16 secret Lost references in videogames

The mysteries of the island are everywhere… even in your favorite games

Words: Charlie Barratt on May 21, 2010

Lost in…
Red vs Blue

Halo 3's most famous machinima began around the same time as Lost, and lasted for an impressive 100 episodes. With all that virtual airtime to fill, the YouTube show was guaranteed to mention the ABC show at some point.

What's surprising, then, is the attitude. By 2008, when this clip was uploaded, Red vs Blue's creators were clearly exhausted – and possibly annoyed – by Lost's unexplained mysteries. Watch from 1:25 and onward to hear Sarge complain about polar bears, the smoke monster and Walt's puberty. He even nails a prediction: "Next thing you know, we'll be flashing sideways to Everybody Loves Raymond." He was half right, anyway.

For another jab at Lost's often nonsensical storytelling, click here and fast-forward to around 7:40. Guess someone didn't like the Tailies…

Lost in…
Left 4 Dead 2

To earn this game's "Stache Whacker" Achievement, you must win a carnival booth at the Dark Carnival. The number of mustachioed moles in need of whacking? 42. Could be a Lost reference. Could be a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference. Either way, it's cool… and it's gotta be intentional.

Lost in…
Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed

Three-quarters of the way through this miserable Wii exclusive is a small ray of sunshine for Lost fans. Crypto the cranky alien is working for the owner of Fantasy Atoll, a series of islands that cater to customers' wildest wishes. As you soon discover, one of those fantasies involves people acting out the drama of their favorite TV show: they live on an island, pretending to be survivors of a plane crash.

Lost in…
Just Cause 2

We've saved the absolute best, and most recent, for last. Just Cause 2 puts every other Lost-loving game to shame by including not just an island, not just a plane crash and not just a hatch… but all of the above and more. Text cannot do this massive Easter egg justice. Watch the full video, or experience the entire journey through these surprise-by-surprise snapshots.

Blue skies. Fluffy white clouds. The perfect day for flying through the tropics.

Or not. Pass over a certain island in Just Cause 2 and the weather will instantly transform to dark and stormy. Rain will lash, thunder will pound and your aircraft will explode into a ball of fire.

What's this? You're not the first to crash on this island.

A brief flash of lightning reveals the dismembered wings and tail section of another plane that skidded across the beach.

Explore the jungle and you'll randomly be chased by Just Cause 2's version of the Smoke Monster... a generic yet relentless enemy with clouds of choked air trailing behind him.

And he's almost unkillable, surviving dozens of bullets to the chest and three or four headshots before he finally dies.

Keep searching through the trees and - yup - another hatch.

Want to see gaming's greatest Lost reference for yourself? Here are the exact map coordinates. Good luck!

May 21, 2010

Lost's 28 coolest gadgets, tools and technologies
Liked this feature? Check out our sister site Maximum PC's detailed breakdown of Lost's toybox

Just Cause 2's best Easter eggs
The Lost island is one of many… here are all the rest

The hidden references in World of Warcraft
Find out what Mario, Forrest Gump, Paris Hilton and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have in common

Platforms:

Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, DS, Android, PSP

Topics:

Mobile

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redmight - May 26, 2010 2:35 a.m.

you guys forgot that also in fallout 3 if you have the child at heart perk a little girl in megaton will give you the combination to a safe which the numbers are the famous lost numbers
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avantguardian - May 25, 2010 10:35 a.m.

alright i could be way off on this one, but...left 4(!) dead 2(!)...42(!)...yeah? no?
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kaittybee - May 24, 2010 3:24 p.m.

a lot of thought was put in to this article! i stopped watching lost after i missed an episode in season three. it threw me right off. fringe was easier to follow :P
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zigs - May 24, 2010 1:25 p.m.

"He's British, not Scottish." That's pretty racist and ignorant.
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Elementskater - May 24, 2010 7:37 a.m.

@ WickedSid- In Lost, Desmond's middle name is David... Desmond David Hume...
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The_Tingler - May 24, 2010 2:43 a.m.

That Left 4 Dead 2 one is a real stretch. "But what does it all MEAN, Sam?" "I don't know, and I don't feel like waiting years to find out." My sentiments exactly.
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dslayer99 - May 23, 2010 5:25 a.m.

@drizztmainsword no i agree but the ref.'s were pretty cool like the fallout one
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dslayer99 - May 23, 2010 5:22 a.m.

dude lol the just cause 2 stuff was awesome when i found it!!!!!!!!
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DriveShaft - May 23, 2010 4:51 a.m.

I'm a huge Lost fan (telling by the name). I knew about a few of these, but had only played the Fallout one.
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hardcore_gamer1990 - May 23, 2010 12:45 a.m.

Wow, I have like, 3 of these games and never noticed. Oh yeah, it's cos I don't watch Lost.
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CH3BURASHKA - May 22, 2010 6:29 p.m.

I love the article. I fucking hate the video player. Why can't you guys use Youtube or Vimeo or something?
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RareHero - May 22, 2010 5:48 p.m.

Wow, that almost makes me want to play Just Cause 2. Great article, I bet we'll even see more references after the finale.
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drizztmainsword - May 22, 2010 2:51 p.m.

Am I the only person who thinks Lost is complete dross?
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Conman93 - May 22, 2010 11:43 a.m.

I loved the Sam and Max one!
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philipshaw - May 22, 2010 10:58 a.m.

I'm a huge Lost fan and I only knew about the Just Case 2 stuff.Great article Charlie
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RicePuddingUK - May 22, 2010 10:45 a.m.

Good Article, but you made a mistake You said Desmond from Fallout 3 "He's British, not Scottish", Urm, Scottish is British, I'm from Scotland and that's part of Britain, Britain isn't a seperate country :S
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bluscorp - May 22, 2010 9:59 a.m.

I did all that in JC2.
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TheSugarRay - May 22, 2010 9:51 a.m.

I hate that chatty bastard in the fallout 3 video.
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Samael - May 22, 2010 6:41 a.m.

Yeah Charlie, like sepirothpk said, RVB is still going strong. New episodes every monday and they recently hired Monty Oum, the dude who did Haloid and Dead Fantasy, whose added some pretty sweet effects to their latest episodes. They have a much deeper story then they had in the beginning, but they're still hilarious. Great list though. It's awesome to see some of my favorite games referencing my favorite tv show.
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