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Borderlands 2, the sequel to Gearbox's 2009 loot-grabbing free-roaming shooter, has topped the charts in its first week on sale and players have discovered all manner of hilarious gags and references hidden off the beaten path.

Venture into the upper left hand corner of the map in the Caustic Caverns area, for example, and you'll find a familiar looking wall made up of dirt cubes. Bash your way through and you'll discover a homage to beloved indie game Minecraft, complete with Creeper enemies and a bonus character skin. Head to the right hand side of the same area and you'll find an eerie campfire with a ghostly warrior sitting beside it, a nod to the equally beloved hardcore RPG Dark Souls.

There are TV and film references as well. The mission Too Close For Missiles is chock full of Top Gun jokes, from a map location called Goose's Roost to the quest giver, a man named Loggins after Kenny Loggins, singer of Top Gun soundtrack classic Danger Zone. There's even a volleyball net. Another mission, Splinter Group, sends you into the sewers to track down four mutants who love pizza and fight using melee weapons. They're not teenagers or turtles but they are mutants and ninjas, and their colour coded costumes will tip you off as to who they're meant to be.

This is surely just the tip of the iceberg. Borderlands 2 is a game crammed with silly little details and gags that are easily missed in the heat of battle. If you haven't picked up a copy, it's out now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Hours of entertainment, guaranteed!