All-time greatest gaming moment

Published on March 27, 2006 By BlueDev In Gaming

I have numerous favorite gaming moments.

My Saturday afternoon marathon of DOOM II that resulted in me being locked in the University Library. My first time firing up Half Life (though that game makes my list of all time game disappointments as well). My first time playing the full 3D of Descent II (boy, I would get dizzy playing that one). The final cutscene of Starcraft. Reverting from hyperspace to see Kharak burning.

But one moment tops them all.

Finally dying. And knowing I wouldn't be coming back to life. Shaking off my immortality, discovering my true identity, and no longer being The Nameless One. Planescape: Torment.

When I played it I had never really played a Dungeons and Dragons RPG. I didn't really know anything about the setting, the story, the mechanics of the game. I just found it for a good price, decided to give it a try, and slogged my way through it until I understood how to play. And I became engrossed.

Planescape: Torment had more emotion, more passion, more intrigue, more wonder than many epic books I have read. The characters were brilliant, the choices felt important. The story was fascinating. I relished every line of text I could read (and anyone who has played it knows there is a LOT of text in Planescape: Torment), looked forward to the next revelation of who my character was and what brought him to his current state.

And to finally reach the end, wrap up all the loose ends, discover the secrets of my traveling companions, and accept my fate in the Blood Wars, well, it was a cathartic experience.

Games that great are hard to come by. It isn't often electronic media can connect with the player on such an intellectual and emotional level. Planescape: Torment did that for me. It is, without doubt, my greatest gaming moment of all time. Anyone want to share theirs?

Comments (Page 1)

dynamaso

on Mar 28, 2006

I'm not much of a gamer but I was so thrilled the first time I played Spiderman on PS2. He is my favourite superhero and to finally be able to REALLY move and sling web like he can was a sheer joy.

Morberis

on Mar 28, 2006

Yeah planescape torment is a good game. One of these days I'll have to get it off ebay.

Gipper76

on Mar 28, 2006

I'd have the say the best moments are when your playing one of the GTA's and a nice car dirve's by and you sotp in front of it to pull the person out, kill them, and dirve off with the nice whip. I'd have to say that's pretty gratifying.

AW Trespasser

on Mar 28, 2006

1) Meeting the woman who would later become my wife while playing Quake 2.

2) Writing the last line of code for Path of Ascension, the #1 Neverwinter Nights mod. It was like running a marathon, a sense of accomplishment mixed with exhaustion mixed with joy that it is DONE.

3) Killing every single NPC in Morrowind. I remember standing on a hill overlooking a town, watching the townsfolk run around in a panic. I could almost hear my characters shouting to the townsfolk "Mwahahaha... your Doom has come." I guess you wouldnt understand unless you took the time and pain in the rear effort to play "United Parcel Service" for all those NPC's so you could beat the game

PsycoCaptain

on Mar 28, 2006

My greatest moment is the time I have spent in the past couple of days playing Oblivion (Imposibly good game!!!!!!!)

don't get me wrong I'm not trashing this game I'm just waiting till it is fixed. I really want to play this game being the biggest trekkie I've ever met, it's right up my alley. i love this type of stuff!!! until then i cant stop playing Oblivion. wait a minute I should be playing it now.

UltraMagnus

on Mar 28, 2006

7 years ago.....

Playing Final Fantasy Tactics to completion while laid up in the hospital for a week

, on my playstation and small TV that my family brought in for me

, while getting to know the nursing assistant who would later become my wife

.

It is NOT impossible to be charming with an IV in your arm, wearing a hospital gown. It worked out great for me

JavaScout

on Mar 28, 2006

Had to be the first time a head crab jumped at me in Half-life

Lord Zardoz

on Mar 28, 2006

My greatest gaming moment came out of a pen and paper RPG game, 2nd edition D&D. There was an Orog warlord who was ravaging the country side, and the players came up with a plan to put a stop to it. They encounterd a patrol, and decimated it. Then they took a surviving bug bear, nailed him to a tree, beat the piss out of him, and carved a challene into his chest challenging the warlord to an honorable 4 on 1 duel. Obviously the players had a strange definition of honorable.

Still, the warlord agreed to their challenge. They entered the humanoid army encampment,and they were not interfered with as they entered. The warlord stepped up, and allowed them to prepare any spells, don their armor and get ready. He observed one of the players not putting on any armor, and the following dialog ensued.

"Why are you not putting on any armour. Are you a mage?"
"You will find out"
"You will die first".

And in the first round, that character was cut down. In the 2nd round, another player was dropped. The survivors started to worry. The 3rd character had an absured AC, and was holding up reasonably well, and a lucky called shot allowed the theif to get a backstab, and that dropped the warlord. As the warlord was torn apart and bleeding, he started laughing. I had to wait for the players to stop high fiving one another and cheering to get that point accross. As he lauged, he faded away, and the laughing continued. Then the warlord stepped out of his tent, and introduced his staff illusionist. He then called the players fools for thinking he would go along with their 4 on 1 plan. "Honorable duel? I am a humanoid warlord. Why would I fight any sort of honorable duel? Kill them." And then the warlord AND his army attacked.

At this point I had to vacate the apartment by a window because my players were chasing me.

For video gaming, there are a few that stand out in my mind.

The first time I encountered Giga Bowser in Super Smash brothers.

Encountering Dark Samus and having to defeat it under a limited timer in Metroid Prime 2.

Clearing expert mode in Super Monkey Ball

Defeating Master of Orion 2 for the first time ever by destroying every planet in the galaxy except the 3 worlds I owned.

Finally getting the invincibility code in Golden Eye on the N64, and then replaying that level on hard with the cheat and casually shooting every F#&$! enemy in the face.

After losing 2 or 3 times in a row to my brother at Mortal Kombat, scoring a dominating win, with a flawless victory and Scorpions incineration fatality off.

END COMMUNICATION

Sorael

on Mar 28, 2006

planescape torment was pretty sweet, aside from the bug that prevented from ever finishing it

My greatest moment has to be get all 120 stars in mario 64. Man, that game was almost perfect.

HeathenGray

on Mar 28, 2006

Torment is one truly great game, though shorter than it should have been. There's only been a few games that connect with the player as well as it does.

Realms of the Haunting is also one of my most prized games. I loved the story and haven't played it since completion (7 years ago), because I'm trying to forget it - just so I can play it again

Playing the living water-colour painting that is Outcast is not to be missed out on.

Beyond Good & Evil is also high on my list for any game, better than any adventure game as of late (certainly deserves a sequel or two more than Prince of Persia).

F.E.A.R. is a must for anybody. Better than HL2 (a huge dissapointment in my books), yet it will fall by the wayside because the mob is fickle.

My Greatest Gaming moments are also my saddest... Because I loved these games so much that I completed them.

"Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore'"

Sadly it'll take a while for GalCiv2 to gain as honoured a place in my heart because of it's very nature. No story (beyond the campaign), and No character development. However I have only played on small maps so far (and they last freakin' ages), and perhaps when I play the largest map the story will reveal itself over time. And that I look forward to it.

I love GalCiv2... But I am not yet 'in' love with it (and I don't mean in an unhealthy way either you pervs

)

peace,

"What can change the nature of a man?" - Ravel

Usually Insane

on Mar 28, 2006

true, playing planescape torment was one of the best experiences... tho the number 1. game ever, topping all lists is Star control 2, nothing compares to that, the diaolge, the music, the worlds, the plot.... oh the plot, coming back to unzerwalt, discovering the wormhole to quasispace... talking to the melmorne trader.... that was one incredible game...

BlueDev

on Mar 28, 2006

I love GalCiv2... But I am not yet 'in' love with it

I agree. I love GalCiv II, but, as you said, the very nature of the game keeps it off the list. It can be very satisfying, but it doesn't have that either visceral component (like Half Life did) or that emotional component (like Planescape: Torment or even Starcraft).

Doesn't keep it from being a great game, just doesn't connect with me the same way others did.

IgCS

on Mar 28, 2006

In Knights of the Old Republic, when about 3/4 of the way through the game you find out why everyone has been giving you funny looks and saying cryptical things. That cutscene alone made the whole game for me (and the game by itself was pretty good!)

Other than that, the first time I faced Diablo in Diablo 2, and had almost killed him, then died myself, and then was never able to recover my body (without using the save-restart cheat, anyway)

SanChonino

on Mar 28, 2006

I agree with you, BlueDev, the end of Torment was awesome. That game took me so freaking long to play, to finally reach the end and be so . . . fulfilled . . . was wonderful.
Other great ones: blowing up the Lucifer's ass at the end of FreeSpace. I still haven't beaten FreeSpace II, but someday . . . especially with the new computer.
Another: kicking YOUR butt for the first time at Unreal tourney. After like fifteen deathmatches, I finally, FINALLY, fragged you. And then I was unstopable!!!! Ha.
Another: beating the end bad guy on Serious Sam: the second encounter, minus cheat codes. After all that unadulterated fragging, I couldn't game for almost a month.

The oldest: blowing the crap out of Hitler at the end of Wolfenstein - the original. Now THAT was gratifying.

sushiK

on Mar 28, 2006

Cossacks

Taking on both my brother and Brother in-law in a game of COSSACKS.
The game lasted a total of 3 hours, it was Ukraine vs Algeria and France in an Island war.

The greatest moment ever was watching my secret transport of troops that I snuck around the edge of the map land on my brothers island. There was no better joy watching my troops rip through his town burning and looting and hearing my brother cry to my brother in-law for help.

he heh he
Good times

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