Tech

5 awesome Easter eggs in the new 'Metal Gear' game

Ben Gilbert

2015-09-22T16:11:30Z

The world of video games is notorious for "Easter Eggs" — hidden delights that are often referential, tongue-in-cheek, and meant for the detail-oriented. The latest "Metal Gear Solid" game, "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain," is a perfect example of this concept.

First, some context: "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" is the final game from the original creator of the "Metal Gear" game series which started in 1987. It was an expensive game to make and took many years, which led to a very public schism between the creator (Hideo Kojima) and the game's publisher (Konami). That's important to know, as this game is essentially Kojima's love letter to longtime fans and his now defunct team (Kojima Productions).

Head below for a walk through Kojima's many small nods to the series, his other works, and you — the player — in "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain."

Happy birthday!

One of the first things you'll do in "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" is create a character, which includes selecting a birthday. So, what happens when your in-game birthday coincides with that day in reality?

You're called back to home base urgently. What could be wrong?!

You hear what sound like gunshots in the distance. Emergency lights are flashing.

You pull your gun...only to realize it's not gunshots, but fireworks.

You've been tricked! It's your character's birthday, and the game's main characters are here to celebrate. There's Miller and Ocelot and...some generic soldier you snagged in the battlefield!

What birthday celebration would it be without a birthday cake, replete with military regalia?

There's even a more...adult present for you, care of your buddy Revolver Ocelot (that's a real character name in "The Phantom Pain").

It's possible you'd NEVER see that scene if you didn't happen to play the game on the date you set for your character's birthday. Madness!

The game's creator, Hideo Kojima, is a character you rescue in-game.

Late in the game, on an otherwise seemingly generic side mission, you're given an opportunity to perform an "Intel Agent Extraction."

The mission's description offers a slight hint at its importance. "The target is of critical importance... or maybe even more than that." Mmmmmhmmmmmmm.

The version of Hideo Kojima in-game is a fairly accurate representation of the man himself.

Given that this is an optional side mission, it's also entirely possible you'd never see Mr. Kojima in game. (And then carry him out on your back.)

There are tons of other little Easter eggs, too, like a character from Kojima's "Silent Hills" appearing as a decoy:

And your character, Big Boss, getting more and more filthy as he plays mission after mission. Eventually, flies buzz around him from lack of showering. When he arrives at home base smelling funky, soldiers avoid getting too close:

Thankfully, his pal Revolver Ocelot has a solution:

Lastly, there are "under construction" posters all over your home base. They've got goofy cartoons demonstrating what might happen:

And what happens if you stand around this one for too long? A box falls on you, of course.

Gaming