Most emotional moments in games? (possible spoilers)

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2008-04-19 05:34pm

This might not be an emotional moment for anyone else, but it was for me.

The first time I played Chrono Trigger, way back when, I was visiting a friend's house, and he had to leave for a moment and said that I could play one of his games for a bit. I hadn't heard of the game, but it was already in the SNES, so I thought, heck, why not? So I turn it on and go running around in one of his saved games. There's a cavewoman, a frog, some flying sourceror dude, and a flying ship. I go to the Millennial Fair and play some of the minigames. It's all really cute, though I don't really see the point of everything, but I'm having fun betting on the race and chugging "soda" and so on.

So anyway, after a little while, I get bored and go wandering around some more, and ooh, there's something small and sparkly-looking on some teleporter thingies. I click on it. Warp to Lavos. First attack is "Destruction Rains from the Heavens." Instant kill to the entire party. Then I get the Bad Ending.

At that point, I hadn't played any RPGs or serious games, and without knowing any of the plot of the story, what was going on, etc., I destroyed the entire world. Freaked me out. Definitely counts as one of my most personally emotional moments.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2008-04-19 05:59pm

Another one was the end of Diablo. unless you got a perfect kill in Diablo and killed every last minon before taking on the big guy, you didn't get sound. but the whole sight as the lord of terror shrinks into a scared little child and you remove the soul gem from the kid, and shove it into your own skull....

Oni Koneko Damien · Post by **Oni Koneko Damien** » 2008-04-19 11:22pm

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. The sequel had better gameplay, but the original had, by far, the better storyline. The penultimate scene, where Flonne stood up and voluntarily accepted punishment for attacking angels, all while Laharl was yelling, screaming, and all but crying for her not to, kind of pulled at my heartstrings.

After that, depending on your actions during the game, you either got the good or not-so-good ending. If you end up killing Seraph Lamington, Laharl learns that the seraph was actually testing whether or not he would kill someone in anger, and gave his own life as a consequence of that. And it's a credit to the voice actors, the sound of Laharl's voice when he learns that Flonne is never coming back because of what he did made me sniffle.

Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne: That game had a couple of great moments in it. I think the best, in general, was watching how your friend Chiaki slowly turned from a slightly stuck up, if still likable person to a heartless, power-hungry mass-murderer just to survive in the Vortex World. I think the best part was watching her, after losing an arm in a fight with Sakahagi, drag herself to the destroyed throne of Gozu-Tennoh, devour the rest of his spiritual essence, and then use that power to slaughter off the mostly innocent manikins and Sakahagi's former rival, Futomimi.

Another set of good moments in that game is when Aradia, God of False Hopes takes over your former teacher. Never mind the fact that whenever the god takes over her body, she turns creepy in the most awesome possible way. There's also the fact that you eventually learn that Aradia is essentially a powerless deity whose only purpose is to provide others with a baseless hope that is inevitably met with greater disappointment and disillusionment, and that your former teacher is on this same path now.

Rule of Rose: When Jennifer finds out that her obsessive former-best-friend was responsible for killing her dog, creating a society pretty much centered around persecuting her, and ruining her life just because she was jealous that Jennifer liked the dog Brown, and Jennifer simply snaps, tackling the girl and simply slapping the shit out of her. It's such a huge mixture of emotions there. Hatred to the girl for being such a petty, hateful bitch and murdering a dog, kudos to Jennifer for harshly delivering a little of what that girl deserved for what she did, and a sort of relief as Jennifer finally snaps and releases some of the huge tension that had been building up.

Peptuck · Post by **Peptuck** » 2008-04-20 02:03am

For me, probably one of the more potent moments was Call of Duty 4's final battle. You barely, by the very skin of your teeth, manage to take down Zakhaev, at the cost of all your squadmates and allies, and as he lies there, you look up, and see the loyalists rappelling down, securing the area, and as they do so, you see, rolling across the screen, "Objective Completed."

I mean, its so simple, so emotionless and its the exact same message you've been getting all the time throughout the game, but seeing it scroll across the screen like that somehow just reinforces the shock that you managed to survive that. And then Kamarov runs over to you, and I'm not sure why, but hearing him shout "You are going to be all right, my friend!" as he frantically calls for a medivac hits me even harder.

Shroom Man 777 · Post by **Shroom Man 777** » 2008-04-20 03:33am

One more for Ace Combat and Metal Gear Solid.

Man, even all that next-generation super-Xbox graphics of Ace Combat 6 can't match the simple presentation of Ace Combat 04.

The_Saint · Post by **The_Saint** » 2008-04-20 07:28am

I'd rate all the games where you complete them, sit back in your chair and with a wave of emotion it feels like what you've just done has occurred over the past weeks, months, forever (instead of a few hours here and there over the past week or two) and has effected the lives of millions. Planescape Torment did this in a big way for me but so did the endings of KoToR, Jedi Knight (series), COD I & II, CNC (series), Diablo I & II and soem others all the way back to Doom I & II.

NeoGoomba · Post by **NeoGoomba** » 2008-04-20 09:08am

Silent Hill 2. The scene where James finally makes it to the hotel, and forces himself to face up to the fact that he's been lying to himself (and the player) the entire time. Cancer didn't kill his wife, HE DID. The "letter" he recieved from Mary is revealed to be just a blank piece of paper, its his own guilt that drove him to Silent Hill.

The walk down the long hallway after that, when you hear the last conversation they have before James kills her, is fucking gutwrenching.

Vanas · Post by **Vanas** » 2008-04-20 12:45pm

Mm, agreeing with Robotech Battlecry. Say what you like about the game, that ending was just... yeah.

FF Crystal Chronicles and Tida, FF VI and Ceres lost on the island with Cid, possibly the finest moments in Square's catalogue.

And, of course, Homeworld. The entire game. The Mothership powering up to Agnus Dei, the return to Kharak, committing near-genocide against your cousins, Tannhauser Gate, losing Fleet Command and that final cutscene.
"So much destruction. So many lives lost, for this place..."

Shogoki · Post by **Shogoki** » 2008-04-20 02:18pm

Grim Fandango, even though it was a happy ending, it was incredibly moving, every character in that game was so well done you couldn't help feeling bad that it was over. It's the only time a game has made me go teary eyed.

tim31 · Post by **tim31** » 2008-04-20 02:50pm

The_Saint wrote:I'd rate all the games where you complete them, sit back in your chair and with a wave of emotion it feels like what you've just done has occurred over the past weeks, months, forever (instead of a few hours here and there over the past week or two) and has effected the lives of millions.

Bang, got it. I felt like that at the end of Half Life ten years ago; I actually felt like I was sweaty a grimey, having just fought my way through two whole worlds of bullshit over the past forty hours. Play it now of course, and it's just goofy. The point is, if a game is challenging enough to involve you and not frustrate you into giving it up, even for a a short while, it becomes a classic in your mind.

Qwerty 42 · Post by **Qwerty 42** » 2008-04-20 03:04pm

I always thought it would be interesting if they would make a game where you got to choose your teammates, and each had their own personality, and when they died, they were dead, and had to be replaced, and can be killed at any point in gameplay. I think it would be interesting.

Karza · Post by **Karza** » 2008-04-20 03:33pm

Qwerty 42 wrote:I always thought it would be interesting if they would make a game where you got to choose your teammates, and each had their own personality, and when they died, they were dead, and had to be replaced, and can be killed at any point in gameplay. I think it would be interesting.

This kind of thing sort of happened in X-Com, Chaos Gate and Jagged Alliance, though teammate death could be (and usually was, people are weak

) circumvented with save/load. And of course the JA games were the only ones where the soldiers had some sort of personalities by design, in X-Com and Chaos Gate they had names and the rest was up to your imagination. Which actually was enough, I at least was constantly making up nicknames and personalities for the grunts

.

Magus · Post by **Magus** » 2008-04-20 04:11pm

Qwerty 42 wrote:I always thought it would be interesting if they would make a game where you got to choose your teammates, and each had their own personality, and when they died, they were dead, and had to be replaced, and can be killed at any point in gameplay. I think it would be interesting.

Though it lacks any sort of character development, Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear had that same sort of "I have to keep my characters alive" mentality. You had about thirty operatives of various capabilities, and if one died during a mission, they were dead. Even though they never really communicated with you (other than "Alpha team, go!"), the simple fact that you'd come to rely on them over and over to get you out of jams made their loss somewhat painful.

Other games I've felt emotion from:

Kotor: Revan reveal

Condemned: The whole game. It's probably the most immersing creepy environment I've ever played in. The sheer terror felt when a drug addict come crashing around a corner, swinging a nailed piece of wood with reckless abandon...

Fahranheit: Let's face it - there's not a whole lot of game play there - but they more than compensate with a very compelling storyline. Highlights include the initial murder scene and panicked aftermath, reconciling with your ex-girlfriend, and figuring out what's happening to you. Ending sucked though.

Arcanum: Another extremely well put-together story - highlights include the Orc uprising, Half-Ogre Island, avenging Virgil, and discovering the history of the world. I felt proud when I finished that game.

Might and Magic VI/VII - The revelation of what happened before the Silence is still one of my most awe-inspiring and favorite story arcs of all time.

Post by **LadyTevar** » 2008-04-20 06:17pm

Ghost Rider wrote:Final Fantasy X: When they reveal the truth, and the sheer waste all of their pointless ritual has been. The characters sold it decently, but it's the sheer weight of loss that sells it more then anything else.

Yes... Yunalesca at Zanarkand is one of the emotional bits, when you realize this has been going on every ten years (give or take) for the last THOUSAND years. That's not counting the Summoners who die on the way to Zanarkand, or who fall to Sin.

However, the huge FMV swim scene between Yuna and Tidus was simply gorgeous, and nearly had me crying. Then, the final scene where Yuna runs to embrace Tidus, falls through his ghostly form, and then slowly, almost regally picking herself up off the deck to look him in the eye. THAT was the tear-jerker for me.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2008-04-20 06:21pm

Ghost Rider wrote: Final Fantasy X: When they reveal the truth, and the sheer waste all of their pointless ritual has been. The characters sold it decently, but it's the sheer weight of loss that sells it more then anything else.

I would possibly have agreed, if I hadn't played Grandia first, and thus had FFX's plot sussed out pretty much by the cutscene at the Rin Travel Agency. It's almost exactly the same, with a few drops of Grandia 2 squeezed in to season it.

Starglider · Post by **Starglider** » 2008-04-20 07:08pm

Ever since I read this I've been pretty much unable to get emotionally involved with JRPGs due to breaking out in fits of giggles every time the scriptwriters try to milk another completely predictable cliche for emotional impact. e.g;

Edited for lack of topicalness

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2008-04-20 08:14pm

tim31 wrote:Bang, got it. I felt like that at the end of Half Life ten years ago; I actually felt like I was sweaty a grimey, having just fought my way through two whole worlds of bullshit over the past forty hours. Play it now of course, and it's just goofy. The point is, if a game is challenging enough to involve you and not frustrate you into giving it up, even for a a short while, it becomes a classic in your mind.

When I was eleven I completed Starflight on the Mega Drive: it was the hardest game with the vaguest directions in the biggest universe I'd ever played. It had time pressure and multiple intermeshed mysteries you had to solve while keeping your ship operational. It took me more than a year to finish it.

The final 'cutscene' (a barely animated picture of your spaceship) was a letdown, but I got a great sense of satisfaction from actually FINISHING it. I saved the universe, and it didn't feel like I'd just pressed A,B,B,X until the end of the game.

Starglider, I can't believe you cut and pasted such a giant list. It's 90% of this page. Link it.

Starglider · Post by **Starglider** » 2008-04-20 08:33pm

Stark wrote:Starglider, I can't believe you cut and pasted such a giant list. It's 90% of this page. Link it.

I did link it. What, is the 'you must quote as well as link' rule only in effect for N&P?

EDIT : Oh very well, I condensed it.

Vendetta · Post by **Vendetta** » 2008-04-20 08:36pm

It's hardly just JRPGs.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... gameTropes

All games, as well as most other media, have repeating themes.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2008-04-20 08:53pm

Starglider wrote:I did link it. What, is the 'you must quote as well as link' rule only in effect for N&P?

How about when it's fifteen screens long and barely relevant?

Post by **Mr Bean** » 2008-04-20 09:26pm

Stark wrote:
Starglider wrote:I did link it. What, is the 'you must quote as well as link' rule only in effect for N&P?
How about when it's fifteen screens long and barely relevant?

Agreed, post edited

Lord Revan · Post by **Lord Revan** » 2008-04-21 01:59am

Revan's reveal was a bit emotial for me the first time I saw, but not so much after I knew what, but the dark side did make you feel "truly evil"

Though I didn't find the Stratholme mission that emitional, I did find the final cutscene for the human campain in Warcraft 3 a bit emotianal (the one where Arthas murders his own father).

also in frozen throne, I enjoin how Garithos dies, not in some glorious battle but killed by his former allies for acting like a rasist prick (again).

Post by **weemadando** » 2008-04-21 03:19am

Magus wrote:
Though it lacks any sort of character development, Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear had that same sort of "I have to keep my characters alive" mentality. You had about thirty operatives of various capabilities, and if one died during a mission, they were dead. Even though they never really communicated with you (other than "Alpha team, go!"), the simple fact that you'd come to rely on them over and over to get you out of jams made their loss somewhat painful.

And don't forget the "man down" and "failure" music. Made you feel like you were already at the guys funeral, or the funeral for the 40 schoolkids who got killed because you weren't good enough.

Arcanum: Another extremely well put-together story - highlights include the Orc uprising, Half-Ogre Island, avenging Virgil, and discovering the history of the world. I felt proud when I finished that game.

Thank GOD that I'm not the only one who thought this game had some real impact. To this day, half-ogre island remains for me the most chilling moment that I've ever had in games.

After all the lead-up to it through the game with the conspiracy and the half-truths and rumours, when you see it and it finally dawns on you just what happened... Fuck... That was something else.

And that was only an OPTIONAL sidequest/sideplot.

Walsh · Post by **Walsh** » 2008-04-21 04:51am

In MGS 1 when you find out that Gray Fox killed Naomi's parents while she was a child (Naomi thought Snake killed them), and then adopted her because he couldn't bring himself to kill her too. Then Snake, against Fox's dying request, doesn't tell Naomi about it.

Then he rides off on the snowmobile with possibly seconds or years left to live before the FoxDie virus inevitably kills him.

CaptHawkeye · Post by **CaptHawkeye** » 2008-04-21 09:18am

Xenosaga 3's end was kind fo saddening. Which is saying something for me because to this day it's only jRPG series i've ever played through and enjoyed. I came looking for an interactive storybook with sci fi and got what I wanted, even if it came with the usual "whut is teh existunce" stuff from jRPGs. Most of the characters weren't idiots at least.

Episode 3 was also budget stuff, so I picked up the game for $30 dollars. What could go wrong?