Most video games take themselves pretty seriously.
Sure, sometimes a game like Octodad or Sam & Max slips through the cracks, but by and
large, most games these days seem to be a grim litany of post-apocalyptic despair.
Which is why inside jokes are so important, as they often provide a bit of much-needed
levity.
The only problem with inside jokes?
Learning how to recognize them.
Here's a look at some inside jokes only real gamers will understand — and your guide
to finally catching the gags you missed the first time around.
Zombie Genocider
You and your friends have probably competed to see who call kill the most virtual zombies.
But that probably pales in comparison to the rivalry between the competing zombie titles
Dead Rising and Left 4 Dead.
See, in Dead Rising, there's an achievement called "Zombie Genocider" that players can
earn by killing 53,594 zombies — the entire population of the city the game is based in.
Well, Left 4 Dead decided to literally one up the by putting in their own achievement
to kill 53,595 zombies.
Naturally, Dead Rising 2 responded with a new achievement requiring 53,596 kills, while
Dead Rising 3 laughed at their own joke by raising the total to 53,597.
Well, it’s good to have goals, anyway.
Whimsyshire
When Blizzard announced Diablo 3, some fans were furious because the game's color scheme
looked too bright — which, sadly, is just the kind of thing that gamers typically get
worked up about.
In response, Blizzard not only didn't change the color scheme, they responded to the controversy
by adding a neon technicolored zone called Whimsyshire, filled with rainbows, unicorns,
teddy bears, and happy clouds.
Best of all, getting to Whimsyshire was extremely complex and difficult, meaning all those super
hardcore fans who complained about the game's color schemes had to work extra hard to find
it in order to complete the game.
And you thought Vol'jin was Blizzard's best troll.
Dan Hibiki
When video game developer SNK released Art of Fighting back in 1992, players couldn't
help but notice that the main character Ryo seemed to be a direct ripoff of the popular
Street Fighter character Ryu.
Capcom, maker of Street Fighter, noticed too.
They decided to get their revenge by adding a secret character to their games called Dan
Hibiki, who was a parody of Ryo — and who totally sucks in every possible way.
"You look like you might put up a good fight!"
"Yeah, right… take your shot."
"Gahhh!
Gadouken!"
Ironically, while Art of Fighting and Ryo have become almost completely forgotten by
the fighting game world, Dan Hibiki has survived — and has even become a cult favorite among
hardcore gamers.
Beating your opponent with the perpetually overmatched Dan is considered a badge of honor.
Daddy's back!
Every now and then, Grand Theft Auto V's main character, Michael, will randomly shout an...
unusual catchphrase.
"Daddy's back, bitches!"
It's in character for Michael to say something like that — but it's also designed to drive
a specific group of players crazy.
That's because it's the first line from the first mission in Grand Theft Auto IV, a game
that's lived on for years in the modding community.
But most mods don't allow you to save the game, so every time you play, you have to
start over from the beginning and hear this line again and again.
And again.
"Again and again!
Again and again and again!"
Making one of the lead characters of Grand Theft Auto V randomly say it is just rubbing
salt in the wound.
The Dopefish
The classic computer game Commander Keen describes the Dopefish like this: "the second-dumbest
creature in the universe, this creature's thought patterns go 'swim swim hungry, swim
swim hungry.'"
Aside from his bulging eyes, buck-toothed grin, and ability to fart on command —
— there's nothing particularly special about the Dopefish.
Despite this, though, he's become a game designer meme, appearing in Wacky Wheels, Quakes one,
two and three, Descent 3, Max Payne, Hitman 2, and many, many more.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…
Gilgamesh
From chocobos to Sid, the Final Fantasy series has many recurring creatures and characters.
But there's only one who has an in-story reason for popping up again and again.
While most Final Fantasy games don't connect to each other directly, in Final Fantasy 5,
Gilgamesh is trapped in a void outside of space and time, leaving him free to show up
as a fourth wall breaking Easter egg in almost every Final Fantasy game that's followed.
Saints Row 4's voice options
One of the best things about the Saints Row games is the series' detailed and flexible
character creation tool, which allows you to make some truly bizarre protagonists.
And that level of customization extends to the voice options, to.
You can give your Saints Row 4 protagonist one of seven voices, including one called
simply "Nolan North."
"My fellow Americans, I know a lot of people have concerns about the 'Sunday, Sunday, Sunday
Act!'
But I urge everyone to remember how f---ing awesome monster trucks are."
Nolan North, of course, has provided the voices for seemingly every character in video games,
ranging from Uncharted and Assassin's Creed, all the way to The Last of Us and Destiny,
to name just a few.
Including him as his own, specific option is pretty funny — and a great nod to one
of the most popular — and totally overexposed — voices in gaming.
The Cucco Revenge Squad
It started as a joke in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
But the Cucco Revenge Squad, which is a group of angry chickens that descend from the skies
to kill you if you harass one of their feathered brethren, has spread like a poultry plague
across the gaming landscape.
Beyond appearing in several Zelda games, the Revenge Squad has also popped up in everything
from Super Smash Bros. to Guild Wars 2, and even got a shout out in Hearthstone.
In short?
If you see a chicken in a video game, it's probably best to leave it alone.
Y'know, just in case.
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