30 Days of Video Games - BONUS: Why Do You Play Games Pg. 142

[DemonShad716]

Day 14: Favorite Story

 

 

I really liked the way the story is told in this game. Part of it is through the way of audio files that you find scattered throughout the city in the form of payphones and kiosks, the other is you exploring the city trying to investigate what happened. And the game makes you work for it by fighting back and killing enemies to find these hidden audio files. These files are like diaries of a person's point of view of them going through a major city crisis (don't want to go into specifics to avoid potential spoilers). You get a sense of what has happened in the city and what that person went through in order to get to safety. Meanwhile, you are also trying to reunite with your ODST crew that got scattered during the initial drop during your investigation.

 

The way the story progresses makes it feel like you are playing flashbacks of each of your crew members and what they went through. AS you play as your ODST, the city's A.I. is guiding you to it's core to protect a special creature; that's what I get out of it.

 

I get a cool post-apocalyptic vibe out of this game's story and you are trying to survive the already invading Covenant. It's got a dark feel to it and you get a sense of lost hope when you are trying to fight back as the Covenant reeks havoc on Earth.

 

 

[Komodin]

Day 14 - Favorite Story

 

Okay, so you wanna know my favorite story, huh? Well, I know a lot of games with stories that I genuinely adore. However, since a good majority of them have already been discussed by my fellow SSMBers, I’ll talk about one particular favorite of mine that hasn’t really been discussed yet.

 

 

Yeah, I’m gonna utilise my Sonic card just this once and say that Sonic and the Secret Rings has one of my favorite video game stories.

 

In stark contrast to the other main Sonic games at the time, it’s a more balanced story with its funny moments here and there, as well as some darker, conflicted moments near the end, much like Sonic Adventure in a way. I think what particularly sticks out for me with this versus that game was not only how the game handled the relationship between Sonic and Shahra, but also provides a unique insight on how Sonic himself works. You see, this game has a significantly smaller cast of characters than, say, Sonic Heroes or Sonic ‘06, and I think the choice helped to benefit the game with a more focused sense of character development between the smaller cast, best seen with Sonic and Shahra. 

 

In this game, Sonic acquires a ring that allows him to summon the Genie of the Ring, Shahra, a la Aladdin. Normally, works of this sort would have the “master” use the genie to wish themselves up whatever they want all haphazardly before they inevitably learn the aesop of the day on responsibility and not using their friends like toys, stuff like that there. Here? That particular trope was actually averted: not only does Sonic not abuse Shahra’s ability to grant (limited) infinite wishes, but outright defies the “genie/master” things by making it clear that he doesn’t want Shahra to refer to him as a “Master” but a genuine friend.This is in stark contrast to the main villain of the game, Erazor Djinn, whose backstory implies that it was the “genie/master” dealings in his past that made him turn evil in the first place. In fact, if certain references involving Sharha and especially her prior relationship with Erazor are anything to go by, Sonic was pretty much the first person in at least a long while who actually treats her like a person with her own agency, instead of just a… well, slave.

 

Such is this adamance of friendship that he was fully willing to take a magic fire arrow casted by Erazor to protect her. This fire arrow isn’t an instant killer, but in fact serves as a visual indicator for the victim’s life--when it goes out, the victim finally dies. That’s not to say that it’s completely harmless in itself, though--by the time of the endgame, Sonic is actually significantly weakened by the nearly-extinguished flame. Despite this, however, he continually reassures her that everything will be alright.  Sonic is selfless enough that he was far more concerned with how his friends are feeling than his own. This insight into his character hasn’t really been delved into much in previous game, so this is kinda of a breath of fresh air for me. 

 

This aspect of his character and his relationship with Shahra eventually comes to a head when Erazor finally makes his move to kill off Sonic. Not only does Shahra ultimately decide against Erazor’s offer for her to rule everything with him, but she also protects Sonic from Erazor’s execution blow, sacrificing her life in the process. In the ending, when Sonic uses Erazor’s lamp against him to undo all that damage that he’s done, his first priority was reviving Shahra and later making an effort to make sure she was alright after what happened.

 

Again, perhaps this is just me, but I genuinely like this game’s story for, on top of being a very competently told story in general, how well it handled Sonic and Shahra’s friendship. What’s funny (and a bit sad) about this is that its immediate predecessor, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), handled its use of the relationship between Sonic and the main female lead of that game significantly more poorly...how surprising. So, in conclusion, Secret Rings’ story? Not meh, really--it’s one of my favorites.

[azoo]

Day 14: Favorite Story

(another late night post? wowee)

 

 

I feel like I've wrote so much about this game at this point that I just decided to draw a picture to express my love. To understand why it's my favorite story in any game (and many other things), basically read any other college dissertation :'y

 

/////////

 

Day 14 is..? I got nothin'. It's done tho. Maybe.

[The Deleter]

Day 14: Favorite Story

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, pulling the Layton card. Few game stories have come close to this one for me, even in its own series. The story starts off with Layton receiving a letter from Luke, his apprentice, but with a few catches: He's writing it ten years into the future, claims that Layton himself has taken over London, and needs his help finding out what's really going on. One time-travel trip later, and Layton finds himself in a dreary, mechanical London, with the only thing that can challenge this strange course of events lying snugly under his dapper top-hat.

 

What makes me love this story is it's characters and their development. What used to be a simple gentleman used as a channel for the player to solve puzzles is now a complex man with a tragic backstory. What used to be a basic protagonist and his sidekick duo is now an unbreakable friendship between a mentor and his apprentice. And don't get me started on the villains.

 

The biggest elephant in the room, though, is the ending. Good grief, that ending. It's got enough action to make up for the monotonous second third of the game, resolves the characters plights with heartwarming morals, and has enough tear-jerking scenes to get every human part of your body to cry a storm up. As it should. For being the end of the Layton series chronologically, it does it's job superbly.

 

Unwound Future hits just the right balance between mystery, charm, and drama, and creates a truly touching story about conspiracies, time travel, and the effect one life can have on all those around it. This game transformed a casual mystery game duology to a rich, six-game long series filled with ongoing character development, expanded lore, and emotional backstories. If you are a fan of mysteries and puzzles, go try this series, and eventually this game, out. It's definitely worth it.

 

Day 14: Complete

[Nepenthe]

Day 14: Favorite Story

 

I clearly haven't learned my lesson about last-minute posts....

So let's talk about the original Ace Attorney for a second (potential spoilers for the uninitiated). I was spurred on by iTunes deals, acclaim, and boredom to give it a shot, despite not really being much for visual novels. But what turned out to be a pleasant surprise in storytelling became something that fully engrossed me for a couple of days. I instantly loved Phoenix's full range of personality and expressions as a rookie attorney which eventually proceeded the memetic and annoying "objections" I had seen plastered all over the Internet beforehand. He's a strong and likeable enough character to lead the way through stories housing surprisingly cynical twists and turns I hadn't really been expecting, even for a series centered on courtoom drama. Murder of your best friend, extortion, bribery, and corruption are just a few of the unsavory aspects of humanity on display, but these things are pleasantly toned down with bombastic personalities from the witnesses and suspects and Phoenix's unwavering belief in the justice system. I loved it. <3

 

Special mention must also go to Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, the game I was originally going to write about, not because it's deep, meaningful, or emotionally manipulative, but because it's so thoroughly and genuinely wrapped up in its cliche 80s aci-fi/action film shtick that it is drop-dead hilarious.

[Lucky]

Day 14: Favourite Story

 

Not going to go into a lot of detail on the first one as a lot of people have spoken about it.

 

 

Telltale's Walking Dead is my absolute favourite version of the franchise.

 

All of the characters are so much more interesting than their TV and even a number of the comic counterparts, and I found myself getting so invested in all their stories. I've found a number of the more character-driven episodes of the TV show quite dull, but here it just worked so well and the zombies didn't feel like a central aspect of it which is a good thing in this case. The relationship that grew between Lee and Clementine was also one of the most wonderful things and she's the one of the only child characters I've seen pulled off that well. It also just made the choice at the end of season one all the more heartbreaking.

 

It was such a depressing game, but in the best way possible as it also made it incredibly emotional and poignant. It's got one of those plots that I love so much that I daren't touch the game again as I would hate to see it played out in any other way than the original choices I made.

 

 

I love Tim Schafer's stuff and Grim Fandango has always been my favourite of all his works, and the main reason for that is its clever noir-inspired plot and incredibly charming cast of characters.

 

Manny Calavera is stranded in the Land of the Dead, a sort of purgatory world between the land of the living and the true afterlife. He's unable to move on until he's worked of his moral debts for being "less-than-good" in his previous live, and he's trying to achieve this by working as a travel agent at the Department of Death. The agents are tasked with picking up the souls of the recently departed and offering them a package deal into the afterlife depending on how they've lived their previous life; say, someone who's been a horrible person might be given nothing but a walking stick and sent off to make the dangerous four-year journey on foot. Meanwhile someone who's been an absolutely saint will get a ticket for the Number Nine train which makes the trip in minutes.

 

Manny's been stuck with the bottom of the barrel clients and it's been doing absolutely nothing for his commission, and his boss has been threatening to fire him if he doesn't come up with something soon. That's when he decides to take matters into his own hands and steals a saintly client from co-worker Domino.

 

But even though Mercedes "Meche" Colomar should have instantly qualified for a NN ticket, the department computer assigns her to the four-year journey and she's sent off on it with just a walking stick, and that's when Manny realises that there's something very wrong going on and decides to take it upon himself to get to the bottom of it. This kicks of Grim Fandango's epic of a tale, and you get to follow the next four year's of Manny's afterlife as he goes from a guy looking for a way out of his situation to someone who's trying to set things right for everyone.

 

Through his journey you get to visit amazing locations and meet some of the most memorable characters along the way, and it ends up being one of the most funny-yet-poignant tales I've ever seen. It's one of those games I always urge people to check out if they enjoy a good plot, but it's not just one of the best stories in gaming history, but one of the greatest stories ever told in any media and it'd be a shame not to check it out.

 

 

Some honourable mentions that I'm sad I don't have time to talk about in detail right now are Catherine, Harvester, Planescape: Torment and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Day 14: Favourite Story.

Got to be Assassins Creed Revelations. I enjoyed the story of Altair, so to see a conclusion was good. You also feel for him as he hits a real low but you cheer when he regains his birthright. I really enjoyed Ezio here, much more clever and made me laugh a lot too. Seeing him finally get a happy ending after 3 hard games for him was also good. Desmond was...desmond. Though I liked Subject 16. This game is said to be a low point for Assassins Creed but I harshly disagree. We had Ezio dress as a minsterel and sing silly songs, who can complain?

[Kamicciolo]

Day 14 - Favourite "Many Ninjasharks were hurt in the making of this production" Story

 

 

I kinda feel I only have one option for this day really, since this is the only game that comes to mind with any sort of extensive story :V.

 

I did really enjoy the story in Dual Destinies though. The way all nearly all the cases tie into each other to build an overarching plot, while also being just as enjoyable as stand-alone cases. I really liked the addition of the peppy and chirpy Athena, with her enthusiastic attitude clashing a bit with her lack of experience being interesting. It was also nice to see Phoenix take on a more mentor like role (I only knew AA1-3, so 4 was kinda skipped :V).

 

I also enjoyed how the overarching plot played out between Athena's backstory, Prosecutor Blackquill and all the rest (in the interest of spoilers I won't delve much further). I also found alot of the minor characters in the individual cases to be fun, with some of my favourites being the likes of Phileas Filch, Miriam Scuttlemore and Yuri Cosmos. I was also glad to see that Udgey once again returned and was his usual old crazy self.

 

Hell I still sometimes go back and replay the cases, I enjoy them that much :V.

[Kaabiitorori]

Day 14: Favourite Story

 

Video games not only have evolved in terms of gameplay and fun factor throughout the decades as well as offering a diverse range of genres to explore; their narrative has also played an equally important factor in their development in order to give the player a great experience alongside the gameplay elements. Storytelling in video games have been in constant evolution by offering rich plots and characters to take part of as you play, as well as touching different topics and concepts that once used to only be seen in books or movies.

 

I can think of several games whose stories are very well taken care of as well as keeping a very fun gameplay throughout the entirety of the game. Some examples include sandboxes such as Red Dead Redemption or Assassin's Creed II, Brotherhood and Revelations (EZio Trilogy), RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga or Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, adventure games like TLoZ: Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask or The Wind Waker, or even platformers like Super Mario Galaxy had quite a story to tell (especially Rosalina's backstory) or even Sonic The Hedgehog with Sonic Adventure 2 or Sonic Unleashed. Going into the action games genre, this is a choice that was quite predictable if you read my answer in Day 13: Most Disappointing Game, but here goes!

 

 

BioShock Infinite

 

As you already know, BioShock Infinite was my choice for the question Day 13: Most Disappointing Game due to the gameplay elements featured in the game being absolutely sub par in comparison to previous entries in the series. However, as I mentioned in that same answer, the settings, plot and characters are Infinite's best assets and with a good reason; while avoiding to mention any spoilers, I will gladly be able to elaborate my opinion.

 

The first game took the player into the mysterious underwater city of Rapture; right on your arrival, you discover what at first seemed to be an utopian world but turned into a dystopian one. Throughout the Audio Logs you discover more about the history of Rapture as well as the major characters featured in the story such as Andrew Ryan and his ambitions to create an utopia for society's elite outside of the surface's government control. In the sequel, the story of Rapture goes a little further by incorporating characters such as Sofia Lamb who, as we learn through the game, wanted to establish a different society of Ryan's through her altruistic ideals of a cult called "The Rapture Family". Throughout the Rapture series, we learn about what once used to be a beautiful utopia turned into a crumbling dystopia. Before Infinite's release, these two games and especially the first one were my favourites due to their deep, morality-based storyline (akin to George Oswell's works) and its immersive setting and environments as well as an extremely entertaining gameplay in the first person shooter genre.

 

BioShock Infinite took the same concepts seen in the prequels and not just made use of them in order to create an unique setting (the sky city of Columbia) but its story development is far more complex as well as the main characters' development throughout the story. As explained back in Day 13, Columbia gives the player the opportunity to explore every corner of its apparent utopian world while establishing a narrative and emotional connection between Booker DeWitt and his companion Elizabeth, the latter being the most notable portrayal out of an already excellent role in most of the main characters and antagonists featured in this game. In fact, Infinite's narrative is the best in the series due to the fact the game not only explores the morals and consequences of establishing a "perfect" society but takes character development and interaction one step forward in video games, all while remaining the aspects of what made the BioShock series' best assets so memorable: the overall setting, art direction and design, and the memorable characters.

 

While I may not like BioShock Infinite for taking two steps back in the gameplay in comparison to its prequel's excellence in this department, the narrative on the other hand is a mind-blowing experience and certainly one not to be missed. And boy oh boy, THAT ending... is... well, all I can say is check this game out to find out!

[Jolt_TH]

Day 15: Favorite Story

For this one I am once again going to have to repeat from an earlier day

Okami

As I said earlier about this game the story is really intriguing and it really does pull you I to the land and the lore. When you beat who you thought the big bad guy was and then find out that there is more to the story...much MUCH more. The story manages to keep itself going without getting boring or dragging on. You meet new character all the way through and you see them all develop. You get plenty of backstory about all of the characters, especially the main three and even go back In time to see yourself as you were at your peak. That is just the main game! Of you play through all the side quests you can flesh out practically all te characters in the game and get even more Ingrossed in an already very detailed world! This game truly is an amazing example of storytelling!

Some honourable mentions include

Secret Rings

I really love the character development. Here and the entire plot itself is incredibly well constructed.

Majoras Mask

Serious and forbidding without being "grimdark" really invests you in the story.

Skyward Sword

Plenty of exposition and backstory, can be pretty story heavy, but certainly is interesting to play.

Paper Mario

Despite the simple story (and bit having completed it) the story is different than other marios and you so learn a lot about the various characters around the world.

[Jeffhog]

ARROWS A-FLYIN' ON THE FOURTEENTH

~ Playing a Timeless Classic ~

 

 

Day 14/30: Favourite Story

 

Game Selected: Kid Icarus: Uprising (2012)

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

 

"Listen well, all you demons of the Underworld! In the name of the goddess Palutena! The defender of all that is good! Those who hide in the darkness will be made to face the light!"

~Pit

 

Of course, be the one with my favourite story.

 

Uprising, a sequel to the NES native Kid Icarus, spins a delightfully woven tale about Pit, a flightless angel serving as captain of Palutena's Army, taking on the Forces of the Underworld now that Medusa, goddess of darkness (and returning antagonist) has been resurrected. As discussed before, this game is big on humour, and doesn't sacrifice emotional depth (hell, expect this in droves in the latter half of the game since shit will be getting real), thanks to a well rounded cast of complete and actual total fucking dorks characters who help keep the story fresh, even after numerous replays.

 

Also, while cutscenes aren't extensively long or drawn out, in exchange, the story mostly unfolds while you play through each chapter. In that sense, it's all the more immersive since it tries (and succeeds) in making you feel as though you're part of the narrative here -- it's interactive AND cinematic at the same time, wow! Case in point, immersion is always a big plus.

 

And what about the story itself! It's thrilling, compelling, epic, funny, smart, endearing, heartwarming, heartbreaking, snarky, dramatic, poignant, surprising time and time again, and, most importantly, well written and balanced. The route to the final showdown with Medusa is full of twists and turns and knows how to keep you rooted, but once you've defeated her and cleared the game, you're gonna want to keep asking for more, because holy shit, this story is amazing! Why can't there be more of this!?

 

[MAJOR SPOILERS, DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU]

 

WELL, ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE, BECAUSE THEN THE CREDITS LITERALLY GET TORN A NEW ONE!

 

GUESS WHAT, EVEN AFTER NINE LONG CHAPTERS, YOU'RE NOT EVEN HALFWAY DONE. YOU THOUGHT MEDUSA WAS THE BIG BAD? MEET THE BIGGER BAD.

 

 

INTRODUCING MOTHERFUCKING HADES. RULER OF THE UNDERWORLD, THE MAN BEHIND THE WOMAN, THE ONE PULLING ALL THE STRINGS, AND FROM THEN ON, WHO YOU'RE GOING UP AGAINST.

 

THIS SMOOTH-TALKING SMARTASS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS YOU HAVE TO PLAY THIS GAME. HE'S SUCH A DELIGHTFUL, CALCULATING ASSHOLE WITH A CONSTANT SHIT-EATING GRIN AND I FUCKING LOVE HIM AS A VILLAIN.

 

I mean, sure, I'm supposed to be fighting him and I know he's done some pretty atrocious things, but god damn is he a fucking hilarious charmer. You wanna know what it would be like going up against a bad guy who's also such a dork? Hades is your answer.

 

Seriously... Hades!

 

PIT!

 

And the final showdown itself in Chapter 25, with Pit donning the Great Sacred Treasure and going up against the rainbow apocalypse that is Hades, who's now sporting his "Devastation Ensemble" (which he wears for all sorts of special occasions, like weddings and armageddons!), at long last... When you finally make it to Hades, the ensuing battle is downright glorious.

 

I love this story so much. Hopefully we'll see another sequel with this much depth and content within another 25 years.

 

[Chaos Warp]

Just gonna list a few favorites again. 

 

 

 

"You are the arrow of light that pierces through the heart of darkness!"

 

Kid Icarus Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising is an insanely fun game, partially due to it's fun characters. The game is structured like a short television series, with each level acting as a sort of "episode" with it's own story and characters that contribute to the overarching plot about the war between the gods that's tearing up planet earth. With each chapter focusing on a set of characters, everyone gets a decent amount of time to shine. The game is pretty short on cutscenes, but it makes up for this by most of the story and dialogue  going on during gameplay. The characters just basically commentate on what's goinig on and it works really well. It's all really fun stuff.

 

 

I literally cannot believe I didn't mention this! I love this game's plot and I don't know why it didn't come to mind as opposed to L.A. Noire, especially when I probably like this story quite a bit more the L.A. Noire lol. 

[Carbo]

Day 14: Favorite Story

This game doesn't really have a story.

It has a premise that gives enough of an excuse to string our lead protagonist through a huge number of bizarre circumstances. All of them serve as an experience in their own right. But the premise is completely perfunctory and interestingly enough, there is not a single central conflict that stands between the lead protagonist and the main antagonist. The antagonist only needs the protagonist for a completely trivial purpose (albeit one that would cost him his life) and whenever the protagonist's life is threatened, the antagonist is not the cause of it. The only thing we're left to know from the outset is that whatever happens in the story already has a foregone conclusion - the lead protagonist, Conker, will end up becoming "king of all the land", while surrounded by a strange colorful cast of characters.

This game doesn't have a story, up until the very end. It then shows it's hand, and the truth that puts the entire preceding 15 hours into a completely new perspective.

Conker's Bad Fur Day is one of the funniest games I have ever played, but at the same time it is easily one of the darkest. That should come with the territory of what constitutes a "black comedy" inspired by South Park, but the underlying and uncomfortable truth about this game's set up is always looming and building up to something. You would think at first it would be a clever and hilarious punchline, but it doesn't do that, and defies it's expectations simply because the audience will, for a split moment during the game, choose to uphold the willing suspension of disbelief, especially when it's a game from a company that is known for shoving googly eyes onto every inanimate object ever.

The game very much lives up to it's namesake "Bad Fur Day". The game's story is, essentially, an average day in the life of Conker. One that goes really awry on account of a bad hangover. Obviously we're into it purely for the spectacle and the legitimately funny parodies, and we expect every encounter to be as unpredictably audacious as it wants to sell.

But then the big twist is revealed, the "wham episode" of the game's chapters, and it just ends up causing you to reflect. You had a good time but what of the protagonist's plight? Was this really a "victory"? It instantly turns around a comedy into tragedy and reveals the events of the game for what it really is - something incredibly relentless. The ending serves as a grim reminder that the world Conker plays a part of is very much a world of real people. Not just cartoon caricatures or stereotyped beings; the people you encounter in this game are just assholes looking out for number one.

While the game never stops being funny it is easily the biggest subversion I have ever gotten to experienced with a game. I probably played this game at a far younger age than I should have been but the ending completely crushed me. Especially for a Rare game which I usually thought had an uplifting spirit, I always went through games knowing and assuming that the good guys win and everything is happy ever after. In truth; there are no winners here. Just an empty void that made me really reconsider what I could possibly expect and how I should view games.

This was the last Rare game "of old" that I ever got to play, even after having played games like Star Fox Adventures and the like. For me, experiencing this ending felt like the swan song to the company I knew and loved, a culmination of everything insane and fun I could expect, but at the same time a heartfelt, somber goodbye. It almost mirrors the company's direction after that point, going somewhere into completely unfamiliar and uncharted territories. As much as the potential for a sequel lies in this property due to the comedic angle I don't feel that is necessary anymore. Conker's Bad Fur Day was the perfect stand alone game Rare could come out with, with it's ending being a perfect way to cap things off. Even if a sequel was made, it would never be the same, as the game's visionary Chris Seavor is now gone for good from Rare, and making a Conker game without him would be equivalent to making South Park without Parker and Stone. It just isn't going to work.

But I can always cherish this as their magnum opus.

[Dejimon11]

Favorite story

Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door

Now normally I don't play games for its story especially mario games I play a game for the gameplay but this games story is just really good. It's not the best story ever or Shakespeare writing but I like how simplistic and complex it was at the same time. The characters are memorable and the writing is hilarious I can't count the amount of times I've chuckled playing this game but there one reason that I chose this game. Bob-bombery's backstory.

For those of you that Don't know one of your last partners starts of as a bitter old man mainly cause he lost his wife who was terribly ill. He feels responsible because he wished he had said goodbye to his wife instead of going out to sea. Fortunately before his wife died she wrote a letter saying goodbye that the bartender never have because he was a scared and didn't like seeing how his friend was so after mario gives him the letter bob-bombery get the confidence to help you on your journey. That is the first time I had ever cried over a video game it's just that good

[Tornado]

Phoenix Wright 3 is a popular choice for these type of questions. It wouldn't surprise me if Sean or Carbo or someone already chose it, but I'm too lazy to look. I could talk about the nicely built up twists. Or the best examples in the series bar 1-5 of using the player's own savvy against him without being idiotic about it (See: Apollo Justice). I could even talk about how it is one of the most emotionally satisfying stories in a game of that entire generation.

 

 

But what I'll instead mention is the skillful way that the game is implemented in with the others. Overarching narrative or not, the first three games had all be very self-contained. Things happened that referenced the other games, but for the most part they were more Monster of the Week; like a particularly enjoyable episode of Inuyasha. You could jump in an play any of the games and not miss out too much, because the most the games got towards lockout is not catching the fun little references. Even Justice For All, with all of its problems, managed to create new story threads that fit nicely in with the first game without requiring the first game. And the really impressive thing is, Trials and Tribulations took virtually all of those story threads regarding Phoenix, Mia, Maya and Pearl and wove them into a complex narrative that was quite a bit more mature in tone than the anything in the previous games (ignoring 1-5). Even in a series where bodies piled up so frequently that you could wonder if Phoenix was actually the one killing people (actually one of the cases in the game, too), most of the time the reasoning was petty, with the closest the series went with a similar one being the von Karma plot of the first game.

The third game pulls out all the stops, though. It manages to cleverly pick up even the most innocuous things in the backstory of each game, and make them out as part of an overarching, dark plot of revenge and lust for power. Truly impressive is that it manages to do so with very little obvious retconning, which makes the entire thing come off as planned from the start (which it may very well have been), giving the real hits the story makes that much stronger.

[Sami]

Day 15 - Favorite Moment

Sealing Ritual - Shadow of the Colossus

So you may notice the picture posted above is almost completely unrelated to my own entry. The moment I'm about to talk about is, unfortunately, a huge spoiler. So instead of having my own entry serve as an example, I'll go ahead and explain up front what today's topic is -

Have you ever experienced a moment in a game that completely floored you? A moment where the story really blew you away, where the gameplay really amazed you, or even a moment where you noticed some amazing music? That's what we're here to talk about today. Stuff like seeing Mario soar through space for the first time, seeing Link pull the Master Sword, or the buildup to the climactic final battle between Sonic and Shadow in SA2.

You can think of it as a bit of an extension from the "next gen experience" question, but more open to any moment that stood out to you.

In any case, my entry -

That moment in Shadow of the Colossus. When Emon performs the sealing ritual at the temple, and Wander is violently pulled into the small pool of water inside. Everything is falling apart. Agro is, to your knowledge, dead. Mono is still dead on the altar. You, yourself, are about to die. It's horribly grim as you fight your hardest to get away from the strong winds pulling you in, despite it being impossible.

Desperately grabbing the stairs leading up to the pool and watching my stamina meter slowly deplete as I hold on for dear life is a moment I don't think I'll ever forget. Everything comes together perfectly in this scene - the music, the story, the visuals, and the gameplay. It's perfect.

It was a bit hard for me to write my feelings on this one, funnily enough. There's nothing I'd change about this sequence. It's perfect.

[Willsy]

Day 15: Favourite Moment:

I have a few.

Just as the bane of my existence is about to let me fade away into defeat, I find something that will turn the tides, and ruin their life forever. Something that will turn happiness and joy into sadness and rage. The ultimate weapon, the destroyer of champions...

....the moment I hit a friend with the blue shell, and I watch as they growl through their gritted teeth and swear. Of course, if it's reversed, I could say that this is one of my least favourite moments.

Sonic Unleashed - Ending

Now I did say yesterday that my favourite story to any Sonic game was Unleashed's. And I also said that I really like the ending. Well...

http://youtu.be/n2zJbI0alF8

I really liked the atmosphere of this cutscene. It's melancholy, but at the same time it gives Sonic a sense of hope and determination, something that he needed after the 'loss' of his friend. Then at the beginning of the credits, Sonic is running along the Coast of Apotos with Tails flying the Tornado alongside him while Endless Possibilities plays. I overall really loved this moment, and it is definitely one of my favourite moments in a video game.

Honourable mention goes to constantly killing my cousin in GTA Online. Who doesn't like killing their relative in a video game?

[Spin Attaxx]

Favorite moment in a game would probably be anytime I got a new ability in the Metroid games.

 

It's such a good feeling to get something and learn that more of the game's giant world is open to you, and that now you're either more deadly than ever, able to see what was up in that alcove you couldn't reach earlier, or even both. Plus, I like collecting shit.

[Indigo Rush]

Day 15: Favorite Moment

 

 

 

Get ready

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put your

 

 

 

 

3-D glasses on

 

 

 

 

THE GREAT INVASION FROM SMASH BROS BRAWL

 

 

 

 

I don't have much more to say here.

Every Nintendo character teaming up and using their iconic space-ships/flying-plane things to attack the villains in one fell swoop. It's the most exciting, incredible, fan-gasmic moment in the entirety of the Smash Bros universe.

 

In fact, let's tally all of the starships we see in this

 

Meta-Knight's Halberd

Starfox's Arwing

Capt Falcon's Falcon Flyer

Samus' Spaceship

Capt Olimar's Hocotate Ship

Sonic and Tails in the Tornado screw you, I have dreams, too

 

And then who saves the day?!

 

 

That's right

 

 

 

Kirby's here to wreck you up

 

It's the best moment in Smash Bros, period.

[JezMM]

For some reason this sprang to mind first, even though it's most certainly joint 1st place with a bunch of others:

 

 

Doctor Freemaaaaaaaaaan...

 

Every encounter with the G-Man in Half-Life 2 and its episodes are so meticulously and perfectly constructed.  They're so creepy, so intriguing.  He's incredibly threatening and yet you never get an impression that he's on anyone's in particular side.  More than anything else, it's his speeches that keep me coming back to HL2 and gagging for more.  UGH WHEN IS HALF-LIFE 3 COMING.

 

 

 

 

For some more in-gameplay related ones:

 

Descending Spagonia Clock Tower and Flying off the Roller Coaster in Sonic Unleashed HD

 

The final gameplay segments of The Last of Us - already talked about how much these meant to me

 

The final action performed to complete Portal 2 - as above

 

The opening chase scene from Majora's Mask - what a cool way to open a game and the only 3D Zelda that hasn't done the peaceful village opening thing - the ranch attack scene and pretty much everything in the finale is amazing too

 

 

And for some less gameplay-related ones:

 

The big moment in BioShock - you know the one

 

When you finally reach Eleanor in BioShock 2 - heartbreakingly done

 

Crash Course's escape cut-scene from Left 4 Dead - this one might seem kind of odd but when it first came out, it was so cool and dynamic compared to the original four campaigns we had at the time (No Mercy/Death Toll/Dead Air/Blood Harvest) - I'm used to it now, but yeah, at the time

 

The destruction of the Siphon in BioShock Infinite - god that left my jaw hanging

 

For another Half-Life 2 one, the ascent to the top of the Citadel in HL2 was awesome, and the descent back in from Episode 1 was super cool - how amazing will that be on Oculus Rift one day

[Rusty Spy]

Day 15: Favorite Moment

 

It's a good thing I forgot about this moment since if I'm seriously about to completely whore myself out to Journey.

 

Btw Journey Spoilers

Apotheosis

This was the moment that elevated Journey from a fun game, to a life enhancing experience. This is without a doubt the most powerful moment I've experienced in a game. The name of this stage of the game describes it perfectly; a complete ascension to a perfect, divine state, and I can't think of any better way to visualize that feeling of strength and determination. The feeling of overwhelming hopelessness by the final stretch of the game was strong enough, especially with your partner there would've made for an effective enough ending, but to get that equally overwhelming sense of empowerment after giving and losing everything is, without hyperbole, a euphoric feeling.

 

The visuals and music alone are extremely powerful, but the interaction part, the fact that this was something you were given control of, defines the interactive experience and what makes video games as powerful a medium as any other.

 

Honorable Mentions:

Portal 2 ending

Having to shoot a portal into the moon.

When the camera gave that lingering look at the moon, it was literally one of those moments where I literally said to myself "wouldn't it be crazy if". I originally saw it with my sis who was playing, and when this moment came up, not knowing what to do, I just said "lol shoot da moon", and when it happened, I my jaw hit the floor, it was crazy.

[MamboCat]

Day 15 - Mambo's Favourite Moment

 

I'm going to have to break my non-Sonic rule here... sorry, but I've seen others talk about Sonic games so I assume it's OK. Also, if I picked anything else I'd be telling great big porkies and everyone would know it!

 

Sonic 2's Ending Sequence

 

 

When I first completed Sonic 2 I was absolutely astounded. Bearing in mind this is back in the 90s, games don't have the processing power they do now... yet we are presented with these lovely scenes. The pixel art in these pictures is amazing. First of all, they are presented in the style of old, black and white photos which to me represent some kind of memoir. Second, these are drawn in the old Japanese style that I absolutely love. I mean, look at Tails' little face there, isn't that the most adorable Tails ever?! Third, the pictures are simple in design yet tell a very clear story; Sonic has succeeded in destroying the Death Egg in an explosion  in space that is visible from the ground...  but it appears that Sonic may be dead (another layer of poignancy in the black and white colour scheme) but Tails' belief in Sonic leads him to try and find him using the plane (not sure if it's called Tornado at this point). He is accompanied by a flock of Flickies, presumably also firmly believing their rescuer is alive.

 

Then follows the return to the game sprites and what I believe is a more moving ending than that of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, ultimately ending in a sprite of mahooosive proportions just like in the first game;

 

 

Well done guys, you beat the game... only next time grab those Emeralds, huh? (I actually prefer this ending with the cool blue dude!)

 

Through searching for the pictures to this ending, I found that someone had made a colour version of it:

 

http://youtu.be/a75gm_ovvsY

 

And for me it just isn't as poignant an ending. Sure the coloured "photos" are very pretty but for me they don't invoke the same feeling. The player is supposed to feel saddened at the possibility that Sonic died in the explosion and the black and white memoir-like photos just get that feeling across much better. Then of course, there is the music which is absolutely fantastic. The sad tone of the opening followed by the happiness of discovering Sonic survived is just perfect.

 

This moment absolutely stunned little me and it has stuck with me until this day. It's almost perfect, crafted with relatively old technology. Sure I love the cutscenes in Sonic Unleashed, but this end game sequence absolutely radiates emotion.

[JezMM]

Oooh I have another one I almost forgot.  From Journey - this is hardly a spoiler since it's just a camera angle from the third level, but it's just such a great moment I feel this gif of it is a spoiler in itself:

 

This whole level was gorgeous, but the way the music swelled here as it switched to this camera angle and the sun and the sand and... hnnnnnnnnnng.  A perfect send off to the first, lighter act of the game before we descended into the darkness of Act 2.

[KrazyBean]

Day 15: Favourite Moment

 

Ni no Kuni story spoilers.

When Oliver's mum, Allie dies - Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

 

I know it's a bit sadistic that my favorite moment is when a thirteen year old boy loses his mum, but it's one of my favorite moments because it was so unexpected. The game really didn't show any dark themes before this moment.

 

Oliver and his friend Phillip built a kart and wanted to take it for a test drive but they weren't allowed to, so they sneaked it out late at night and tested it on a pavement next to a lake. It was all going well until one of the tires broke off and Oliver went in the drink with the kart. He couldn't swim and Phillip twisted his ankle when he ran after him. Luckily with the power of a mothers intuition, Allie found out that Oliver wasn't home after searching around the house, so she went to look for him. She eventually found him and saved him from drowning, but she had a weak heart and it gave out after all the stress.

 

When this part happened it was quite the "oh snap!" moment. It was very sad too, and pretty much turned the story to a new direction. The boy is now an orphan, and who knows were the hell his dad is...oh wait, child protagonists in JRPGs never have fathers do they  

[Kuzu]

It would seem that I still have much to learn about being punctual :V

 

 

Day 14: Favorite Story

 

 

 

I really tried to come up with something else, but today I must break my taboo for one day only.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I am using Sanic; why? Because my standards for a good story pretty much weigh on good characterization and the moments that define them, and I literally couldn't think of anything else that came to mind aside from this game.

 

 

So why this game? What could this nonsensical plot possibly provide in terms of characterization to warrant being one of my faves. Quite frankly, its one of the rare games in the series writing wise to get the characterization of Sonic down pact. He just really clicked for me in this game, and I don't think I've liked Sonic as much as I have here, before or after.

 

 

The reason being is that he seems like a really rounded character in this; He's extremely confident in his abilities and what he can do, but not to the point of constantly bragging, or being condescending about it. And he's also extremely altruistic and heroic without coming off as bland as a result. His banter with most of the cast just really stands out; his bickering with Caliburn, confronting Merlina about her plans. It's just really good writing to me. 

 

Now don't get me wrong, it's no godlike piece of literature that everyone should know about, but considering how inconsistent, and at times, absolutely shit, the writing tends to be in regards to the cast, it was nice to know that there's still people in Sonic Team that can make the cast interesting, while keeping their basic traits intact. 

 

 

 

Day 15: Favorite Moment

 

 

Now hear I am hearing about the new Metal Gear that's come out, and people refusing to shut up about it. I decide to cave and buy it a few months later, and figure what the hell is everyone talking about. I expected a standard stealth-action game starring Raiden, who was a cyborg for some reason(This is my formal introduction into the series, shut up). So I'm playing and get to the first boss, Metal Gear Ray. Typical giant Robot, I'm thinking "huh, well it is a Metal Gear, but this seems somewhat out of place" And then this happened:

 

 

 

And I was trying to believe this was Metal Gear, it was this moment that told me that this not a normal Metal Gear game and that I was in for something just as awesome. So naturally I creamed all over myself.

 

 

Metal Gear Rising is filled with moments like this, but this was the one that told you "THIS GAME WILL BE FUCKING INSANE, STRAP YOURSELF IN".