Moments of the year 2012

[Roblet]

A pretty personal one, I expect, but: Mass Effect 3. Forget the ending, nothing to do with that... my Moment of the Year was in a midgame mission where, being as vague as I can, I (or rather, Shepard as I was RP'ing her) decided to do something really, really monstrous for the greater good. Specifics:

The bit where the Delatrasse offers Salarian support for the war effort, on the condition that you covertly help her scupper the Genophage cure. I had a perfect sense of my Shep's personality by the third game, and, with the stakes this high, there was no way she wasn't doing it (no to mention that she was far from convinced at the wisdom of a Genophage cure). The writing here is just expert: you're given the offer before the start of the mission in question, so that it gnaws at the back of your mind throughout. If you've decided you're going to do it, the way it cranks up the tension and guilt at betraying your friends (you're given several opportunities to come clean) is almost unbearable. At the mission's climax, Mordin (a character that I'd known for two games by this time) figures out something is wrong, resulting in a confrontation. Even now it's not too late to back down - but back down I did not. The impasse is fatal: Mordin cannot be convinced, and in order to scupper the cure the game requires you to shoot and kill him - shoot him in the back! - via a Renegade interrupt.

It was absolutely heartbreaking, not only because the character involved is such a beloved one, but because it was a genuinely interesting, difficult, grown-up moral scenario. Result: real human tears, breaking over my eyelids and trickling down my face. To my recollection, no other piece of art has ever done that - a perfect showcase for the power of player agency in narrative.

[James Ape]

So many awesome unscripted moments from DayZ: After shouting sorry to a one of our group of 5 randoms who i left to bleed out during a disastrous zombie attack on the house we were scavenging from, the remaining of us escaped to only find ourselves stuck on the roof of a hospital in Cherno with no ammo and were reduced to calling to a passing bandit for help to distract the zombies below Meeting friendly randoms in Cherno and going off on big adventures with them, being Double crossed by friendly players during a trade.

I really enjoyed Journey too, but i think DayZ made me appreciate a stranger's friendliness much more when they could have easily killed me for my frank and beans.

[Down by Law]

All of Binary Domain, never expected to enjoy as much as I did and for flat-out, balls out fun it's still my favourite game of the year by a country mile.

'THAT WAS MAGNIFIQUE!'

[Kevvy Metal]

The very start of Halo 4, as soon as you gain control and walk out of the cryo pod. Literal fucking hell, what have they done?! How is this possible on the old Xbox?! Mind blown!

Incredible visuals.

[poppa_f]

Playing Dark Souls for the first time. Battling through Undead Burg for hours, finally making it to the bell-tower Gargoyle. A titanic battle breaks out, down to my last dregs of energy but manage to land a huge blow. The game switches to a cut scene, "bloody hell, I've only gone and done it!" I think

...only for a second Gargoyle to appear. And this one can breath fire that one-hit kills you. And you have to fight both at once.

Such an awesome game (yes, I know technically it was 2011). The feeling when the game is stacking the odds so heavily against you, but you overcome it, is amazing.

[bobin]

Taking to the sky as Superman for the first time in Lego Batman 2. DAT THEME.

The world hub in Lego LOTR. I can see Minis Tirith from here! And from here! And here!

The backgrounds in NSMB2, loved the blurring effect, such a neat way to handle 3D in 2D gaming.

I must agree with the Journey comments, loved the sunset sand surf section.

[George Clooney]

While Mass Effect 3 had a disappointing ending, it handled the conclusion of several characters stories very well, notably Mordin, Thane and Jack, who I found immensely irritating during 2, but warmed to totally by the end of her missions. Mordin and Thane though were handled perfectly. Oh, Grunts was awesome too. I say this, but bear in mind, this was my playthrough, its possible yours was different.

Walking Dead was the experience of the year for me, with a few standout moments.

However, I think its worth mentioning one that I havent seen, and most people here probably wont have. Its an indie game called The Witches House, which was made in RPG maker, and is free to play. Its similar in how it plays to To The Moon, in that the story is what makes it worth playing, and the actual game is pretty bland. Its also pretty frustrating in some respects, as there are a LOT of deaths that come out of no where, often simply by clicking on something you'll end up with something stupid like a rock falling on you from out of no where. The ending came completely out of the blue for me though, and was actually quite heartbreaking. I'll spoiler it all, though the first paragraph isnt about the ending so you can read that bit without spoiling that if you wanted.

You start in the woods with a note warning about the story of a house in the woods from your father. You play a girl called Viola who looks very red riding hood-ish. Your route home is blocked and the only place to go is the creepy looking house which is almost certainly the one you were warned about in the letter. You go in, and lots of weird stuff happens and spooky stuff, but there are lots of notes scattered around giving hints and books that tell the story of the witch that lives here. A friendly cat helps you on your way as well.

Eventually you find something that will get you past the wall of roses that stopped you leaving the woods, and get chased out of the house by the witch, who has no legs and no eyes. Some of the books read as her diary, about how she is dying and her body is failing her, and the story of her befriending a girl who comes to see her and visits out of kindness, not realising what she is, turning eventually into thoughts of swapping bodies with her, saying "but its ok, she's my friend". In the last room, it turns out the diaries and the "friend" is actually Viola, who's kindness the witch has been playing on and wants her body.

So you run out, meet your father who shoots the witch, and all is well. Well, not quite. Thats one ending. There is another ending depending on if you pick something up on the way out. If you do, when the witch chases you outside, you actually turn around and stab her. You then talk to the witch and reveal that its actually Viola, the game actually starts after the witch swapped bodies, but Viola managed to use some of the witches power to create the wall to stop you leaving, and you've been playing as the witch at all times. Thats why there are notes around the house (the house still recognises you as its master and is helping you) and the cat is actually the demon that gave the witch her power in the first place. What got me about the ending was the part where she talks about what she put Viola through - she initially got Viola to swap bodies with the promise of "just for one day" but her body was so mutilated (she had gouged out her own eyes and mutilated her legs "to make sure you couldnt do anything once the swap was done") and the pain meant all Viola did was cry in agony that the pain was too much, so the witch offered her "medicine" which burned her throat and vocal chords, causing more pain. It ends with Violas father interrupting as before to shoot what we now know as Viola while she desperately tries to say first "father" then "daddy". I dont know why, but I found it incredibly sad, and it stayed with me for a while. I think it was that it really painted a picture of Viola suffering horribly because of the character I was actually playing

[squirtle]

Something a bit different. Watching my three year old son get the hang of Mario Kart Wii, going from careening all over the place to winning races and grand prix.

[Qazimod]

It's more related to the general experience than the game, but I like how Borderlands 2 brought together (past tense but I'm still nagging people for games now and then!) a lot of rllmuk people on my friends list; I was jumping in and out of many people's games and it was great to see how they were progressing and check out their awesome kit before tagging along to help blow stuff up. Often I see a number of the games I buy gain a small following by a few forumites, but Borderlands 2 had much more people playing and I've had good fun shooting up folk with others.

[George Clooney]

Also from Mass Effect 3, but I wont bother with the spoilers as it doesnt really need one, it was just a little thing I found funny. At one point Tali ends up in the bar having a drink and Shepard asks how she can get drunk being a Quarian....

"Very carefully, Turian brandy, triple filtered and introduced into the suit through an emergency induction port"

"Tali, thats a straw"

*obviously wasted*"Emergency....induction.....port!"

[JoeK]

Mass Effect 3, again, not the ending, but I'm choosing something different. Most people would perhaps not have experienced this on their first playthrough, I think only I and one or two other 'mukers had this on our first playthroughs:

When you get to the part where you're helping Legion and the Quarians fight the reaper-controlled geth, if you don't do ALL the other side-missions before the big fight on Rannoch, the choice you make at the end can be fatal for one of the two sides. However, I did not know this, as I thought saving the Quarian general was enough to balance the scales and stop the Quarians from attempting to wipe out the Geth.

It wasn't. The Quarians continued their assault while Legion was uploading his reaper-enhanced-code to the rest of the Geth fleet, I had several opportunities to stop Legion, but I couldn't do it, and I couldn't stop the Quarians from continuing their doomed assault. I watched the Quarians, from their own planet no less, become an extinct species within a few minutes. Tali watched in horror before throwing herself off a cliff.

My jaw hit the fucking floor. I was gobsmacked. And that for me is the most epic moment of gaming this year.

Ah man, I'd have been absolutely fucking distraught with that outcome!

I had

Shep and Tali just sitting down gazing out onto Rannock with the prospects for the future all ready for exploration.

Of course, the ending had other plans, but I've reconciled with it, and now actually don't mind it.

I can't stay mad at ME.

[The Bag]

Mass Effect 3, again, not the ending, but I'm choosing something different. Most people would perhaps not have experienced this on their first playthrough, I think only I and one or two other 'mukers had this on our first playthroughs:

When you get to the part where you're helping Legion and the Quarians fight the reaper-controlled geth, if you don't do ALL the other side-missions before the big fight on Rannoch, the choice you make at the end can be fatal for one of the two sides. However, I did not know this, as I thought saving the Quarian general was enough to balance the scales and stop the Quarians from attempting to wipe out the Geth.

It wasn't. The Quarians continued their assault while Legion was uploading his reaper-enhanced-code to the rest of the Geth fleet, I had several opportunities to stop Legion, but I couldn't do it, and I couldn't stop the Quarians from continuing their doomed assault. I watched the Quarians, from their own planet no less, become an extinct species within a few minutes. Tali watched in horror before throwing herself off a cliff.

My jaw hit the fucking floor. I was gobsmacked. And that for me is the most epic moment of gaming this year.

I had that, but slightly different

Tali had bought it in ME2

I think ME3's a genuinely excellent game, the way it wraps up various story threads from the other games & backstory, making me regret every decision made. Cut out the last five mins and it would have been perfect.

Anyway...

[smac]

Ah, man, when it comes to ME moments, 2 seems too fresh in my memories for 3 to have an impact (Thali sweetly jumping my bones, literally; poor Jack, fittingly, not making it) but one small moment did it for me - getting Thali's photo. Nice touch, although a bit risky to put a face to Thali.

Other than that, Bo in Binary Domain. 'Holler if you're dead!', indeed. 'Mickey' kicking in in Lollipop Chainsaw.

Just watching a whaling ship sail by in Dishonored; or emerging from the flooded district into the plague victim dumping grounds. So many painterly moments in that game.

[Philly]

All of Dishonoured!! So many amazing moments, and i went in blind. Knew nothing about it....

Wished it was twice as long.

[smac]

'I'm Garrus Vakarian, and THIS is now my favourite spot on the citadel!'

Oh Garrus! Easily my favourite NPC of all time.

Thing is, nothing tops the

reveal in the Archangel mission in 2.

Grinning like a loon, I was. And yes, I'm still spoilering that after all this time.

[Cheyenne]

Episode 12 of Asura's Wrath. Prior to this I'd been enjoying the game as an intentionally OTT cheesefest, lots of loud characters and ridiculous action, like getting all the good parts of Dragon Ball Z without the twenty episodes of waiting for someone to charge a beam attack. Then in Episode 12 something changes, a manipulative dramatic development that is executed perfectly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_DZqNkzGFU

Skip to 12:00 if you want to get to the good stuff. The silence, followed by the music, the Achievement gained at exactly the right moment and the ensuing chaos, and then the closing credits (because the game is episodic like that). The best seven minutes of gaming I've had in so long, and I was hardly playing for most of it. Asura's Wrath.

[smac]

All of Dishonoured!! So many amazing moments, and i went in blind. Knew nothing about it....

Wished it was twice as long.

I think a lot of the moments in Dishonored were either quiet moments where you took time out to look around, or those frantic moments where you pulled off an amazing feat of skill, luck, and special powers.

One exception for me was the Flooded District. Up to that point, I had been playing nice, avoiding lethal takedowns. But something snapped and I vowed to take the Whaler gang down. So I tracked down every single one in the level and killed them.

Except Doud. I blinked in behind him, had him right in front of me, unawares. And I let him go - I took everything he had on him, with all his dead minions a message that I would be back, sometime, to finish the job. And he would know that I was good enough that he wouldn't see me coming.

'Best served cold', indeed.

[Sie]

Finished Ep5 in the very early hours of this morning and still thinking about it now - The Walking Dead.

[Mars]

The very start of Halo 4, as soon as you gain control and walk out of the cryo pod. Literal fucking hell, what have they done?! How is this possible on the old Xbox?! Mind blown!

Incredible visuals.

This - I didn't expect anything to happen when I used the controller, I was waiting for the game to begin

[Down by Law]

On the opposite end of the scale I was most impressed with the final rooms in Halo 4, that pounding, heroic music (it's called Arrival on the soundtrack) the bombardement of promethean bastards that were quickly dispatched with hammers, rockets and shotguns to the face. Really grand stuff that reminded me why I love Halo's combat so much.

[Smitty]

All of Dishonoured!!

Choose one, Jesus.

[smac]

Choose one, Jesus.

Man, the Son of God posting on here, who'd a thunk it?...

[K]

Yeah, it's dull in this kind of thread when people say "Game X. All of it. Just all of it."

For me, it was probably the ending for Mass Effect 3. Most people hated it, I absolutely adored it - the final sequence from when you go into the white beam to the very end was astonishing, exactly the kind of transcendent climax that I really love in SF books, but you never really get in videogames.

Otherwise, probably defeating Ormstein and Smough in Dark Souls. Not really for the actual act of defeating them in itself, but the bit afterwards, when I go return from Anor Londo, and am now so bastard tough that I'm almost like a god. All those bits of the game that I'd struggled through are now like striding through a kindergarten playground in a robot colossus.

[Stingo]

Well, after Journey (brilliant post by Morrius, obviously) I'd have to say it's MotorstormRC for me.

The whole game yeah (only 1 or two tracks of DLC were rather unimpressive)

It's the perfect example of the "one more go" kind of game vs. the "experience" of Journey.

Also, it made the cross-buy, cross DLC, cross save, cross-play concept of Sony quite clear - and it works well if implemented in this way ! and 2013 promises to be even better than '12 already

[Mr.Jeff]

Looking back over some of the stuff I've played, there's some fairly obvious moments such as Journey but one moment that struck me in a fairly middling game was the transformations of the main character Elena in Pandora's Tower.

She's cursed to turn into a hideous monster if you don't break the curse by doing various gubbins for her but over time, she gradually deteriorates further and further from human to monster. The transformations are bad enough but the worst aspect of it is how she tries to maintain normality despite the changes.

As she gets worse and worse, she gradually loses coordination and starts breaking things in the house and apologising profusely to you for it. She starts trailing slime and spends time trying to scrub it out of the rugs futilely before you return. If you leave it until the last moments, you return home to a bleak looking house and see her nowhere in sight. You follow the trail of slime to find her devouring a pigeon whole and when she sees you, she breaks down in tears and apologises for something that she cannot control.

It's not the most well written or well acted game but those few moments really stood out for me.

Here's a (spoilery) example. The last part is unrelated but it gives some idea of what happens.

[Marzipan Travolta]

I think I've got a new favourite. The first time you get attacked by an alligator in Far Cry 3. I'd killed a goat at the top of a hill and it slid down towards the water. I went chasing after it and fortunately it stopped just on the waters edge in front of a patch of lilies. The slight sense of relief after I realised I wouldn't need to skin it underwater didn't last long. I got down on my knees and then WHACK. The game communicates weight really well. I genuinely felt like there was a 400 kilo beast on the end of my leg.

Like all the best shocks in games I'm still scared to go near the water, just like I'm scared to knife open small wooden crates in RE4 or walk too close to large plate glass windows in RE1.

[Takizawa]

So many moments in Mass Effect 3, a fair few of which have been mentioned already. Mordin

Dragon's Dogma had many too, but if I had to choose one it would be Bluemoon Tower.

The whole quest was magnificent, setting off, seeing the tower along the coast miles in the distance, the journey there was perilous (as were most journeys in DD), and as you arrive and see the tower dark and formidable in front of you. I arrived at nightfall, fighting my way through the canyons as darkness fell, and it was magnificent. Something about the game was exhausting and reaching your destination was a huge relief at times, I decided to light the lamps and wait til morning before I moved into the tower.

Great finish to the quest too, with some brilliant fights as you worked your way up, and a great climax.

[Matt]

The only new game i played this year was Ninja Gaiden 3.....

:'(

[Smitty]

A whole game is not a "moment". The whole point is that go to some effort to identify a flash of brilliance, not the entire experience.

[mechamonkey]

I think PSN+ instant game collection should get some recognition for being an amazing thing.