Introduction
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Finishing the game is its reward, but sometimes it's nice to get something afterward. However, those things aren't always sane. Hi folks, it's Zaid Ikram , and today on Speed Tool, we're diving into 10 crazy things you unlock only after finishing the game, part three. Now, saying "part three" implies there are two other parts. I'm not going to list everything that's in those videos, but if you want to go back, there's stuff like NieR: Automata, Final Fantasy 15, Chrono Trigger, and Super Mario Odyssey. There's a ton of them; they're good videos. Go back after you're done with this one.
Number 10
Starting with number 10, it's Spider-Man 2's action figure mode. Why is this here? Why does this exist? Who asked for it? I don't know, but sure, why not throw in an option to make Spider-Man action figure-sized? It's utterly pointless, but it lets you take some pretty amusingly weird photos. You can ride a pigeon, chill out with your rat buddies, do whatever. You've got to respect devs for sneaking dumb stuff in like this; it lets us have a little fun. Not everything needs to have a sound reason to be in the game. This one might be kind of a cheat because I don't even know if you need to beat the game to unlock this feature. It may have just been added with a patch, but it's a lot more interesting than the actual reward you get for beating the game, which is changing the time of day. Oh, I mean, I'm not complaining, but it just doesn't have the marquee value of something like an action figure mode. Now, there's something that'll get your attention. It'd be better if it somehow let us play the game at this size, but I'll take what I can.
Number 9
Moving on to number nine, it's Call of Duty: Black Ops 3's "Nightmares" mode. Easily one of the strangest unlockables in a Call of Duty title, "Nightmares" mode was originally accessible after beating the game or by inputting a secret code. But the game was later patched to make it accessible to everybody. What is it? Well, it's a remix version of the campaign mode with a new story where you fight zombies. It's an entire zombie story mode slapped over the regular game. Missions are remixed and replayed in a different order, and the plot is new. It's not that elaborate; there's not a ton of new cutscenes or anything, but still, it's a Call of Duty campaign with zombies everywhere.
Number 8
At number eight, we have become Starborn. Everybody knows about this one already, but still, as something you can unlock after finishing the game, it's kind of crazy. So, the Starfield story ends when you enter the Unity; the credits roll. But instead of the game just ending, the screen fades back in, only now you're in one of those fancy Starborn spaceships and have a Starborn suit on. The Starborn are the bad guys of Starfield; they're all guys who have entered the Unity previously and are messing with your universe. So now, after beating the game, you get to become one, complete with unique dialogue options to show how you know what's going on already. It's the game's whole new game plus system that everybody knows about now, but back when the game first came out, I was legit shocked and impressed by the whole thing. It's a lot more effective than you usually get for a new game plus mode, and Starfield isn't like a universally loved Bethesda game, but it has its cool stuff, and this is one of those cool things.
Number 7
At number seven is Cyberpunk 2077's Black Wall Gun. The standard ending to Cyberpunk is pretty final, but at least with the expansion, the game lets you keep playing after finishing it. There are some interesting post-game missions you can complete, but the craziest thing that unlocks after finishing Phantom Liberty has got to be the Black Wall Gun, called The Arabus. For one thing, the gun itself is crazy powerful. It uses the same weird red lightning powers that come from interacting with the Black Wall, the special firewall that keeps the super AIs that inhabit the net locked away. What can I say? It's Cyberpunk, man. It's one of those games where that sentence is perfectly natural, no matter how many times it took me to record it in this world, which is several. It's natural in that world. You only get the necessary components for this thing if you take the ending route where you don't side with the Songbird. It's the one that ends on the mission "Somewhat Damaged," the same one that has the unkillable robot thing stalking in the secret lair. If you choose the other ending route, then you can't get the necessary parts straight up; you have to loot the robot after it dies in the underground lab, and that's the only way you can get this weapon after finishing the story. There's a small bonus quest where you can give the part to somebody, and they'll make you one of two possible weapons. One is this gun; the other is a cyberdeck. The deck is crazy powerful, but it's not a gun, so it's not as visually interesting. That's the only reason why I'm talking about this rather than that. Still, it's a unique gun with special visual effects, and oh yeah, it talks to you. So, as far as bonus guns go, this is probably the best I've seen.
Number 6
At number six is Resident Evil 4's PRL 412. This special weapon's full name is the Plaga Removal Laser 412, and it lives up to the title. Originally added to the game with the PlayStation 2 version, the weapon only unlocks after you beat the game on Professional Mode, the game's equivalent to Hard Mode. There are other things you get for beating the game normally, but come on; it's a special laser designed to specifically kill parasites. Easily the best reward in the game. It's got two firing modes: either a close-range flash of light that works exactly like a flash grenade, or a supercharged shot that's just a BFG. It kills everything in sight. See that? Everything in sight was dead. And that includes bosses. Just one hit, done. It breaks the game wide open, but man oh man, is it satisfying to use.
Number 5
At number five is Gears of War: Judgment's "Aftermath." I know there's a lot of hate for the changes Judgment makes to the standard Gears formula, but I've got a soft spot for it, at least the campaign. It's fun, and you get a great little bonus for completing it. After finishing the standard game, you unlock a bonus campaign called "Aftermath." It may be a bonus unlockable, but this two to three-hour mini-campaign is no afterthought. Made by the regular Gears of War team, it plays exactly like Gears of War 3, and it is meant to take place around the midpoint of that game, where you play as Baird and Cole Train on a little side adventure. It doesn't expand the lore, have any big revelations, or anything; it's just really fun. It's tightly designed, a little Gears of War adventure made by the series veterans who were at the absolute top of their game here. It's a great little add-on that adds a ton to the experience. Honestly, "Aftermath" is probably the best thing about the single-player part of Judgment, and I like the game overall. It's just that this is really that great. The content isn't particularly crazy in terms of what you learn, what you find, and what you see; it's just high-quality, crazy high-quality.
Number 4
At number four is Xenoblade Chronicles 3's two secret returning characters. Most RPGs are pretty stingy with bonus characters; at most, an RPG will have one, maybe two characters if you're lucky. But Xenoblade 3 is mighty generous. On top of the dozen or so extra characters you can unlock that fill out the hero slot in your party, there are two that become available after you beat the game. It's a huge spoiler if you're a fan of the series, but this is all beat-the-game stuff, and it's too late anyway, so whatever. It's Melia and Nia, returning characters from Xenoblade 1 and 2, respectively. These are two important plot characters, but they only become available to recruit in the post-game. All it takes to get them to join you is to approach them after finishing the game, and they'll join you. No, proving yourself, no going on a fetch quest, none of that. And each one is their special class with new abilities and everything. But the game doesn't tell you that they're recruitable; there's no quest marker pointing you toward them or anything like that, so they're pretty easy to miss. For longtime fans of the series, it's one of the best post-game rewards ever. But even if you're a newcomer, getting these two secret characters is still a pretty solid reward, honestly. It's been so flipping long—what I mean to say is, oh, I'll forget it.
Number 3
And number three is Alan Wake 2's "The Final Draft." It's becoming increasingly common for New Game Plus modes to include new content, but Alan Wake 2 takes that idea even further than usual. After beating the game for the first time, you unlock a new menu option called "The Final Draft," which is New Game Plus with a twist. On top of the usual skills and weapons that carry over, this mode includes additional notes and videos that closely tie it in with Control. Back to the beginning with the memory of the past loop already fading fast, but while it lingers, I know there's hope. We're not doomed to repeat our failures in an eternal loop. This is a spiral. Mysteries are expanded on, more stuff—I can't expand on what I mean by "stuff" without spoiling stuff, but stuff gets revealed. And there's even a new ending. Survival horror games are built especially well for multiple playthroughs, so having games do interesting things like this or the secret ending in the Dead Space remake—I mean, it's great to see. The thing about "The Final Draft" is that it adds context to the story, but it's also got some truly bizarre nonsense as well. And who doesn't like truly bizarre nonsense? I mean, if you're playing "The Final Draft," the Control-centric add-on to Alan Wake 2, which you have already played through, yeah, you pretty much know what you're in for with bizarre nonsense, right? You've got to be a glutton for that at this point. It's not just victims and monsters I see now; there are heroes as well. We can find our way through the darkness. We will break through the surface; we will emerge into the light.
Number 2
Moving on, number two is Sonic Adventure 2's Green Hill Zone. Unlocking this one requires way more than just finishing the game, but if you were a kid who was a Sonic fan way back when this unlock probably blew your mind. There are many, many emblems to collect in Sonic Adventure 2—some are easy, and some are extremely annoying. But if you get them all, something very interesting happens: a new icon appears on the world map, and it's a fully recreated version of the original level in the original Sonic game, Green Hill Zone, made in Sonic Adventure 2. This was before everybody was completely sick of Green Hill Zone before they put it in every single Sonic game, so it was a pretty pleasant surprise. The rest of the game's levels have a much more realistic style, you know, at least for a Dreamcast/GameCube game, so this secret stage stands out. They put in the extra work, too, with new models of the original enemies and everything. Most platforming games give you pathetic rewards for 100% completion, but this one? Pretty sweet. In all seriousness, Sonic Adventure 2 is a great game, flaws and all. Just made it.
Number 1
And finally, at number one, it's Alpha Protocol's Veteran Mode. When you start a new game in Alpha Protocol, this janky cult classic spy RPG made by Obsidian, you get a few options for what your character's history is. They're classes covering standard archetypes like Soldier, Tech Specialist, and all-rounder—the Freelancer. The one that stands out is the Recruit option, though. It's a naked guy with a stick, you know, from a Souls game. You start with zero AP to put into skills, and you suck at everything. If you manage to beat the game this way, which honestly isn't that much more difficult if you know what skills to buy, then you unlock the special Veteran background, which gives you lots of skills and plenty of AP to start with. Pick this class, and you're pretty much unstoppable, which is fun. But the thing that makes it interesting is that you get a special veteran dialogue option. A lot of the time, the wiki specifically mentions a situation where you're forced to pick between two outcomes, and if you're a veteran, you can just do both. Alpha Protocol makes you overpowered in combat and conversations. As a veteran, I can't think of other games that do that, at least right away.
Outro
And that's all for today. Leave us a comment; let us know what you think.And as always, we thank you very much for reading this blog. I'm Zaid Ikram. We'll see you next time right here on Speed Tool.
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