What was once a niche hobby is now a massive industry, and video games just get bigger. With so many games competing for your time (and money), it can be easy to forget that the whole thing is based on the idea of having fun and passion.
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8 Best Mario Easter eggs in other games
It's A-Mig, a Mario reference!
References are a fun way for video games to nod to other franchise services and recognize their cultural impact in subtle ways. Below we look at some video games that are completely packed with references to other games or game franchises.
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Hyper dimension Neptune
Hyper Dimension Neptune: Re; Birth1
- Published
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June 26, 2014
- ESRB
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Teen // Fantasy violence, mild language, suggestive themes
- Engine
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PhyEngine
Hyper dimension Neptunia is a JRPG series based on the parody of the gaming industry, as you can expect, it is full of video game references. The protagonist, Neptune, is based on the interrupted Sega Neptune video game console, while the other characters' names refer to the company that developed the game or published it.
There are also places named after places such as Hirole Castle (Hyrule Castle), loading (Playstation), Lowee (Wii) and so on. Almost everything in the game is either a reference or a parody of something related to video games, so if you are anchored in the franchise, there is a lot of fun to have pointed to everything.
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Sims 4
Sims 4 is well known to present content in other EA franchise services, especially Star Wars and Mass Effect, and also Noctis from Final Fantasy 15, for some reason. However, Sims also has dozens of Easter eggs and small references to various other video games or other Sims games.
In fact, most of the games your sims can play are based on either other Sims games, such as Mysims or The Sims Medieval, as well as others like Tetris and Mass Effect. For a game that tries to simulate real life, it makes sense that there would be a reference or parody here and there, but it is surprising how many there are in Sims 4.
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Maintenance
The underage is a love letter to classic JRPGs, so it should not surprise that the game is full of references to them. Undertale is proudly inspired by Earthbound, but its game design was also affected by systems such as the Touhou project's Bullet Hell Combat and Shin Megami Tensei series' Demon-Frefriending Mechanic.
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20 Unders Fan -games that every fan should know about
Undalle was practically an immediate classic at the time of publication. Here are some Undertal fans games that everyone should know about.
In addition to its inspiration, Undertor often refers to other games, such as Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Breath of Fire, The Legend of Zelda and many more. If you are a fan of classic JRPGs, play Undertor and see how many references you can catch.
5
Terraria
Terraria is a massive 2D-side-scroll survival-shaped game that has a crossover content with a number of popular games, such as Stardew Valley, Minecraft, and does not starve together. These usually come as brand new weapons or armor for your character to carry.
Outside these obvious crossover items, Terraria also has dozens of reference articles, such as the Zapinator similar to Nintendos Nes Zapper, The Flower of Fire, which allows you to throw fire balls such as Mario or Portal Gun, which is lifted directly from the Portal series.
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Danganronpa
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
- Published
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November 25, 2010
- ESRB
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m // blood, intense violence, strong language, suggestive themes
- Developer
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Nail
The Danganronpa games are a series of visual novels about a group of high school students that are caught and forced to kill each other to flee. Throughout the games, there are lots of references to other games ranging from smaller Easter eggs to word-by-words quotes.
As you play through all three matches in the series, you can expect to see references to ACE lawyer, Zero Escape, Final Fantasy, Mario, Pokemon and many, many more. For the most part, only wasted lines that do not necessarily relate to the action, but they are very fun to catch.
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Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy 14 is an MMORPG that has been strong for over a decade, with consistent content updates that fill the world. Final Fantasy 14 makes no attempt to hide their references to other Final Fantasy games, with entire extensions and stories that reflect stories from previous games in the series, such as Dawntrail with inspiration from Final Fantasy 9.
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Only serious Final Fantasy fans noticed these references in Magic: The Gathering's Crossover Set
Do you know where these FF references come from?
Final Fantasy, however, is not the only series that the MMO references, as you can find nods for series such as Dragon Quest, Metal Gear, Tomb Raider, Tactics Ogre and much more. These are usually small Easter eggs that are manifested as assignment names.
2
Borderlands 2
Even if you have never played a Borderland game, you are probably aware of how little the games take themselves seriously, which extends to their references. The most famous reference in Borderland's 2 is probably the secret cave in the caustic caves, which have blocks and rankers taken directly from Minecraft.
The Lost Souls Quest is also full of references to Dark Souls, including gathering souls from fallen enemies and being invaded by a hostile player. There are dozens of other references to other games, movies, television, books and everything else you can think about, to a point where you probably see something referred to for a few minutes.
Borderland's spin-off game Tiny Tina's wonderland is also strongly inspired by dungeons and dragons; Not strictly a video game, but still worth noting!
1
Getsimulator 3
Get Simulator is another series that is definitely not known for its serious story, but rather its funny game. Of course, it is filled with references to pop culture and other video games, and the game even opens with a direct reference to Skyrim's opening, with you wake up in a carriage.
You can also find references to things like Assassin's Creed's Tower synchronization, Call of Duty's notorious “Press F to respect” Final Fantasy's Chocobos and many more. If you have ever wanted to be a goat wearing Dragonborn's classic helmet while exercising Doomslayer value, you get a kick from the GetSimulator.
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The best Dungeons & Dragons references in video games
From Easter eggs to mechanics, countless video games have been directly inspired by Dungeons & Dragons.
