30 Days of Video Games - BONUS: Why Do You Play Games Pg. 142

[KrazyBean]

Day 21: Most Memorable Unlockable

 

 

The Shining Sword, or as everyone calls it..."The Lightsaber" - ICO

 

This is my most memorable collectible because of how unexpected it is. I WAS NOT expecting to use "the lightsaber" as a weapon in this game. It even makes the sound when you swing it!

 

You earn it by finding it in a secret area in New Game +. It is the strongest weapon in the game by far but it does have a drawback. Its reach is pitiful when you don't hold Yorda's hand, but when you do it increases in length dramatically and has the longest reach out of all the weapons in the game.

 

...Wait a minute. It's extremely small when you don't hold Yorda's hand...but elongates when you do. Huehuehuehuehuehue! Oh Japan Studio.

 

 

But seriously though, it's because Yorda is a great source of energy.

[Solkia]

The Crystal Desert in Guild Wars.

 

 

Now let me explain something: Crystal Desert is not an unlockable in the traditional sense, you have to get there to beat the game.

 

But me and my friend played the hell out of Prophecies. Getting to new areas of the game was always the greatest shit ever.

 

"Oh cool, you can travel to the apocalyptic future!"

 

"Oh cool, you can migrate throught the Shiverpeak mountains!"

 

"Oh cool, you can help the White Mantle in Kryta!"

 

But for the longest time, me and my friend played the hell out of this game and both wondered the same thing since the game doesn't tell you how to do this.

 

 

And sure enough, my friend found it, he found a boat that takes you there.

 

And my god is it a tough son of a bitch to traverse. You have Crystal Scarabs on your ass in huge hoards, you have Minotaurs, you have Sand Wurms, and then you have the Kepket Queen who was the best boss for rare drops back then.

 

I miss when Guild Wars 1 wasn't shit.

[Spin Attaxx]

Most memorable unlockable for me belongs to the first Spider-Man game on the PS2. I don't remember exactly how you unlock it, maybe you had to beat the game on Very Hard or something, but I just used cheats to get it.

 

The unlockable in question? Playing as the Green Ranger Goblin (or at least Harry acting as him so let's just ignore Spidey 2 and 3 OK shh).

 

I found it awesome that not only could you play as the main villain, but he wasn't a total reskin either! He had his own abilities that separated him from Spidey (seriously the glider is soooo much more fun to use than web swinging) and if you put in the cheat that allowed the glider to not overheat, the ladies and gentlemen, welcome to being a god.

[Willsy]

Day 21: Most Memorable Unlockable

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga - Indiana Jones

I did not expect this. At all. Little did I know that going through the door marked '????' would present me with a trailer for an Indiana Jones LEGO game. Even littler did I know that I would get Indy himself as a playable character as a reward for watching the trailer. He was a pretty cool character to play as, his close range attack is his whip and his long range attack is his pistol. A simple, but really cool unlockable.

Super Sonic

I think it's pretty difficult to forget the hell you had to go through with special stages to unlock Super Sonic. Basically, it's 'make everything in your path your bitch' mode. Especially in Generations. What Super Sonic can do really depends on which game you play. In colours and Generations he just charges through everything in jus path, and in the classics he's essentially invincibility mixed with speed shoes. He's a pretty cool unlockable, but I don't really use him that often.

[MamboCat]

Day 21: Mambo's Brucie Bonus! aka Most Memorable Unlockable

 

Hmm, the first one that springs to mind is this;

 

Chainsaw - Silent Hill 2

 

After completing the game, you can start over from the beginning again but get some perks... after speaking to Angela in the graveyard (the girl who had a traumatic past thanks to her dad...), you wander off into the woods and hear a strange buzzing noise. It's not the radio... it's something else... stuck in that log pile...

 

OMG it's a new weapon! A chainsaw!

 

Up yours, Pyramid Head! Try stabbing me with that "Great Knife" now!

 

After playing the game and restarting it some time later because I was a bit bored revising for exams (it was back in the uni days!), I was very surprised by this new toy. Killing the monsters of Silent Hill with the chainsaw is so funny. Call me grim, if you like but c'mon it's Silent Hill! XD Also, with the chainsaw equipped, James shrieks out a hilarious war cry;

 

 

Oh yeah, I of course have to mention;

 

Super Sonic - Sonic 2

 

 

When playing Sonic 2 for the first time, going for all the Chaos Emeralds to get the proper ending, I had no idea that they would turn Sonic Super... and I also had never seen DBZ at this point so I didn't really get the joke! So jumping after getting all of the Emeralds plus 50 rings... BRRRRRRRJJJJJJJ!!! What the hell is that?! Did my game just break?! What's that music?!

 

What a glorious moment that was! Although the Super Sonic sprite is kinda awww, with his widdle upturned floaty spikes, confident scowl and ready-to-spring crouch... he is a pain in the ass to control as he flies around everywhere, and the Super Sonic theme kinda ruins the nice level music, but whatevs. Super Sonic is great!

 

Notable mention; the Soul Reaver in Tomb Raider Legend

 

Vae Croftus!

 

The requirement for this unlockable is to complete the game and the time trials, so I couldn't be bothered to unlock this myself as it's not different from the rebuilt Excalibur, but it's still very cool to look at! If you're a LoK fan, anyway... It served as a little nod that Crystal Dynamics hadn't forgotten about Lord Kain; there's event a portrait of him in Croft Manor and a couple of Lara's alternate costumes bear the Razielim emblem.

[Brad]

 

As a young kid with little to no internet access, I picked up Smash Bros. Melee for my Gamecube a few months after and was it a hell of a time. I'd never really played anything like it before, and as you do when you're a kid with video games, you just kinda jump blindly into everything and mess around with all the modes and have random fights in Adventure Mode or with my friends. Seeing this screen for the first time, however, was a sudden shock. The alarms, the warning... and suddenly you were in a tough CPU fight with a totally new fighter. After that, I went hunting all over the place for new fighters until I had a complete roster of characters, and it was sure satisfying. Though in Brawl they used the Subspace Emissary primarily to unlock characters, I couldn't help but venture off and try and unlock some in the classic way for this memorable screen.

[Jin.]

Part 21

 

The Deldrimor Sword was unlocked in Guild Wars Prophecies after beating the campaign, if you picked it out of the other weapons in the Deldrimor set at the end. It was the day I dropped my cousins Chaos Axe and started my road on Swordsmanship. And god was it worth it. This sword is just plain awesome in both design and stats.

 

I still keep my cousins old Chaos Axe as a keepsake though.

 

 

 

The Crystal Desert in Guild Wars.

 

Now let me explain something: Crystal Desert is not an unlockable in the traditional sense, you have to get there to beat the game.

 

But me and my friend played the hell out of Prophecies. Getting to new areas of the game was always the greatest shit ever.

 

"Oh cool, you can travel to the apocalyptic future!"

 

"Oh cool, you can migrate throught the Shiverpeak mountains!"

 

"Oh cool, you can help the White Mantle in Kryta!"

 

But for the longest time, me and my friend played the hell out of this game and both wondered the same thing since the game doesn't tell you how to do this.

 

And sure enough, my friend found it, he found a boat that takes you there.

 

And my god is it a tough son of a bitch to traverse. You have Crystal Scarabs on your ass in huge hoards, you have Minotaurs, you have Sand Wurms, and then you have the Kepket Queen who was the best boss for rare drops back then.

 

I miss when Guild Wars 1 wasn't shit.

 

Dune Lizard is best pet

[Echidna Adventurer CC14]

My most memorable unlockable was pretty easy to think of:



Mewtwo (Super Smash Bros. Melee)

Back in the day, me and my sister played the crap out of Super Smash Bros. Melee to such an extent that we had even unlocked most of the characters...except for two. Mewtwo and Game & Watch. Luckily, I had the official player's guide to find out how to unlock them, but that didn't help a bit with our situation. Y'see, as an elementary school kid at the time, I didn't have a lot of time to spend on Melee save for hours of my precious limited weekend or the late afternoon when I got home. Mewtwo requested TWENTY HOURS of Vs. mode matches and for a little kid, that was QUITE a bit of time to spend playing one video game. Factor in that I'd also need my SISTER to agree to the idea and you probably understand my predicament. Sure, there are much easier ways such as leaving the console on really long matches with both controllers plugged in, but I didn't realize that at the time and it just seemed like an impossible goal. Add in the fact that Mewtwo was my favorite Pokémon and MAN, it stung.

 

However, as I went on with life's usual routine, playing Melee casually with what I HAD unlocked, me and my sister decided to play a Vs. match on a random day. I was Samus and easily wiped the floor with her...but we weren't prepared for what would happen next. THERE IT WAS! CHALLENGER APPROACHING! MEWTWO'S CLEAR AS DAY SILHOUETTE! WE HAD DONE IT! But CRAP, I still needed to beat him, didn't I?! Would losing mean that I'd miss my chance on unlocking him and have to play ANOTHER 20 hours?! I didn't know and I wasn't feeling so good about my chances since I was pretty inexperienced with Samus, but regardless, I headed in, and after a bit of a tussle, I beat him! I UNLOCKED MEWTWO! Soon after that, I beat Adventure and Classic with him and the rest is history. All characters were finally mine. It'd be another while before I would unlock all the stages thanks to the difficulty of some event matches, but I FINALLY HAD MEWTWO. That moment still sticks out in my memory today as one of my ultimate victories and I'll never forget it. I have a crazier story of when I finally unlocked Final Destination that involves hiding in a car rather than getting on the school bus, but THAT is for another time.

[Indigo Rush]

Day 20: Most Memorable Unlockable

 

Super Sonic!

 

 

 

Come on, now! You were just as thrilled as I was to unlock god mode in a Sonic game for the first time, right?

 

Those Special Stages truly had a use other than getting pretty flowers in the credits sequences once Sonic 2 rolled around... at the speed of sound

 

Collect all 7 Emeralds, grab 50 rings and unleash hell on Dr Robotnik's evil battalion of goofy badniks... they don't stand a chance! Unless of course you run out of time, get crushed, drown, fall in a bottomless pit or get hit by Big Arms.... okay, it wasn't totally god mode, but it was certainly a groovy reward for snagging those Emeralds!

[gato]

Day 21: Favorite Unlockable
 
 
 
I think the unlockables I got the most from were those who expanded the world I was playing with. NieR's multiple endings come to mind but for today I'll pick one of the biggest "Oh Crap" moments in my younger days... (I sure talk like an old man despite only being 27! . _.  I blame my sister for this mental tick of mine)
 
 

Starcraft - Dark Origin

 
 
I believe I mentioned this one on the previous thread (but probably in the best stage category), this mission is unlocked during the Zerg Campaign of Brood War if you clear the 9th stage (called The Reckoning in which you must go through an EUD camp and then destroy a Protoss setlement to capture a stasis Cell where their matriarch was being held... Makes sense in context) in less than 25 minutes. If you do so instead of going with Kerrigan to the 10th and final stage of the game you suddenly switch perspectives. You are now watching Zeratul as he retreats to his homeworld Shakuras after being harmed both physically and emotionally, what neither he nor you knew was that things were about to get worse.
 

On the end of the battle against the Zerg your forces got scrambled and you decided to go on your own and hopefully meet the rest of the survivors on Shakuras, it's then when one of your High Templars detects Protoss energy readings coming from a dark moon in the zone, since Zeratul believes it could be one of your brothers who got separated after the previous battle, your small party goes to search for them.

What you find instead is a Terran stronghold. You slice your way through the camp and you find a Stasis Cell surrounded by Protoss Pylons, you head to the terminal and hear the following message...

 

Danger! Test subject twenty three suffering from psychic feedback. Pylon crystals at critical stage. Cell meltdown imminent...

 

At first Zeratul is pretty shocked at seeing Terrans being able to manufacture Pylons (highly advanced Protoss technology) but after seeing the subject's condition he figures they haven't been able to get the hang of it yet (having said that, a Bonus mission shows us that some Terrans can be quite crafty, like the infamous space pirate Alan Schezar, but that's unrelated to this story)... Still, you keep going and things start getting bizarre from this point, you find some Protoss fully functional defenses and another stasis cell holding another Protoss soldier...

 

Test subject twenty five in cryo-hybernation. Neuro-scan compiling data. DNA code computed and archived. Psionic emanations minimal...

 

Zeratul is outraged at the fact some Terrans are using his brothers as lab rats and decides to keep going to give them a first hand lesson about what a Protoss warrior can do. You keep going and things keep getting weirder, you destroy another stasis cell and you find out it was holding Zerg-infested Terrans, you go to an isolated science facility and destroy another cell to find a Protoss Archon, the next cell with a functional computer you find not only has a Protoss High Templar on it but also some Zerg units.

 

Test subject twenty seven in cryo-hybernation. Neuro-scan completed and archived. DNA code computed and archived. Gene splicing between test subjects twenty five and twenty seven completed. Experiment 2273 progressing...

 

I actually didn't know the implications of the message when I got to this point for the first time but Zeratul is horrified of what the computer is saying... He keeps going and in the last and strongest Terran camp he finds another functional cell...

 

Test subject twenty nine, classified: Protoss/Zerg Hybrid, in perfect cryo-hybernation. Psionic emanations minimal.
 

 

Zeratul can do nothing but mutter a simple "No" at the sight of this creature, but then Samir Duran appears (who until this moment was nothing but a Lackey to Big Bad Kerrigan), he comments that his "master" Kerrigan knows nothing about this grand experiment of his, tho the way she got infested into the Zerg swarm sped up his research significantly (explaining why he stuck with her for so long). Zeratul questions the reasons for this monstrosity to exists to which Duran simply answers that this is nothing but a culmination of a cycle, a project that was started by a greater power countless of ages ago and that it's finally reaching the final stages, that this hybrid is the end of entire species and the bringer of a great cosmic change.

Zeratul destroys the thing but Duran simply replies that he has seeded the creatures across the stars (he did! You start finding more of them in the sequel) and that there is no way for him to get all of them before the time of their awakening, after saying that, he banishes leaving a deeply disturbed Zeratul behind.

Zeratul would spend the next 4 years searching for answers about what this great cosmic change would entail...

I like this one because it's one of the biggest sequel hooks ever. Specially because it took an entire decade for said sequel to show up! And during this years this sole mission was the giant Ultralisk on the room! Which spawned countless theories, fanfics, campaigns and even some mods... But then again... 10 years is a pretty long time huh?
 

[Danj86]

Day 21: Most Memorable Unlockable -

Rosalina - Super Mario 3D World

 

I've always been partial to secret characters in games, but it's getting harder to remember any memorable ones as it seems they're getting rarer nowadays. B*st*rds make you buy them instead, which means your not earning them and your suddenly poorer than you were before.

 

My most memorable would also be the most surprising, as I kept well away from any potential spoilers of the game and started playing it with no idea what to expect. I was also expecting Rosalina to disappear, kinda like Petey Piranha did years earlier.

 

 

Think about it, when was the last time you remember seeing the guy? He'd been playable on many sport games and Double Dash, but did anyone really care? He's not much of a character compared to Rosalina, who actually has a back story and is able to show emotions. Petey would be better as the occasional boss and he did refill that role quite recently, in the disappointing Paper Mario: Sticker Star game.

 

It could also have been Sonic in Smash Brawl, but having known about him months in advance, he didn't really have the same shock volume that Rosalina did. Any other secret characters I could've mention would probably be on a beat-em-up as secret characters are much more likely to be in that genre than the others, but I just couldn't think of any good ones. (apart from the already mentioned blue hedgehog.)

 

I should say it wasn't just her sudden appearance and the fact I expected her to disappear that made her memorable. It was also because she wasn't just an alternate skin, she had her own unique traits.

 

 

You could even say using her with a power-up was a hindrance as on some of the more abusive levels of the game, your needing to be pretty agile and quick on some platforms and her spin move could save you from a potentially fatal mistake. The spin gives you extra height like it did in the Galaxy games but you can't use it while having a power-up. Her speed seemed to match Peach which is understandable as there dress ain't exactly ideal platforming attire. Not sure about her jump power though, but nobody can match Luigi on that caliber.

 

I could probably take things further as when I originally played Super Mario Galaxy 2, after making it so far, I was beginning to think she wasn't going to appear, I also wasn't expecting her to be back for Mario Kart 8 and I certainly never anticipated her to make the leap (Pun intended?) to the Smash Bros series. So all in all, she's full of surprises.

 

Always reach for the stars.

[Sonictrainer]

 

Day 21 - Most Memorable Unlockable

 

Crash Bandicoot-Fruit Bazooka 

 

 

After beating N. Gin in Crash 3, Crash will get the Fruit Bazooka, a sniper like weapon that can fire Wumpa Fruit at enemies and boxes from a distance. Got an annoying enemy in your way? Shoot it. Is there a wooden box you can't reach? Shoot it. Want to clear out any  TNT and NITRO? Shoot them! Although, it seems like a game breaker, it can't be used against all enemies, certain levels, and against Bosses effectively.

[#AR]

Day 21: I DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS IN THERE!

 

I'm not sure if this is cheating but I can't pick just one from this series sooooo....

 

REN'S MOST MEMORABLE UNLOCKABLES: THE BONUS CHARACTERS (TONY HAWK SERIES)

 

Oh look, something other than a fighting game!

Now, the Tony Hawk games had playable Pro Skaters (like Rodney Mullen, Paul Rodriguez, Bob Burnquist, Eric Koston, etc.) but the series had some unlockable characters too. To unlock these characters, you had to complete career mode multiple times with every character. Sounds like a lot of work and it is, but the games were usually rewarding enough to keep playing over and over again. A couple of them were original characters (for example: Ollie the Magic Bum from a mission in Pro Skater 2's career mode).

 

Now, the BEST new characters, the ones I'll be talking about are the ones from other random franchises and just random real life people that are in there for like no apparent reason except to hilariously have them skate around for no reason. Seriously, it's freakin amazing.

 

I mean: you got friggin' Spidey,

 

 

Darth Maul,

 

The Doomguy,

 

Jango Fett,

 

Gene Simmons of KISS,

Hell, the entire band appear in a stage as a cameo.

 

Iron Man,

 

Benjamin Franklin,

 

and...I'm not even kidding about this one...FRIGGIN' SHREK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I1KTTKOw3w

 

The cool thing about these bonus characters is that the majority of them came with their own skateboards and special moves (for example, Darth Maul can do a Force Grab and Jango Fett can fly with a jetpack).

 

Loved getting all of these wild and crazy additions.

[Dr. Homem]

The wonderful thing about having unlockable items or bonuses that are available only if you work hard to master or explore a game, is that it leads to a supreme psychological reward that cannot be matched by achievement points or trophies. It rewards dedication to the game, earns you fun, entertaining extras, and also encourages you to make use of everything a game has to offer you. It's a shame most games nowadays tend towards superficial rewards unlocked either by completing signposted campaign objectives and side-quests; having actual, worthwhile unlockables are one of the best ways to increase replay value and entertainment.

 

With that said, my choice is...

 

 

Characters - LEGO games

 

Ever since the first LEGO Star Wars game by Traveller's Tales, the main appeal of these has been the immense roster of playable characters. People love to play as different characters. It's the entire reason unlockable costumes and alternate playstyles exist, and it proves to be even more fun in practice. It doesn't even matter that they all play the same with slight variations; all that matters is that they are playable, whether it's the iconic protagonist of a movie or an obscure character I have a special love for.

 

Especially considering the hard work it usually takes to get some of the most desired ones, it's simply fun to walk around and do things as Darth Vader, or Alfred, or the Super Skrull, or Sauron... it's the same principle as the kid who wants a Superman toy even though his He-Man figure is almost the same: we love to see our favourite characters represented, especially when we have control of them. In many games I'm left thinking "How awesome would it be to play as X or Y?" TT's LEGO games solve that by making everyone unlockable. And it works great.

[Celestia]

Day 21: Most Memorable Unlockable

 

This is an easy choice, it's from my most nostalgic game in fact...

 

Permanent Superflame

Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage

 

So after collecting every single Gem and every single Orb in the game, you can open a door in Dragon Shores--the last location of the game--only to find a powerup gate that gives you the Superflame ability. This wouldn't be a big deal, but instead of it being timed, as such powerups are everywhere else, it permanently upgrades Spyro's flame breath to always be supercharged.

 

But what makes this particularly memorable? If you start a new game over that save file, you start the game with the permanent superflame! It absolutely breaks the game in a lot of places, and after 100%ing the game you might as well do that anyway. It's a lot of fun to mess around with.

 

Honourable Mentions

• Flying Mario in Super Mario Galaxy...though you only really got two places to use it, which was annoying...and then we never saw it again. B|
• Super Sonic
• Uhhh, that's actually all I can think of...might add onto this later.

[Carbo]

Day 21: Most Memorable Unlockable

Sword of motherfucking Kings.

Earthbound is just one of those weird games where everything you do adds onto an overarching experience, and this includes the more rare segments involved. A lot of which you actually unearth in these games are things that would probably make no sense or require insane leaps of logic to comprehend, but it's there in the game anyway, sometimes things you stumble upon pure chance while for others it's a pointer in the coolest ever imaginable strategy guide bundled with a game ever. Weird things like the password to the Belch Factory requiring you to "stand under the waterfall for three straight minutes" or using "Zombie Paper" to dispose of zombies blocking the town exit is just one of those things that add onto the unique feeling that this was a game taken straight from the imagination of a child, and not in the "Lego kiddy game" way. People really underestimate what it is like to have the mind of a kid and the anarchic scenarios they envision, like a raw real world that is secluded from them with the added touch of an imaginary surrealistic world with make-believe creatures and concepts. It's like throwing Peanuts into the Cthulhu Mythos.

And then there's The Sword of Kings, one of the most unorthodox "ultimate weapons" obtainable in any RPG ever. Usually when you think "ultimate weapon" in an RPG you think something that requires you to do a plethora of sidequesting combined with your typical RPG synthesis mechanics a la Square RPGs. But not this game. There is only one moment throughout this entire game you're able to collect the Sword of Kings, and it's only when you're invading the Stonehenge base. On top of that it can only be done before you battle the boss and shut it down. The item is only obtainable on a 1/128 drop rate from the Starman Super. This means you can only stumble upon this by chance, and if you're aware of this item's existence you better be prepared for a potentially large amount of grinding, as it can take you up to an hour and a half on average to obtain it. This item can only be equipped by Poo, and is befittingly enough the power of a King in the hands of a Prince. This item is an immense game changer and is one of the strongest obtainable weapons in the game. It's also the only weapon in the game that's an actual "weapon" for that matter, as up to that point the only equippable weapons you've been getting on your journey is slingshots, baseball bats, frying pans, yo-yo's and ray guns.

There's no large fanfare involved with getting it. Like what's been mentioned; it is a simple lucky drop. And yet again, the entire process of getting this just kind of adds onto the experience more and a sense of accomplishment that the grind was really worth it. Just the idea that you got a super rare item out of it is one I like. It reminds me a bit of The End from Metal Gear Solid 3; sure it's a really tedious process but it's a battle of wits and patience. You don't even really need this item to beat the game but there's a sense of incredible satisfaction just knowing that you managed to get it. Chances are when you come out on top you'll be a slaughterhouse for the rest of the game.

[Serperior]

Day 21 - Most Memorable Unlockable

 

 

How did this person get killed by the Gigapede that many times.

 

Easy Mode in the Devil May Cry series is easily the unlockable that stands out to me the most, because the way they implimented it is fucking genius. These games are pretty difficult if you don't know what you're doing, and just randomly button mashing will get you absolutely nowhere. Chances are on your first runthrough of one of these games you're going to die. You're going to die a lot. So much so that you'll get frustrated and maybe want to give up, thinking that this game is too much for you. But then when you die so many times in one area, those words come up on the screen. Easy mode is now selectable. The game is basically telling you "Awww, is this game too hard for you? Well we'll let the little baby have his easy mode so then he'll maybe stand a chance."

 

And at that point, you've got to keep going. It motivates you to keep on trying as it is, because you don't want to face the humiliation of having to turn on the casual babby mode that the game presents easy mode as. You can't let the game win and never surpass wherever it is that you're stuck at or face the shame of having to play through a watered down husk of a game, knowing that you'll never beat the game with true skill and style. You won't have earned that victory in the end, it was all a lie because you weren't good enough to handle the game as it was unless you keep going at the normal difficulty.

 

I'm probably thinking way too much into this, but that's how it always came across to me, and I can't think of another unlock that's quite as much of an affect as this one on me.

[TheOcelot]

Most Memorable Unlockable

 

 

Unlockable special items in the Metal Gear Solid games:

 

 

Stealth

 

 

 

 

 

Bandana

 

 

 

 

I've had so much fun with these little gems over the years. You can unlock them in most of the MGS games by meeting certain criteria. 

 

The Stealth item is a god send because it makes you invisible to the enemy. You can run past a guard - with the item equipped - and he will never spot you or raise an alert. It's a good way to do a quick speed-run, or to explore the areas without the fear of being seen/raising an alert phase. As you can see in the screenshot (above) Snake appears translucent when equipped with the item, he blends in with the environment. You can also have fun by knocking soldiers down and when they get up they have no idea who hit them...

 

The Bandana item is the mother of all unlockables because it's infinite ammo. MGS games are of course about sneaking and avoiding combat at all times, but when you have the Bandana equipped you can have endless fun by causing absolute chaos. Shooting everything that moves knowing that you will never run out of ammunition. It naturally makes combat and boss fights much easier. Good fun especially if you have a bit of bloodlust.

 

They are fitting rewards for the hard work required in order to unlock them:

 

In MGS1 you can unlock the Stealth item by submitting to the torture when Solid Snake is tortured by Ocelot. You can unlock the Bandana by not submitting to the torture. Once unlocked you can use the item at the start of your next playthrough on the same difficulty setting/save file. 

 

In MGS2 you can unlock the Stealth and Bandana items by collecting a certain number of dog tags off of enemy soldiers.

 

In MGS3 you can either unlock the Stealth item by finishing a playthrough without a single alert phase or by hitting all 64 Kerotan frogs which are hidden in the game. You can unlock the 'infinity face paint' (this games version of Bandana) by capturing and bringing home alive a Tsuchinoko (which is basically a mythical Japanese snake).

 

 

Whilst a lot of modern games have these types of unlockables MGS was one of the first series to introduce them.

[JezMM]

 

Sonic Generations and numerous other throwbacks to past stages have rendered this reward significantly less awesome, but at the time this was AMAZING.  I worked my arse off to get it and was 100% satisfied with it when I did.  This was a time before youtube or internet spoilers, I read about it in NGC magazine but no screenshots were provided so I had no idea what to expect from it.  In fact, the entire time I was working towards it I envisioned it in my head as being a "realistic" remake that would probably reuse assets from Green Forest in a new layout, no idea why.  It was also kinda special coz... you know, Sonic and Shadow's stages made up only a third of the game, so even having one new one to enjoy was a big deal.  It set a standard for final unlockables in Sonic games that has been repeatedly unattained ever since.  I guess though I didn't appreciate that it was the 10th anniversary game and that was probably the thought behind having a super great unlockable this one time.  Still though.

 

 

Other than that:

 

 

Mr. Game & Watch + Flat Zone in Melee was a total surprise and I remember unlocking them being a super surreal experience, like, out of everything we never expected this.  Thankfully I was familiar with Game & Watch from the G&W Gallery Game Boy Games, so I appreciated the obscurity too.

 

Luigi in Super Mario Galaxy was a very big deal at the time.  Not only was it his first appearance in a 3D Mario game, he got to be playable too!  I forget how but this was spoiled before I got all 120 Stars and it's a shame because I just know his "SUPER LUIGI GALAXY" would have been all the more "WHOA!" had I not known.  Same for Rosalina in 3D World which I am still angry at Nintendo for revealing before launch, especially considering she was a post-ending unlockable, geez.  The "THE END" screen would have hit me ten times harder had I not known about her in advance.

 

Final thing that is coming to mind would be Snowboard Kids.  When I was a kid who was bad at video games, Rookie Mt, Big Snowman, Sunset Rock, Night Highway, Grass Valley and Dizzy Land was all I knew for many weeks, maybe months.  I forget how I found them first, the unlock cheat or actually placing 1st on every race, but all three of the secret courses, and the secret character and secret boards, were incredibly cool.

[ElectricAngel]

Day 21 - Most Memorable Unlockable

 

 

Dry Bowser in Mario Kart Wii

 

I recall playing the shit out of Mario Kart Wii when I first got it. It'd be the game that I occupied myself with the most and was the main choice of game whenever I had friends come over to my house. I remember when I had beaten pretty much every mode in the game and unlocked all but one character. After looking up the roster online, I found out that Dry Bowser was an unlockable character. This impressed me a lot because I had heard of Dry Bones, but not Dry Bowser. I know he was in New Super Mario Bros, but I hadn't played that game at the time so I thought he was some sort of super exclusive Mario Kart Wii character or something. Once I met the requirements and unlocked him I was surprised by how badass he was. Frankly, he wasn't my main. Funky Kong was and still is my go to character. But I really liked how cool his model and voice was, and he was probably the only unlockable I ever cared about in a game. That is, until Sonic Generations came around and they had all that neat concept art for you to unlock.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Day 21 - Most Memorable Unlockable

 

This can be symbolised by this clip from Terminator 2.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLWrmlIWb_w

Resident Evil --- "The Gun"

 

Specifically, Resident Evil 2, it was full of unlockable content which ranged from being unique and awesome such as additional costumes. To making you feel like a zombie hunter god of destruction!

 

"The gun" symbolises every gun in Resident Evil which transforms you into a destroyer of zombie worlds, every RE game since RE 2 has had it's version of 'The Gun.'

 

What people don't remember is that in previous RE games, most weapons were single shot, they were fired, paused, then fired again. RE2 brought full automatic weapons and even had unlimited ammo unlocks. 

 

This dramatically changed the game, it was awesome going into a room and taking down a full corridor of zombies, or utterly destroying Tyrant 103 with a rocket launcher or gattling gun. You could utterly own every boss and zombie....

 

Right... Payback time!

 

This is why every RE game since RE 2 has had 'The Gun' and the option to have unlimited ammo with it, 'The Gun' transforms the game, it makes you feel unstoppable and dramatically changes the tone of the game.

 

The second unlock able which I love...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2L7k2WvdOQ

 

I can remember when this news first came out... so many people at my school believed this was a hoax, until someone at school actually did it and was inviting people to his house to see. This was such a cool idea and at the time so difficult to unlock... And then there was... him.

 

 

Yeah Tofu was odd....

[Covskin]

You like Homestar Runner? Of course you do.

 

You like Trogdor? Of course you do.

 

You like Guitar Hero? Of course you do.

 

Do you like all of these things together?

 

 

OF COURSE YOU DO.

 

 

This was one of the bonus songs available to buy from the in-game store, and I liked to imagine what the majority of people, who probably didn't know what a Strong Bad was, would make of this random song. For a game that had quickly become a mainstream hit to feature such an obscure internet thing, I loved its inclusion.

[MegasonicZX]

Would have to go with the last story in sonic heroes for this one, it was the first time I had ever gotten a super sonic fight in a sonic game (or super sonic at all) since I first started playing sonic games along with sonic 3.

 

For a none sonic answer though, I would have to go with getting the gold trophy kart in MK DD, it really was surprising to me when I first got that thing because it was probably the most out of nowhere unlockable I could've gotten at the time and it felt really good after spending hours upon hours to complete the all cup tours (which thankfully only took me one try even on 150 CC).

[Winston]

Day 21: Most Memorable Unlockable

Solid Snake - Super Smash Brothers Brawl

Man, when I first saw Snake appear in Smash Bros. Brawl and had to face him, it was super cool. Snake is easily one of my favorite video game characters of all-time, and seeing him be available to be unlocked is just awesome. It was just a really cool day for me to finally get the screen that said that about Snake. Snake is probably my favorite Smash character, and this was just the beginning. It was just really awesome for me atleast, and I hope to see him back for Smash 4.

[Jolt_TH]

Day 21: Most memorable unlockable

 

Hmm, this for me would have to be...

 

Luigi in Super Mario Galaxy

I managed to avoid all of the spoilers and when I heard that "Super Luigi Galaxy" at the end, I literally sat there speechless with my mouth open for like 2 minutes. My favorite character, playable for the first time in 3D, in my favorite game of the time. I immediately started my second runthrough of the game even though I SHOULD have been going to sleep. I actually played as Luigi so much, that when I went back to play as Mario he felt TOO stiff, due to Luigi's lower traction.