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[Jigsaah]

When is that one time where you had to pick your jaw up off the floor after experiencing something in a game you love? Did you witness some graphical feat, maybe a moment in a story that truly moved you, an unrivaled multiplayer experience or an insanely good soundtrack that you could listen to all day every day?

I think mine is when I experienced Phantom Dust. I was playing with my best friend, David and we had always dreamed of a game where you had these psychic superhero powers and would have epic battles to the point of destroying entire pieces of landscape with unadulterated mayhem. He and I would play as partners, taking on two opponents and the battles would be so tense once the community got good in the game. For me, and this is a bit personal, what really solidified this is that my friend is no longer with us. Not to make this all sad or anything, but I'm really glad Yukio Futatsugi had the vision to make this game. It was and in some ways still is ahead of its time.



I'd like to know what kind of experiences others have had and I'm sure there may be a thread on this, but I'm not gonna dig that far back, so please, indulge us.

 

[Sqorin Hammerfarf]

I've had many, but I don't think anything will ever compare to playing Mario 64 for the first time, except for maybe first putting on a VR helmet.

 

[Raph64]

Beating the Grandmaster Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2 definitely comes in mind, it felt so satisfying achieving the final star in the whole game after hours and hours of hard attempts. As soon as I finally grabbed that star, I felt immensely proud of myself. It’s amazing how binary codes can make you feel any sorts of emotions, and this game was no exception.

 

[Terce]

When Groucho moved away in AC: New Leaf

 

[Jigsaah]

I've had many, but I don't think anything will ever compare to playing Mario 64 for the first time, except for maybe first putting on a VR helmet.

Nintendo 64 was the first console I bought with my own money. First game was Mario 64 and I was amazed. It was definitely on the list. Good one.

Beating the Grandmaster Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy 2 definitely comes in mind, it felt so satisfying achieving the final star in the whole game after hours and hours of hard attempts. As soon as I finally grabbed that star, I felt immensely proud of myself. It’s amazing how binary codes can make you feel any sorts of emotions, and this game was no exception.

By time the Wii was out I grew out of Nintendo. Last one I played was Sunshine. That's awesome you were able to do that though. Stories like this make me kick myself for not buying a Switch now.

When Groucho moved away in AC: New Leaf

Hmm never played Animal Crossing. Jeez you guys are making me feel like I missed out on part of my childhood by not getting more Nintendo systems. Was Animal Crossing on 3DS exclusively?

 

[eminydax]

-playing the first time with the wiimote in red steel.
-picking up the cigar in london heist.

 

[Chronos24]

The events in Life is Strange 1 and 2(so far) just seeing how my decisions affected the events unfolding especially in 2 where ""spoiler alert""" the boy gets hit by the cop car in part 2. That just got me im a grown man and that brought real tears to my eyes. Knowing my decisions led to that... Dude

 

[Joe T.]

Tough choice, N64/Mario 64 being among them, but another that stuck with me was watching dynamic NPC interactions unfold in Grand Theft Auto IV without any involvement from myself. Fender benders where one driver steps out, drags the other from his car, they proceed to get into a brawl bringing traffic to a standstill, another bystander pulls out a gun and starts shooting, police and paramedics arrive and all hell starts to break loose with pockets of NPCs interacting in different ways across the screen. I need more of those dynamic situations in my games.

 

[Barnabot]

I'm a sucker for every Big -O move




Also this because of the boss battle and the music itself.




And this one.



There no hordes to kill. Just one plane to shoot down. And one way to take it down: firing shots head on. And yes the music has something unique for that very special moment. Your oponent is your own former buddy afterall.

 

[synchronicity]

One that springs to mind is the original Silent Hill on PS1. It's not my favorite game ever - although it is on that list, but I will always remember being blown away by the tone of the game. I didn't expect games to reach that level, but was very happy they did.

I'll also forever remember ICO for some of the same reasons. Just a landmark for the medium for me that showcased the maturation of the industry and highlighted how moving and unique this format could be. I know it's cliche, but it's true for me that this is one of the earliest examples of games as genuine art for me.

There are many others of course, as I'm sure there are for everyone who loves this hobby.

 

[TacosNSalsa]

The one in most recent memory is

Spoiler: DMC5 Late game

"Feeling accepting yet?" "Of your existence? Or your strength? " "Both, you fuckn' asshole!"

If you can get the music to kick in at the right time it's freaking amazing //

 

[Kadayi]

The ending of Season One of Telltales The Walking Dead. That got me pretty choked up tbh.

 

[V2Tommy]

Persona 5.

The whole thing.

 

[Chozofication_]

Playing majoras mask, on the end of the third day seeing the ranch sisters holding each other or anju and kafeis last moments

Or being terrified at other points of the game. That's a heavy game for an 8 year old, man.

 

[brian0057]

Alien: Isolation.
That game will never not make me shit myself no matter how many times I play it and I love every minute of it.

 

[Arachnid]

The Silent Hill 2 ending when I was a kid. It was a legitimate shock to me at the time and hit me like a truck. lmao

Alien: Isolation.
That game will never not make me shit myself no matter how many times I play it and I love every minute of it.

Best horror game we've gotten this gen IMO (though RE2 is solid competition now so idk).

 

[Husky]

Entering that open world in Skyrim. Greatest open world ever baby. I could have limitless fun there.

Also, you ever PLAYED Prey? A total thrill from start to finish. Absolutely amazing. How'd they do it. Walking on that meteorite made my jaw drop. Just play the game and find out what I mean.

 

[JordanN]

E3 2010

The Nintendo 3DS was slowly being leaked on the internet and as a fan of the first DS I was excited for the reveal. I was also in High School so I could only watch or catch parts of the livestream during Lunch and most computers were occupied.

I did manage to finally hop on one computer and when I saw the news my mind was blown. It was such an exciting time but after the owning the system, the hype didn't pay off.

 

[CatLady]

Lone Wolf - Halo Reach

 

[Silvawuff]

Super Mario 64, when Mario jumped out of the pipe and you got to run around the castle gardens for the first time. In WoW, my guild beat Yogg-Saron 25 no light server first. We were racing an Alliance guild and beat them literally by two minutes. We'd spent months learning/fighting this boss and it was incredible watching that "Realm First!" pop up and announce it to the whole server.

 

[DarthBuzzer]

It's no secret that you can't get more powerful experiences than VR. So I would say my most powerful experience has been Lone Echo / Echo VR. The level of immersion, the uniqueness and intuitive nature of the movement and interaction system is unlike anything in gaming, and I felt a deep sense of closeness with Liv, especially as she was the only human character you actually saw and interacted with. The multiplayer was also something really special, feeling like a future sport with a great community and social presence thanks to the IK tracking.

I'd say the game with the most fond memories is definitely WoW though. I just have such a long history with the game, and it being my first MMO meant it was able to immerse me very deeply.

 

[Clear]

Although my first trip through Journey with (apparently at least) the same companion through to the light at the end, has to be up there. Nier, will always be THE one for me.

Obviously circumstances play a part, and it was at a particularly dark and exhausted point in my life, but for whatever reason I kinda allowed myself to experience the game in an unusually open frame of mind.

And it was devastating.

There's an awful complexity to the characters and motivations in Nier where at some point you can no longer distinguish where the heroics end and the villainy begins. There's a constant tension between the humourous elements and the relentless downward spiral of tragedy. There's goofy parody and a deadly serious point about the insidious nature of "righteous causes" being made

I laughed a lot, cried more, and at the end I came away with so many thoughts and feelings (many from Okabe's magnificent soundtrack) that it took me months to unpack it all to any real extent.

Its sequel is a great game too, mechanically and technically far better than Cavia's original. However, under the jank, the original is really something else entirely. Its an absolute masterpiece.

 

[Tesseract]

space pirate trainer is def up there, it's like going through the looking glass for the first time into a whole 'nother video game domain

haven't had those feels since mario 64 demos at toys r us

 

[sublimit]

The first time i played a 3D game (Tomb Raider 2 in February 1998), my first encounter with the first colossus in the Shadow of the Colossus demo (from OPM) and the first time i played Demon's Souls.It was the Asian version which i got many months before the game was published in NA or Europe and before there was even a wiki for it so the small community was really helping each other in forums like GAF to uncover the mysteries of the game.

There are many more like Final Fantasy VII,Silent Hill 2,Ico,Dragon Quest VIII,Journey and many others but those first 3 really stand out for me.

 

[Jigsaah]

Super Mario 64, when Mario jumped out of the pipe and you got to run around the castle gardens for the first time. In WoW, my guild beat Yogg-Saron 25 no light server first. We were racing an Alliance guild and beat them literally by two minutes. We'd spent months learning/fighting this boss and it was incredible watching that "Realm First!" pop up and announce it to the whole server.

Holy shit man! Kudos! That had to feel like euphoria!

 

[EverydayBeast]

N64 did a lot for my childhood, some of the first graphics I’ve experienced and given all the AAA games for it it’s earned a spot on my meaningful gaming experiences list.

Wii Bowling is another one, not being restricted to the couch, huddling up with a buddy and suddenly using motion controls for the first time was great.

 

[Cactuarman]

Great thread OP. A few:

• As others have said, playing Mario 64 for the first time.
• Kerrigan returns in Starcraft. First time I can remember being blown away by a character arc in a game.
• First seeing the Icon of Sin in Doom 2. Starting that level in a small room filled with weapons and powerups - you knew shit was about to go down.
• Stepping outside in the second level of Unreal. At the time it truly felt like stepping into this beautiful alien world.
• Most recently would be Journey
• The final boss sequence in Super Metroid

Edit: Typo

 

[jadedm17]

Journey. Just go play it if you havent.

 

[GC_DALBEN]

Mass effect 3. The me franchise is the best ever, Sheppard "dying" was the end of a era.
Sorry about my english.

 

[Shadowcoust]

The first STALKER. Never had this much fun and agony combined from a true rough diamond of a game.

 

[clickypen]

End of Spec Ops: The Line.

I wasn't expecting it at all.

 

[Jigsaah]

Although my first trip through Journey with (apparently at least) the same companion through to the light at the end, has to be up there. Nier, will always be THE one for me.

Obviously circumstances play a part, and it was at a particularly dark and exhausted point in my life, but for whatever reason I kinda allowed myself to experience the game in an unusually open frame of mind.

And it was devastating.

There's an awful complexity to the characters and motivations in Nier where at some point you can no longer distinguish where the heroics end and the villainy begins. There's a constant tension between the humourous elements and the relentless downward spiral of tragedy. There's goofy parody and a deadly serious point about the insidious nature of "righteous causes" being made

I laughed a lot, cried more, and at the end I came away with so many thoughts and feelings (many from Okabe's magnificent soundtrack) that it took me months to unpack it all to any real extent.

Its sequel is a great game too, mechanically and technically far better than Cavia's original. However, under the jank, the original is really something else entirely. Its an absolute masterpiece.

City Ruins bro...can listen to it for hours. Nier was definitely on my list too. It came close to beating Phantom Dust and Mario64.

 

[Dr. Claus]

There are too many to count, but the one I remember the most fondly off the top of my head was with Kingdom Hearts on the PS2. I had a buddy, Nick, and we both had never beaten this bloody game - despite trying for over a year. I can't remember if it was my memory card that I had brought over or it was his save. We were under leveled, didn't know what a block button was, and trying desperately to defeat Ansem Seeker of Darkness. For two hours we handed the controller back and forth while our hearts beat out of our chest, slowly wittling his health bar down, failure after failure mounting up. Eventually, we did it.

 

[MilkyJoe]

Only thing that ever floored me was Life is Strange episode 3 ending

 

[Bogroll]

Seeing a video of Ridge Racer on tv from the upcoming new Playstation. I remember thinking Is that real how can that be graphics on a home machine, how can we get any better than this.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

 

[Dr. Claus]

 

[Raven117]

I guess it would be picking up super Mario bros on the nes. Been playing games to some extent or another ever since

 

[Jigsaah]

What game is that in the first picture? And I'm assuming you are describing the game as "the chronic", or it's like "crack"? I'm guessing the second picture is you telling us you were in a trance? I'm drawing at straws here.

 

[Jigsaah]

Great thread OP. A few:

• As others have said, playing Mario 64 for the first time.
• Kerrigan returns in Starcraft. First time I can remember being blown away by a character arc in a game.
• First seeing the Icon of Sin in Doom 2. Starting that level in a small room filled with weapons and powerups - you knew shit was about to go down.
• Stepping outside in the second level of Unreal. At the time it truly felt like stepping into this beautiful alien world.
• Most recently would be Journey
• The final boss sequence in Super Metroid

Edit: Typo

Ahhh motherbrain. Metroid was so gleefully weird. Not too many other games have been so terrifying without them being a horror game.

 

[Hammer-X23]

Spoiler: Bioshock

”Would you kindly...?”

Washed over me like a great realization. I’ll never forget that reveal.

 

[CatLady]

Spoiler: Bioshock

”Would you kindly...?”

Washed over me like a great realization. I’ll never forget that reveal.

That was going to be my 2nd choice.

 

[ph33rknot]

Morrowind

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

What game is that in the first picture? And I'm assuming you are describing the game as "the chronic", or it's like "crack"? I'm guessing the second picture is you telling us you were in a trance? I'm drawing at straws here.

It's Rez.

 

[spawn]

The ending of god of war 2 was so epic.

Spoiler

Kratos accidently kills Athena while trying to stab Zeus. Kratos goes back in time to the great war with the titans. The last shot is Kratos riding on the back of Gaia as Gaia is climbing Mount Olympus about to destroy the Greek gods of Olympus

 

[ThatOneGrunt]

I've had many, but I don't think anything will ever compare to playing Mario 64 for the first time, except for maybe first putting on a VR helmet.

I agree with both of these.

Mario 64 I remember running up to the fence around the castle moat and thought there would be an invisible barrier preventing me from jumping over it and into the water. When Mario dove into the water I think I gasped. I could not believe it and sold my Super Nintendo and all my games to put a preorder down at Toys R Us.

And then I remember playing with the two camera Rift setup at the Microsoft store and playing the demo with t-rex and had a huge grin on my face. Immediately bought a Rift with Touch bundle and an extra camera for Roomscale. Played First Contact and it blew my goddamn mind. Next day my daughter had a birthday and I would pull an adult into my office every now and then and be like "can I show you something" and had them all play First Contact. It was so much fun watching their reactions. and everyone got really into it. My In-laws jumped right in an had no issues interacting with all the objects. Lot's of smiles. Father in-law went to lean on a desk in the game and lost his balance. I had my brother-in-law who doesn't like games and hates "fantasy" play Robo Recall, and I overheard him saying to his wife later "I think thats the funnest thing I have ever played". VR can be really amazing.

 

[spawn]

Also, Fallout 3 when you stepped out of the vault for the first time

 

[stranno]

PlatinumGames parry + defense break + combo aperture is always satisfactory.

The Bionic Commando (2009) ending is epic, very underrated game.

Spoiler

 

[BrianRoyale]

The Legend of Zelda blew my mind as a kid. I had always loved Adventure on the Atari, but Zelda just was that times 1000.
I would say the other things was the original Resident Evil on PS1. My cousin got a Playstation, cause he had money to burn and loved getting new things, brought it over and I played that game from start to finish. I had never played anything like that before and it honestly changed the way I thought of games forever.
Of course there are tons more, but those really defined my gaming life.

 

[quickwhips]

Batman with joker walking me in or gears 2 with dom’s Wife.