10 Pre-Internet Video Game Secrets Everyone Fell For

Video games have been filled with secrets almost as long as the industry has existed. Hidden characters and levels aren't just a nice bonus, but a great incentive to encourage players to explore and try new things.

Of course, some secrets turn out to be completely untrue. Fortunately, modern gamers are less likely to fall for urban legends like these, since they can be verified online with ease.

But things were very different before the Internet was widely available. In the old days, there was a prevalent rumour surrounding the original Tomb Raider game, stating that Lara Croft would take her clothes off if a certain code was inputed. Even though the source of such gossip was nothing more than "trust me, bro," this preposterous myth was widely believed.

Hoaxes like this sounded so far-fetched, you have to wonder how anyone fell for them. However, several outlandish rumours proved to be more than tall tales. After all, look at Missingo from Pokémon Red/Blue. Still, even when these claims are proven false, they can linger indefinitely if there's a sliver of truth to them.

The ten entries on this list may be complete bunk but that didn't stop them from fooling everybody.

In principle, it should be easy to debunk a video game hoax. If the rumour in question sounds absurd or vague, it's reasonable to dismiss it.

However, Silent Hill's non-existent Ambulance Ending successfully misled the masses because of how detailed it was. After beating the main campaign on Hard Mode, certain elements will supposedly change upon the next playthrough. 

In this playthrough, you need to collect glucose and distilled water at the school to create an explosive. By blowing up the traffic gate, you can find an oil can on the other side, which can be used on the engine at the gas station. After attaching the functioning engine to the ambulance beside the hospital, you will unlock a new ending where you rampage through the town before escaping. 

Considering Silent Hill has a joke ending involving aliens zapping the protagonist with a ray gun, this climax sounded pretty feasible by comparison. Also, the explanation given to unlock the Ambulance Ending is so elaborate and descriptive, it seemed unlikely that anyone would make it up.

Sadly, that's exactly what happened, since there's nothing to substantiate this claim.