The Resident Evil 3 Demo Features an Amazing Mega Man Easter Egg

In the days of the original NES, publishers went to great lengths to sell American audiences on Japanese games. As a result, a lot of classic games received box art that might not have been an accurate reflection of the game inside. While there are a plethora of examples from the 8-bit era, perhaps no example is better known than Mega Man. For some reason or another, someone at Capcom didn’t think the blue bomber would appeal to American audiences, and thus, the character received an unfortunate makeover. The design didn’t last, but Capcom still pokes fun at the old look, and that can be seen in the recently released demo for Resident Evil 3.

In the demo, a Raccoon City toy store has a fairly prominent display in the front window, featuring none other than Mega Man. Well, the box art Mega Man, at least. One might see this and make the assumption that this version of Mega Man might be pretty popular in Raccoon City circa 1998, but a closer inspection reveals that this version of the character doesn’t seem to be too popular there, either.

First of all, here are a lot of figures in the display, and on top of that, the figures are buy one, get one 50% off. Since only one figure can be seen from the line, it seems safe to say Mega Man might not be a top seller for Toy Uncle. Additionally, Toy Uncle has a neon-lit sign that reads “We Buy Old Toys,” and the Mega Man model on display is showing signs of wear. Seems a safe bet that these figures were scooped up by a discount retail store, after the major retailers couldn’t find a way to clear out their stock. Poor guy just can’t catch a break!

That’s not the only Easter egg for Mega Man fans, however. Raccoon City also has a poster featuring Dr. Wily and Dr. Light. The poster re-imagines the two iconic characters in a much more realistic light than fans are accustomed to, along with a tagline questioning whether or not robots are the future.

All in all, these are some pretty cool nods to one of Capcom’s biggest franchises. Did you spot both of them? What do you think of the Resident Evil 3 demo so far? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!