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The points at which certain Games become self-evidently GENIUS.

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Changed an entire genre.
 
Tsubaki said:
Myuren (Mullen?) and Baal just finish their conversation, the window shutters of their airship open up, and you can see the land below. The camera then pans around to a small town called Parm, where you see hijinks by the local kids choreographed to synth pizzicato.

Beautiful and unforgettable.
I was trying to pick only one moment as oppossed to making a huge list. There are many games that I consider genius, but I will go with my favorite scene in Grandia which is also the scene that made me believe that the game is genius.

After Justin says goodbye to Sue and tells her that he's not going to take her to the New World. Waking up early the next morning, secretly saying goodbye to his mother and then heading off to the steamer before the sun has even risen. Then, the entire steamer boarding sequence when the sailor comments on the "money" hanging out of Justin's back pocker. However, it turns out to be a letter from his mother. Sheer genius, and that scene alone makes the game for me.

There are obviously many other moments, many that I consider in the LOZ series alone but I will leave this post all to Grandia.
 
Ganondorf>Link said:
Metal Gear Solid 2 - When you first meet Vamp

Shit, that was an awesome moment. There's actually numerous genius scenes. The helicopter boss fight, where he's called Snake again was awesome.
 
J2 Cool said:
Shit, that was an awesome moment. There's actually numerous genius scenes. The helicopter boss fight, where he's called Snake again was awesome.

Oh hell yeah, MGS2 was full of awesome moments, but for me that was the one when you started to realize how fucking awesome this game was going to be.
 
Paradroid, after hijacking the first droid.

Bubble Bobble, the sheer amount of gameplay elements and how they are geared together in single and multi player goodness.

Vib Ribbon, on happyhardcorebreakbeats

Viewtiful Joe, when combining attacks while the enemy is still trembling from the impact of the first wave, slowing down and adding even more damage to the initial impact.

GTA, when catching yourself not doing missions, but all kinds of other shit

MGS3, "The End" boss fight
 
Sympathies with the original sentiment: I know too well the frustration of lending games to people who by rights ought to love them, but for whom the magical turning point never materialises; the game itself being returned the next week with a casual, heartbreaking 'meh'.

"You stupid fathead! You nincompoop! You, you, you ... You blithering idiot!"

But to no avail - some you win, some you lose. For myself, the appointed moment is generally one where I'm shocked to realise just how long I have been immersed in a brand new, state of the art, functional economy. Navigating menus; manipulating data, concepts and symbolry alike with increasing speed and familiarity; gradually uncovering fresher and fresher depths to the gampelay, and still finding occasional moments to be impressed by extravagant graphical flourishes or musical fidelity.

My first time playing Halo was a perfect example of this. Friend brought it over soon after launch, Edge gave it a ten, loathing of MS mixed with natural curiosity. We jumped into a co-op session at a reasonable time in the evening, and the next thing we know it's an obscenely late hour the next morning. Just ... shooting things. Beautifully.

'Nother one for me was in OoT. Been mentioned many times already of course; people generally seem to have loved it either from the first screens onwards, or from the beginning of Hyrule Field. Most moments admittedly rather special. For me it was stepping into the very first Deku Tree mini 'training' dungeon. Stepped inside and looked around, could see where I was going first, where next, and where I was going to somehow end up. Had just earned my first tools - sword and shield - and knew I was sufficiently equipped for the trials ahead. Suddenly overcome by a wave of precogniton, in that the game was clearly going to repeat this template - in an ever expanding pattern - up until its conclusion. I fell in love at that point, because I could see that the care and attention which Nintendo had lavished upon those opening trials and sequences, were going to be magnified in equal proportion as play progressed. I knew exactly what I had to look forward to, yet knew nothing about any of it. I would have been dumbstruck, had the state not been rendered academic by my being sequestered alone in a dark corner of the house, whilst the rest of Christmas raged below me. Very special times.

Whoever it was said the first time playing Goldeneye 007 in multiplayer, was bang on the money.

The windmill in Ico was another good call. Spent a long time just running around that area, jumping in the water, wondering what to do, but primarily wondering how they got it to all look so real.

I'm sure I have liked some other games at certain points during my life, but ... hmm
 
Meta Ridley in Metroid Prime:

I remember saying to my mate while showing him the game 'it'd be amazing if you fought Ridley here (showing him the scenery around the entrance to the impact crater)' Then we I got the last artifact and I heard the Ridley theme I about pissed myself with excitement.
 
Dark Age Iron Savior said:
Ultima 7: You warp to Brittania. Your close friend Iolo is there, and asks you to investigate the murder scene in a nearby barn. You walk in to find a man who has been tied to stake sin the ground and literally had his torso ripped off.

And that you could pick up the bloody body pieces... and possibly get arrested/attacked for stealing from the town for doing so! :lol What an amazing game. That, and finding that Iolo was an old man... and that Shamino still had your stopwatch! :D
 
Oot: When you jump over the broken bridge with epona to get into Garudo valley.
Terranigma: The oveworld theme
Jet force Gemini: The first space ship level.
ZoE2: The assualt on mars.
Super Metroid: Having those creatures teach you the hidden techniques( brinstar theme :D )
Chrono Trigger: When you cut the chains and ozzie falls to his death or the first fight with Magnus.
Lttp: When link uncles gets hurt in the castle and gives you his sword and shield.

EarthBound: The whole game but more specifically when you get beat up by zombies in a hotel room. Pure Fucking Genius :lol

Also, you know a game is seriously good when just hearing audio from that a game conjures warm fuzzy memories.
 
Another one for me:

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When the twins turned themselves to stone in order to save you. Broke my heart when I played this for the 1st time so many moons ago. And yes, I cried.
 
Silent Hill:
Immediately after the first boss fight - the favorite moment in my whole gaming career.
Late partygoers, try to clear the whole school area in one sitting, preferably at night
and starting at the doghouse to recreate the experience. :)

Honorable mentions:
SH2+3: Music video intros
MGS: Psycho Mantis bossfight
MGS2: Tanker intro
MGS3: Halfway into the fight with the Boss
Zelda Wind Waker: Entrance to the volcano area
WW has many more like Komori/Komali's change or the Deku leaf.
Fatal Frame:
Going back to the savepoint (for "safety")
Gitaroo Man: Bee Jam Blues
Gradius V: just looking at the screenshots. :D
 
bob_arctor said:
Another one for me:

ff2-1.gif


When the twins turned themselves to stone in order to save you. Broke my heart when I played this for the 1st time so many moons ago. And yes, I cried.


Nice memories, i tend to forget about this one. Cried too :(
 
argon said:
Zelda: OOT - too many points... but here's a few:
- watching your first sunset in hyrule field
- the water temple.. especially the shadow link battle
- final battle with GANON

when you pull the sword and learn to travel through time...
 
Tabris said:
I mean the game changed the entire genre. That moment was where it's genius became self-evident.

The game didn't do that to the JRPG genre, SONY MARKETING did. There is ZERO doubt about that. And I third the Nei thing, a lot more because she was actually USEFUL in the game.


Ironclad_Ninja: If I had to pick one scene from Grandia, it would be the conversation that takes place after Feena and Justin gets catapulted near the end of disc 1. As well as the short scene that takes place after you wander around the area they landed in. Their reactions (or rather lack of them) really made it. Comic genius.

And to all saying 'Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy', I have to disagree and say the ENTIRE GAME is pure genius. The game will never be topped.
 
let me add another one

Casltevania SOTN: starting the game with Ritchter then switching to Alucard, I was like holy shit Alucard's sprite is one the most beautiful things I seen in a game.
 
Star Ocean 3 - The ultimate plot twist (seriously, who saw that coming?)
Legend of Zelda - OoT - Hyrule Field, Village in Flames, Forest Temple, Ganondorf and Ganon fight.
Super Mario 64 - As soon as Mario jumped out from the pipe in the beginning, a whole new Mario
Donkey Kong Country - Thinking you beaten the game because the credits roll and when it finishes you fight again, but harder :lol
Perfect Dark - Story, weapons (slayer!), and voices
Final Fantasy XI - The secret of the Shadow Lord *The Shadow Lord is who?!*, the fight with Promathia, with angels watching, and fighting the Gods and Vrtra.
Silent Hill - Seeing 1 and 3 connected.
GTA - Total Freedom! :)
Eternal Darkness - All insanity moments, esecially the bathtub scene. I probably got scarred for life.
Final Fantasy X International - Penance, period. *without using Yojimbo*
Michigan - Feeling realistic and how everything unfolds. *still wondering why they call it Michigan*
Fatal Frame 2 - Those "poping" moments with the ghosts
Resident Evil - Dog from window, the crimson zombie, the kamakazi zombie, Lisa, and the whole mansion setting.
Pokemon - Seriously wanting to get the original 151. Then going to 251. I stopped from there since I do not know how many there currently are.
Gran Turismo 4 - Seeing how realistic it is compared to the past games.
Star Wars - KOTOR - Your main character's secret.
Motion Gravure - Photography game, excellent! Asian chicks. Double!
 
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