Day dreaming, I was trying to remember my favourite gaming moment. There weren’t any specific requirements, but I was finding it difficult. After playing videogames for over fifteen years, you would think countless memorable moments would pop into your conscience. I have no idea how many games I’ve played, it would be difficult to quantify. No doubt several hundred, but worrying that I cannot think of a favourite amidst the plethora of quality titles I have had the joy of playing…
I was sensible and started at the beginning, working my way back through the ages to the first games I ever encountered, attempting to pick my way through the cloud that had fallen on my memory recall. It’s harder than you think however, to choose a favourite. Much like choosing a favourite colour, it can change with the wind. I would wrangle for days as a child really trying to stick with a colour, eventually choosing one in particular when into my late teens. It’s still purple if you were wondering, but that doesn’t help my game quandary.
So naturally, I decided that I shouldn’t try to force a favourite from the nether regions of my conscience, it should be there, ready and waiting at the forefront. I should be able to pluck it from my mind, without a seconds thought. Here are some of those plucked.
Monkey Island was the first which came to mind. For some reason I suddenly thought of Guybrush Threepwood, running too and fro with a mug of Grog in order burn the bars of a jail cell, the verbal sword fights, LeChuck, the fantastic artwork and the hilarious dialogue, and having to follow some person I don’t remember through the woods and feeding dogs sedated meat.
Half-Life and the Black Mesa complex followed. Memories of quietly working my way around those green tendril like, beaked creatures that reacted only to sound (perhaps that was where my fear of trapped encounters with the blind comes from). This was accompanied by reminiscing about the marine and assassin fire-fights and being stunned at the quality of the AI.
Thirdly was World of Warcraft and joining Azeroth on launch day. Exploring the world within any MMOG for the first time is incredibly exciting, but something about WoW is simply irresistible. The colours, the possibilities, the vast expanse all ready and waiting was breathtaking, while the media circus surrounding its launch was infectious. Being one of the first European guilds to complete Onyxia and Molten Core was also an unforgettable moment.
The fourth game to arrive from the depths of my gaming conscience was Neocron, and its Outpost Wars. A niche MMOG involving hundreds of people fighting against one another, played from the first or third person perspective. Playing as a Private Eye with my Liberator Machine Pistol, and Psi capabilities, I was feared by most players and was often hired as a mercenary. The futuristic theme, small class structure and depth of skill required was an adrenaline rush I have never encountered since. I never did forgive the developer for the catastrophic mess they made of the expansion pack.
Fifth came System Shock 2 and the paralyzing fear when bumbling about the robot maintenance yard, terrified of what robot might burst forth from their dock at any moment. The first encounter with an infected, and their subtle but haunting taunts as they rambled through the space-crafts corridors was completely unforgettable, and paved the way for the beloved Bioshock.
Sixth was Final Fantasy 7. The first game Gregg and I bought for the PlayStation, and one which blew both of us away. It wasn’t all pleasantries to start with however. “It’s turned based? Why can’t I just hit them?!” was our initial reaction when stepping from the train and encountering the first of the Midgard cannon fodder. Accidentally wiping Greggs save after he amassed 100 hours was also a defining moment (it’s a long story…)
Seventh came Thief and eaves dropping on guards. The dialogue and voice acting was absolutely flawless, while you couldn’t help but be intrigued and drawn into the world as you listened quietly along roof tops. Being chased by guards after a black-jack-gone-wrong were moments of hilarity and terror in equal measure as you ran frantically through corridors trying to escape.
Eighth came Soul Calibur. Gregg and I used to play the game religiously, in bout numbers that would put off even the hardened of fight-fans. 400 consecutive bouts, with the scoreline standing at 200/200 was nerve wracking stuff, with a great deal of personal pride riding on the outcome. Gregg as the hulking Nightmare and myself as the buxom beauty Ivy was a clash of wits when both knew our opponents move sets and skill rotations inside out. It was a flurry of choreographed beauty at times.
Ninth came Tekken, and our infinite bouts between Paul Phoenix and Nina Williams, Greggs infuriating grapples and holds that I only learned to counter with Xiang Xiu and her slippery, enticing stances. Although Tekken has since fallen by the way side, it thankfully introduced Gregg and I to serious bout numbers within a beat-em-up.
Tenth was Super Monkey Ball, and the multiplayer madness that ensued. Trying to land your little monkey on the tiniest of platforms in the middle of the ocean was nerve wracking, knuckle biting stuff. Even more hilarious when faced with the prospect of being crowned “The Best Video Game Player In The Entire World Ever” (a verbal agreement between friends that cranked up the tension). One particular session saw us vying for the T.B.V.G.P.I.T.E.W.E. title by trying to balance our monkey across a beam no wider than a centimetre, which rose upwards. Needless to say much taunting and madness ensued when I completed such a daring feat. I still hold the title by the way…
Eleventh was Command and Conquer Retaliation on the PS1. Gregg and I used to slug it out for hours. Gregg the king of turtling as he bunkered in, with me desperately sneaking in my Tanya to destroy his entire base. Hearing him going absolutely wild as I decimated his hard work, or with him attempting to sneak in a large quantity of shock-wave tanks without my noticing; priceless multiplayer fun.
Finally Pokémon Silver arrived in twelfth. I had amassed over 600 hours on my little critters, and while distracted playing Battlefield 2, Gregg decided he would have a go. Unbeknown to me, he had actually started a new game, and considering you can only have one save, had wiped my entire game for the sake of a ten minute run through with a character he named Barnes. If it wasn’t for the simple fact the name was hilarious, and Gregg was oblivious to what he had done, I would have probably thrown myself out of the bedroom window in despair. Boy did we laugh about it (and still do!).
There are many more that have begun to surface after chatting away with my brother over the weekend, and I have little doubt I could continue to list them, but I want to let others have the opportunity to discuss their own favourite moments. I am still undecided on my definitive favourite, and suspect I would need to spend a great deal of time combing through previous titles I have played to fully appreciate and evaluate which games have impacted upon on me the most. Although many I have listed are not strictly moments within games, it is often a multiplayer experience directly from a game that has been the most memorable.
Gregg deleting my Pokémon save, or the sheer competitiveness erupting from playing Super Monkey Ball are times I will always remember, and still laugh about a great deal, the memory of them far surpassing any scripted moments Halo or Call of Duty could ever throw at me.
I remember when I finished Wario Land for the GB at 100%, I was six and very proud 😀
I will also always remember when I got into a VG shop, tried Super Monkey Ball in easy mode and beat it quickly, I was maybe 12 IDK but it felt really strange, like my first 6-hour gaming romp when I borrowed ZOE from a friend just to bring it to him the next day, saying “Well I finished it yesterday evening, it was awesome”.
Oh, Ali’s death ih HL2 was also a memorable moment, as was the awfulness of Halo 3’s storyline.
And that damn final boss in Dark Chronicle, I never beat him because I forgot how to throw items from the inventory XD
And finally managing to decently play Super Mario Kart and Yoshi’s Island on my snes at the age of 19 was a great moment too.
AND many many other memories.
So yeah, nice article Lewis 😀
Great article, Lewis. It made me think.
Obviously I love many games, but I can think of three instances – almost innocuous moments, really – when I felt a sudden rush of contentment and pleasure based on the game I was playing.
Thief is one. My brother had gotten it for me for Christmas and expressed concern that it was only – what? Eight? Eight missions long. I reassured him that the missions were like two hours each. Back at home I was playing; got through the first mission easily (it had been the demo, after all), and was midway through the second. You remember the scene – in the Hammer prison, when you have to walk between diagonal paths of light to reach the guard office. It suddenly crossed my mind, out of the blue, even though that segment is really nothing revelatory, that I was playing one of the best games I’d ever played in my life. And I felt happy.
I also remember a similar moment in Planescape Torment – again, a scene that really wasn’t “all that” in the classic sense. It was the first time I walked into the bar where Ignus was on display. I felt the same sense, the same rush of comfort and the impression that I was playing something really good, and really enjoying it. It was like in that moment all was well with the world.
The third instance was Deus Ex. A game I liked, but didn’t love; again, it was a scene that wasn’t special at all. I was playing on a Saturday morning and had just reached Hong Kong (or wherever in China that you go to in Deus Ex). I had no pressing demands on my time all weekend and it just felt good, being midway through a cool story and knowing I’d get to devote some quality time to it over the next few days.
I play games for so many reasons. I’ve never really sat down to categorize them all, but I think one of the most important is that chance for a fleeting happiness that an innocuous experience might bring.
Excuse me, I’ve got something in my eye.
Kudos Lewis – you’re braver than I to try and pin down your favourite moments in game-dom (and in order, no less)! Some moments stand out – like completing Karateka only to be killed at the very end by the woman you’re trying to save. Being terrified of Morrowind, as you knew its sheer scope would swallow you whole. And finally colouring in all of the levels of Wizball for the first time.
I’ve also always felt a tingle when I’d brought a new system home as well. Opening the box of a brand new PSOne when they were cutting edge really made me feel like I was riding the wave of techonology’s latest. Getting the N64 was similarly exhilirating. And the original Xbox was a large chunk of endless possibilities.
Feelings with the recently sought and bought PS3 weren’t as strong, but the initial gleam of wonder still sparkled in my eye as I plugged it in.
HL-1: The Tram ride and the ensuing journey to the test chamber…the entire thing upto zen.
Thief1/2: The entire package was so well put together…spot on.
Homeworld: The Story, Marshalling the fleet….he fact that “Someone” had created a RTS where you could order the troops around in a cohesive manner and not to have them stumble in each others paths.
Grim Fandango: The Script/Dialoges…….PERFECT.
The intro was just TOO good:
Manny: Mr. Flores…I have come to take you.
Celso : Take me……..where????I….I want to go home.
Manny: You cant go home celso….You are DEAD….but dont worry…so is everyone here..that’s why we call it the land of the dead.Are you ready for your BIG journey?
NOLF: An absolute out and out classic…..imo way ahead in the story telling dept than all of it’s peers.
Serious Sam: The stampeds…..
FarCry: The moment you come out of the Cave…..I was in a different world.
PoP-TSoT: Wall running……never gets tiring…even today.
Just Cause 2 : The freedom to do some seriously crazy ass stunts…..
Hahahah Barnes. Priceless execution of 600+ hours on Pokemon. I honestly had no idea there was only one save slot per cart. Honest! No honest!
Also, for anybody who wants to know the story regarding FFVII:
Me and my brother had our own saves and were sort of playing it in tandem over the course of months. We both racked up in the region of 150 hours each and Lewis left the game on the Save screen after he finished his session. Now anybody who has played FFVII will know that the only difference between the Load and Save screen is the single word in the top right corner. Of course I hammered circle button to load my save inadvertently saving over the sucker. I had to start the game again. Sob.
The infamous Soul Calibre marathon was 400 rounds as well. We kept rounding up our sets, best of 3, 5, 11, 47 etc. until we got to 400 rounds where we drew, 200 a piece. Sore thumbs? Hells yes.
I think Steerpike’s moments echo my own, in addition to many of the shared ones with Lewis above.
The thing is, even taking just Thief: The Dark Project for example, I could recount so many moments. I remember the squalid sense of place at Cragscleft prison (and those diagonal shadows that moved you just a little bit too close to certain deranged inmates), the constant moaning of the prisoners, the chaos of opening all their cells and pressing The Red Button. That red button was genius: never press the red button.
Planescape: Torment had so many moments as well. I knew I was in for something special though when Mort wanted to chat up the zombies bumbling around the mortuary where you wake up: “We should get some female zombies to join our party, right chief?”
There was a moment in GTA IV where I saw a pedestrian drop his empty coffee cup on the floor so, being the Eco Warrior that I am, I went over, picked up the cup and hurled it at the perpetrator. Hey, it’s something I’d love to do in real life. Unfortunately I didn’t see the cop behind me and was busted there on the spot. That’s right, busted for throwing litter at a litter bug. Rock and roll.
One of my favourite gaming moments was seeing the In Extremo gig in Gothic 1.
Morrowind: arriving at Ald’ruhn for the first time, stumbling through an ashstorm as the huge shell of the city comes into view in front of me.
Full Throttle: getting into the junkyard. It’s not my favourite of the classic Lucasarts adventures, but that puzzle is a gem and the solution still makes me smile.
Dark Forces: the first time I picked up an Imperial Stormtrooper’s rifle and discovered how hard it was to hit anything. It made perfect sense.
System Shock: so many moments – the low-g area, being taunted by SHODAN’s voice, winning the final battle just as I lose the last of my vision and she seems to have beaten me…
The one moment that springs to mind for me was in Ultima V. At some point in the game my party got captured by the main villain. I forget his name exactly, it was Blacksomething. Blackthorn? I don’t remember.
Anyway, we get captured and he starts torturing one of my party members on “the rack” demanding that I give him one of the mantras for one of those temples. I refuse, he threatens to kill my party member, I still refuse, and then… riiiiip. Whoever was on the rack gets pulled apart. The character, who it was exactly I forget, completely disappeared from my party list. Gone. Forever. No healing. No raise dead. No resurrection.
I was stunned, especially since it was one of the members from my old Ultima IV group.
The end of Autoduel was another. I just remember it being very tense with everyone gunning for you while you make that final run.
The end of my epic X-Com game was another. It just perfect and, for some reason, I was playing the Cranberries song “Zombie” on infinite repeat throughout the entire mission.
Great article, Lewis.
Honestly, most of my great gaming moments probably come from playing football games. Sport is very hard to replicate properly as a videogame because sport is natural, free flowing, full of random events and not scripted (well, most sports). Sports games still struggle to replicate that same essence that anything could happen.. but when they do throw out those one-in-a-million moments, particularly on multiplayer when you’re in a room full of your beer chugging, pringle and pizza munching mates, those moments are pretty priceless. If I was to run through my favorite gaming moments, my list would be littered with freak goals, hilarious in game glitches and individual moments of brilliance.
You’re right, Mat. My brother, friends and I occasionally get together for beer and videogames. One of our key standbys is whatever WWE/F wrestling game is newest. None of us have any idea how to play, so we blunder around the ring in a four-way battle hitting buttons randomly. On more than one occasion the laughter has gotten so heavy that we’re in physical agony, but unable to stop. Somehow the pain is worth it.
OH GOD STEERPIKE! Me and friends did the EXACT same thing on WWE/F games. They were absolutely hilarious, there were times I was unable to breath at the hilarity of those games. Stomping around the ring, completely unable to control your character, having no idea what you were doing or how you were doing it.
Oh good times 🙂
@Phlebas:
That puzzle (with the dog?) is the only one that stayed with me from Full Throttle. Mind you it’s been a looong time since I played it.
Hahah, I was too young when I played Dark Forces to notice the rifle’s inaccuracy but that does make perfect sense. Genius.
I wasn’t going to comment on this thread because nothing came to mind. I think it says more about my current relationship with gaming than games. Then this morning I am very close to the end of Gothic II: Night of the Raven, second to last chapter just before I set sail for the showdown island. I have the best armor, the best weapon and I’m cruising around finishing up quests. Now this is usually where my interest flags in a game and I have to push myself to finish it but it was such a nice flow. I don’t have to worry about getting my behind handed to me yet I still need to take care around mobs. I am exacting a little revenge on all the places that squashed me flat earlier in the game. I am avoiding triggering the last chapter as I know I won’t be returning to these places again.
So many great moments listed above. It looks like Thief wins for the number of shout outs.
A few people have already said it, but the first thing that comes to mind of all the games I have played is the first 30 minutes of Half-Life. Just seeing this real world unfold in front of your eyes– the only story device you have– was amazing. And the not-having-a-gun thing was strange and wonderful, too.
Second would be the fourth level in Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight; you’re sent to your father’s house, ultimately to retrieve his lightsaber. The game was full of incredible moments, especially in my memory, but that was the best.
Third would be the first time in Total Annihilation that I ever walked my commander into an enemy base, fired my D-gun point blank range into the enemy commander, and just watched the entire base (all 15″ of my screen) explode.
Fourth would be an amalgam of fond memories during my travels in World of Warcraft from level 1 – 60, which spanned from launch night in November 2004 to February 2005, a few months off, and then finishing the feat in June. The exploration and the journey was unlike anything I had ever played, and seeing as my previous MMO best was hitting level 3 in Everquest, I was quite proud of my determination. The moment I hit 60 with a friend (we “dinged” on the exact same kill, quite remarkable actually) I knew it would never be the same, and I’ve never played for more than a week at a time since.
The fifth and most recent would be the first colossus I encountered in Shadow of the Colossus. I didn’t want to fight it…but I didn’t have a choice. Ridiculously awe-inspiring.
@ Xtal, I must admit the first 30 minutes of Half-life 1 and 2 are definatly some of my favourites in a game. I think number 2 clinches it for me, alongside many other moments with the Episode content.
I’ve also seen Gregg play Shadow of the Colossus and it is absolutely stunning, although ICO deserves a great deal of credit, that too is incredible.
@ Gregg, didn’t we finish Full Trottle in a rediculously short amount of time? I’m sure we bought it from Electronics Boutique and eight hours later were stunned that it was all over.
I think another of my favourite moments in a game is Dark Age of Camelot and its Realm Vs Realm combat. Thousands of people from three sides all fighting over Relics that would grant their realm greater power was brilliant fun.
I remember the nervy nature of the game, walking alone in some huge expanse of snowy woodland, always feeling on edge at the prospect of being attacked at any moment. How Mythic ever messed Warhammer Online up I have no idea!
@xtal:I totally forgot about Shadow of the Colossus. *facepalms*
My mum wouldn’t allow me to play SotC without her watching which was awesome in itself. Again though, so many moments. My favourite colossus was the large bird one in that submerged temple area. Absolutely beautiful and truly breathtaking.
@Lewis: We finished Full Throttle within a day of purchasing it which was a real ball breaker. I still loved it but man, was it short and easy. That junkyard puzzle was the hardest in the game and perhaps that’s why it was so memorable. Hmmm. No it was genius, that’s why.
Giving it some thought, I can remember three times in my younger years when the video game amazed me. First was playing Blaster Master with my friends long ago on the original NES. We played that damn game so much trying to beat, each taking turns. It was my turn and I was doing great…made it to the final level and then the final boss which I don’t really remember too well except that it was pretty chaotic. I was about to die but somehow found a way to win, and as the game was showing the ending screen we were all jumping around and high fiving each other, heh.
Second experience was when I went over to a friends house to check out his newest purchase, a Turbografix-16 console with the CD-ROM attachment. He put in an RPG called Y’s: Book 1 & 2 and we spent the whole day playing it. I remember our jaws dropping to the floor as we watched the (at the time) epic movies playing at the beginning of the game and during other parts of the game. This was my first experience with pre-rendered movies I believe, and I was like “WOAH!” The Turbografix was a crap system in my opinion (that damn cd-rom would keep breaking), but that game experience will stick with me forever I believe.
Third experience that I will always remember was with the same friend. I had just installed Phantasmagoria, Harvester, and that other cd-rom game which took place in the haunted house (gah I can’t think of the name now!) We had an epic marathon gaming session that lasted like a whole week I believe with very little sleep involved. This was during summer break from school. We played through all 3 of those games one after another and had a very fun time doing it. There were a couple of puzzles in that haunted house game that to this day make my blood boil with frustration, haha. One was a puzzle where you had to rearrange furniture around a grid to slide this one piece of furniture out of the screen. God that was such a frustrating puzzle. The other puzzle which took us hours was a variant of the game where you have to control the squares on a board. Computer and us would take turns selecting squares, and I know that damn computer AI was cheating, heh.
One last game I just remembered that I had a GREAT time playing through was Shivers. Everything about that game I just loved!
Duh! I finally remembered the name of the “haunted house” game. 7th Guest/11th Hour of course. Jeez my brain is turning to mush!
Thanks for that, Lewis – a good article and one that provoked some interesting comments. Something that surprised (and encouraged) me a little – the favourite moments people cited were almost all from actual gameplay rather than the cut-scenes with which so many games try to achieve emotional impact.
Really nice article, thanks. Some great moments already mentioned. I agree about the first enemy in Shadow of the Colossus. Simply awe-inspiring stuff. And yes, the opening section of Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were both very powerful at the time.
Some other great gaming moments that came to my mind:
When I first left Seyda Neen in Morrowind and made my way to Pelagiad, and it was pouring with rain and I felt like a little hobbit arriving in Bree. Because of the huge map I had in front of me I was aware of how little I had travelled, and how vast and daunting a journey I had ahead of me. That game was incredible. Oblivion and Fallout 3, and indeed many open-world sandbox games have given me a similar feeling. Fallout 3 was particularly striking when I first left the bunker at the beginning and my blurry vision adjusted to the beautiful, scorched landscape I was about to begin exploring.
Final Fantasy VII had many incredible moments but the part that sticks out to me most is when you play as Tifa and you have to escape Junon by running along the giant cannon and jumping for the Highwind airship. Final Fantasy VIII had a similarly epic moment when the two gardens went to war, and as Squall you had to run through a battlefield where magical spells and swordfights go on around you.
The opening section of Deus Ex on Liberty Island sticks out a lot, because I’ve played that whole mission probably around ten times now and have never had the same experience twice.
I’ve had tons of hilarious and exciting experiences on the GTA games, particularly with the police. In GTA IV I remember being on six stars because I tried to cross a bridge to a closed part of the city. I was on foot running along what I think was maybe a railway bridge or something, and since the police couldn’t drive their cars down it they were chasing me on foot. I shot most of them dead and thought I was going to make it out alive until a helicopter swooped by and started shooting at me, forcing me to dive off the bridge into the water, before being killed by a police boat. Fun times. I also remember going on a shooting spree on the island with the Statue of Happiness on it, and having to hide in the base of the statue where the helicopters couldn’t get me.
I guess I could probably keep writing this post for hundreds of more paragraphs but I think it’s time for bed.