Top 10 Video Game Rumors That Turned Out To Be True

The gaming world is full of rumors, but sometimes they turn out to be true. For this list, we’ll be going over the folklore and gossip about video games that was eventually proven to be real. Our countdown includes Catching Mew in “Pokémon Red & Blue” (1996), the Mass “Grave” for “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982), The Pistol was Overpowered By Design in “Halo: Combat Evolved” (2001), and more! If there’s a video game urban legend/fact that you heard from your uncle who works at Nintendo, let us know in the comments!

#10: Yoshi on the Roof

“Super Mario 64” (1996)

Obtaining every star and collectible in Mario games may be old hat now, but “Super Mario 64” helped set the trend. Back when it came out there were plenty of rumors about what happened after you got all 120 stars. One of these was that the cannon on the castle grounds opened up and you could blast yourself onto the roof of the castle. There, Yoshi would greet the player, along with a ton of extra lives. You could even ride him! Okay, that last part didn’t end up being true, but otherwise, players were pleasantly surprised to find Mario’s green dino pal chilling on the rooftop.

#9: Mass “Grave”

“E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982)

The awfulness of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” for the Atari 2600 is positively legendary. The game is nearly single handedly responsible for the video game crash of 1983. Atari planned for the game to do much better than it did and ended up with many unsold copies. One long-held gaming urban legend was that the unsold copies were all buried in the desert in New Mexico. In 2014, an excavation in Alamogordo, New Mexico confirmed that “E.T.” cartridges were buried there, along with over seven hundred thousand other Atari games. While “E.T.” may not have been the only “bodies” buried there, this “mass grave” was still plenty to “phone home” about.

#8: Shadow People

“Super Mario Galaxy 2” (2010)

Luigi may be famous for dealing with ghosts, but his brother’s game features some unexpected spooks. In Shiverburn Galaxy, a group of figures can be seen in the distance if you look in first person. These figures have hollow eyes and are the stuff nightmares are made of. Even worse, throughout the level, they appear to be following you. No matter where you are, they’re there. While it may seem like a typical creepypasta rumor, these figures are indeed in the game and give the illusion of pursuing you. Their name in the game's code? HellValleySkyTree. Well that’s not ominous…

#7: Every Bond Actor

“Goldeneye 007” (1997)

During the ‘90s and early 2000s, “Goldeneye 007” was the biggest name in console FPSes. Everyone was playing it, so rumors ran rampant. After a prank in a gaming magazine about being able to use versions of every James Bond actor in multiplayer came out, rumors began to fly. Plus, you can even see what appears to be Sean Connery’s Bond in the instruction manual! It had to be true! Eventually, it came to light that while an “All Bonds Mode” had been planned it was never implemented in the game proper. That hasn’t stopped enterprising modders from making the legend true, though!

#6: The Pistol was Overpowered By Design

“Halo: Combat Evolved” (2001)

There are “Halo” weapons, and then there’s the Magnum pistol from “Halo 1.” This hand cannon handled more like a rifle than a pistol! Its scope and power makes killing aliens or your friends in multiplayer an absolute breeze! While popular wisdom suggested that its strength was a coding error that increased its power, some people had a feeling that it was intentionally made strong by the developers. The latter was finally confirmed by Bungie co-founder, Jason Jones, who took responsibility for changing the code last-minute to power-up the gun. Jones is a veritable modern-day Prometheus – who gave fire to players. We have done both great and terrible things with his gift.

#5: Secret Boss

“Mortal Kombat” (1992)

Before the internet, rumors flew freely and they were often the only way game secrets were discovered as they were passed from person to person. One such secret was about a secret boss in the original “Mortal Kombat.” From time to time, a green ninja appears during fights. Rumor had it you could fight him under certain circumstances! By following the clues he gives during his appearances, players discovered that this character, Reptile, can indeed be fought. In single player, on the Pit stage, if you achieve a double flawless victory without blocking and finish with a fatality, then you’ll fight Reptile at the Pit’s bottom. A combination of Scorpion and Sub-Zero, Reptile got fans’ imaginations running. No wonder he stuck around for the sequels.

#4: The Play’s the Thing

“Super Mario Bros. 3” (1988)

“Mario” games invite theory crafting, since so much detail is often put into these deceptively simple platformers. One frequent fan theory about the 3rd “Super Mario Bros.” game is that the whole thing is merely a stage play. The game opens with a curtain. Some blocks in the game appear bolted to the background, which has shadows against it from nearby objects. Some platforms are hanging from the sky. You even “exit stage right” from every stage! This remained a fun fan theory for years – that is, until a 2015 question to Shigeru Miyamoto, who confirmed that “Super Mario Bros. 3” is all just a play. And what a performance it is!

#3: Play as Master Hand

“Super Smash Bros. Melee” (2001)

This Nintendo crossover fighting game has a ton of fantastic characters to choose from. However, one persistent rumor involves the ability to play as one of the game’s original characters – Master Hand. The sentient white glove acts as a boss character in the “Super Smash Bros.” games, so naturally, fighting game fans expected to be able to unlock him as a playable character. While not officially playable, through a glitch, you can indeed control as Master Hand, provided you plug the controller into the player 3 slot. While he can only move by performing attacks, it’s still a trip to play as the sinister glove.

#2: Catching Mew

“Pokémon Red & Blue” (1996)

When you put a Pokémon named Mewtwo in your game, and only talk about one named Mew – you’re gonna’ get rumors. While special events allowed players to obtain Mew, many were convinced that there was a way to catch Mew in the original “Pokémon” games. Despite persistent rumors that it was found by moving a truck, Mew can be caught in grass – provided you do a glitch first. By escaping or flying away from a trainer as you’re spotted, a glitch will begin. If you go into grass, usually above Cerulean City, you can encounter a Mew in the wild and catch it. Certainly seems easier than trying to bench-press that truck!

#1: Michael Jackson Composed the Soundtrack

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” (1993)

Okay, sort of. For years, fans were insistent that “Sonic 3”’s soundtrack has uncanny similarities to Michael Jackson’s music. They’ve even gone in and matched some of the notes and riffs. Brad Buxer, Jackson’s frequent collaborator and friend, verified that he and Jackson did indeed work together on the soundtrack, at least partially. How much Jackson worked on it is still a matter of debate, but the fact was that he was definitely involved. At the very least, he worked on the staff credits, whose sound is recognizable in his later song, “Stranger in Moscow.” It figures that the King of Pop would also be involved in the king of true video game legends.