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[RedSwirl]

This is a hard thread subject to search, so I apologize in advance if it's been done.

So I just got to the part where Assassin's Creed Brotherhood basically turns into the clan system from Final Fantasy Tactics. I think that was the moment that cause me to look back and realize just how much there was to do, catapulting the game into the middle of my GOTY ranking.

It reminded me of times like in Final Fantasy XII when the gambit system finally clicked for me in the middle of a huge battle. In Half-Life 2 this moment happened twice: first when I gained control of the crane, and secondly somewhere in the middle of Nova Prospekt when I found myself simultaneously shooting guards and controlling an army of super ants.

Has anybody else had singular "this is the best game ever!" moments?

 

[Bad_Boy]

uncharted 2. pretty much every level. though shambhala made me give my ps3 the "o" face.

 

[weekend_warrior]

The beginning of Uncharted, when you have to run across the platform as it's collapsing. I knew I was in for a special game when that happened.

 

[user_nat]

The last level of Mass Effect.

Up until that point I thought it was merely so-so. Somehow that level was so good that the whole game is great to me now.

 

[JaseC]

Either the Kraid boss battle or power bombing the glass hallway to get into Maridia, in Super Metroid. The former is obvious, but the latter... man, when I saw the glass start to break apart and the realisation washed over me that there's been this massive underwater world just sitting there the entire time, it blew my mind.

Greatest game ever made, bar none.

 

[Littlegator]

Happens to me with every Devil May Cry game. I play through the first few levels cursing up a storm and complaining how the game is way too cheap and poorly designed.

A few levels later, it just clicks when I realize it's not a button masher. It's like the skies open up and slap me on the face.

 

[hyduK]

Walking into the main outside area of Phendrana Drifts for the first time in Metroid Prime.

 

[cosmicblizzard]

Most recent example for me would be Heavy Rain when you (mid-game spoilers)

Spoiler

make Ethan cut off one of his own fingers.

I was actually shaking in real life. When a game can get that kind of response out of you, you know it's good.

 

[Finaika]

Most recent example for me would be Heavy Rain when you (mid-game spoilers)

Spoiler

make Ethan cut off one of his own fingers.

I was actually shaking in real life. When a game can get that kind of response out of you, you know it's good.

Hell yeah. Love that scene.

 

[lcbrus]

The first thing that came to mind was when I first got out of Link's house in aLttP and saw the rain.
Not sure if it counts. I also thought the main title page in Metroid Prime was awesome

 

[Adam J.]

Pac Man CE DX--first time I devoured the ghost train was like a game-gasm.

 

[badcrumble]

I don't want to list games with super knock-you-out-of-your-seat-and-socks openers so much as games with a big 'wow' moment a few hours into the game that was indicative of the quality of the rest of it.

So:

Seemingly finishing the game only to discover that I was what would later turn out to be two thirds of the way through in Okami.

Seemingly finishing the game only to discover that I was what would later turn out to be two thirds of the way through in The World Ends With You.

(That discovery that the game is just plain bigger than it had previously seemed is just so awesome to me)

Blast Pit in Half-Life. Such a good level, and so damn tense to move through. It's one of the many reasons I replay Half-Life about once a year. And the end of it was SO rewarding.

Oh and Colossus #5 in Shadow of the Colossus, when it first swooped down and I thought holy fuck what do I do and then realized what I had to do and was all oh no no no NO AAAAAA and then proceeded to have a videogame give me genuine stomach-clenching vertigo for the very first time.

 

[Aesius]

Meeting Sander Cohen for the first time in Bioshock.

Getting on the moped in Vice City and hearing Billie Jean start playing.

 

[farnham]

seeing slayersboxer killing ogsNada in the GSL2

 

[BakedPigeon]

I realized how awesome halo was when i was in a small crevice above red base on blood gultch and head shotted the flag carrier out of a fast moving warthog about to score the game winning flag.

 

[bigswords]

In AC2, when the

Spoiler

ancient race lady

was suddenly facing

Spoiler

Desmond and not Enzio

LOL

 

[Tricky I Shadow]

Shenmue I and II – Once the unmatched atmosphere got a hold of me I realized that I was playing something truly special.

 

[shintoki]

Mount and Blade Warband. Popping 5 arrows into someone several levels above you, and victorious in your first hard earned killed.

 

[Nert]

Pac Man CE DX--first time I devoured the ghost train was like a game-gasm.

This.

 

[h1nch]

A few that come to mind:

- Escaping from Midgar the first time in FFVII

- Realizing the scope of the boss fight with The End in MGS3

- Playing the first level of Mario 64, shooting myself out of the cannon, seeing the size of the level and realizing that it was but a fraction of the whole game.

- Completing the first few levels of Gears of War with my buddy and realizing I hadn't had that much fun in a co-op shooter since Contra

- My first encounter with the not-so-friendly marines in Half-Life

 

[DY_nasty]

Bayonetta. Once you actually realize how much you can do with the combat system.... goddamn.

Zone of The Enders 2. Zero-Shift Combat? I've seen enough.

 

[Mike Works]

Ocarina of Time. Hyrule Field.

 

[Q8D3vil]

crysis, every second of it.

 

[daxter01]

Uncharted 1 : U boat part
Mass effect 1 : from the moment you visit Feros
RE4: from the beginning
Uncharted 2: from the beginning
God of War 2: Steeds of Time
DMC3: Cerberus fight

 

[Diebuster]

Nier -

Spoiler

Time skip.

I knew shit just got real.

Zone of the Enders 2 - Zero shift, the battle before, the battles after it, FUCKING EVERYTHING.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

EverQuest: When I first blundered about getting slaughtered and encountering other real people in a 3D setting. The interactions in the game were completely magical.

 

[Johningame]

I know it sounds cliche but when that dog jumped through the window in RE1 I knew I was in for something very special.

 

[luka]

Gradius V - As soon as you kill the first boss and the entire screen is engulfed in such a massive explosion that slows the game to a crawl and you can almost see the ps2 smoking under the pressure

G-Darius - The first time you overpower a boss' beta laser and your alpha laser fills the entire screen and evaporates him

Symphony of the Night - First time you control Alucard/every time you discover a new area

Ar Tonelico - Climbing the Silvaplate/EXEC_PAJA/.

Castlevania: Lord of Shadow - Chapter 4

Biohazard 4 - Chainsaw

 

[cantona222]

2 days ago. Just before the credits rolled in Read Dead Redemption. It was a hell of a long game (I'm not into long games), and I started to get bored but wanted to finish the game. So, the last half an hour of the game made it up for me.

 

[Coolio McAwesome]

Super Mario Bros. 3 - I'll never forget the feeling of finding the first leaf, building a head of steam, and following a trail of coins into the sky. "Mario can fly!" I can't even begin to tell you how incredibly liberating this was.

 

[Mr. Miyato]

Around 10 seconds after this

 

[Lion Heart]

The first time I used a kart in GT5.

Pushing the lotus on the top gear test track on the last lap down by one, but managing to barely keep it traction and pulling ahead for the GOLD.

First time using the Ferrari 512BB in the Nostalgia cup, it was the fastest car I had driven up to that point. Its so nimble but you have to be careful because you can lose it at any moment with the defualt tires. Racing the Muira on 3 laps and finally taking it on the third last turn was so rewarding. Also braking hard on that turn and seeing the rear taillights of the Lambo light up looked

 

[Tain]

Playing it safe throughout all of stage 1 in Final Fight, only to still lose a life at the first boss for being cocky. The entire beat 'em up genre went from "shallow" to "oh, that's why some people consider DMC, Ninja Gaiden, and Bayonetta children's games."

 

[Struct09]

When I first jumped off of a ledge and assassinated two people at once in Assassin's Creed II.

 

[aeolist]

Getting my head chainsawed off with no warning in RE4

 

[JaseC]

Shenmue I and II – Once the unmatched atmosphere got a hold of me I realized that I was playing something truly special.

I was certain your post would be about DKCR. :lol

 

[Mush]

Most recent example for me would be Heavy Rain when you (mid-game spoilers)

Spoiler

make Ethan cut off one of his own fingers.

I was actually shaking in real life. When a game can get that kind of response out of you, you know it's good.

While not my personal "Shieeeeeet" moment, that scene was incredible. Nothing has made me immersed in game as much as that. I was literally cringing.

 

[Trent Strong]

Bioshock gun in crib.

 

[Neverfade]

Off the top of my head:

Uncharted 2, when the chopper takes out the building you're in, and you're still fighting guys in there while sliding towards the window and preparing to time a jump to the next building. Gaaaaaah!

 

[Pennybags]

First Underport mech mission in Jak II and fighting the giant eel in the first mission of Treasures of the Deep.

 

[Narag]

Ratsel finally showing up in SRT OG2.
The first level of Super Metroid
Playing as a ninja surfboarding on a jet powered surfboard in Shinobi III.
Snake removing the Raiden mask in MGS3. I didn't realize the choice at the beginning mattered and was utterly lost. :lol

 

[EatChildren]

Finishing Resident Evil 4 and realising there was a wealth of additional content to sink your teeth into. It was like "Oh, you finished the story? Cool, have another story, and another, and how about this score based minigame? You want new weapons too? What about new characters?"

The standard single player alone as both lengthy and chock full of variety and polish. The game could have been just that and everybody would had been satisfied. But no. More awesome shit to double your game length. Brilliant.

EDIT: Also, the first hidden 'behind the scenes' area you discover in Portal, with the writing scrawled on the wall. Dramatically shifts the mood of the game.

 

[bonesmccoy]

I'd have to say the first 'island' of GTA3 was my first moment of awe in video gaming, when it became apparent that we were on the cusp of a major leap in game-craftsmanship. A similar thing happened in Oblivion too, but not when you exit the sewer, rather after you visit the Priory and things start to pick up.

My more recent ones were in GT5 and Uncharted 2. GT5, driving a premium car on a PS3 designed track at 60fps is something else entirely (and lol, so is driving a shoddy-port of a standard car on a ported track). And in Uncharted 2, the collapsing building level. Such a fun piece of gaming to be had.

 

[Jakeh111]

First time I turned on my Trey and heard that ballin ass classical music.

 

[MustacheBandit_]

First lap I took in GT5 using my first ever purchased gaming wheel.

 

[Dresden]

Final Fantasy Tactics. Chapter one,

Spoiler

the first time you fight Miluda.

To my impressionable middle school self, that was deep.

 

[yencid]

kingdom hearts 1: when everything went to shit in destiny island.

 

[oracrest]

"I can't read your mind!"

 

[KibblesBits]

When the Principal leapt out of the window of Seven Sisters Clock Tower in Persona 2: Innocent Sin

 

[hemtae]

Most recently: Vault 11 in New Vegas