Top 5 Gameplay Sequences
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I'm not going to make a huge list, nor put them in order, but...
- Attack of the Fishmen (Call of Cthulhu): You spend the first hour or so of the game wandering around town, building up the atmosphere of the game and then...bam! You're suddenly in one of the more intense gameplay sequences in video game history.
- Water Hazard (Half-Life 2): The sequence where you're racing down the radioactive canals, outrunning, and later out-gunning, a series of helicopters was extremely awesome, the first time through.
- The Tower Climb (PoP: The Sands of Time): Sure, you kill the enemies in one hit, but the combat still looks amazing, and when it's combined with the whole 'climbing the tower' thing and the outstanding soundtrack, you get a (slightly) unforgettable sequence.
I'll think of others later.
I'm not going to make a huge list, nor put them in order, but...
- Attack of the Fishmen (Call of Cthulhu): You spend the first hour or so of the game wandering around town, building up the atmosphere of the game and then...bam! You're suddenly in one of the more intense gameplay sequences in video game history.
Planeforger
That is exactly the first one that came to mind... running through the adjoining doors quickly throwing up the lock or pushing dressers to block the doors, looking out the hotel window and suffering from vertigo before you jump all the while hiding from the gutteral yells from the towns folk and pounding on the doors. Even the subsequent hiding in the warehouses and alleyways while armed townspeople patrolled for you was nerve wracking.
and if you make it out of there the first time like i did, it makes the experience so much better. i literally felt like my life depended on getting out of there alive. it was simply an amazing portion of that game.
In no particular order, and with possible minor spoilers for the games mentioned (and major spoilers clearly marked)...
Colossus 3, "The Knight" - Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
SotC is packed full of epic battles, but I most enjoyed the battle with "the Knight". The battle takes place on top of a large tower, and a misplaced step will send you falling into the oceans below. The Knight's gigantic stone sword is both his most dangerous weapon and his weakness; when the sword hits the metal patch on the top of the tower, it crumbles and gives you an opportunity to climb his arm and venture to his head, above the clouds, were you deliver the killing blow. It isn't the most challenging colossus in the game, but it made the largest impression on me. The colossus itself, the battle arena, and the sweeping musical score makes this a memorable gaming experience for me.
"Opening - Bombing Mission" - Final Fantasy VII (PS)
As a newbie to the RPG scene (and the video gaming scene in general), Final Fantasy VII was one of my first RPGs back in the day. Back then, it was such an exciting and urgent sequence. Infiltrating the Mako Reactor and planting the bomb is quite an engaging start, especially compared to most RPGs (usually your main character wakes up from sleeping when the game begins!). I think what makes it stand out in my mind is the audiovisual aspect of this part of the game. At the time, these were cutting edge visuals, and seeing as I'd mainly played Megadrive/Genesis games before that, they really blew me away. The music adds so much to the event, especially as it continues to play during random encounters, and it's still one of my favorite Final Fantasy music tracks.
Case 2 - Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All (DS)
I'll make a seperate warning here, as reading this section will spoil the whole case for you. If you intend to ever play Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All, DO NOT READ THIS AS IT CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!!! The case is full of exciting twists and turns, as they all are, but this one is probably my favorite from the game. The defendant in this case is Maya Fey, your companion and assistant, so it feels like you really need to win. The game does a good job of establishing how deep the link between Phoenix and Maya is. Anyway, I'll get to the main twist. And like I said, SPOILERS!!! The prosecution's main witness is revealed to have been in a car crash where she lost her sister and needed plastic surgery. It turns out that the witness, claiming to be Miss Ini Miney, was actually Miss Mimi Miney, the sister who had allegedley died in the car accident! Mimi's face was burned beyond recognition in the crash, so she took a photo of her sister and had the plastic surgeons make her look like her sister, Ini, who had actually died in the car crash. Mimi had been involved in a scandal which had tarnished her reputation; as a nurse, she was responsible for killing a group of patients through incompetance. The car crash was a stroke of luck. She used it as an opportunity to become someone else, take revenge on the doctor who was mainly responsible for tarnishing her reputation, and frame the unfortunate Maya for the murder.
The Elite 4 - Pokemon Red (GB)
The quest to become the ultimate Pokemon trainer is not an easy one. Travelling from gym to gym collecting badge after badge is only the beginning. The best trainers begin the hazardous journey through Victory Road to take on the best of the best: The Elite 4. This awesome foursome consists of extremely skilled trainers with extremely strong Pokemon. Each member of The Elite 4 specialises in different types of Pokemon, so you not only need a set of high-level monsters, but you need to have a varied team to handle the entire line-up. Conquering The Elite 4 was a big personal victory for me when I used to play Pokemon Red; I didn't know anyone with a GameBoy or the game, so I couldn't battle anyone. The Elite 4 is the biggest challenge in the single player game, and it's very enjoyable to work up to them and finally defeat them.
Sniper Wolf - Metal Gear Solid (PS)
Snake is an all-around weapon specialist, but it was his on-going battle with the deadly female assassin, Sniper Wolf, that was for me an epic part of the game. As her name suggests, Wolf is a sharpshooter that is accurate to the milimeter. Her character is one of the more complex as far as female video game characters go, and it is the development of her character and her battle with Snake that makes it so memorable. In the first battle with Wolf, Snake's partner, Meryl, is injured by Wolf as she navigates her way through a mine field. Meryl lies wounded, and due to the nature of the environment, and long and narrow corridor, there is almost no place to hide. Snake is unprepared (i.e. he doesn't have a sniper rifle), so you need to back-track a bit and pick up the PSG-1 rifle. Later in the game, amidst the snow of Shadow Moses Island, Snake and Wolf have a rematch where the winner takes all. Snake comes out on top, and we learn that despite being aligned with the terrorists, Wolf is not a bad person.
Dark Castle's dungeon. You'd need the key to unlock the dungeon door, which was guarded by the torturer. He'd loop his little animation and whip three prisoners (complemented by a nice noise and grunts from the men) and stop, over and over. What you had to do was grab the morning star behind him, stay far enough away from him while he idled, then tiptoe over with the morning star and crack him in the skull as he was busy whipping the prisoners. He wouldn't stay down, either, so you'd have to jump over him, pick a key (the prisoners would indicate the right one, or else you got a 16 ton weight dropped on you), and then leap back over before he came to. Of course, you'd then have to run back up the dungeon, but the fun part was whacking the executioner and grabbing the key. Beyond Dark Castle had a similar dungeon, though you had to beat a guy with a shovel first, switch off a huge swinging blade, and then knock out the executioner.
Planescape Torment - Brothel of Slating Intellectual Lusts. This might just be the greatest portion of an RPG, ever, and it's one that doesn't involve a bit of combat. Basically, you wander around, talk to all of the girls in great depth, solve little problems they're having, and learn the ultimate secret that will convince the matron to join your party. It would also be a routine and dull segment if not for the amazing writing in the game. Plus, the magician who has disguised himself as an armoire so he can play with panties.
Level 5-3 from Super Mario Bros. 3. The boot, or shoe, or sock, or whatever you want to call it. It is ten kinds of awesome. That is all.
Chrono Trigger's trial. It loses some impact on subsequent playthroughs, but the first time through the game I loved how it touched on little actions I had performed (like helping the cat or stealing the sandwich or taking the pendant first). I also enjoyed how there were two routes out of the dungeon, even if one was twenty times more emasculating than the other. Plus, you know the bridge screens were iconic when they stuck a clone of one into Chrono Cross.
Becoming made man/woman in Fallout 2. I guess this is a pretty broad section, but it's one I always look forward to when I get back into Fallout 2. You can become made man of only one family (I prefer the Wright family, but I have joined the others) which usually results in you killing off the others. You can perform all of their quests prior to the final one, of course, and then betray the family, which is probably the most amusing route. I also love the quest where you have to find a guy who owes Salvatore money - you hunt him down, drag him to where he buried it, force him to dig into the cavern (and remove the land mine he hid there to protect it). You then have the option of letting him go or forcing him into the hole and dropping the mine on his head. I've never chosen the first option.
Chrono Trigger's trial. It loses some impact on subsequent playthroughs, but the first time through the game I loved how it touched on little actions I had performed (like helping the cat or stealing the sandwich or taking the pendant first). I also enjoyed how there were two routes out of the dungeon, even if one was twenty times more emasculating than the other. Plus, you know the bridge screens were iconic when they stuck a clone of one into Chrono Cross.
DJ_Lae
Yeah, I forgot about that. That is a cool little sequence.
Level 5-3 from Super Mario Bros. 3. The boot, or shoe, or sock, or whatever you want to call it. It is ten kinds of awesome. That is all.
DJ_Lae
Kuribo's Shoe, I think that's what it's called. I wish there thad been more of them in the game. Getting inside, jumping really high, squashing enemies, and hopping across the chomping plants was fun.
1.) Fighting the Harrier Jumpjet boss on the bridge in MGS2. Dude... it's a frickin Harrier for god sakes. You shoot one down and do all kinds of crazy flips and things to avoid the missle barrage and, man, that whole game just owns. It's one big ass kicking sequence.
2.) The Bridge Assault level (12) in Perfect Dark Zero. That felt like a real battle between two warring guerilla entities. The greatest part was the use of the Shockwave or Jackal for sniping fun. I must have replayed that level over and over and over again just to snipe the crap out of people.
3.) Gears of War showdown at the end of level 2 on that rampart thing. You really feel pinned down and have to use cover wisely and such, that game does it in spades. Especially on Hardcore or Insane.
4.) Final Fantasy 8 : Escaping the giant robot thing after you go on your first SEED mission. The music was intense and you had a real sense of urgency with that thing chasing you. That whole game had an amazing immersive quality to it.
5.) The Kuribo Boot thing someone already mentioned from SMB 3. Now in retrospect, I don't particularly really think the side scrolling Mario games are the greatest of all time, but that sequence was cool when I was younger. I must have played that level over and over and over multiple times just to squash things with the invincible boot and STILL have the ability to use my fireballs. It was like an extra layer of shielding.
My favorite Gameplay sequence was the level in Halo 2 where you land on Halo and hafta take out all those Covenant troops. That part was just great. The atmosphere, and the feeling of entering a completley foreign world was there.
Another cool sequence was in Legend of Zelda: OoT when you fight the two witches, that part was just epic.
Metal Gear Solid 3:
Near the end (of the game, not the boss) [spoiler] where Snake has a bare-knuckle fist-fight against Volgin, then rides in the pasenger-cart of a motorcycle being chased by a predecessor to the Metal Gear as well as a small army on motorbikes and the boss-battle that continues after that [/spoiler]
This sequence goes on for hours, it's really incredible.
Metal Gear Solid 3:
Near the end (of the game, not the boss) [spoiler] where Snake has a bare-knuckle fist-fight against Volgin, then rides in the pasenger-cart of a motorcycle being chased by a predecessor to the Metal Gear as well as a small army on motorbikes and the boss-battle that continues after that [/spoiler]This sequence goes on for hours, it's really incredible.
toment
Ah yea, the ending sequence that starts with the fist fight. Yep, that's one heck of a doozy. Then again, the whole game is like that to some degree.
Half-Life 2---Point Insertion: The opening sequence...it was my first HL game at the time, so I had no idea what to expect. Waking up on the train, being treated like a prisoner, making it into a building only to be chasedover a rooftop and finally attacked and surrounded in a hallway. I thought I haddied at first until Alyx showed up. The whole thing was incredibly intense to me, and I just love that entire part.
Half-Life 2: Episode One---Ending: The final sequence of the game where you must first transport about four groups of rebels across a wartorn street while constantly being fired upon from all directions. After you finally get them to the train station, I thought the game was over as I opened a door to walk into the train. *BAM* A strider blasts into the train station, and from then on you have to make your way to the top of the building and fight as the strider bombards you with bullets. And then of course the ending, which I loved, even though it left me hanging.
Far Cry: Instincts--Cliffs: While the entire level is pretty amazing, the sequence in Cliffs where you recieve the ability to feral run was incredibly cool. Sprinting down the side of a mountain hunting down the stragglers of a group of mercs that are running from you was the first moment in the game that I finally felt the tables had turned and I was now the hunter. Great game.
Halo---The Maw: The end sequence. Most people know what I'm talking about. A perfect finale to the game.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary---T-Rex Fight: This one I experienced just recently, and it immediately struck me as one of the most fun boss battles I've ever played. Sicne Anniversary was my first Tomb Raider game, I didn't know what to expect in the form of enemies. After fighting strictly wolves and bears for the first couple hours, walking out into a big open field and getting attacked by about 8 raptors was pretty dang surprising. It gets even better when a massive T-Rex slams into the area, and fight it to the death. The gunplay in TR isn't exactly incredible, but coupled with the adrenaline dodge, I thought the fight was very stylish and fun to play.
EDIT: How could I forget the motorcycle sequence from MGS3 and Attack of the Fishmen from Call of Cthulhu?? Definitely some of my favorites.
5. Zelda: Twilight Princess "Horseback fight" - This comes after you beat the second dungeon I think, after coming off of that you expect some downtime but nope you are thrust into an amazing sequence unlike anything in a Zelda game. I kid has been kidnapped by a goblin so you hop on Epona and race out into this massive field in an epic horse back fight. Once the initial part ends you go intoa joust like sequence, and the pose Link makes afterwords is iconic.
dvader654
That completely escaped me too! Going through this topic is really reminding me of some great gaming sequences. The horseback fight really should be on my list, but I'm going to leave it as it is for now.
Syphon Filter- Havent played the game in years, but the sequence in Washington after you deactivate the bombs you are faced off against a guy with a huge flamethrower. The battle was pretty memorable for me, as the cinematic leading to it was gorgeous.
Driver- The last mission was so incredibly hard, where there is thousands of cops against you, it was intense. It took me a thousand times to finish. Hell, even driver 3 had an equally difficult sequence at the end that took me like 3-4 hours to complete one mission.
Colossus 3, "The Knight" - Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
SotC is packed full of epic battles, but I most enjoyed the battle with "the Knight". The battle takes place on top of a large tower, and a misplaced step will send you falling into the oceans below. The Knight's gigantic stone sword is both his most dangerous weapon and his weakness; when the sword hits the metal patch on the top of the tower, it crumbles and gives you an opportunity to climb his arm and venture to his head, above the clouds, were you deliver the killing blow. It isn't the most challenging colossus in the game, but it made the largest impression on me. The colossus itself, the battle arena, and the sweeping musical score makes this a memorable gaming experience for me.
PAJ89
I also liked the bird and eel ones; all three of these were intense because there was always some sort of hazard; for the knight and the bird it was falling off and for the eel it was letting go and being left out in the middle of the lake.
Halo 2 - Assaulting the top of the scarab in the second level. One of the most wonderfully executed single player FPS chunks I can think of. The whole 100,000 year war segment gets special mention.
Megaman 3 - Wily's final form, the giant robot. Who'd have guessed Snakeman was the way to go for this beastie.
Yoshi's Island - Mega-bowser. The long distanc egg toss fight is freaking great!
Duke Nukem 3D - the hidden level "Spin Cycle"... Freaking crazy
Tons of multiplayer instances I can think of, but I'm not sure those count...
King Kong: Speeding down some rapids on a wooden platform that looked as though it would break at any second, while being chased by two T-Rex's got my heart pumping quite a bit.
MGS3: The ladder sequence. You know the really long ladder, that when you climb it a really emotional song kicks in, and then you realise about how much horror the Cold War was.
SotC: Collossus #5, the bird Avion. Hurling through the air at incredible speeds while clinging for dear life on the colossus' flapping wings.
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Panzer Dragoon Orta - after falling out of the sky and you wake up in the snow, I just thought it was pretty cool when you were on the snow getting chased by all of these monsters.
Gears of War - the balls to the wall action was everywhere, but the beserker fights were always kickass.
FF VI - Fight with Kefka. You are basically fighting the god that destroyed the world. It was just really tight.
Can't really remember any more...
1. Metal Gear Solid 3 "Final sequence" - This is the most epic ending in the history of videogames IMO and it incorporates so many gameplay elements its incredible. It starts off with a great boss fight against Volgin, goes into the best car chase sequence ever put in a game, the best MG fight ever, then you have to escape guards while escorting Eva, then you have the one of the best final bosses in any game. It lasts about 2 hours and is the greatest gameplay sequence I have ever played.dvader654
...how i agree, thanx for reading my mind :)
Lots of great stuff in this thread. Here's five from me:
Resident Evil 4, Chapter 1-1 - So many to choose from in RE4 but the first scene from the binoculars to the bell is a classic, really sets the stage perfectly for the ride to follow.
World of Warcraft, The Deadmines - The first Alliance instance and a highly memorable moment in a game with many. So much great story and lengthly, interesting quests leading up to it, great loot for low level players and it's the first time you really learn to work as a 5 person team. Plus, it's the Goonies. The troll zerg rush in Zul' Farrak would be close second on my list from that game.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Death Egg Zone - I leaped for joy when I beat Metal Sonic and giant Robotnik for the first time. Took almost all my continues. I still get a huge kick out of it.
Shadow of the Colossus, Colossus XIII - I love them all to varying degrees but this one was just so, so epic.
Elite Beat Agents, Canned Heat (Chieftan difficulty) - It took me forever to get it right but once I did I felt like a god among men. Now I can get an S score nearly every time and I still keep going back to it. Also, the ninja child thief/car salesman plot is crazy. Yes Daddy!
Half-Life 2-Ravenholm- The atmosphere and the action blended so nicely. It's scary but you never want to look away from it
Chrono Cross-The great transformation- Didnt change the gameplay but it was a hell of a plot twist that blew me away an immersed me into the game
Majoras Mask- the whole farm side story-One of the few side stories I felt needed to be play just because it was damn fun and was fleshed out perfectly
Gears Of War-One on One, Snipe vs Snipe- So Intense (sweated a lot), its best on War Machine
Wind Waker- Sailing the ocean during a storm- Might not seem riveting to play but trust me its an incredibly experience for your ears and eyes.
God Of War 2- The pegasus scene- less of a game play sequence and more of an interactive movie scene
Vagrant Story- The 2 on 2 with Sydnee- Just a nicely done battle sequence
yea thats 7
I don't have top gaming sequences. I've played and enjoyed too much for me to remember a top 5. However no-one has mentioned this, and while not my favourite gaming sequence, the first level of Medal of Honor Frontline, "Your Finest Hour" (D-Day Omaha Beach Landing) definately ranks up there (was epic at the time) and deserves a mention...
- Resident Evil: Code Veronica. The sequence when you start the single player game, where whatever-her-name-is is running from the helicopter bullets then ends up blowing up that gas tank and all the guys in the room blow up. That was AWESOME POSSUM. Best cutscene ever.
- The one when you start the Resident Evil remake game for the Gamecube. That was cool.
- Lisa's movie that you unlock at the end of Dead or Alive 3.
- The cutscene in Ninja Gaiden when you beat that boss (the samurai ghost guy on the horse) where the house is burning down. That was sweet.
- The beginning or Resident Evil 4 where you walk up to the guy in the house and you figure out he's a zombie.
The Baldur's Gate saga has a few: Spoilerific, although if you haven't played these games yet it's unlikely you ever will, but still, beware spoilers!
Baldur's Gate 1 : The entire conspiracy is unfolding, you think you're finally figuring it out, next thing you know you're framed for murder in your own home and escape through the crypts thanks to the help of your old tutor... then come the doppleganger's. It's not often a game forces you to take a look at everything you've done in the game and suddenly demand 'hey punk, you sure you did it right? Made the right choices? Think again!" Brilliant scene that can play out a couple different ways depending on how you play, all awesome!
Baldur's Gate 2 : The Asylum for magical deviants... the games bit plot twist! YOU, the certified badass of the sword coast, the man/woman who's fought madmen, murderers, dragons and even a wannabe demi-god! You're a hero, all but unstoppable, going to rescure Imoen like the hero you are... then BAM! It's all a trap and you fell for it, next thing you know you're runing through a maze with a maddened vampire on your tail and your life slowly slipping between your fingers with each passing moment. Then to make it all the better, your own humanity begins to slip away! No matter how many times I play that scene, I still get a kick out of it! Probably one of my favorite sequences of all time.
While I'm sure this isn't my ACTUAL favourite sequences list, these are the ones I can remember. SPOILERS
Max Payne: Dream in the House
It's been a long time, so forgive me if I mess up the details on this description. You're drugged up and in a dreamworld of your homewith long hallways and walkways. You constantly hear a baby crying and a women screaming as you desperatley try to save them, but you're too late and you realize you're just reliving the scene in your head. I've never felt so emotionally twisted in a game before :S
FEAR: Some early-mid game stretch.
At some point you are in a bunch of the generic factories and you're just fighting easy battles periodically. The thing is, at this point the little scares are really buliding up a lot of tension. My friends could vouch for me that I'm rarely paniced or scared, but I'll admit tohalf jumping out my seat and unloading a clip into thin air somewhere down this creepy stretch.
HL1: Opening Sequence
I just loved how they did the credits and the whole intro in the actual game. They did the same for HL2, but I just liked HL1's better...show me the TRAM!
Other Worthy Mentions But Probably Not on My All Time List:
HL2: Cliff with Ant Lions
I was just so struck in awe by the bugs' ability to pathfind up the cliff and then using them to do my bidding in the prison :D Scaling a cliffwhile bugs just crawling up the walls all around you felt pretty epic.
Diablo 2: Mephisto and The Ancients
For some reason the crawl down to Mephisto and the boss himself was always a lot of fun. The dungeon down to him wasn't too short or too long and had a cool mix of enemies (exploding kamikazes FTW). The Ancients because you already had hints that it was going to be a tough battle, and then you realize the gate closes behind you with 3 statues just ahead. You can see the remains of the battle over the cliff. You talk to the statues and have a pretty cool dialogue and then...someone has to die.
I'll add more later when I'm a little less tired. Nice thread topic :D
Tomb Raider2: Chandeilers climbing in Bartoli's hideout level.
Metal Gear Solid2:playing as naked Raiden. That was awesome! Theweird calls evething!XD
Tomb Raider1:Climbing on top of sphinx in sancturay of scion and taking the hidden secret.
Shadow of the Colossus: The last Colosi was my favourite because the way we have to kill him, at first we have to avoid his hits bla bla and the music which really felt that it's the end and I felt relived.
Sniper Wolf - Metal Gear Solid (PS)Snake is an all-around weapon specialist, but it was his on-going battle with the deadly female assassin, Sniper Wolf, that was for me an epic part of the game. As her name suggests, Wolf is a sharpshooter that is accurate to the milimeter. Her character is one of the more complex as far as female video game characters go, and it is the development of her character and her battle with Snake that makes it so memorable. In the first battle with Wolf, Snake's partner, Meryl, is injured by Wolf as she navigates her way through a mine field. Meryl lies wounded, and due to the nature of the environment, and long and narrow corridor, there is almost no place to hide. Snake is unprepared (i.e. he doesn't have a sniper rifle), so you need to back-track a bit and pick up the PSG-1 rifle. Later in the game, amidst the snow of Shadow Moses Island, Snake and Wolf have a rematch where the winner takes all. Snake comes out on top, and we learn that despite being aligned with the terrorists, Wolf is not a bad person.
PAJ89
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