10 Fiendishly Clever Secrets Hidden In Video Game Covers

10. Meryl's Codec Frequency - Metal Gear Solid

In typically eccentric form for Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid features one of the most ingenious cover art Easter eggs in video game history.

When Colonel Campbell tells Solid Snake that his "niece" Meryl's codec frequency is "written on the back of the CD case," most players likely assumed they had to find a way to look at the MO disc given to them by Kenneth Baker earlier in the game.

But as it turns out, players actually have to look on the back of the game's jewel case itself, where a screenshot shows Meryl's codec number, 140.15, hiding in plain sight.

Naturally this was a major issue for anyone who rented the game - or, er, pirated it - and therefore didn't have the cover, especially in 1998 where Internet adoption wasn't quite widespread yet.

Affected players would either have to cycle through every codec frequency manually, or head to their nearest video game store and take a gander at the back of the case.