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There's lots of reasons I enjoy playing games, probably the most important to me is when a game does someting very unexpected, or something new, or something amazing that makes me think "Wow! I've never seen that before!"
Here's a few of those defining moments:
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - Dungeon Graphics
This is probably the most beautiful game in terms of graphics I've yet played. And it was wholly unexpected. Once the game is in the PS2, it whirrs for a while, takes its time loading, but then after the obligatory chatting to NPCs and getting your first quest, you enter the dungeon, and this is where the game stands out. The lighting is perfect from flickering torches, the movement is perfect, the way the camera follows your character is perfect, the way things die and smash and crumple and shatter is perfect. I've yet to see these kinds of graphics matched on any other game.
Metal Gear Solid - Death of Sniper Wolf
Think you're a gun-toting hard nut? MGS was all about stealth, snapping guards' necks and the occaisional bloodbath when you got to grips with C4 chain reactions. But the scene where Snake puts Sniper Wolf out of her misery is probably one of the most emotional to appear in any game. The scene makes you pause for thought, gets you involved more, makes you feel for the ingame characters, and helps you learn more about the lead players. This mix of direction, voice acting and graphics is yet to be beaten.
Final Fantasy 8 - The Garden Battle Scene
FMV or finely crafted CGI sequences are always a fun reward for level completion. FF8 managed to give me the first real indication that one day the ingame graphics will actually be so good that you won't be able to distinguish between gameplay graphics and FMV. The scene takes place during a full scale battle, where you control your characters as they run 'through' a CGI sequence that occurs all around them. It was the first time I'd ever seen anything like this in a game.
Resident Evil - Zombie Dogs Through the Windows
Shock horror at it's finest. Dated graphically, but one of the scariest 'HOLY COW DID YOU SEE THAT!!??' moments in videogaming, the section where the rabid dobermanns jump through the windows into the seeminly quiet and serene corridor made almost everyone have a minor heart attack when they first saw it. The best heart-stopping moment ever to appear in any videogame.
Wiz 'n' Liz - Addictiveness
This much forgotten MegaDrive game was probably the most addictive I've had the pleasure to play. A basic platformer, with each level against the clock, you had to collect all the items on a level before the timer ran out. On each level was a cauldron at which you could stop and mix potions with fruit collected to produce a spell, some spells good (extra time, extra speed) some spells bad (instant death/less time). There were HUNDREDS of spells to discover, THOUSANDS of combinations of ingredients, and I spent MILLIONS of hours trying to discover them all. It's hard to find that kind of 'addictive grip' nowadays.
Skies of Arcadia - 'Dance for Me'
'Dance for Me' was a special move for one of the characters in this Dreamcast RPG. The whole game was original in most respects, but for some reason this special move defines the whole game for me, its attitude, its philosophy, its 'fun-factor'. As soon as I got this special move I used it over and over again because I enjoyed watching the accompanying graphics. Best special move. Ever.
Lemmings - 'Let's Go!'
I never thought I'd enjoy a puzzlegame until Lemmings cropped up on the PC and later the MegaDrive. Simple ideas are usually the best, and Lemmings used just a couple of great simple ideas to create a game that kept players going for hours on end. Sheer determination to beat each level led to some of the most intensive redeye gaming sessions I've ever had the misfortune to get involved in.
Planetarion - 'Incoming!'
It's a small online game. It has no significance. It's turn-based. It has no moving parts, no sound, no frills. All the ingredients of a naff game. Yet it's probably the only game in the world that, should you get addicted, will have you setting your alarm clock for 3am so that you can get up and launch an attack to wipe out some other guy you hope is still asleep. Also the only game where the words 'Incoming' and the sight of a little red button on your browser can really stress you out more than the fact that you haven't slept for 3 days and ignore your phone because you know it's your boss ringing up to find out where you've got to.
Grand Theft Auto 3 - Non-Linearity
Most games force you to follow a path. GTA3 doesn't. It's two games in one. You can either follow the plot, complete the missions, and complete the game, or you can just boot it up and be as bad as you like. This kind of free-roaming character development was only hinted at in GTA2, this sequel turned it into an artform.
Legend of Mir - Levelling System
Levelling an RPG character takes many forms. Legend of Mir is an online game that does it perfectly. As you level up you acquire new skills, and you can level those too, and acquire more items to make you more powerful. This is a standard technique for most RPGs, but the gameplay levelling system in Legend of Mir is the best I've yet seen. (Despite the fact that it's estimated that to go from level 48 to 49 would take about 10 years of intensive playing). BTW, this game is the reason you don't see me on the forums much nowadays.
Phantasy Star Online - Items
Sega's 'flagship' online game for the Dreamcast, PSO has many outstanding features (graphics, speed, fun, levelling, ease of use etc.) Yet still, after about 2 years, I'm still finding new items and equipment in the offline mode, let alone the online multiplayer mode. And that's just with one out of the many characters. That's the kind of depth that even games like Final Fantasy X can't match.
Finally, the most defining game for me? Impossible to pin one down, I've played thousands of games over the last 25 years. (Starting with Pong around 1977). They keep getting better and better, new ideas keep getting added, games keep getting bigger. So I've always got the feeling that the best is yet to come, which is a good thing.
Here's a few of those defining moments:
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance - Dungeon Graphics
This is probably the most beautiful game in terms of graphics I've yet played. And it was wholly unexpected. Once the game is in the PS2, it whirrs for a while, takes its time loading, but then after the obligatory chatting to NPCs and getting your first quest, you enter the dungeon, and this is where the game stands out. The lighting is perfect from flickering torches, the movement is perfect, the way the camera follows your character is perfect, the way things die and smash and crumple and shatter is perfect. I've yet to see these kinds of graphics matched on any other game.
Metal Gear Solid - Death of Sniper Wolf
Think you're a gun-toting hard nut? MGS was all about stealth, snapping guards' necks and the occaisional bloodbath when you got to grips with C4 chain reactions. But the scene where Snake puts Sniper Wolf out of her misery is probably one of the most emotional to appear in any game. The scene makes you pause for thought, gets you involved more, makes you feel for the ingame characters, and helps you learn more about the lead players. This mix of direction, voice acting and graphics is yet to be beaten.
Final Fantasy 8 - The Garden Battle Scene
FMV or finely crafted CGI sequences are always a fun reward for level completion. FF8 managed to give me the first real indication that one day the ingame graphics will actually be so good that you won't be able to distinguish between gameplay graphics and FMV. The scene takes place during a full scale battle, where you control your characters as they run 'through' a CGI sequence that occurs all around them. It was the first time I'd ever seen anything like this in a game.
Resident Evil - Zombie Dogs Through the Windows
Shock horror at it's finest. Dated graphically, but one of the scariest 'HOLY COW DID YOU SEE THAT!!??' moments in videogaming, the section where the rabid dobermanns jump through the windows into the seeminly quiet and serene corridor made almost everyone have a minor heart attack when they first saw it. The best heart-stopping moment ever to appear in any videogame.
Wiz 'n' Liz - Addictiveness
This much forgotten MegaDrive game was probably the most addictive I've had the pleasure to play. A basic platformer, with each level against the clock, you had to collect all the items on a level before the timer ran out. On each level was a cauldron at which you could stop and mix potions with fruit collected to produce a spell, some spells good (extra time, extra speed) some spells bad (instant death/less time). There were HUNDREDS of spells to discover, THOUSANDS of combinations of ingredients, and I spent MILLIONS of hours trying to discover them all. It's hard to find that kind of 'addictive grip' nowadays.
Skies of Arcadia - 'Dance for Me'
'Dance for Me' was a special move for one of the characters in this Dreamcast RPG. The whole game was original in most respects, but for some reason this special move defines the whole game for me, its attitude, its philosophy, its 'fun-factor'. As soon as I got this special move I used it over and over again because I enjoyed watching the accompanying graphics. Best special move. Ever.
Lemmings - 'Let's Go!'
I never thought I'd enjoy a puzzlegame until Lemmings cropped up on the PC and later the MegaDrive. Simple ideas are usually the best, and Lemmings used just a couple of great simple ideas to create a game that kept players going for hours on end. Sheer determination to beat each level led to some of the most intensive redeye gaming sessions I've ever had the misfortune to get involved in.
Planetarion - 'Incoming!'
It's a small online game. It has no significance. It's turn-based. It has no moving parts, no sound, no frills. All the ingredients of a naff game. Yet it's probably the only game in the world that, should you get addicted, will have you setting your alarm clock for 3am so that you can get up and launch an attack to wipe out some other guy you hope is still asleep. Also the only game where the words 'Incoming' and the sight of a little red button on your browser can really stress you out more than the fact that you haven't slept for 3 days and ignore your phone because you know it's your boss ringing up to find out where you've got to.
Grand Theft Auto 3 - Non-Linearity
Most games force you to follow a path. GTA3 doesn't. It's two games in one. You can either follow the plot, complete the missions, and complete the game, or you can just boot it up and be as bad as you like. This kind of free-roaming character development was only hinted at in GTA2, this sequel turned it into an artform.
Legend of Mir - Levelling System
Levelling an RPG character takes many forms. Legend of Mir is an online game that does it perfectly. As you level up you acquire new skills, and you can level those too, and acquire more items to make you more powerful. This is a standard technique for most RPGs, but the gameplay levelling system in Legend of Mir is the best I've yet seen. (Despite the fact that it's estimated that to go from level 48 to 49 would take about 10 years of intensive playing). BTW, this game is the reason you don't see me on the forums much nowadays.
Phantasy Star Online - Items
Sega's 'flagship' online game for the Dreamcast, PSO has many outstanding features (graphics, speed, fun, levelling, ease of use etc.) Yet still, after about 2 years, I'm still finding new items and equipment in the offline mode, let alone the online multiplayer mode. And that's just with one out of the many characters. That's the kind of depth that even games like Final Fantasy X can't match.
Finally, the most defining game for me? Impossible to pin one down, I've played thousands of games over the last 25 years. (Starting with Pong around 1977). They keep getting better and better, new ideas keep getting added, games keep getting bigger. So I've always got the feeling that the best is yet to come, which is a good thing.
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Sage words indeed... agree with pretty much all of your defining moments, especially BG:DA. I still find myself in awe of the spell effects there... and in search of that ever elusive +5 elven plate. ;)
The only change I'd make is in your citing GTA3 for non-linearity. Have it, played it, enjoyed it... non-linear though? That's a bit generous.
I'd change that to Frontier: First Encounters, or any of the Elite series, those were truly the definition of non-linear. For all you posters old enough to remember them. But if you don't, find yourself a copy, and play it - it rules, not just a little. ;)
The only change I'd make is in your citing GTA3 for non-linearity. Have it, played it, enjoyed it... non-linear though? That's a bit generous.
I'd change that to Frontier: First Encounters, or any of the Elite series, those were truly the definition of non-linear. For all you posters old enough to remember them. But if you don't, find yourself a copy, and play it - it rules, not just a little. ;)
Semajal wrote:
(10
> people to a gal 10 gals to a cluster
I was gonna tell you that you need more ladies then I realised you where talking about something else.
(10
> people to a gal 10 gals to a cluster
I was gonna tell you that you need more ladies then I realised you where talking about something else.
goddamn im addicted to planetarion!
heh, pa is actually quite good now. They made it all smaller (10 people to a gal 10 gals to a cluster) and because its totally random big alliances have a harder time whereas individuals have a chance.
SHEEPY wrote:
> *chortle* at Planatarian
>
> I remember last Summer at 4 in the morning getting mesaged by you:
>
> " Sheepy can you attack 133:10:2? "
>
> " Yeah sure "
>
> *I go to sleep*
>
> Next morning my whole fleet was wiped out as all you gits pulled out
> except me
I take it you don't fancy signing up for the LAST EVER ROUND OF PLANETARION - EVER again then? Random galaxies this time, with a plea for the power blocks to stop power blocking, and of course the usual pleas for the multis to stop multi-ing.
If you do, then good luck, at least I won't be playing so your fleet might stand a better chance this time :)
> *chortle* at Planatarian
>
> I remember last Summer at 4 in the morning getting mesaged by you:
>
> " Sheepy can you attack 133:10:2? "
>
> " Yeah sure "
>
> *I go to sleep*
>
> Next morning my whole fleet was wiped out as all you gits pulled out
> except me
I take it you don't fancy signing up for the LAST EVER ROUND OF PLANETARION - EVER again then? Random galaxies this time, with a plea for the power blocks to stop power blocking, and of course the usual pleas for the multis to stop multi-ing.
If you do, then good luck, at least I won't be playing so your fleet might stand a better chance this time :)
*chortle* at Planatarian
I remember last Summer at 4 in the morning getting mesaged by you:
" Sheepy can you attack 133:10:2? "
" Yeah sure "
*I go to sleep*
Next morning my whole fleet was wiped out as all you gits pulled out except me
A GAD for your gaming addiction
I remember last Summer at 4 in the morning getting mesaged by you:
" Sheepy can you attack 133:10:2? "
" Yeah sure "
*I go to sleep*
Next morning my whole fleet was wiped out as all you gits pulled out except me
A GAD for your gaming addiction
*PoP*
i set my alarm for 5am for planetarion this morning
But planetarion will be no more :( the current round of the game will be the last because they have no money. Hey SR why not invest in pa. Youd then become very well known to about 5-6 thousand gamers.
on this topic- Brilliant :)
i think defining moments for me have been mainly nintendo related, but when i first switched on my NES and played mario was amazing, then playing Mario 64 years later on the n64. Using a 3d stick for the first time was rather cool.
But planetarion will be no more :( the current round of the game will be the last because they have no money. Hey SR why not invest in pa. Youd then become very well known to about 5-6 thousand gamers.
on this topic- Brilliant :)
i think defining moments for me have been mainly nintendo related, but when i first switched on my NES and played mario was amazing, then playing Mario 64 years later on the n64. Using a 3d stick for the first time was rather cool.
The first time an opponent ran rings around m and scored a cracking goal on Pro Evo on PS2 was pretty cool. The players were actually playing like humans, making runs and so on.
Also, the Psycho Mantis battle on MGS was ace, shame I already knew what was going to happen. The bit where he reads your memory card is fantastic, and comments on any Konami saves you have on there - out of this world. Also see the shaky joypad bit - the best videogame moment ever.
Also, the Psycho Mantis battle on MGS was ace, shame I already knew what was going to happen. The bit where he reads your memory card is fantastic, and comments on any Konami saves you have on there - out of this world. Also see the shaky joypad bit - the best videogame moment ever.
I used to trap the lemmings in a small space then set them all to self destruct and watch them get thrown about and die. That never got tiring, especially seeing as it slowed the game down if in a small area which was like watching it in slow mo, excellent.
Anyway a gaming moment, hmmm Zelda OOT, this game just honestly ruled generally but one moment I loved was first beig let out onto Hyrule Field, such a massive open space which lead to many world locations it was just such a good feeling of freedom and well it was just damn good.
Anyway a gaming moment, hmmm Zelda OOT, this game just honestly ruled generally but one moment I loved was first beig let out onto Hyrule Field, such a massive open space which lead to many world locations it was just such a good feeling of freedom and well it was just damn good.
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