Call of Duty: Black Ops Easter eggs guide

Double Rainbow!

Above: So bright. So vivid 

Oh my God, what does this mean? Two intense, full on rainbows all the way across the sky of Call of Duty: Black Ops? Right in the front yard of multiplayer map Nuketown? Oh wow! Oh wow! WOO HOO HOO! YEAH!

No, seriously, what does this Easter egg mean? Well, probably just that Treyarch's developers saw the same YouTube sensation that everyone else saw back in July, then decided to throw the internet meme into their game. Now if only Hungrybear9562 were available as an avatar skin.

Also, see what's printed on the side of the school bus?

Population: You

While admiring the double rainbow in Nuketown, also be sure to check out the "Welcome to Nuketown" sign. Notice the population number? It changes to match the number of players in your match – after all, mannequins don't count as citizens, and they're the only other ones around.

Mannequin surprise

Here's a challenge. According to developer Treyarch, during an interview with GameSpot editor (and former GamesRadar intern) Shaun McInnis:

"If you pop the heads off all the [Nuketown] mannequins… and I mean all of them… and I mean in record-breaking time… there's a little something special for you. [It] takes a well-coordinated team of people. You're gonna need a full team of professionals to make this happen."

So what's the reward? No one knows yet. The most popular rumor in forum threads is that a new zombie mode is unlocked, but as of this article's posting – four days after the game's release – a video with proof has yet to be uploaded anywhere. Which means you could still be the first to do so. If you succeed, let us know so we can post a story on your glorious triumph!

Movie reference: Apocalypse Now

Piloting a boat upriver into the madness at the heart of war – a description of Francis Ford Coppola's epochal film, Apocalypse Now, or a description of the tenth mission in Call of Duty: Black Ops?

Both! In this level, the game treats players to a ton of imagery that directly evokes the movie, including the bridge at the last American outpost, a burning Huey on the riverbank, and a herd of water buffalo. The soundtrack has a parallel, too, in the form of The Rolling Stones. During the game, you blast away at enemy defenses while listening to “Sympathy for the Devil,” while a scene from the film features the crew blaring “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” from the boat’s radio.

Movie reference: The Deer Hunter

The Russian Roulette scene in 1978’s The Deer Hunter is one of the most famous – and famously intense – pieces of human drama ever committed to film, with Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken turning in amazing performances as American POWs during the Vietnam War.

So when you and your buddy get captured by the enemy in Black Ops' version of Vietnam, how could the developers possibly resist an opportunity to pay homage? Watch the game version above, and the original movie clip below.

Return of the teddy bear

Teddy bears have been an ongoing Easter egg in this series since the very beginning – hell, this Call of Duty wiki page lists at least 35 appearances by the toy, scattered throughout the multiplayer and campaigns of at least five different games.

While we haven't spotted any during the Black Ops missions – yet – we definitely know they've returned. Above is a bloody, ravaged teddy bear from the Kino Der Toten zombies mode. He can be found right at the outset, on a balcony in the first area. If and when you locate more, let us know in the comments section.

Return of the watermelon

Another mainstay in the Call of Duty universe is the watermelon. Modern Warfare required you to knife one of these refreshing and delicious fruits as a part of your training, while Modern Warfare 2 featured an exaggerated exploding variety. While Call of Duty: Black Ops only has regular watermelons, as far as we can tell, it has a lot of them. Seriously, count next time you play through the campaign – there are far too many to be accidental.

Sexy man pile! (Actually dead)

Okay, this final Easter egg is odd, as we're not even sure if it really exists. While playing the Numbers mission during the Black Ops review event two weeks before the game's release, we found this random stack of corpses. They definitely weren't enemies we had killed, and they were tucked away in a forgotten corner of the level.

When we tried locating them again this week, however, they were gone! Did Treyarch patch them out? And if so, what is Treyarch trying to hide?

Nov 12, 2010

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