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5 Games Hidden Within Games, 2 for the Price of 1

Many games go above and beyond by providing you with not just one, but two, three, or even four games to play. Today, we're discussing all of the games that contain hidden games that can be completed. We're not talking about mini-games, bonus modes, or Easter eggs that can be unlocked. We're talking about big-budget games with full-fledged adventures to discover; titles like published arcade adventures and console releases that you can completely enjoy.

1: Maniac Mansion - Hidden in Day of the Tentacle

One of the first hidden games-within-games to appear. Day of the Tentacle is a semi-sequel to LucasArts' original Maniac Mansion, an early graphical adventure game. Later on, when exploring the house, you'll come upon a computer in one of the hotel rooms that has a fully playable version of Maniac Mansion – it's a great treat for fans.

It's interesting to see how LucasArts has progressed. The original Maniac Mansion is a difficult game in which you can quickly lose – the firm shifted its attention away from frustratingly difficult Sierra-style nonsense in which you may lose by missing objects or performing puzzles wrong. It's what propelled them to prominence in the early 1990s, and why Day of the Tentacle is regarded as a masterpiece while the original is regarded as a footnote in history.

2: Prince of Persia - Hidden in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is one of the best remakes ever, a brilliant and entertaining reproduction of the thrilling adventure that was Prince of Persia. Because it was such a loving remake, completing the game allowed you to unlock Prince of Persia. It's just like the old-school version, where you'll have to navigate traps and race against the clock to reach the end.

In the old-school unlockable game, you may even utilise codes to skip to later stages. In addition, there's a hidden Prince of Persia stage in the game that you can unlock – instead of recreating the sprite-based original, you'll be in a 3D replica created using the new technology. It's shocking at first, but it's a wonderful mystery to uncover!

To unlock the secret level on the Xbox version of Prince of Persia, step on the balcony at the start of the game and hit A X Y B Y A X B to be whisked back in time to 1989!

3: Ninja Gaiden 1,2 and 3 - Hidden in Ninja Gaiden Black

Ninja Gaiden Black on Xbox is a thrilling action game that recreations the NES games in specific ways. Players could also obtain each of the three games from the original 'Nintendo Hard' trilogy by uncovering hidden items. If you're feeling lucky, you can take a break from Ninja Gaiden's fast-paced bloodshed and get trampled by continually respawning opponents in rudimentary sprite graphics or head over to mrq for an equally enjoyable challenge.

To access the games, you'll need to locate a hidden object known as 'Arcade Ninja Gaiden,' which may be obtained by collecting 50 Golden Scarab items. It isn't simple, to be sure. Surprisingly, you can turn the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy into the original Japanese arcade version by changing the in-game language to Japanese in the options.

4: Wolfenstein 3D - Hidden in Wolfenstein: Youngblood

Our next example really makes your game purchase value for money. You can play an arcade machine with a complete version of Wolfenstein 3D in Wolfenstein: Youngblood, although with a few different textures. The game is identical, except that instead of fighting Nazi Germany, you fight the Kreisau Circle, a group of Berlin-based rebels led by B.J. Blazkowicz!

Because it is a full-featured game, it belongs on this list. This isn't merely a throwback level. You can play the game all the way through and save your progress on the arcade machine in the hub bar between tasks. It's a delightful little extra that's superfluous but lets you immerse yourself in the game's alternate reality.

5: Zork 1 - Hidden in Call of Duty: Black Ops 1

At Call of Duty: Black Ops 1, you can exit your chair in the initial main menu and access an Easter egg computer; from there, you can download a copy of Zork 1, a text-adventure game, and play it entirely on your console. It makes this the oddest pairing of games sin this list, possibly any game..... ever.

Zork 1 is an odd little surrealist text-only game in which you must type commands. It's perhaps the most basic game on this list, one that could be played on even the most basic computer — even if the timeline isn't precisely correct in the game's logic. Whatever you do, you'll get eaten by a Gru if you enter the darkness.

That's about it for hidden games within games, but there's a lot more to uncover once we open the floodgates and include mini-games, parody games, and other strange modes. Stay tuned for more.