Retro Games Hidden Inside their Modern-Day Reboots

The 1990s was called by many the golden age of video games. While the visuals of the titles released at the time were far from what we know today, they made up for it through excitement, atmosphere, and innovation. Many genre-defining titles were born at this time - think Dune II (that spawned countless real-time strategy games), Tomb Raider (that redefined third-person shooters), and many others.

Many franchises born in the 1990s are still very much active today. Just think of the above-mentioned game that features an underdressed archaeologist - the Tomb Raider franchise is very much alive, with its latest entry released in 2018 (along with a brand new movie that’s set to get a sequel next year).

Many modern-day reboots of popular games refuse to erase the past and forget from where they come. This is why their developers often hide tributes to their classic “ancestors” as easter eggs in their games.

 

Doom Eternal

Doom Eternal was one of the most anticipated games of the year - and it didn’t disappoint. Doom Guy - also known as the Doom Slayer - has returned to Mars once again to kick some alien butts, and do so as brutally as possible.

While its graphics, weapons, and gameplay have evolved a lot in almost three decades from the original’s release, it never forgot its origins. It still has the iconic chainsaw - and both original Doom games hidden inside.
 

The Doom Slayer lives on board the Fortress of Doom where he (?) has a crib - and in his crib, there is an old school PC with a CRT monitor. Throughout the game, there are floppy disks hidden in secret places that you’ll have to collect. When you get all of them, you can go to the PC, interact with it - you’ll see a “DOOM” icon on the left. Selecting it will take you to a session of 1995’s “The Ultimate Doom”. If you select the icon on the right (the one with a floppy disk and a question mark on it) you’ll be prompted to enter a code. The secret code is “FLYNNTAGGART” - the name of the Doom Slayer in the novels based on Doom I and Doom II, written by Dafydd ab Hugh and Brad Linaweaver and published in 1995.

 

Wolfenstein: The New Order

In the Wolfenstein series, you can join American Army captain William John "B.J." Blazkowicz in his fight against the Nazis. He discovers that the nazis are increasingly reliant on occult forces to win the war during his adventures. First, they apprehend the Spear of Destiny (Wolfenstein 3D - Spear of Destiny, a prequel to Wolfenstein 3D), then they tried to resurrect the dead to have an endless supply of soldiers (Return to Castle Wolfenstein), then they tried to harness the Nachtsonne crystals (Wolfenstein 2009) and ultimately won the war. It’s now up to him to aid the resistance to defeat the Nazis, and ultimately start a revolution to liberate America.

The Wolfenstein series has a long and adventurous past - you didn’t expect it to be ignored by the 2014 reboot? There’s nothing special you have to do to access it either - you just have to make it to a safe house and get some sleep.

 

B.J. is the textbook case of a man haunted by his past. When he sleeps, he can’t help but dream about killing Nazis - in the classic Wolfenstein 3D kind of way. When he goes to sleep, the player enters classic Wolf3D maps where he has to finish off hordes of Nazi soldiers and dogs - everything is the same except the weapons and the ammo drops. Even the secrets are there.