what are the most powerful moments in video games?

[Darth Yan]

Like in movies, there are times when we play video games that leave a powerful impression on us, either in the heartwarming sense, in the punch to the gut sense, or the Boo yah that's awesome sense.

What are the moments in video game that have the most profound effect on you?

1.) The ending of wings of liberty, when Spoiler

Raynor saves Kerrigan and carries her outside. After all the pain and suffering he has endured over two games and four years it was really touching to finally see him walk away with a real victory, while simultaneously overcoming the ghosts of his past and rescuing the woman he loves. Yeah he had to shoot his friend and Mengsk is still in power, but the fact that the ending is finally remotely happy still makes me smile. On the tragic side Ariel Hanson's infestation and her reaction to siding with selendis

2.) Redeeming Bastilla through the power of love in kotor

3.) Quite a few from Lords of Shadow (first when the divine intervention of gabriel's dead wife causes his would be murderer to stay her hand and spare him, his utter ownage of satan with the power of god, and the realization that he can never bring her back dashing his hopes brutally and cruelly dashed.

4.) The execution of the auditore father and brothers in assassins creed 2.





3.) The Murder of Miranda Keyes at the hands of the Prophet of Truth and his brutal mockery of Johnson afterwards (which makes his death a few minutes later infinitely satisfying

[DPDarkPrimus]

Halo never really tugged at my heartstrings, but Half-Life Episode 2 left me in tears.

[Nephtys]

Homeworld was full of these moments, since you had no human faces. Only ships, music, and atmosphere.
The burning of Kharak, the final battle of the Kuun-Lan, and the Return to Hiigara all were powerful moments for me.

The fate of the protagonist in Persona 3 was also rather moving. After all the journey.

There's more I can't think of, of course.

[Thanas]

I'd disagree with all the OP's points and bring up the ending of Mafia 1. Beatifully done.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

Discovering Darth Revan's identity for the first time.

Half of Torment.

Defeating Dagoth-Ur.

Losing General R. Lee Ermey, furiously staying on his trail, and rescuing him (too late) from the Dr. Robotnik treatment.

Uncle Peter's death, leaving you alone to face House Steiner.

Finishing Baldur's Gate 2 and realizing you actually did all of that.

Half-Life Episode 2 left me in tears.

That bit was definitely good (and sad).

[CaptHawkeye]

I remember that the "hold the radio station" sequence in Vietcong was pretty fucking livid. You really felt like you were in some Cambodian hell hole of a base surrounded by an ungodly amount of attackers.

The mission where the player was alone in the forest in Flashpoint was also packed with atmosphere. The combination of paranoia and a desperation to survive really elevated the game to a point you hadn't thought it was capable of.

[HMS Sophia]

In terms of boo-yah! I have to go with a bit of medal of honour, you're playing a ranger, i think, and there are four of you holding this tiny hut in some shit-hole in Afghanistan. You're low on ammo, the enemy is swarming in, your radio guy just told base to cancel the reinforcements cos you'd be dead by then... Then two Apaches swoop in from behind, all you see at the start is 30mm shells going overhead and then they're blowing the shit out of everyone... it was fucking cool :p

Punch in the gut?
Fear 2's ending was pretty good. Your Lt. gets shot and killed while your strapped down and cant do anything, then you have to shut down the machine while unconscious with you mind. While your doing that, your real body is being raped by a psychic evil being, and you're fighting the mutated spirit of one of your team mates in your head... Weird as sin...

[weemadando]

I'd disagree with all the OP's points and bring up the ending of Mafia 1. Beatifully done.

Fuck yes. The museum of art remains one of the best levels in gaming (in terms of art design) and the story climax it told was great.

[weemadando]

I remember that the "hold the radio station" sequence in Vietcong was pretty fucking livid. You really felt like you were in some Cambodian hell hole of a base surrounded by an ungodly amount of attackers.

The mission where the player was alone in the forest in Flashpoint was also packed with atmosphere. The combination of paranoia and a desperation to survive really elevated the game to a point you hadn't thought it was capable of.

Both of those were good. That OFP mission was something else though - trying to survive and get to evac zone and then arriving to find a mass grave?

[Thanas]

Finishing Baldur's Gate 2 and realizing you actually did all of that.

Oh yes. Very, very satisfying. That really was a great journey and the last time I ever felt RPGs can tell a huge story.

[Darth Yan]

kotor was still pretty big and good though. and what's so bad about the ending of wings of liberty?

[dworkin]

And, of course, Aeris. Uematsu totally sold it.

Grumble, grumble, six hours spent looking for res device until my flatmate told me, no, unlike all the others this death was permanent.

I always enjoy getting my spaceship to Alpha Centauri. From sticks and stones to colonising another planet, phew.

[Starglider]

Planescape:Torment and relevant bits of HL2 obviously. The emotional impact of System Shock 1 and 2 has been covered by a lot of commentators. As for less popular choices... I'd say the final mission of GTA : San Andreas had quite a bit of impact. The game was mostly dark, sometimes farical comedy, but the missions involving CRASH (the corrupt cops) and the riots were quite serious. Seeing Smoke self-destruct was tragic and taking Tenpenny down was quite satisfying. Despite GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption both being a lot more serious and gritty in tone, with higher production values, they both had much less impact for me; I didn't connect to any of the characters in it the way I did with the SA characters.

I agree on Baldur's Gate (the Icewind Dale and Neverwinter games, not so much), but I'd say the Mass Effect games have at least as much scope, story and characterisation in them. ME:2 in particular has moving character moments (shame about the main plot). The thing is, in those old Infinity Engine games your imagination could fill out the rest of the world, from the relatively tiny maps you explored, quite well. Existing in a very well developed fantasy world helped with backstory consistency. I find modern 3D games tend to suffer from a 'movie set effect' where the limitations of the environment are more apparent and that can diminish the epic feel.

Best fuck-yeah moments, definitely Ace Combat 4/5/0/6. Most amusing moments? Doing ridiculous things in Saints Row 2 and Just Cause 2 with friends.

[Sinanju]

The ending to Final Fantasy X.

'Good job, you saved the world. Oh, and you had to destroy the things holding you to this world to do it. So you have to die now. NO HAPPY ENDING FOR YOU.'

The music didn't help. Or the bit where Yuna tries to hug him goodbye and it's already too late.

[Oscar Wilde]

The end of Metal Gear Solid 3.

[Dark Lord of the Bith]

Every time a monster dies in Monster Rancher 2.

Everything in Lavender Town in Pokemon Red/Blue.

The massacre at Shyron in Crystalis.

[Dalton]

2300 AD, and Crono, Marle and Lucca have just discovered the records of the Day of Lavos.

[Admiral Drason]

For me it was actually the game Men of Valor, its not a great game but in one level your LT gets wasted and your squad mates are getting all emotional and then the tree line gets hit by an air strike and then the image turns black and white and Eve of Destruction starts playing.

[Dread Not]

Man, too many to list but I'll try.

1) Fallout ending. You convince the Master to kill himself (if your speech skills were awesome enough) by telling him that his master race will die out and that his life's work and all of the unspeakable things he did were all for nothing. Seeing him wallow in misery and regret was incredibly satisfying, even if it meant skipping the final boss fight. Then you return home only to be told that you are banished from the Vault and must stay in the wasteland for life. Depressing, but somehow satisfying.

2) Okami's final boss fight. A lengthy and visually spectacular battle where you're basically fighting Unicron, i.e. a giant metallic sphere that transforms into different things. When the battle seems lost you get your second wind from the prayers of all of the people throughout Nippon who you helped throughout your journey.

3) Shadow of the Colossus. Pretty much the entire fucking game, though in particular the intro sequence, and also Agro's "death."

4) System Shock 2, the big reveal. With some heavy foreshadowing, some people may have seen it coming, but it was awesome all the same. Shamelessly recycled in Bioshock.

[Thanas]

kotor was still pretty big and good though.

Not nearly as big and a lot of it felt just heartless, from the endless unadorned corridors repeating themselves etc.

and what's so bad about the ending of wings of liberty?

It is not bad. It is just not that good either. Everything was foreshadowed. Sure, it felt satisfying, but not really that powerful.

[FaxModem1]

Kingdom Hearts 2, while the beginning is a tad too long and you wonder if you bought the wrong game after a while. Roxas' saying to Sora that he has to die in order for Sora to live on.

"Sora, your lucky. Looks like my summer vacation is... over."

Its made worse by the fact that after that, its all happy happy, joy joy, and no one remembers him at all.

I second the death of Miranda Keyes, to quote a troper on TVtropes, (to the Covenant Prophets),"I'm going to eliminate your entire fucking species."

Also, the death of your homeworld in Homeworld.

Heavy Rain, Spoiler

If Ethan dies and isn't able to save his son Shaun, or even worse, dies in front of Shaun's eyes as he is killed by the police. After I got that, I made sure I ended the game with the best possible ending for all the characters I could.

[defanatic]

For a budding amateur game designer, do you think you guys may be able to explain WHY these moments are emotionally powerful. It would be interesting to find people's reasons and kinda analyse it. I get the feeling that this kind of thing doesn't really get as much attention as it needs for an entertainment medium.

[FaxModem1]

For a few of mine, they're characters you play as, and you can empathize with because its what you would feel in that situation. At least, its what I would feel.

[Aaron]

Mass Effect 2, when you meet up with Wrex again (if you let him live in the first), I had a massive shit eating grin on my face. Total "bro" moment I guess you could say.

[CaptHawkeye]

For a budding amateur game designer, do you think you guys may be able to explain WHY these moments are emotionally powerful. It would be interesting to find people's reasons and kinda analyse it. I get the feeling that this kind of thing doesn't really get as much attention as it needs for an entertainment medium.

It's all just subjective taste. Their is no "real" explanation for what will make some nerds gush more than others about irrelevant shit happening in a cutscene.

If you want to make a game with real power and emotion, concentrate on bringing atmosphere and gameplay mechanics together.