It's a rare occurrence, but every once in a while something happens in a video game that completely takes our breath away. Sometimes it's an unexpected plot twist; other times it's just the way all the elements blend together to make for a brief moment of absolute splendor. Here are ten moments from this console generation that simply took our breath away.
Oh, and there are going to be some spoilers. If there's a game on this list you haven't finished yet, you might want to skip the description on that one to save yourself from ruining some major plot details.
Portal 2 – The Turret Opera
The ending of Portal 2 was nothing short of astounding. GLaDOS finally decides that it's much more difficult to try to murder you than it is to simply set you free, so you begin ascending in an elevator to freedom until you're stopped by a quartet of those pesky turrets. As you imagine yourself being torn apart by a barrage of sardonic bullets, the turrets begin serenading you with one of the most beautiful songs in a video game ever. It's moving enough that you might even have trouble holding back a tear or two. Unless you have no soul, you monster.
BioShock – “Would You Kindly?”
Sure, BioShock's central plot twist has been discussed to death already, but you can't deny the impact the "Would you kindly?" scene had the first time you experienced it. Andrew Ryan, a man who's been spouting Randian philosophy for half the game, utters the phrase "A man chooses; a slave obeys," before punctuating his point by forcing you to bludgeon him to death with a golf club. It's incredibly disturbing to witness Ryan's murder at your own hands, but it's perhaps even more disturbing to consider the implications of this. Are you, as a player, really "free," or are you merely following a path that's been carefully and thoughtfully laid out before you? Consider our minds blown.
Red Dead Redemption – John Marston’s Reckoning
Players can easily spend a couple dozen hours working out John Marston's "redemption" while he's being forced by the government to track down and kill members of the gang of bandits he's no longer a part of. By severing all these ties to his past life, he hopes to finally break free from it and provide some solace for his family. Unfortunately, the government has other plans for him, and those plans don't involve Marston living to see this redemption through to the end. Even if you saw the plot twist coming, you have to admit that Marston's death was simultaneously deeply troubling and satisfyingly thought-provoking. And Jack's storyline afterward was the ironic icing on an already bitter cake. Let's just say we won't be forgetting Red Dead Redemption any time soon.
Gears of War 3 – “Mad World”
In Gears of War 3, there's a multiplayer Easter egg on the Gridlock map. If you can make it through an entire round without anyone destroying any of the "ash people" on the map, the next round will feature dimmer lighting and Gary Jules' piano cover of "Mad World." The map is already ominous enough with all the crumbling buildings and people turned to ash, but the darkness and the song combine to bring the creepiness factor to a whole new level. Yeah, it gives me tingles just thinking about it.
Uncharted 3 – The Cruise Ship Sinks
Uncharted 3 contains a stretch of gameplay where the action is absolutely relentless for several back-to-back hours. The climax of this action takes place in the ballroom of a sinking cruise ship, where the glass ceiling gives you a beautiful view of the ship's decent into the dark ocean. And then Rameses the pirate shoots the glass to send the thing rapidly into the abyss with the both of you still inside it. Perhaps it's just my lifelong fear of the depths of the ocean talking here, but this was absolutely terrifying for me. Also, it was perhaps my favorite moment in the entire Uncharted series, even topping Uncharted 2's heart-pounding train car sequence.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – “No Russian”
Sure, Modern Warfare 2's "No Russian" scene was designed with the sole intent to stir up controversy, and sure, it was incredibly implausible from a storytelling perspective. Still, unless you're a psychopath, being forced to turn your gun on innocent civilians in an airport presents you with one of the most disturbing moral dilemmas in video game history, one that will be forever etched into our minds (and our consciences).
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots - The Return of Naked Snake
Metal Gear Solid 4 got off to, well, a strange start. But those of us who stuck with it through the bizarreness were treated to one of the greatest video game endings of this console generation. Solid Snake (AKA Old Snake by this point in time) sticks his gun in his mouth, ready to pull the trigger and end his life, which he assumes will prevent him from becoming a walking time bomb designed to spread a deadly virus. We hear a gunshot. Almost ten minutes pass, during which we see another cutscene and the entire end credits before we learn that Old Snake is still alive. But this isn't even the craziest part of all this; the real kicker is that Naked Snake shows up, still fully alive, and the two Snakes have a heart to heart. It was bewildering, but it provided an undeniably cool ending to an amazing game series. It almost makes me sad that there are rumors of MGS5 now. How do they expect to follow this one up?
Metal Gear Solid 4 got off to, well, a strange start. But those of us who stuck with it through the bizarreness were treated to one of the greatest video game endings of this console generation. Solid Snake (AKA Old Snake by this point in time) sticks his gun in his mouth, ready to pull the trigger and end his life, which he assumes will prevent him from becoming a walking time bomb designed to spread a deadly virus. We hear a gunshot. Almost ten minutes pass, during which we see another cutscene and the entire end credits before we learn that Old Snake is still alive. But this isn't even the craziest part of all this; the real kicker is that Naked Snake shows up, still fully alive, and the two Snakes have a heart to heart. It was bewildering, but it provided an undeniably cool ending to an amazing game series. It almost makes me sad that there are rumors of MGS5 now. How do they expect to follow this one up?
Half-Life 2: Episode Two – Say Goodbye to Eli Vance
Half-Life 2: Episode Two's ending is kind of infuriating, since it left us with a frustrating cliffhanger before the series completely disappeared for several years. Still, watching those flying maggot creatures tear apart Eli Vance while he tells his daughter, "I love you, sweetheart! Close your eyes, honey!" gets us every time. It was unbelievable the first time we saw it, and the emotional impact hasn't left us ever since. Now if Valve would just give us a sequel…
Dead Island – The Trailer
Sure, it was just a trailer that didn't really represent the product it was advertising very well, but holy hell, did that ever have us reaching for tissue. Between the slow-motion reverse cinematography, the piano music, and the emotional kick at the tail end where we see the family photos, our jaws were practically on the floor. It doesn't matter what we thought of the actual game; that was one of the most incredible trailers we've ever seen for any product ever.
Batman: Arkham City – The Last Laugh
Hands-down one of the ballsiest moves we've ever seen in a licensed game, Arkham City actually killed off the Joker. As Batman walked out of the city holding the Joker's crumpled body, we were awestruck, especially when that's where the game ended. It's the kind of ending that just lingers in your mind while you try to come to terms with the fact that this actually happened. Bravo, Arkham City, for throwing
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