[Closed] Your greatest video game moment

For me it's doing pretty much anything on FFVII, so much so that after the last of these threads I went and bought a PS1 and the game to do it again, I've just done this bit where you fall through the roof of the church so I've got some way to go yet.

Best memory is probably from Gran Turismo, me and a mate at uni spent days in a row playing it and we were both really evenly matched, quite often finished races side by side across the finish line.

brokebony - Member
Why, what format is it likely to come out on?

Beta (I think) is running now on PC, think some on here are playing it.

The bit in GTA IV where you have to choose wether or not to execute the slimy Russian bloke, after you've beaten him. I did. That was pretty deep.

Otherwise.. playing Wip3out to a very high level. You had to be so far into the zone it was a real shock having to come out again. Intense.

Oh yeah, and shitting myself playing Marathon on an old Mac as the little dot on the radar got closer and closer and I couldn't see anything, in an exact recreation of that scene from Alien.

There were many memorable moments from my arcade career 25-30 years ago, but the hilight has to be discovering how to make the ginger haired scotsman in Double Dragon do a head-butt.

Greatest failure was never finishing R-Type. Still the hardest game I've ever played. Took me years to get to the last level, but couldn't get past the final boss before I got older and became more interested in girls and drinking.

That was pretty deep.

🙂

errr.... sussing out the strategy behind plants vs zombies so that I could get my son past a level he'd been stuck on for months..

I was his absolute hero 🙂

Looks wise, Creatures on the C64 was a whole new ballgame.
Gameplay MGS on PS1
Bricking it wise, AVP or Doom 3..
Achievements, all records on mario kart, all virtual mission records on MGS, and every level inc secrets ones on Super Mario World

Oh, forgot one! Killing RoboHitler in Wolfenstein3D.

Like Bombjack back a page, greatest game moment was being the first in the local arcade to finish Shinobi on a single 10p. Game had been in for a few months but nobody had beaten it yet. I would have been in my early teens. By the last stage a big crowd had gathered, all shouting advice about where to jump and shoot to beat the big end of level boss. I remember I was shaking so much I almost stepped away to pass it to someone else.

But I did it! Big cheers and awkward backslaps while we're stood there watching the credits roll. I lived off that moment for months.

Greatest failure was never finishing R-Type. Still the hardest game I've ever played.

As a fan of the genre,

R-Type was evil. It's patently designed to take 10p's off people, the only way to beat it is to commit the entire game to memory.

Wow I'd forgotten about Bombjack, what a head **** that was later on. And R-type beat me too, although I think I completed Rtype 2.

Yie Ar Kung Fu on the amstrad..... I think I I was at level 133 when I realised I'd completed the game long ago but it just kept recycling the same 12 opponents and calling it another level.

Gran Turismo A Spec on the PS2 - completing the 24hr le mans race.
Cant recall the car I drove but I know I won a formula 3 race car 🙂

So many to choose from:

* Tomb Raider 1. I loved this game. Playing the anniversary remake years later and listening to all of the audio guides was such a nostalgic feeling.

* Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 - my brother and I played this to death. When the CD snapped I had to download the cracked German version (schlampig means sloppy!). *fliptrick-manual-fliptrick-manual-fliptrick-manual-grind-fliptrick-manual-fliptrick-manual-massive-air-POINTS!*

* All Ghillied Up (Pripyat mission) in CoD4/MW. Atmosphere in spades, before the series got all Michael Bay.

* Mass Effect 1. Such a surprise, had never played a space RPG before. Completely blew me away, sure 2 / 3 were 'better' but I lapped up every single nugget of backstory in ME1. Helped me get into Sci-Fi TV series and books too, neither of which I'd been interested in before.

It's weird, I can't think of a single film that's left such an impact on me as these video games.

OK, got a few to add...

Street fighter 2 and pro evo soccer tournaments in the boarding house at school!

COD MW2 multiplayer online was simply amazing, heart rate would reach dangerous levels as we neared the end

Agree with earlier comments though, doom 3 on the xbox was incredibly creepy, the torch vs gun in hand mechanic was so clever, if frustrating! Oh and basically every half life released (except blue shift which was outrageously short!)

How has gears of war not been mentioned yet?! Some of the art pieces were phenomenal.

* Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 - my brother and I played this to death. When the CD snapped I had to download the cracked German version (schlampig means sloppy!). *fliptrick-manual-fliptrick-manual-fliptrick-manual-grind-fliptrick-manual-fliptrick-manual-massive-air-POINTS!*

* All Ghillied Up (Pripyat mission) in CoD4/MW. Atmosphere in spades, before the series got all Michael Bay.

Man THPS was the game I had been wishing for for ages as someone who had been into skating and had to put up with skate or die on the nes and half pipe in California games. Played that franchise none stop for years, so playable.

Totally agree on the cod level as well, such a great level that one, sooooo atmospheric.

R-Type was evil. It's patently designed to take 10p's off people, the only way to beat it is to commit the entire game to memory.

Yup. It's so imprinted on my brain that even 20-odd years later I can still remember the entire routine for beating the level 3 mothership 🙂 I dread to think about how much money I spent on that game.

Predictable possibly but GTA V has had more jaw dropping moments for me than any other game in my life. I keep stopping just to admire the cityscapes, or views from mountain tops or the moon light glowing over the sea. It is an absolutely stunning game. Genuinely beautiful.

Far too many to type here, first few that sprang to mind though:

A summer spent playing Goldeneye with mates, best moment was my single shot 3 player kill with the magnum. Only got better when Perfect Dark came out.

Growing up with my older brother playing on the snes, starwing was amazing.

Defending our town on star wars galaxies vs most of the rebels on the server. Fight lasted for hours and we managed to defend our npc base. Best game ever. Made many a friend.

some stand out moments for me would be.

1. playing doom for the first time (had to be the worst version of it also the 3D0)i didn't care though,me and my friend were gobsmacked by the game (still am tbh).

2.final fantasy vii just the beauty/scale of it,having never played a jrpg before.my friend when he first saw it,wasn't too impressed.not long after though,he had himself a copy of it and completed it before me the bstard 😉

3.mirror's edge just blown away by the game tbh,especially the opening cut scene (after the training level).it always makes me feel very melancholy for some reason.beautiful. even with it's faults the game is still great (will have to buy a next gen console to play the new game when it comes out.

4.bruce lee/last ninja/last ninja 2. love all of the games and felt a great sense of achievement when i completed them.

5.the elder scrolls oblivion/skyrim. just stunning huge fantasy games,where you can make your own choices as to what to do/who to be e.t.c. the worlds are just beautiful to explore.have a huge place in my heart for them.seeing the aurora at night in skyrim is just stunning (with the soundtrack playing).

could add a lot more,but have to get ready for a blood test at 9:30 today.

jimjam - Member

Wow I'd forgotten about Bombjack, what a head **** that was later on. And R-type beat me too, although I think I completed Rtype 2.

Yie Ar Kung Fu on the amstrad..... I think I I was at level 133 when I realised I'd completed the game long ago but it just kept recycling the same 12 opponents and calling it another level.

Good call, loved Yie Ar Kung Fu. Also played Bruce Lee, IK+ and Way of the Exploding Fist to death, along with Renegade, Ikari Warriors, Mr Heli, Chuckie Egg, Elite, Barbarian (lopped plenty of heads off with that one 😀 )

OMG OMG OMG, they're only going to re release ELITE!!! It'll be like going out with your girlfriend from the nineties, only she'll be forty and well woth one!

Yep, I stumped up £100 to join the beta test programme back in July. While £100 might seem a lot, I *ahem* didn't pay for my copies of Elite, Elite 2 or Virus so I figure that I owe David Braben one.

New Elite is pretty good. It's not without its frustrations, for example I progressed in the original game by saving each and every time I reached a space station. In Elite Dangerous, if you die you are reincarnated but at a cost of credits, which kind of removes the desire to go exploring and get into dogfights for me. But given that the game is an MMO, it's difficult to see how else they could work it.

The graphics are good, although the anti-aliasing isn't as polished as it could be - there's still work to be done. On a dual GFX card setup with a 4k monitor it'd look amazing.

flicker

Good call, loved Yie Ar Kung Fu. Also played Bruce Lee, IK+ and Way of the Exploding Fist to death, along with Renegade, Ikari Warriors, Mr Heli, Chuckie Egg, Elite, Barbarian (lopped plenty of heads off with that one )

Some great calls there. Cutting off heads in Barbarian had to be one of the most satisfying moves in gaming, the goblin booting the head off screen was just the cherry on top. Web of death wasn't it? Fond memories of all the others too. Renegade was fantastic, the old clinch headbutt ftw.

It's weird, I can't think of a single film that's left such an impact on me as these video games.

This +1

Can't think of any films recently that have gripped me, thrilled me, surprised me,or just made me care as much about the characters as the Mass Effect Series, COD MW1 or Spec Ops:The Line.

Finally got round to playing an Assasin's Creed game this week as I'd downloaded Black flag on steam, the first time you get your own ship, standing at the wheel and deploying your sails to set out into the azure Caribbean as your crew strike up a shanty was a proper spine tingling moment.

Still irks me that they're seen as somewhat of a lesser artform even now. Far now innovation in narrative and character development in games now than any other form of story telling.

One thing that bugs me about that is older games... OK sometimes gameplay dates really badly, but there's honest to god masterpieces which will barely get played again because they're on an old platform or too ugly or whatever- it's like not watching citizen kane because it's not in colour, or not looking at a painting because it's not a photo. Is there another artform that goes obsolete like this?

jimjam - Member

Renegade was fantastic, the old clinch headbutt ftw.

I've got the music playing in my head now 😀

I used to lure all the thugs to the end of the platform on the first level, let them grab me from behind (steady!) so I could chuck them over and off the platform.

I keep stopping just to admire the...

Is there another artform that goes obsolete like this?

Virtually all of them have gone through a similar process just over a vastly longer period of time - there are many musical instruments which have been lost or had to be recreated from descriptions, there are dead languages, there are paintings whose symbolism means nothing in a modern context, furniture which has lost its function and so on... Silent movies are perhaps a better modern analogy. There are real, bone fide clasics which will almost never be screened again because we've lost the ability to enjoy them.

Games are arguably being more aggressively curated than any other medium in history thanks to technology, we can still play many of the very first computer games right through to the present day thanks to remakes and emulation - can you imagine if we had the same access to literature or music?

Ultimately, very few of the early games are going to be seen as "honest to god masterpieces" in part because that is a label which, in retropect, needs to be applied sparingly to be meaningful and which also needs to reflect the impact the made on gaming. Most Games from the past don't stand up to modern scrutiny - those that do are rightly revered (and often endlessly regugitated) and have resulted in huge efforts being made to keep them alive.

I can't argue with any of that tbh! Consider me converted

+1 to what Lemonysam said, very well put.

Also, what other art form has evolved so rapidly? We've gone from the gaming equivalent of daubing hand prints on a cave wall to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in 25 years.

In the midst of this turmoil it's always going to be very hard to pick out the genuine masterpieces as this title should always be bestowed after a period of time and reflection to asses it's impact.

In 1970 pretty much every review Of Black Sabbath's Paranoid was dismissive at best, it was only years later that it's true quality began to be appreciated. I feel that many games will undergo a similar process.

That's not a bad analogy, but I'm not sure as I'd agree.

Early games were crude in comparison, sure, but to say they don't stand up is a bit unfair. Combat on the VCS, for example, is a hell of a lot of fun two-player. Jet Set Willy, Paradroid, Back 2 Skool, Atic Atac and many others of their vintage I'd happily play again right now. They might not be sprawling cinematic epics but I wonder how many of today's games we'll be saying that about in 30 years' time?

As far as storylines / character empathy goes, in recent times I'd be hard pressed to beat the recent Tomb Raider. That's probably the first game I've properly obsessed about since Red Dead Redemption, it's a masterpiece and so beautifully put together.

Videogames that have blown my mind through the ages, in chronological order:

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Wow, Alone in the Dark. Good shout.

😀 First ever survival horror game. Scared the hell out of me when I was nine!

Also, I forgot:

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Early games were crude in comparison, sure, but to say they don't stand up is a bit unfair. Combat on the VCS, for example, is a hell of a lot of fun two-player. Jet Set Willy, Paradroid, Back 2 Skool, Atic Atac and many others of their vintage I'd happily play again right now.

I'd put most of those in the category of highly revered classics (though they're a bit before my time) but even then, whilst I'd love to play Elite, Palace of Magic, Pandora's Box or Stunt Racer 2000 right now (they were the games of my childhood), I wouldn't invest the thousands of hours in them that I did at the time and I wonder to what extent I'd be motivated by nostalgia. The games which have arguably stood the test of time the best are the ones which relied on brilliant writing - games like Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion.

Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max, Grim Fandango...

King takes Queen in Magicland Dizzy.

In 20 years time who knows how crude GTA V or Dying Light will look.

In 20 years time who knows how crude GTA V or Dying Light will look.

Well GTA3 is 14 years old and still plays well enough - albeit it looks quite naive by comparison to GTA V. The GTA series are arguably another example of the importance of writing.

Playing Geoff Crammonds Grand Prix (Amiga) and later Grand Prix Legends(PC), both groundbreaking Sim Racing titles that still hold there own today.

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I agree with lemonysam too.

Games back then were a bit of fun. Now they are immersive beyond cinematic experiences. The technology and money behind them has allowed the creation of a new form of art that is not quite like cinema and not quite like a novel, but related.

Sure, Frogger was fun, but standing on the deck at Franklin's house in GTAV watching the sun set over the busy city is really in a different league.

richmtb - Member
One of the big arcades in Glasgow ran a weekly competition on Ferrari 355 challenge. Best lap time every week won £100. I won it three weeks in a row - they cancelled the competition. It remains to this day the only time gaming has been remotely profitable

I worked on f355 challenge at Sega. Our R&D team had a similar comp going on with the prototype, shaving 100ths of seconds off each other's Monza laps. Interestingly, we delivered one to a Ferrari f1 driver at the time and set it up in his home gym as a promo. He neither wanted it nor had any interest in video games, but massacred our Monza lap record on his first go. Make of that what you will!

I remembered a moment on the original Resident Evil last night, there is a corridor off to the right from the main hall in the house, you creep down the corridor and as you approach a window a zombie dog bust through it. FFS nearly required medical assistance after that.

First game ever where I've been genuinely nervous entering a new room.

Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max,

Damn, how could I have forgotten about these!

Sure, Frogger was fun, but standing on the deck at Franklin's house in GTAV watching the sun set over the busy city is really in a different league.

I don't buy this. In 30 years time games will be even more immersive and impressive, but I bet you'll still cite that example as a pivotal gaming moment rather than mere 'fun'. Playing games isn't (for me at least) like watching films or reading books, because I'll never have the time to devote entire evenings and weekends to playing them ever again. Sure, I have a quick dabble every now and then, but I'll never connect with games like I did in the 1990s.