Results 1 to 11 of 11

Thread: That Moment...

  1. #1
    Witch of Theatergoing Karifean's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Wandering the Kakera
    Posts
    3,933
    Articles
    1
    Blog Entries
    146

    Default That Moment...

    What are some of your favorite moments in RPGs that just left you in awe or shock? Those striking moments that you can't stop thinking about for days or weeks after, that'll always stick in your memory thinking back about the game, those that you look forward to re-experiencing on replays or look up on YouTube just to relive those feelings...

  2. #2
    Newbie Administrator Loony BoB's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Posts
    52,431
    Articles
    53
    Blog Entries
    19

    FFXIV Character

    Loony Bob (Twintania)

    Default

    I seem to get this vibe more from games like The Last of Us these days than from RPGs.
    Bow before the mighty Javoo!

  3. #3
    Do Myself a Mischief Vermachtnis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    That Weird Building
    Posts
    7,209

    FFXIV Character

    Ekhi Ysengrim (Brynhildr)

    Default

    The final leg of Digimon World 3. After spending the entire game in the Digital World. You're in a satellite in the real world. You fight your way through this onslaught of tough enemies and boss fights. You get to the guy you think is the final boss. After a fight, his partner Digivolves, devours him and then fuses with Satellite with the intention of fusing with the Earth to become Gaiamon. So all of sudden you go from fighting this Megalomaniac to being the only standing between Earth and total destruction. And then during the actual fight, the camera will sometimes pan around and you see the Earth behind you. After the first phase of the fight is done he fires a shot at the Earth and your partner takes the hit. I had a Seraphimon the first time I did it too. Then you move in for the final fight and it does my favorite anime trope and starts playing the opening music.

  4. #4

    Default

    The last time I encountered this was in Famicom Final Fantasy 3 when I flew my airship off of the starting 'world' and discovered exactly what I was in for.

  5. #5
    WarZidane's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Netherlands
    Posts
    885

    FFXIV Character

    Cattleya Paphia (Sargatanas)

    Default

    I have quite a lot of these, most of them are endings to their respective games

    (which means, behind these spoiler tags, there are indeed going to be spoilers, read at your own risk)

    There was Persona 3's ending, (SPOILER)where the main character's sacrifice came as a bit of a shock and really stuck in my mind for weeks, as it's very rare for a JRPG to pull something like that, usually they're clean happy endings.

    Ar Tonelico 2's ending, (SPOILER)which wasn't shocking but more just beautiful and a very memorable moment to me, where the full song of Metafalica is finally sung and as the vocals are playing you see their new land grow (this is all a lot better with the full context, sound and visuals )

    Ar Tonelico 3's ending, (SPOILER)where, after three full games of playing in these floating lands because the world below is uninhabitable, the world becomes habitable again, new life blooms and to top it all off, the credits contain music/visuals from all three games

    Ar nosurge's ending, (SPOILER)where you rebirth an entire world and during the final boss sequence you actually see that world forming in the background, accompanied by a great vocal song (as is standard in Ar games)

    Trails in the Sky FC (1)'s ending, (SPOILER)where as you celebrate your victory, suddenly a minor character throughout the game is revealed as the big bad, triggers memories in MC's partner, causing him to leave and MC starts a journey to find him...TO BE CONTINUED, and I had to wait 4 years for the continuation

    Trails of Cold Steel 1's ending, (SPOILER)where, as you're celebrating, news suddenly breaks out of war, your academy is invaded by giant robots, which you end up trying to fight off with your newly acquired OWN giant robot, before a party member shows up in ANOTHER giant robot, kicks your ass, and you're sent flying to a mountain, leaving everybody you came to know over the course of the game behind. TO BE CONTINUED. Thankfully I didn't have to wait 4 years for this one, merely a bit less than one year.

    ...and definitely more, but I'll leave it at that for now.

  6. #6
    Memento Mori Site Contributor Wolf Kanno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Nowhere and Everywhere
    Posts
    19,544
    Articles
    60
    Blog Entries
    27
    Contributions
    • Former Cid's Knight

    Default

    There are too many to list, I'll come back to this when I have a better frame of mind.

  7. #7
    Newbie Administrator Loony BoB's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2000
    Posts
    52,431
    Articles
    53
    Blog Entries
    19

    FFXIV Character

    Loony Bob (Twintania)

    Default

    Oh, just remembered when re-reading this thread that I should absolutely have mentioned FFVII's Seto moment.
    Bow before the mighty Javoo!

  8. #8
    Witch of Theatergoing Karifean's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Wandering the Kakera
    Posts
    3,933
    Articles
    1
    Blog Entries
    146

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Loony BoB View Post
    I seem to get this vibe more from games like The Last of Us these days than from RPGs.
    I get ya, I felt the same way for a while, then I realized it's more that there are still so many great RPGs I hadn't yet played, many of which I now count among my all-time favorites ^^

    To answer my own question with the first ones that immediately come to mind...

    Persona 3: (SPOILER)The scripted battle against Nyx. I had the fact that the MC dies at the end spoiled for me, but that didn't make it any less impactful, especially seeing the HP cost of The Great Seal god I love this game.

    Final Fantasy X: (SPOILER)Finally reaching the Zanarkand Ruins, IMO the most powerful part of the game. At this point everything Yuna believes in has been shattered, she may as well be a walking corpse heading to her grave doing one last actually meaningful thing in her life, and Tidus can only look and watch her do it. The mood and tone is set so perfectly.

    .hack//G.U.: (SPOILER)Many moments to choose from, and almost all of them in Volume 2, go figure. But I gotta go with the confrontation with Atoli. Atoli's screams of her own perceived worthlessness are so damn haunting, and as cute and lovable as Alkaid is, to me Atoli is ultimately the real star of the best part of G.U. and her relationship with Haseo is so damn well-written.

    Trails of Cold Steel II: Gotta put two moments here, sorry >.<

    1. (SPOILER)Rescuing Princess Alfin. The entire Intermission is my favorite part of the game but Rean running off with the princess is exactly how you take a cliché and make something incredible out of it. The cast of antagonists is the real star here and god are they all wonderful.

    2. (SPOILER)When Osborne walks onto the scene after Crow dies. The entire finale we've been building up towards is brought to the conclusion we've been waiting for, only for Crow to end up giving his life. Leaving Rean incapable of fulfilling his real personal goal in this whole mess. And then this asshole shows up and uses everything you've been fighting for to his political advantage before you even have a clue what's happening.

    I think the best way I can put why I love this moment so much is because it embodies exactly what I love so much about this series; it both manages to play the 'journey of the hero' and have you feel super awesome as you accomplish more and more in the story, and still have you feel insanely empty and unfulfilled by the end of it because, in the end, our feats grow too big for our own good and end up being used for a *much larger story* unfolding in the back of everything.

  9. #9

    Default

    Without being cliche and talking about "the twist", in games like KotOR, or Aerith's death in FFVII, I think things like when you end the chase in Midgar in FFVII and get a look at the outside world, and realize you spent like 3 hours just playing in the beginning town and you're finally free to go explore what the game really is. That moment is very pleasant

    There's a lot of crazy as hell moments in Xenogears, I'll never tire of the beginning going to crap, or the first introductions with Id where he just tears everything to hell

    Likewise for a more recent games is the Valkyria scenes in Valkyria Chronicles 1

    There are some insane moments in the Mass Effect games, but the ones that make me the most giddy are in Mass Effect 3, and the times when you actually get to (SPOILER)take down a reaper are insane, especially for the first time

    The first like 5 - 10 hours of Kingdom Come Deliverance are so solemn and depressing and genuine and I loved experiencing it and watching my girlfriend play through it

    Just a handful off the top of my head. I could probably write a ton on this topic



  10. #10

    Default

    Might be super cliche, but it's cliche for a reason. Aeris' death was the very first thing that popped into my head when I read this thread (I was pondering whether to put this in spoiler tags in light of the upcoming remake, but it was already mentioned out of tags, so I won't bother). When it happened, I simply could not believe it. I mean, I was in such disbelief that I really didn't believe it and assumed she would be resurrected somehow (so I can understand how those rumors came about). I don't quite know why. I'd played previous FFs before and they had deaths in them. Granted, in FFIV many of the deaths did turn out to be fake, but those were more offscreen deaths or things like being turned to stone. Nothing so clear cut as having a sword stabbed through them right before our very eyes. Also, previous FFs had not killed off characters that I would consider as major. This was basically killing off the female lead mid-game. WTF? It blew my mind and devastated me. It certainly wasn't the only "moment" in FF7. It had many, including one's that were mentioned in this thread, but of all major moments in video games, this was THE moment that had the most profound effect on me.

  11. #11
    Memento Mori Site Contributor Wolf Kanno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Nowhere and Everywhere
    Posts
    19,544
    Articles
    60
    Blog Entries
    27
    Contributions
    • Former Cid's Knight

    Default

    Been thinking about this one for a bit.

    There are only really three standout moments for me in the FF-Verse.

    FFIV - Cecil's Trial to become a Paladin. Makes his full story acr come full circle, gives you a really unconventional party, and I honestly think it's the part where Dark Knight Cecil is fun to play as since the Deathbringer puts Cecil into a mini-god mode with the massive stat increases. Some of the best music is in this sequence as well.

    FFVI - Opera House sequence will always be one of the most important gaming moments for me because of it's interactive nature and cinematic production. It elevated my opinion of gaming in general, and is the sequence that really sold me onto RPGs in general. It also perfectly balances taking a really ridiculous premise that is kind of a plot hole if you really think about it and instead becomes one of the most emotional stirring moments of melodrama in the game. My second choice would Celes' suicide attempt which acts as a sort of bookend to this moment for her character arc.

    FFIX - Normally I would say the awesome Bahamut vs. Alexander fight as it's the high point of the game if you ask me. Instead, I'm going to go with Vivi and the Black Mage graveyard sequence because this moment if not only a great character moment for him, but it also hits at the heart of the game's main theme about the meaning of life and the frailty of it all.

    Xenogears - There are honestly too many to count for me, though I have to give props to the opening Lahan section and Id's appearances. Though I might give this to the revelation of what is going on with Fei. Despite being just an hour of plot dump on you with no real gameplay in sight, the whole game had been building up to it and the payoff was actually worth it, which is rare for the genre.

    Xenosaga Eps. 1 - Cherenkov's past is easily the high point of the first game and probably the most gut wrenching story in the trilogy. It was pretty cool seeing such a minor character get delved into and transformed what was simply a minor double agent story into a personal tale of simply wishing to belong is one of the most powerful moments in the trilogy, and an example of the titles wish to take broad conspiracies to use as a backdrop for exploring the basic flaws of the human condition. My second choice is anything with Albedo in it cause he is a scene stealing wonder who makes even the story mess of Eps. II and the rushed Eps. III feel charming and worth watching.

    For the most part, the first Chapter/Act of any of Matsuno's games tend to be the high point. The man knows how to create an opening that will suck you into the narrative but to bring this down to specifics:

    FFTactics - The entire conclusion of Chapter 1 is a great testament to what is to come as we witness the internal strife within the Death Corps that led to their destruction, Tetra's death, Algus acting on his true nature and his murder by Delita and the moment where both Ramza and Delita's worlds fall apart and we witness the birth of two ideological different heroes.

    Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together - Walister False Flag Operation is easily the high mark of the entire game and probably one of the best uses of character choice in the genre. Why? Because it changes the plot considerably as well as how the cast and story perceive the hero. For those who haven't played: (SPOILER) As members of the fledgling Walister ethnic group, your faction has been severely subjugated and is being wiped out by one of the other ethnic factions. Of the three factions, the Walister's are the closest to falling apart and likely being wiped out in the political struggle and every ally matters. In the plot, Denam liberates a hard labor concentration camp of his fellow group and is tasked with convincing them to join the war cause. Unfortunately, the people there refuse, being too weak and seeing the war effort a lost cause. Here Denam gains orders from his Lord to massacre the population and leave evidence that it was caused by one of the other factions in order to stir the hearts of the Walister's into action. The massacre happens no matter what, but the player chooses whether Denam is an accomplice or whether he defects out of moral consciousness. Denam's choice paints how he is viewed by all the other characters and changes his role in the story from idealist rebel to pragmatic soldier and this choice will change what endings and characters you can gain. It's honestly Matsuno's crowning achievement of blending story and gameplay.

    Vagrant Story - There are too many great moments in the game but the two that stand out to me is Sydney revealing an alternate take on Ashley's past and the battle with Grissom which really grays the intentions of Sydney and really shows you the horror of the Dark and Lea Monde in general.

    Dragon Quest III - The third act when you discover you've been playing a prequel the whole time and we actually et a proper conclusion for some of the lingering plot threads in the game like the MC's father's fate.

    Dragon Quest V - The transition from the second and third act is pretty gut wrenching and ballsy, especially for a light-hearted series like DQ.

    DQVII - Has too many to really speak of, but it would largely be the second half of the game before the first confrontation with the Demon Lord, mainly because all the stories of this part have call backs to all of the quests in the first half. Discovering the truth about the Lute playing Prophet and the story behind the monster and the statue is pretty eye opening.

    Breath of Fire II - The netire prologue chapter is pretty chilling as well as the return to Gate.

    Breath of Fire III - Balio and Sunder destroying your home, the revelation about why Garr is helping you and the reunion with all of the major cast mates in the Adult time are pretty cool. My two favorites might still be the Monster Plant in Momo's intro story and meeting the last of the Brood.

    Breath of Fire IV - Most of Fou Lu's sequences are the best parts of the game but the highlight is the final sequence when the empire uses the Hex Cannon on him. For Ryu's scenario it's the awakening of Kaiser and the conclusion to Nina's sister's scenario. Have we discussed how awful it is to be Nina's sister since all of them have tragic stories?

    Breath of Fire V - Dragon Mode's first use, Nina's room in the Lab, and Bosch's backstory.

    Suikoden - Pretty much every major death that feeds the Soul Eater, but special mention goes to Tir's battle with his father Teo. Also Ted's backstory and the revelation about Barabarossa knowing Wendy was just trying to manipulate him despite his genuine love for her.

    Suikoden II - Easily the final sequence when the hero fulfills the promise he made to Jowy at the beginning of the game.

    Suikoden III - Too many, but for each of the major story chapters: Hugo witnessing the death of his friend, Chris ordering the attack on Karaya Village resulting in Hugo's plot revelation, Geddoe revealing his past, and Thomas standing up against the Zexen Council and Knights to protect his new home. Discovering who the villains is, best if you've played the first two games.

    Suikoden IV - Any time the Rune of Punishment let's you see the life of one of it's previous owners.

    Suikoden V - The entire first Act of the game starting with the prologue in Lordlake and ending with the MC fleeing the capital. It's a bit of an understatement how much great backstory and set-up the first several hours. Discovering the truth about all of the events that led to the coup and what happened that night at the palace is also nice.

    Shin Megami Tensei - Alice scenario is easily one of the eeriest parts of the game. Also the death of the Law and Chaos heroes.

    Shin Megami Tensei III - Most of the revelations given by the Old Man and Lady in Black, meeting Ariadne for the first time. The Maniken Prison escape, and the birth of all of the factions Reason Gods.

    Shin Megami Tensei IV - Discovering what Reds are, finding Tokyo for the first time, and traveling to the alternate timelines where the previous hero chose either Law or Chaos. The last one is especially interesting because players rarely get to see what their ideal worlds would really look like when they choose a faction in previous installments.

    Persona 1 - The world of the subconscious where the Hero meets his Other Self as well as the final showdown with Kandori in the SEBEC arc. In the White Queen arc, it's the Mara scene as well as watching all of the most self centered and selfish party members brow beat the equally selfish villains of the arc, it's actually pretty hilarious.

    Persona 2 - Discovering what the subtitles mean in both games.

    Persona 3 - Probably all of the events surrounding Shinji's death, especially Akihiko's speech to his memorial. The entire ending sequence is also amazing. The Sun, Hermit, and Devil Social Links are also great.

    Persona 4 - Probably the Shadow battles and the Nanako and Dojima Social Links.

    Persona 5 - Finally reaching the prologue sequence and the awesome Ocean's Eleven plan surrounding it assuming you chose the good ending route.

    Secret of Mana - Visiting the Empire and finally reaching the Mana Tree

    Legend of Mana - The ending to the three main NPC arcs. Visiting the Junkyard for the first time.

    Wild Arms 1 - Ziekfried's rebellion, discovering the truth about Rudy, and the prologue sequence detaling Jack's past. Also the opening credit sequence because everyone always assumes at first it's the game's ending instead of being the opening credits.

    Wild Arms 2 - The first time Ashley uses Nightmare mode, Brad's past, and the revelations about Odeaas and the Wild Arms organizations true origins.

    Wild Arms 3 - Asgard's return, Zeikfried's return, and discovering the real villain had been there the whole time.

    Demon's Souls - the battle with Astrea and Vinland, Ostrava's story conclusion, and the battle with the Old Monk, as well as the endings.

    Dark Souls - Reaching Lordrain and everything that follows there including discovering the truth about the place and the battle with Gwyndolin. The final battle.

    Dark Souls 2 - Mainly the DLC episodes but special mention goes to battling the Fume Knight, and the battling the Ice themed King in the heart of Chaos.

    Bloodborne - The first time you get your insight high enough to see the Amygdalas, most of the Hunter battles, and the Nightmare realms. For the DLC, seeing the Healing Church experiments, facing Lady Maria, and the whole Fishing Hamlet.

    SaGa Frontier 2 - Gustave's rise to power and death, Rich's final expedition.

    Chrono Trigger - Magus's castle sequence, the entire 12,000 B.C.E. section, and anthing dealign with Robo. Also Chrono's trial.

    Chrono Cross - the Maemune's story including the final confrontation with Dario. Chronoplis and the intial infiltration of Viper Manor.

    Lunar 1 - Luna's boat sequence, the truth about Ghaleon and Laike, the final sequence with Goddess Althena.

    Digital Devil Saga - Discovering the true nature of the Junkyard. The first dungeon sequence when the party learns about their demon forms.


    I'll probably think of more eventually.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •