The 55 greatest gaming moments

[ad hominem]

48. Baby Pac-Man.

'Nuff said.

 

[don_tomaso]

hehe absolutly on my list too

 

[psycojester]

I love the fact that the first thing on their list is basically "OMG BOOBZ ON DA LADIEZ!" although i'd agree that this definately is the defining moments in gaming, for a retarded 14 year old

 

[Sovard]

54. Call of Duty 2 (PC): Normandy Beach invasion! Nothing more needs to be said.

Even this they get wrong. MoH's bach invasion predates it, and was much more awe-inspiring for the time. Better examples may have come along later, but by the time CoD2 came along it was "been there, done that".

Bahhhhhh.

CoD2 kicked Medal of Honor's ass. The true life sequences (storming of Pointe du Hoc) had me choking back tears, and the end of that sequence (defending Hill 400, till the angels come...) filled me with hopelessness. Knowing that it was based on a man's encounters made it so powerful. I don't give a fuck what you guys think, it was a great moment for me.

So, I guess that's my vote.


On another note:

Morrowind comes in at number 3 for a fantastic sense of realism.

Yeah, I always thought that rope bridges had a hidden agenda. Morrowind's sense of realism gave a face to the horror stories, though. Grue? Pssh.

It is dark. You are likely to be eaten by a rope bridge.

 

[Jim Kata]

What I really like about RPG Codex is that pretty much every single news item is worth putting into Retardo Land. That just shows how crap the game industry has become.

Yeah. I used to occasionally dip into the general discussion between waiting for interesting news bits or interesting rpg discussion. Now it is the other way around....

 

[Shagnak]

Bahhhhhh.

CoD2 kicked Medal of Honor's ass.

Maybe it was better, maybe it wasn't (it wasn't as good as CoD, that's for sure).
That wasn't my point.

... was much more awe-inspiring for the time.

MoH did the whole gut-wrenching scripted WW2 assault thing before CoD2. The sequence was considered jaw-dropping when it came out.
When CoD2 came out, it was less jaw-dropping. It may have been a better example (many would debate this - most of my FPS-fan friends think CoD2 was crap), but by the time it arrived it was hardly a momentous thing. "Hey, another big-ass scripted assault...just like was done in, um, that's right - Medal of Honor".

For me it's like comparing the first time you got laid (assuming you had a good time...) to the 50th time you got laid, even if the girl was slightly better looking. Slightly better, but not as momentous.

(You seem to have an emotional connection with the events, so maybe the 50th girl for you was Claudia Schiffer or something )

 

[Qin]

That was a very unusual list. A bit of the old skool of gaming mixed with a dash of the late 90's and mid-00's. But the rpgs listed there? Did these people ever play the defining rpgs?

A few memorable moments:

1. The opening scene of PST remains with me. "So this game is grim, huzzah! Waitasec...a talking skull with a raging libido? Zombie sex? Mint!"

2. Monkey Island. Pick any you like. I fear even attempting to argue which is the most memorable, and feel completely comfortable bagging them together. Almost any scene. The first meet with Voodoo Lady? Murray the Talking Skull? So much awesome throughout.

3. Full Throttle. The music starts, the camera pans through the bikes, and then: Ben. A cold sliver of cool ran down my spine like mercury when I first saw that opening video. (A good opening is like the hook - it's what can be the crux for maintaining the player's interest)

4. Tomb Raider. St. Francis's Follies. A masterstroke of vertigo-inducing level-design.

5. Mordor - The Depths of Dejenol. An older dungeon-crawl, but well designed, and quite fun.

6. System Shock II (because I've never been able to get SS1 to work on my computer without freaking out and crashing): the first encounter with a ghost, or even the first time Shodan's voice rings through the corridors. I had headphones on, and it was dark. And it scared the *crap* out of me.

7. Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger. One of the finest flight/fmv-games of its time. Entirely engrossing. And that opening video, of the camera panning down and Taggart and Blair stand there, looking at the downed ship. The chills man, the chills!

8. MDK. Aliens are attacking...Backwater, Florida! Man, what? And there I am, standing on a hill, and popping the heads of aliens with my zoom-in. It was a first, to zoom in like that (that I can recall), and snipe away like a burk.

9. Betrayal at Krondor. One of those Back Then games that nostalgia tells us was very cool. But this may have been due to the supreme lack of any other noteworthy alternatives.

10. Bard's Tale. Dungeon Crawling With [Some] Pizzazz. Neat character creation.

11. Bladerunner. Walking around LA 2019. And Vangelis in the background. Voxel tech was not as staggering as the hype-machine would have had us think, but it was deeply impressive. No one moment sticks out. It was a series of endless moments of "I cannot believe I am walking through one of the most atmospheric films I have ever seen."

12. Jedi Knight. That game gave me intense vertigo. But getting that light-saber in the fourth level at the Homestead? That was the first Lucasarts game I'd ever experienced which let me play as a Jedi, and swing around a *lightsaber!* It was a desire that needed fulfulling and Jedi Knight did just that.

13. EverQuest. I will never ever know why. But walking into Rivervale for the first time, and hearing that insanely gleeful music. That and the first time I saw the bridge at Karana, and the music...this eerie, mysterious music starts playing. It was like walking through a Tolkien-esque fantasy novel, and the closest I was going to get to walking through Middle Earth, and by Jad I'll take that if I can!

 

[kingcomrade]

3. Full Throttle. The music starts, the camera pans through the bikes, and then: Ben. A cold sliver of cool ran down my spine like mercury when I first saw that opening video. (A good opening is like the hook - it's what can be the crux for maintaining the player's interest)

Yeah, Full Throttle was excellent.

 

[7th Circle]

How depressing.

Notice the almost complete lack of adventure games, pure RPGs and intelligent games in general. The vast majority of the moments on these lists are just cheap thrills of one sort or another or plot twists that are reasonable but nothing special (e.g., KOTOR).

Many things on that list boggle me - for instance, I actually appreciated what Doom 3 achieved...but System Shock 2 did it better, more intelligently and earlier (I'll have to try and source the first SS). Likewise, why give the award for slow motion gore to FEAR (if that's what makes a game memorable to you...) - wasn't it done it earlier by several different devs?

As Qin noted, the Monkey Islands (not counting the fourth one) had some very memorable moments (e.g., just thinking about certain conversations with Murray brings a smile to my face). Likewise, some of the other classic adventure games (e.g., DOTT, Grim Fandango) were really quite memorable.

 

[raziel014]

Are you guys saying that you don't agree that Final Fantasy 7 is a great game with a great story? And you don't think that Sephiroth is cool?

 

[Lord Chambers]

I know it's a function of the Codex to be condescending on almost every matter of gaming, but at some point I think you guys, whoever you are, are so caught up in your own elitism you miss when something's a joke. Fattening yourself so the demon door will let you in is clearly a joke to me, and I'd wager the GamePro editors think so too. I can't say I would wager the same for everyone here, who really think something serious is at stake here.

This isn't addressed to everyone. 7th Circle posts what I think a reasonable perspective is.

 

[Direwolf]

CoD2 was complete and utter crap and every single mission in it was retarded since it was made with Hollywood's point of view on WW2. And we all know how much Hollywood knows about WW2.

 

[kosie99]

Best gaming moment ever was when playing Zork 2 (got it before Zork I), and I managed to lure the dragon into the icy cavern where it melted the ice and was swept away...

Bring back text adventures... yeah

 

[Qin]

Gamepro's list was just that - one more list. Yet it was surprising due to featuring some truly obscure and barely memorable games (Ghosts 'n Goblins? I played that game to excess when I was 12 or so years of age, but it is not an overly memorable game) to wildly popular contemporary games that aren't perhaps as captivating as those games which inspired them.

The opening moments of Elder Scrolls IV? Madden NFL '92? (I would have said Blades of Steel in an instant) SotE? (Jeezus that *stank*) Doom 3 and then Doom? Doom 3 did not have anything memorable that was not done earlier to a higher degree of quality and intensity.

The list features, as 7th Circle stated, Cheap Thrills. But games that feature only one or two memorable moments are not games that strike me as worth the expendature of both time and money.

 

[Qin]

(How could I forget!)

14. You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here.

 

[Atrokkus]

14. You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here.

*weeping* STRAIGHT. THROUGH. THE. HEART.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

I know it's a function of the Codex to be condescending on almost every matter of gaming, but at some point I think you guys, whoever you are, are so caught up in your own elitism you miss when something's a joke. Fattening yourself so the demon door will let you in is clearly a joke to me, and I'd wager the GamePro editors think so too. I can't say I would wager the same for everyone here, who really think something serious is at stake here.

I don't think it's undeniable that there's an essence of comedy in the list, particularly around the lower numbers, but the fact is that in Fable, you do have to fatten yourself up to get through one of the demon doors:

Demon Door #5 (Barrow Fields)

Before reaching this door, be sure to stock up on plenty of Apple Pie or Red Meat. Why, you ask? Well, this particular Demon Door will not allow you to enter its domain unless you're considered "obese". To pack on the pounds, you'll need to devour close to 30 pies or pieces of meat at full health. A Will Master's Elixir (a potion that grants a permanent mana increase) awaits you inside.

That right there is a moment in video gaming history. Chosen likely becase of its humour, uniqueness and appeal to all those with a mental age of 10 or lower - just like most things in the list. Of course it was chosen because of its humour but it ain't no joke that it's in the list. Like everything else, it was chosen because it was a cheap "LOL". Don't you see that that's what everyone here is complaining about? If you asked GamePro, I've no doubt they'd confirm Final Fantasy and Halo as their two most favouritest games EVAR. What's to joke about?

This isn't addressed to everyone. 7th Circle posts what I think a reasonable perspective is.

So everyone else who posted that "this list is crap" has an unreasonable perspective but when 7th Circle does it, it's okay? I can see your mind works in mysterious ways.

 

[Twinfalls]

Lord Chambers, shutup. The article is unrelenting Hal0-gen stupidity.

Anyway:

Flooooooooyd..........

 

[Jasede]

Flooooooooyd..........

....

I can't believe it. I love Infocom games more and more the older I get. (I am just 20). That was /moving/. THAT was a great gaming moment.

Thanks, Twinfalls.

post scriptum:

>look through window 

You can see a large laboratory, dimly illuminated. A blue glow comes from a crack in the northern wall of the lab. Shadowy, ominous shapes move about within the room. On the floor, just inside the door, you can see a magnetic-striped card. 

Floyd stands on his tiptoes and peers in the window. "Looks dangerous in there," says Floyd. "I don't think you should go inside." He peers in again. "We'll need card there to fix computer. Hmmm... I know! Floyd will get card. Robots are tough. Nothing can hurt robots. You open the door, then Floyd will rush in. Then you close door. When Floyd knocks, open door again. Okay? Go!" Floyd's voice trembles slightly as he waits for you to open the door. 

  

>open door 

The door opens and Floyd, pausing only for the briefest moment, plunges into the Bio Lab. Immediately, he is set upon by hideous, mutated monsters! More are heading straight toward the open door! Floyd shrieks and yells to you to close the door. 

  

>close door 

The door closes. 

From within the lab you hear ferocious growlings, the sounds of a skirmish, and then a high-pitched metallic scream! 

  

>z 

Time passes... 

You hear, slightly muffled by the door, three fast knocks, followed by the distinctive sound of tearing metal. 

  

>open door 

The door opens. 

Floyd stumbles out of the Bio Lab, clutching the mini-booth card. The mutations rush toward the open doorway! 

  

>close door 

The door closes. 

And not a moment too soon! You hear a pounding from the door as the monsters within vent their frustration at losing their prey. 

  

Floyd staggers to the ground, dropping the mini card. He is badly torn apart, with loose wires and broken circuits everywhere. Oil flows from his lubrication system. He obviously has only moments to live. 

  

You drop to your knees and cradle Floyd's head in your lap. Floyd looks up at his friend with half-open eyes. "Floyd did it ... got card. Floyd a good friend, huh?" Quietly, you sing Floyd's favorite song, the Ballad of the Starcrossed Miner: 

  

O, they ruled the solar system 

Near ten thousand years before 

In their single starcrossed scout ships 

Mining ast'roids, spinning lore. 

  

Then one true courageous miner 

Spied a spaceship from the stars 

Boarded he that alien liner 

Out beyond the orb of Mars. 

  

Yes, that ship was filled with danger 

Mighty monsters barred his way 

Yet he solved the alien myst'ries 

Mining quite a lode that day. 

  

O, they ruled the solar system 

Near ten thousand years before 

'Til one brave advent'rous spirit 

Brought that mighty ship to shore. 

  

As you finish the last verse, Floyd smiles with contentment, and then his eyes close as his head rolls to one side. You sit in silence for a moment, in memory of a brave friend who gave his life so that you might live.

 

[Elwro]

Something along those lines; top 10 most open ended environments:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/top10/502.html

nope no fallout, no arcarnum or even daggerfall. Oblivion and morrowind are though....

At least Avernum is on the list, somewhat surprisingly.

 

[Drakron]

Are you guys saying that you don't agree that Final Fantasy 7 is a great game with a great story? And you don't think that Sephiroth is cool?

Aeris death have became a joke because of the amount of FF 7 fanboys that decided its the stronger moment of gaming.

I never watch it but I doubt its as wrecking as "Heart of the Roomate" Asumi true ending (its unlocked after completing all 3 girls endings, including hers) that hit me pretty damn hard.

 

[Niektory]

Well, it's probably the most spoiled moment of gaming. Everybody knows Aeris dies long before they play the damn game.

 

[Direwolf]

The problem with all FF games is that whole anime feel is so ridiculous and over the top, that I can't really feel for any of the characters.

 

[Niektory]

Yup, that's exactly how I feel too. The setting and plot are just too incoherent to be treated seriously.

 

[Qin]

The drama and emotion of FF7 (the only one I've ever played) works sometimes. Barret's story, for example, appears quite randomly, and there's no real progression towards it. Suddenly the group arrives at his hometown, and the history spills out.

It wasn't built up very well.

The revelations made by Cloud once the group has left Midgar, by comparison, worked, given the hints, clues, comments and statements made about Sephiroth, and the clever - and slow - development of the Jenova backstory.

And while Tifa still remains a bit of a cipher, Cloud and Aeris are a bit more developed. Anime or no, it works. The effectiveness of emotional drama is not contingent upon a particular aesthetic design. The dialogue and story work, or they do not. And with FF7, sometimes the story works, and sometimes it doesn't.