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Besties Battle Bracket: Easter Eggs

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:

The contenders:

Besties Battle Bracket: Easter Eggs Besties Battle Bracket: Easter Eggs

Comments

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

Iris Celestine

WHAT

Brad Heyen

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

Iris Celestine

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

It's Me, Dr. B

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

Andrew van Baarsen

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

Cave

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.

Eric Yee

The lack of DICE battlefield Easter eggs is sad.

Jarl Snargl

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.

Bishibosh44

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.

CPT_Turboshaft

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

Ryan Giglio

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.

rbar

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.

Zack Houser

What game are you referring to?

Thomas Barker

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

McKenzie Hine

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.

Bishibosh44

Anthony knows his sins

BassToad

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!

Sierra Powers

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.

Zack Houser

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.

specwill

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.

ultrapabs

Great ep as usual! I see reptile more of a secret boss than an Easter egg though.

BeerMage

Classic Russ seeking the living amongst the dead lul

schmattywinkle

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.

Shelby Fawn

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.

NolanForMayor

Ah, cool I never played Skyrim but I can imagine that you're not expecting Glados there.

Allan Thomaz Stiubiener

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.

ThanaThots

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

BassToad

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.

William (Biggggg5) Mason

There's a GLaDOS in Skyrim as well- a boiled creme treat on a potato in a fireplace.

Sacha Torregrosa

The Easter egg that caught me completely off guard was Glados in Cyberpunk 2077

Allan Thomaz Stiubiener

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.

Walker Weber

I love Easter Eggs and how they tie into gaming history and lore, I am so excited for this episode

Garfunkel Horseman

Can't believe that the purple planet flight simulator in Microsoft Excel 97 wasn't included. Iconic.

Ross Felder

Missed opportunity to do this episode in April but a banger episode as always.

Walker Weber

Imagine an (Easter) egg

Hamish Jupp

Does Russ look for Jesus' bones in every video game cave?

The Last Raneff

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!

Phil Hobbs

Just wanna cast my vote from the back for Eileen's giant head in Silent Hill 4.

Taylor Kelty


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