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The Moment You Realized You Were Playing One of the Best Games Ever

K

Kevin Shields

Member
I'm replaying The Phantom Pain right now a year after its release, and while it was 2nd in my GOTY last year, it may become one of my favorite games of all time. The moment I said that to myself is when I was playing the Pitch Dark level in the rain with A Man Who Sold the World playing and I had the oil pump turned on and the explosives ready and I was a stealth God. I had No Tracrs stealth at the moment but before I blew the C4 I got spotted and torn to shreds. I barely got to cover and a 20 minute firefight ensued until I called a chopper support and Rebel Yell was playing mixed with MWSTW and it was one of the greatest gaming moments of my life. I officially knew I was playing one of the coolest games ever.

Also there was a pivotal moment playing my favorite game. Shadow of the Colossus on the wings of the that bird creature. It was decent to me and that boss happened and I knew in an instant this was all time

So what about you? Did you go into a game already deciding it was the best and it affirmed your feelings? Did it take a while after beating it to sink in? Any key moments you remember where a game became your fav?
 
H

hydrophilic attack

Member
Valley of defilement

I'll copy in what I said in another thread:

The greatness of the 5-2 swamp is how, similar to 3-1 but I would argue even more successfully, it makes you feel the same as your avatar would going through the area. It is hopeless, gruelling and absolutely soul crushing. The hopelessness of yourself and your avatar makes you sympathize with the hopelessness of the creatures that lived there, which masterfully ties in with the narrative of the game, as it makes you understand what Astraea must have felt going through here, helping you understand and even sympathize with why she committed her great sin. Is a world which allows such misery to continue even worth preserving? How could a god and powerful god ever tolerate such suffering?

A lot has been said about the poison swamp, but I really want to discuss the second half of the level: the shanty town. And it is great precisely because of the swamp that came before it. You really don't want to repeat the swamp, which makes you into a nervous wreck going through the shanty town. You know that there is a shortcut and that it is within reach, and that if you manage to reach it you will never have to go through the swamp again. But you know that if you die, so close to your goal, going through the swamp is going to hurt so much more, seeing how you almost managed to escape it for good. The game knows that you will feel this way, and uses this knowledge to mess with you. Being so close to the goal may tempt you to rush, but this is the worst thing you can do; the town is full of blind corners where enemies hide. Rush and you will be surrounded in no time. On their own, the enemies are weak, but if they surround you, you can be in a lot of trouble. And the game has another devious trick to make you rush. In its most effective use ever in the series, the poison cloud spell wielded by the shamans keeps you moving, as staying put will get you poisoned. The shamans themselves are always quite a bit ahead of you tempting you to rush them, which would lead you into ambushes.

The relief you feel when you get through the level and unlock the shortcut is immense. For me, it is the platonic ideal of the "I did it" Souls moment. It is probably my most hated level ever, which is what makes it great. The confidence and determination in carrying through their idea for the level to the fullest extent is in my opinion the crowning achievement of the Souls games and what ultimately cements Demon's Souls as the great game of all time
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
Tower of Latria

That was after almost rage-quitting Demon's Souls some weeks earlier and getting back into it. So glad I gave it another chance.

More recently, the Chester boss fight in Ys: Oath in Felghana.

And entering Nightmare Frontier in Bloodborne, after thinking it was mostly Victorian gothic horror, and seeing only hints of Lovecraftian nightmares... and then seeing this alien dream-like landscape full of impossible geometries and cosmic horrors. My mind was blown.
 
M

maxcriden

Member
1:1 swordfight with Ghirahim in Skyward.

Sucking up a whole mural of Kirby's OG Dream Land in Triple Deluxe.

Going upside down in SMG.

Completing a difficult Pushmo.

Catching a Tricky Treasure in Rayman Origins.

Sunset in DKCR.
 
D

dab0ne

Member
When I whipped in every direction in castlevania IV

When I could get in any car, play for hours, and never actually do anything in GTA 3.
 
kamineko

kamineko

Does his best thinking in the flying car
When the world ends in the middle of FFVI. Seemed so insane at the time I couldn't believe it

Also when you get out of the city for the first time in GTA: SA
 
W

Waluigilicious

Member
Wild Arms as soon as the intro kicks in
Pokemon Silver as soon as you set foot into kanto
Perfect Dark the moment you enter combat simulator
 
O

OrbitalBeard

Member
Entering the second half of the Forbidden Woods in Bloodborne
(the area with the snakes)
. At this moment, I knew I was playing a masterpiece.

When I looked over at my wife (who's not a gamer) during the Good Egg Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy and realized she was in complete awe at how magical the game was.

Uncharted 2's train sequence.

The "Winter" chapter in The Last of Us.

Fighting the lake monster in Resident Evil 4.
 
DOWN

DOWN

Banned
BioShock demo

Resident Evil 4 after the village spots you

Half-Life 2 when you get diverted from the checkpoint at the train station

Skyrim when you hear The Streets of Whiterun and look across the tundra

Uncharted 2's Hotel Shangri-La

Wind Waker when it hits nightfall on your first sailing trip at sea with the King of Red Lions

Call of Duty 4 all Ghillied up

Red Dead Redemption when you leave Bonnie behind
 
I

impirius

Member
PRbnZrw.jpg
Click to expand...
An unexpected quiet moment before the big adventure begins.

And then the stupid owl almost ruins it immediately afterwards
 
A

Anth0ny

Member
When I reached this part of Super Metroid

The music kicked in, and I was deep enough into the game to know I was playing something special. From the controls to art, designs, atmosphere, pacing... I knew I was playing one of the best games ever. The first game to break into my personal top 10 of all time in YEARS. A list I thought was solidified in my childhood.
 
Z

Zukuu

Banned
FF 7 - right away. I could already tell from the demo (beginning) I played before release at my local store.

NieR - went from "unique and enjoyable" to "holy fuck" during the Playthrough B. Probably when I saw P-33's video and the realization of what he said during the boss fight. Still get shivers.
 
M

Mindlog

Member
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Imagine the entire contents of the planetary datalinks, the sum total of human knowledge, blasted into the Planetmind's fragile neural network with the full power of every reactor on the planet. Thousands of years of civilization compressed into a single searing burst of revelation. That is our last-ditch attempt to win humanity a reprieve from extinction at the hands of an awakening alien god.

-- Academician Prokhor Zakharov, "Planet Speaks"
Click to expand...
Sure the game's strategy layer's flaws became crystal clear, but that combination of game and story will never be forgotten. For my money it has yet to be approached.
 
D

dragonflys545

Member
The Last of Us - The opening.

God of War series - The first level of 1, 2 and 3.

Uncharted series - Finishing the first game in the series.
 
IrishNinja

IrishNinja

Member
the first time i was being chased by werewolfs in Zombies Ate My Neighbors, and while frantically scrolling through for weapons, i accidentally hit one with silverware, killing it instantly

i paused & cried

Zukuu said:
NieR - went from "unique and enjoyable" to "holy fuck" during the Playthrough B. Probably when I saw P-33's video and the realization of what he said during the boss fight. Still get shivers.
Click to expand...

yeah, this is a great example here - really hits you with a depth you didn't think the game had
 
B

Brumfieldhm

Member
The Last of Us

You've just witnessed
the little boy become infected and his brother kills him, then himself. Jump cut to you walking through a lush green, but overcast forest through the mountains. I've never felt more enveloped in the atmosphere.



Journey

Sliding down the sun soaked sand, with dusk sunset singing through the pillars racing by you.



Inside

Galloping through the employee cafeteria as the fleshy mound of body parts.
 
Pagusas

Pagusas

Elden Member
Final Fantasy VII - The moment you leave Midgar. Instantly just realized "I'm playing the greatest thing ever made".


Still to this day get that feeling.
 
A

Atomic Playboy

Member
ktroopa said:
Red Dead Redemption. Entering New Mexico.

Dem feels...
Click to expand...

This.

Also in The Witcher 3, getting on your horse and accompanying Vessemir down the road in this war-torn section of an otherwise idyllic little scene; the setting immediately sets a tone that most games can't achieve. And then you find the dude getting attacked by a gigantic Griffin and think "holy shit, this game is bananas." Or the entirety of The Bloody Baron questline, of course. But I was sold well before that.
 
H

herbchamberz

Member
ktroopa said:
Red Dead Redemption. Entering New Mexico.

Dem feels...
Click to expand...

Yesssss - when that Jose Gonzalez track is playing. Damn.

And I'm also going to be "that guy" and say those few scenes in Last of Us:

[Joel gets pushed off the ledge and gets that nasty injury. You're at the brink of the death. Scene ends. You're now in control of Ellie]:

"Holy fuck......"
 
F

Fisty

Member
When I realized I put over 20 hours into a 20 minute demo (MGS1)

When I realized I put over 20 hours into a 20 minute demo (MGS2)

When I realized I put over 20 hours into a 20 minute demo (MGS3)
 
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