Halo 3 – hidden birthday message from a developer to his wife. The most obscure secrets in video games
Table of Contents
The following page contains:
- Halo 3 – hidden birthday message from a developer to his wife
- Super Smash Bros. Melee – playable last boss, Master Hand
If there's one studio that has built its brand on secrets and easter eggs, it's undoubtedly Bungie. Fans of Destiny and Halo series can confirm this. The third installment of the former included a hidden message wishing the wife of one of the developers a happy birthday. Interestingly, it was not hidden very well. All you had to do was launch the game on December 25 and then press and hold analog knobs in the title screen. Once this was done, the main menu transformed into a translucent ring (halo) with the message "Happy Birthday, Lauren."
This easter egg was found in 2014, seven years after Halo 3's release on Xbox 360. Many gamers consider it to be the last secret the game was hiding. However, given Bungie's penchant for hiding tidbits in the least expected places, some people's belief that there's still a secret to uncover in Halo 3 isn't necessarily wrong.
Super Smash Bros. Melee – playable last boss, Master Hand
Super Smash Bros. Melee is still extremely popular among the community after all the years. The brawler debuted in the release window of the Nintendo GameCube console (2001) for seven years hiding the possibility of playing as the game's main boss – Master Hand. The giant gauntlet was not created with the intention of being a playable character, so using it carries the risk of the game crashing (and the inability to defeat the gauntlet).
Why was this secret undiscovered for so long? Mainly because of the combination it takes to gain access to the character. The whole thing has been dubbed the "Name Entry glitch." To get it, plug the controller into the third console slot, hover the cursor over the player name entry field (hence the "Name Entry" moniker) and press A+B. Then release A (while still holding B), go to the player name field and press A again. When all is done correctly, you can select a playable version of Master Hand with all his moves.
