you aim at a certain spot with a sniper you'd get jump scared. Great memories showing people who didn't know about it.
Garfunkel Horseman
I love Easter Eggs and how they tie into gaming history and lore, I am so excited for this episode
Ross Felder
Can't believe that the purple planet flight simulator in Microsoft Excel 97 wasn't included. Iconic.
Walker Weber
Missed opportunity to do this episode in April but a banger episode as always.
Hamish Jupp
Imagine an (Easter) egg
The Last Raneff
Does Russ look for Jesus' bones in every video game cave?
Phil Hobbs
Australian here. Sorry Russ, never heard of a swim suit called a Baily here mate. We've got plenty of slang words but that ain't one if em!
Taylor Kelty
Just wanna cast my vote from the back for Eileen's giant head in Silent Hill 4.
