10 Video Games That Mocked Their Rivals
All's fair in love and digital war.
Soda pop. Fast food. Cars. TV shows. Coffee. Blockbuster movies. Corporate and brand rivalries are nothing new.
For decades, major companies have been engaged in battling with each other over who is the king or queen of the pile. There is scarcely a consumer market in which corporate rivals haven't taken shots at each other's products and service.
Video games are no exception. Once video gaming, especially home gaming, became a billion dollar industry in the 1980s, game and console manufacturers delighted in taking jabs at their rivals.
Sometimes. these were friendly. "Hey you, over there. Remember we're keeping an eye on you!' Other times they'd get a little more like deathblow, "We yearn to bleach your skulls and use them as pencil holders!"
Given the massive amounts of money involved, the stress that video game creators and programmers work under, and pride in game design, it's no wonder that material at the expense of rival games and companies get slipped into those shiny silver discs and online downloads.
Regardless of their intensity, these pokes have led to some great Easter eggs and secrets buried in some of our favourite games.
10. Duke Nukem vs Just About Every Other FPS
When it came out in 1996, Duke Nukem 3D was one of the first games to openly mock the competition, via references to other prominent first person shooters of the time.
It was possible to find the body of a 'Doomed Space Marine' in a secret room, and in another area, Duke sets off a large series of tremors and then proudly tells us he 'ain't afraid of no Quake.'
In the 20th Anniversary edition of Duke 3D, Serious Sam was added to Duke's hitlist via Sam's battered corpse, complete with Duke asking 'Why so serious?'
In Duke Nukem Forever, 3D Realms upped their game and took on several new franchises.
At various points, Duke mocks Master Chief's use of power armour, critiques needing a crowbar like Gordon Freeman, dismisses Gears of War while solving a 'gear' puzzle, finds a 'Dead Space Marine' (covering both Dead Space and calling back to their original game,) and hates on Valve while solving a pipe-related puzzle.
Considering how long it took DNF to get to market, and the reception that it received when it was finally released, it seems safe to say that his much more successful competitors had the last laugh.