Trophies are a cool way to show off how far you’ve come in a game, and some of them even make references to other well-known games.
Most of the time, PlayStation game developers use the trophy system to reward players for hitting certain points in their games. For example, if you get a trophy for finishing a story mission or a difficult game challenge, the title of the trophy usually refers to the actual task you had to complete to get the trophy in the first place.
For that reason, this rule that seems set in stone isn’t really that strict; writers often use trophies for more meta reasons. Some video game developers are so into pop culture that they make fun of everything from other game titles to movies, TV, and more. No form of media is safe from their lovely obsession.
Cobra Cal & Road House – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Even big-budget games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor make jokes now and then. The people who made the game, Respawn Entertainment, definitely have a sense of humor. In fact, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor makes two references to other series from very different types of media.
‘Cobra Cal’ refers to the TV show Cobra Kai, which is a follow-up to the famous 1984 movie The Karate Kid. In order to do it, players must cut up a training dummy while Cal wears a stylish helmet. A player can get the second one, “Road House,” by doing a dropkick while Cal has a mullet. This is a reference to the 1989 movie Road House, in which Patrick Swayze protects a bar by kicking any bad guys who get too close.
The Cake Is Not A Lie! – Fat Princess
Just by looking at Fat Princess, you can tell that the short-lived creator Titan Studios liked to poke fun at other franchises. The main character, a princess who looks a lot like another famous video game princess who likes to get kidnapped, is a great example of this. If you play this real-time strategy game in story mode, you’ll soon be able to get the prize “The cake is not a lie!”
This trophy, which you can get by finishing the game’s story mode, is a nod to yet another royal person, but in a more general way.Portal is thought to be one of the best games ever, and to give players a hint about what one character is really up to, maker Valve added some graffiti that they can find. One of the phrases reads, “the cake is a lie.”
How Many Days Exactly? – Dead Island
The first game in the Dead Island series came out in 2011 to average reviews, following a dramatic reveal trailer that almost broke the gaming internet. In the Dead Island series, players have to deal with zombie outbreaks in different tropical settings while crafting modified melee weapons to use in the fun and crunchy combat system.
To get the “How many days exactly?” award from the first game in the series, players must play the game at least 28 days after starting it. This reference to Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” is a big deal for Techland because it shows one of their main inspirations.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All – UFC Undisputed 2010
Even though the mixed martial arts fighting game UFC Undisputed 2010 got mostly good reviews when it came out, Shaquille O’Neal, the basketball star, is probably the thing that makes it most famous. Aside from the strange cast of guest characters, the game also makes a strange reference with its “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” silver award.
This reference to the wildly popular Nintendo series Pokémon can only be unlocked by collecting all the UFC trading cards in the game. It doesn’t make any sense at all. Still, it wouldn’t be pretty if the best UFC boxer fought a Charizard head-to-head.
Snakes On A Train – God Of War: Ascension
In the action movie Snakes on a Plane (2006), Samuel L. Jackson protects the people on a commercial airplane from a huge group of poisonous snakes. Jackson eventually gets tired of all the snakes on the plane. The B-movie didn’t stay popular for long after it came out. That is, until God of War: Ascension came out in 2013.
This book comes before the main trilogy and shows how Kratos’s hateful campaign against Ares starts. Even though the plot doesn’t say so, the game clearly references the movie with the “Snakes on a Train” trophy, which players get for making big mechanical snakes move as part of the story.
Solid Snape – Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
In 2011, Lego took over the Harry Potter franchise with two different games, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7. These games let Wizarding World fans collect studs in familiar places and fight with their favorite characters.
The first game, on the other hand, makes fun of a famous video game character with the “Solid Snape” bronze prize. By the name alone, players will know right away that it’s a reference to Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid. For example, the game wants players to hide in a barrel as Severus Snape, which makes the connection even stronger.
Should Have Called 555-2368 – The Darkness 2
It would have been great to play a first-person shooter where you control a Mafia hitman who is controlled by an old demon force that gives him demon tentacles. This is likely the case, since both The Darkness and its follow-up, The Darkness 2, are about the same thing. There’s even a juicy reference to an old-school spooky movie in the second game to make it even better.
Get the “Should Have Called 555-2368” badge in The Darkness 2 by beating the Hell Beast, a dragon-like monster that is the game’s final boss. That being said, the number in the prize description is a clever reference to the number to call for Ghostbusters-style ghost hunters.
Head Crab Removal – F.E.A.R. 3
Valve pretty much stopped making new IPs after Left 4 Dead in 2008, so their games have had a long effect on the gaming world. Breakout Game is one of these types of games. As Gordon Freeman, the scientist who stays quiet, players fight their way through an alien attack. The Head Crabs are one type of alien that they have to fight off.
It looks like the people who made the psychological horror game F.E.A.R. 3 like Half-Life because they added an award called “Head Crab Removal” to their game. This award is given to players who kill 20 enemies with Gordon Freeman’s favorite weapon, the crowbar.
Up Your Arsenal – Resistance 3
The first three Spyro games and the Marvel’s Spider-Man series were made by Insomniac Games, which has a long past in the video game industry. The company is also known for its sense of humor, which they use to add jokes and references to the strangest places.
You can get the “Up Your Arsenal” award from Resistance 3 by killing an enemy with every weapon the game has to offer. Not only is the title a clever play on words, but it gets even more clever when you learn it’s a direct reference to another Insomniac property: Ratchet & Clank. Insomniac is known for using hints and references to other works of literature and movies. Their clear reference to the Ratchet & Clank series in the serious Resistance 3 is a fun and sneaky Easter egg for fans of the company.
Master Of Unlocking – Grease Dance
The highly praised first game in the soon-to-be-famous survival horror game series Resident Evil came out in 1996. Critics liked the fighting, the gaming, and the puzzles. The only thing they weren’t sure about was how the game was translated from Japanese to English.
But you might be thinking what Resident Evil has to do with the dance game Grease Dance, which came out in 2011 and has players copy dance moves from the 1978 movie Grease. As for your question, the game has a trophy called “Master of Unlocking” that directly refers to one of Barry Burton’s badly translated lines. What does this dancing game have to do with Resident Evil? Sad to say, that is a more puzzling secret.