14 'Genius' Video Game Features That Were Total Accidents

4. Samus Aran Being A Woman

What you think: Nintendo set out to shake up the games industry with one hell of a final twist; something you'd only discover if you were one of the most devoted players, had mastered the controls and knew exactly how to unlock the secret ending. Samus wasn't a burly space marine, but a badass bikini-clad warrior-chick!

What actually happened: It was only added in the latter stages of development, mostly as a "Hey... why not, right?!" joke that turned into something the team could get on board with. Most of the work on the original Metroid was complete, yet the team had the time to implement this change due to it only being a static reveal screen at the close of the game.

What started as the most random thing on an afternoon got favoured reception from all who saw it, turning Samus into one of the most identifiable female characters in gaming overnight. You needed to complete the campaign in under three hours to get the version of her in a t-shirt, although if you managed it in under one hour, you'd then get the bikini-fronting version that went down in gaming history.