Bad Dudes (NES/Arcade)

Famous Person (George Bush): In the NES version, the president in the end sequence looks like George Bush (Sr).
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Cross-Series (Karnov): The first boss is Karnov.
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Famous Person (Ronald Reagan): In the arcade version, the president in the end sequence is Ronald Reagan. (Credit: Crawl and 1000)
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Balloon Kid (GB)

Real Place (Pennsylvania): Takes place in Pencilvania, a pun on Pennsylvania due to all the giant pencil-shaped buildings. (Credit: Mark Kelly)
Status: Unverified

Bangai-O (DC)

Cross-Series (Gunstar Heroes): Level 12 is called the "Gunstar Planet", a reference to Gunstar Heroes. (Credit: Crawl and 1000)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Movie/TV Shows (Godzilla/Ultraman): Between stages, there are pictures shown of Ultraman beating up Godzilla and vice versa. (Credit: Crawl and 1000)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Banjo-Kazooie (N64)

Cross-Series (Conker): There is a picture of Berry the Squirrel from the Conker games in one of the ship's cabins in Rusty Bucket Bay.
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Cross-Series (Donkey Kong Country/Conker): Several characters from other Rare games are mentioned in the Furnace Fun quiz game, such as Funky the Monkey (Funky Kong), Cranky Kong, and Conker the Squirrel.
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Cross-Series (Donkey Kong Country): The beaver in Click Clock Woods is named "Gnawty", which was what the beavers in the Donkey Kong Country games were called.
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Music (Teddy Bear's Picnic): Gruntilda's Lair theme sounds a lot like "Teddy Bear's Picnic".
Status: TRUE: There is no way I can believe the similarity of these songs is coincidence. Here are two midis for proof: (Banjo-Kazooie Midi) (Teddy Bears Picnic Midi)

Programmers: In Rusty Bucket Bay, "Twycross England" is written on the back of the boat, which is where Rare headquarters is located in real life.
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Console (Gameboy): On the third file select in Banjo's house, Banjo is playing a Game Boy. (Credit: Deven711)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Banjo-Tooie (N64)

Cross-Series (Jet Force Gemini): Bottles' kids have posters of Jet Force Gemini characters in their rooms. (Credit: Mark Kelly)
Status: Unverified

Cross-Series (Donkey Kong Country): One of Bottles's kids has a Donkey Kong doll. (Credit: Mark Kelly)
Status: Unverified

Barker Bill's Trick Shooting (NES)

Cross-Series (Duck Hunt): The dog from Duck Hunt makes an appearance in this game. You can even shoot it in the Balloon Saloon game. (Credit: Mark Kelly)
Status: Unverified

Comics/TV Shows: Barker Bill himself is an old Paul Terry cartoon character who appeared in a comic strip as well as "introduced" several animation shorts in "Barker Bill's Cartoon Show". I place the date at around 1952. (Credit: Mark Kelly)
Status: Unverified

Baseball (GB)

Cross-Series (Super Mario Bros.): Mario and Luigi are the names of the pitchers for the Bears and Eagles. And Mario appears on the U.S. boxart as the pitcher. (Credit: Mark Kelly)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO. Source: Nintendo Power.

Baseball Stars (NES)

Cross-Series (Ikari Warriors): Practically every player in the SNK Crushers is named after an SNK game character, two of them being Paul and Vince from Ikari Warriors. (Credit: Mike Waters)
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Batman: Rise of Sin Tzu (Multiplatform)

Famous Person (Sun Tzu): The main bad guy, Sin Tzu, is named after Sun Tzu, the Chinese man who wrote "The Art of War". (Credit: Andy Thorley)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO. Obvious reference.

Battle Arena Toshinden 3 (PS1)

Famous Person (Michael Jackson): A character named Ten Count bears a very close resemblance to pop singer Michael Jackson, wearing the white suit from Moonwalker. His voice and moves are also too similar to be coincidence. (Credit: Andrew Rae)
Status: Unverified

Battle Circuit (Arcade)

Bizarre Coincidence? (R.O.B.): Battle Circuit has enemies named R.O.B., posssibly after the Nintendo peripheral. (Credit: Ultimate Chicken)
Status: Unproven

Battle of Olympus (NES)

Music (Bach): The music that plays when you talk to the gods is Bach's "Tocatta & Fugue".
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Battletoads (NES)

Cross-Series (Wizards & Warriors): The rhino-like enemy that appears on the Dark Queen's Tower first appeared in level 1 of Rare's Wizards & Warriors game.
Status: TRUE: Screenshots prove it: (Wizards & Warriors Rhino) (Battletoads Rhino)

Cross-Series (Space Invaders): The enemies that steal your life energy blocks are take-offs of the original Space Invaders. It's even implied in the game's manual. (Screenshot)
Status: TRUE: That it's explicitly implied in the manual is proof enough for me.

Cross-Series (The Staff of Karnath): The Karnath's Lair (the level with all the giant snakes) is named after a Commodore 64 game from Ultimate called "The Staff of Karnath". Ultimate later became Rare. (Credit: Kairobi King)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO. A C64 game called "The Staff of Karnath" does indeed exist.

Battletoads/Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team (Multiplatform)

Cross-Series (Solar Jetman): The spaceship that you pilot in one level is Solar Jetman's pod.
Status: TRUE: Screenshots prove it: (Solar Jetman Pic) (Battletoads/Double Dragon Pic)

Cross-Series (Asteroids): That same spaceship level is based on the old Asteroids game.
Status: TRUE: Rare seems to have a thing for referencing old arcade games. See the Space Invaders reference under Battletoads.

Programmers: The subtitle of the game is most likely a reference to Ultimate, Rare's former self. (Credit: Kairobi King & Flying Omelette)
Status: TRUE: Rare was started as a subdivision of Ultimate by Chris and Tim Stamper. This seemingly generic subtitle was actually a clever homage.

Beach Spikers (GCN)

Cross-Series (Sonic the Hedgehog): There is a stage with a giant Sonic the Hedgehog statue. (Credit: Travis Fahs)
Status: Unverified

Cross-Series (Various): There are unlockable costumes and parts to allow you to play as Ulala from Space Channel 5, Honey from Fighting Vipers, Nei from Phantasy Star, and Janet from Virtua Cop, as well as uniforms with the Daytona USA logo on them. (Credit: Travis Fahs)
Status: TRUE: Multiple sites confirm it.

Beatmania (Arcade)

Cross-Series (Metal Gear Solid): There are at least two Metal Gear Solid song remixes in Beatmania. (Credit: Yashiro Nanakase)
Status: Unverified

Cross-Series (Wai Wai World): In some of the game's music videos, you can see Konami Man playing with a yo-yo. (Credit: Yashiro Nanakase & Dire 51)
Status: TRUE: Verified by The OPCFG.

Biker Mice From Mars (SNES)

Products (Snickers): In the European version of the game, there are Snickers ads. There are so many of them that it's not even funny. You can even buy a Snickers bar in the shop. (Credit: Per Arne Sandvik)
Status: TRUE: Article at (Encyclopedia-Obscura) confirms it.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure (NES)

Famous Person (Various): Check the label for Bill & Ted's Excellent Video Game Adventure for NES. The label for the game is the same as the box for the movie, showing the historical figures from the movie, but wait a minute: where are they in the game? You rescue people in the game such as George Washington, Paul Revere, Confuscious, William Shakespeare, Al Capone, Jesse James, King Arthur, Robin Hood, Cleopatra, Rembrandt, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and perhaps a few others. Certainly historical people (some say there might have been a British king named Arthur, but he was nothing like the legendary King Arthur), but where were they in the movie? Nowhere. What happened to Napoleon, Joan of Arc, Abraham Lincoln, Ghengis Khan, Beethoven, Socrates, Billy the Kid, and Sigmund Freud? For shame, LJN, you didn't do your homework (pardon the pun) when you made this game. (Credit: Mike Waters)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO. Source: Nintendo Power.

Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (GCN)

Cross-Series (Sonic the Hedgehog): If you collect enough emblems, you'll be able to use the Sonic the Hedgehog egg. It is called "The Egg of the Blue Hedgehog". (Credit: Deven711 & Michael Morrissette)
Status: TRUE: Multiple sites confirm it.

Cross-Series (NiGHTS): There's also a NiGHTs egg. (Credit: Deven711)
Status: TRUE: Multiple sites confirm it.

Biometal (SNES)

Movie (Aliens): Biometal is full of enemies that strongly resemble the alien from the Alien movies.
Status: TRUE: Resemblance too strong to be coincidence, screenshots for proof: (Screenshot 1) (Screenshot 2)

Bionic Commando (GB)

Console (Game Boy): The flooring of one level is made out of Game Boys. (Credit: Codie Martin)
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Bionic Commando (NES)

Cross-Series (Commando): Super Joe from Commando is the person you have to rescue in the game. (Credit: Shadow Villgust)
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it. This was done to replace the Nazi storyline when the game was ported to America. Capcom couldn't use Nazis in the game due to Nintendo's then-strict censorship rules.

Famous Person (Adolf Hitler): In the original Famicom game, you were fighting the Nazis. That's why the final boss looks like Hitler. (Credit: Aaron Campbell)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO. Numerous sources have confirmed this.

Bishi Bashi Special (PS1)

Cross-Series (Wai Wai World): One of the eight playable characters is Konami Man. (Credit: Martin Brear & Dire 51)
Status: TRUE: Verified by The OPCFG.

Blades of Steel (NES)

Cross-Series (Gradius/Contra/Jackal): Sometimes during the breaks between periods, the computer will start up a mini version of Gradius on the scoreboard, which is just the Vic Viper versus a Xaerous Big Core Fighter. After you either destroy the Xaerous or are destroyed yourself, the scoreboard then flashes the logos for Contra and Jackal, then announces "WHAT AN EXCITING GAME - FANTASTIC GRAPHICS - AWESOME MUSIC", which is followed by "ALL YOUR FRIENDS WILL WANT IT" and then the Konami logo. (Credit Dire 51 & RoyalRanger)
Status: TRUE: Screenshots provided by Dire 51 prove it: (Pic 1) (Pic 2) (Pic 3) (Pic 4) (Pic 5)

Blast Corps (N64)

TV Shows (The Dukes of Hazzard): One of the cars is based on the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard TV show. When you beep the horn, it plays "Dixie". (Credit: Camira Breen)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO. Source: Nintendo Power.

TV Shows (The A-Team): There is a black van that is based on the A-Team van. The horn sound is Mr. T saying "Outta my way!" (Credit: Nyk'chendhe)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO. Source: Nintendo Power.

Blaster Master (NES)

Bizarre Coincidence? (Friday the 13th/A Nightmare on Elm Street): I have to wonder if the guys at Sunsoft watched too many horror movies. The hero of Blaster Master is named "Jason", and his frog's name is "Fred" (Freddy). (Credit: Codie Martin)
Status: Unproven: But it's too bizarre a coincidence to leave off.

Blaster Master: Blasting Again (PS1)

Music: A small part of the lobby area is a remix of part of the music for the grass land area in Blaster Master and a part of the catacomb music for the ground area is a remix of the castle area. (Credit: Codie Martin)
Status: Unverified

Character Cameo: In the first area, a statue of the next-to-last boss of the original Blaster Master can be found embedded in a wall. (The boss that's pictured on Blaster Master's box and label.)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Specific Reference: The third boss is a remake of the cube boss from the original Blaster Master. Ironically, they're both the third bosses in their respective games. (Credit: Codie Martin)
Status: Unverified

Bomberman (NES)

Cross-Series (Lode Runner): In the Famicom ending of Bomberman, when he turns into a human, it says "Bomberman becomes Lode Runner. See you again in Lode Runner!" (Credit: Hobbes)
Status: Unverified

Cross-Series (Milon's Secret Castle): In the US Bomberman for NES, when Bomberman turns human, the screen says "maybe you will recognize him in another Hudson game". You see Bomberman walk off the screen, and when he comes back on the screen, he is in human form. Bomberman's human form, as it turns out, is Milon from Milon's Secret Castle. (Credit: Mike Waters)
Status: Unverified

Breakdown (XBOX)

Console (XBOX): An XBOX can be seen on a table along with a few blank, green game cases and discs. (Credit: MJB817)
Status: Unverified

Breath of Fire (SNES)

Cross-Series (Ghosts n Goblins): Arthur's head appears in paintings on walls. Arthur is from the Ghosts 'n Goblins game series.
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Cross-Series (Street Fighter 2): There's a way to make Chun Li, from the Street Fighter games, appear in the town of Bleak by talking to one of the thieves in a house.
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Bizarre Coincidence? (Mega Man 5): The Goda boss looks a lot like Stone Man from Mega Man 5.
Status: Unproven: It could just be coincidence, but Capcom already got in the G'n'G and Street Fighter references, so I'd be surprised if a Mega Man reference didn't make it in, too. (See Oddities 34 for picture comparison.)

Movie (Aliens): The true form of the final boss looks very "Gigerish". Giger is the artist who developed the Aliens for the Alien movies. (Credit: Spauldingae)
Status: TRUE: Resemblance too strong to be coincidence. Aliens would be used again in Breath of Fire 2. (Screenshot)

Bizarre Coincidence? (Legend of the Ghost Lion): Breath of Fire has a song that's nearly identical to a song in Legend of the Ghost Lion. I don't even know how that's possible. Either Capcom copied it, both games had the same composer, or it's a real song. (Credit: SethraShnoo)
Status: Unknown: This one is very strange. I explored this uncanny musical similarity in Oddities 27.

Famous Person (George Romero): The town that's overrun by zombies is called "Romero". George Romero is the director of those famous zombie movies Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead. This can't be a coincidence. The town must be named after him.
Status: TRUE: I'm also taking into account the fact that Capcom originally wanted George Romero to direct the Resident Evil movie, though someone else eventually did. Too much evidence for this to be coincidence.

Breath of Fire 2 (SNES)

Movie (Aliens): There's a part where you have to save a bunch of people in a town by going down a well. The people have these creatures, called Chiroru, attached to their faces that look exactly like the facehuggers from the Alien movies. The boss of this area, the Terrapin, has a very Alien-like head and jaws and even a giant egg-sac, like the Alien Queen.
Status: TRUE: Too many similarities of these enemies to the look and behavior of the Aliens characters for this to be coincidence. Screenshots provided by CB007: (Chiroru Screenshot) (Terrapin Screenshot)

Character Cameos: Bo and Karn from Breath of Fire make a cameo on a hidden island, and Bleu is a hidden playable character. Also, the Breath of Fire 1 version of Nina appears briefly in a cutscene. (Credit: Kairobi King)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Cross-Series (Ghosts n Goblins): The Gargoyle and Amom enemies strongly resemble Firebrand from Gargoyle's Quest, Demon's Crest, and Ghosts 'n' Goblins. (Credit: Iqniz)
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Literature (Kilgore Trout): When Bow is under suspect for being a thief, there are two characters involved: a man named Kilgore and a monster named Trout. Put those two together and you get Kilgore Trout, Kurt Vonnegut's character in many of his novels. (Credit: metroid213)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Commercials/Products (Remington/Baretta): Lemington and Baretta are 2 weapon-selling characters you can get to live in Township. They are named after the real-world arms dealers Remington and Baretta. (Credit: MJB817)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO. Source: Prima Breath of Fire 2 Guide.

Literature (Flowers for Algernon): There is a boss named Algernon that you fight in a field of flowers. This could be a reference to the book "Flowers for Algernon". (Credit: MJB817)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO. (Algernon is too unusual a name for this to be coincidence.)

Cross-Series (Darius): There is a fish enemy called Darious. Possibly a reference to the Darius series of shooters, known for their giant robot fish enemies. (Credit: MJB817)
Status: Coincidence?: It's true there is a fish enemy called "Darious", but I'm not 100% sure it's a reference to the Darius game series because they weren't made by Capcom.

Breath of Fire 3 (PS1)

Specific Reference: A mural showing the final battle in Breath of Fire is shown just before the title screen, and can be found later in the game. (Credit: Spauldingae)
Status: Unverified

Cross-Series (Street Fighter 2): Chun Li from Street Fighter 2 can be seen in the Audience during one of the fights in the Arena. (Credit: Spauldingae)
Status: Unverified

Character Cameos: Throughout the game, you can find characters that look like other characters from the other Breath of Fire games, including Rand (Fahl), Sten (outside Genmel Arena), Bow (outside Genmel Arena), Gobi (fish merchant), and Jean (in the Windian Dungeon). Also Gary, one of the miners that frees Ryu, looks like Bo from BoF. You fight Ox from BoF in the Dauna Mines. Deis, the Master, looks like Bleu from BoF. The other miner that frees Ryu is Mogu from BoF. Spar (from BoF2) doesn't appear in the game, but Peco is based on him. Hachio, the cook at the Wildcat Cafe in BoF2, is now the cook at Wyndia Castle. (Credit: Joe Cottle)
Status: Unverified

Cross-Series (Street Fighter Alpha): In the audience during the Contest of Champions, you can see Sakura from Street Fighter Alpha there. (Credit: Joe Cottle)
Status: Unverified

Character Cameo: There is a mural of Katt from Breath of Fire 2 in front on the Genmel Arena. (Credit: Joe Cottle)
Status: Unverified

Movie (Little Shop of Horrors): There is a plant enemy named Audrey, which is a reference to the plant from "Little Shop of Horrors." (Credit: MJB817)
Status: Unverified

Famous Person (Paul Bunyan): The lumberjack named Bunyan is an obvious reference to Paul Bunyan, the lumberjack of American legends. (Credit: MJB817)
Status: Unverified

Breath of Fire 4 (PS1)

Character Cameo: MoMo from Breath of Fire 3 makes an appearence in Wyndia as a master. She teaches whoever studies under her "Snooze", which makes them fall asleep if they're placed on the back row, thus gaining more HP/AP per turn. (Credit: Andy Thorley)
Status: Unverified

Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind (SNES/Genesis)

Movie/Music (Various): The title is a spoof of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", and almost every stage level is a spoof of a movie or song title:
1. Cheese Wheels of Doom = Possibly Temple of Doom
2. Forbidden Plummet = Forbidden Planet
3. A Bridge Too Fur = A Bridge Too Far
5. Night of the Bobcat = Possibly Night of the Living Dead
7. The Good, the Bad, and the Woolies = The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
8. A Fistfull of Yarn = A Fistful of Dollars
9. Dances With Woolies = Dances With Wolves
11. Rock Around the Croc = "Rock Around the Clock", the famous song by Bill Halley and His Comets
12. Claws for Alarm = Cause For Alarm!
13. Eye of the Bobcat = "Eye of the Tiger", the song from Rocky III
15. Lethal Woolie = Lethal Weapon
16. A Farewell to Woolies = A Farewell to Arms (Credit: Troy Demetrius)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Famous Person (Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry): When Bubsy says, "Well...it worked for Clint...", he's referring to Clint Eastwood. When he says, "Go ahead...make my day", he's imitating Dirty Harry. (Credit: Troy Demetrius)
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Famous Person (Elvis Presley): Bubsy also says, "Hey! I thought I saw Elvis back there!"
Status: TRUE: Verified by FO.

Bucky O'Hare (NES)

Cross-Series (Life Force): The Red Planet has those fire-arches from level 3 of Life Force. (Credit: Andrew Rae)
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Cross-Series (Gradius): The Red Planet also has the rock-spewing volcanoes from Gradius.
Status: TRUE: (Screenshot) proves it.

Bug! (Saturn)

Cross-Series (Sonic the Hedgehog): You can race against Sonic in one of the bonus stages. (Credit: Michael Morrissette)
Status: Unverified