10 Video Games To Celebrate Your Birthday With

Birthdays are pretty neat. From the celebratory cake to the numerous candles (every year adding one too many), it's nice to celebrate that you're still here despite... well, everything. And, if you're lucky, maybe you'll receive a light, rectangular-shaped gift that houses the game you've been begging your great auntie Dora for for months.

Eager to get playing, you throw in the disc, start exploring your new fascinating world, and get suddenly surprised with a birthday message. What sorcery is this?

Surprisingly enough, there are a few games that will read your console's date to discover your birthday, or just straight up ask you. It's a thoughtful touch by developers to set up an in-game super-secret party or have characters offer gifts.

So, if your big day is coming up, why not check out these games and treat yourself to some virtual surprises? Besides, who needs great auntie Dora wishing you a happy birthday when a long chain of numbers and code can do it instead?

Portrait of Ruin is somewhat of a mid-tier entry into the Castlevania series. Yes, it attempted to implement new ideas from its predecessor, Dawn of Sorrow, but the gameplay can prove clunky on occasion.

The missions, too, provided some weird challenges for players, from making sure the last three digits of your money were 777, to meeting a character when the DS clock was set after midnight.

So it's no wonder when missions ask for specific time requirements that Portrait of Ruin snuck in a little Easter egg for the birthday boys and gals out there.

Vincent Dorian is a priest who runs a shop for the player. Visiting Vincent on your birthday will reveal a secret health item: a birthday cake entitled "Happy Birthday!" Sure, it's a whopping $3,000 to buy, but it does have an impressive HP boost attached, and besides, it's your birthday! Treat yourself.