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WARNING: Spoilers may be present for various games! Please tread carefully if you have not played the game but want to!
I remember when I was 6, my parents bought me my first system, the Atari 2600.
Playing through Adventure, I remember slaying the Red Dragon and thinking I was the coolest kid in town.
Since then I have had countless events in video games that just blew me away. Some were incredibly moving for me emotionally, and others were funny or extremely clever.
To start off the list of Neverendingness, I list 3 of my favorite moments in gaming that meant much to me:
1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for PSOne. After defeating Dracula, the castle inverts and you realize you only defeated HALF the game as you continue your ascent through the castle, with each room upside down.
2. Aeris dying in Final Fantasy VII for PSOne. I was shocked! It was only about halfway through the game!
3. Super Metroid for SNES. After solving the game, you realize that Samus is a woman!
For all the great surprises in games, there were also ones that were not so pleasant:
1. Half-life for PC. After beating the final boss, I was upset by the ending cinematic that showed Gordon Freeman being lured by those that seemed to evil throughout the game.
2. Starcraft for PC. The opening cinematic is top-caliber with plot intrigue and suspense, but the final shots show a lone marine marooned on the surface with 2 waves of zerglings moving in for the kill.
3. Diablo II for PC. After defeating Baal, I was saddened to see Tyrael compelled to destroy the corrupted worldstone. I sat fascinated while he knelt to pray, called upon blue flame to ignite all around him, and spun his blade over his head, dashing it into the very heart of the worldstone.
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The entire story arc of A Mind Forever Voyaging but especially the part where your wife gets dragged off by the cops.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I read somewhere that if you win, I think it was, 82 straight games in Bases Loaded for the NES, you beat the game and get to see one of the most amazing finales ever. Well, it took me over 4 months, but I finally did it. And what was the ending? Player sprites walking double-file down a street -- a parade of sorts -- that just goes on indefinitely. I just sat and stared at the screen in utter disappointment. Posts: 1295 | Registered: Jan 2003
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And Tom's reference was to Planetfall and Stationfall, two of the best titles Infocom ever came out with.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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The most satisfying finish of recent times has to be killing Diablo solo in D2:LOD. Successfully completing ANY mission in Rogue Spear without my men getting killed feels great.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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I'd like to nominate the intro animation for Quake II... I thought it was a better rendition of "Starship Troopers" than the movie was.
Homeworld -- coming back to find my entire planet devastated and burning on the third mission was actually pretty moving. I really wanted to kill the bastards who did that.
Half Life -- I actually managed to play it without knowing the Marines weren't there to help me: when the first marine started gunning down scientists, it was a big "WTF?" moment for me.
Deus Ex - The entire game. It's just awesome. Plus it has a G. K . Chesterton book (The Man who was Thursday) in it.
Realms of the Haunting - When you first walk into the house and the typewriter to your left starts typing out "We live" over and over ending with "If you believe in God and you have a Soul, PRAY FOR THEM" was a great scary moment in a great game that combined the best aspects of Doom and Myst.
Posts: 2112 | Registered: Sep 1999
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My most disappointing moment was upgrading my video card to play Sin, and realizing that it was one big buggy piece of crap as I tried to open the game unsuccessfully after install.
I later read that the game needed a patch to play, and I was so frustrated, I tossed the game in the garbage. For some unknown reason, I also bought the expansion for 3 bucks a LONG TIME ago and while cleaning, tossed it in the garbage just last week with the shrinkwrap still on it.
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Starlancer wasn't a great game, but the part where Captain Foster sacrifices himself and the Reliant got to me.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I remember my uncle was playing through Planetfall while I was trodging through Zork, and he had these homemade maps all over his wall. He was stuck on the very end of the game and was looking everywhere for a key or something. After like 3 months of endless searching, he mentions it to this robot that follows him around. Ends up the sily robot had this item he needed the whole time. Is that the game?
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Durnit, I owe it to Uncle Mac to play that game, which I never have!
This is no joke:
After hours and hours of marathon Super Mario Bros sessions, I used to dream these wierd dreams where I was playing the game, and the screen was side scrolling in my mind like one big widescreen TV. That was bliss.
I have only dreamed of 2 other games: Starcraft and Deus Ex, which I consider the former to be the checkers or chess of my generation and the latter to be a work of art.
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I don't know about you all, but it freaked the daylights out of me in MGS2 when the 'general' started glitching. I almost didn't want to play the game anymore...
I always cry at the end of Final Fantasy games...
But I unfortunately never beat FF6 or 7... or 8 for that matter. Still, all the rest made me cry.
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Regular or The Lost Levels, Mack? You know, the SMB the Japanese thought was too hard for Americans?
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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Actually, saxon, FF2 (really, FFIV hard type translated to English) got to me, that was HARD. FF3 (FF6 Japanese) was a cakewalk later on. I was underwhelmed at how easily I beat Kefka at the end.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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I suck at video games, but I've found that I'm better now than I was as a kid. I guess I was too inhibited. *shrug*
(Alucard, dunno if you found it, but I asked what could happen if you combine lithium, bextra, and tetracycline)
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Tick, I thought we were talking about story elements, not things like gameplay or difficulty. FF2 was a good game, but I think that in terms of storyline, characterization and soundtrack, FF3 is one of the best games ever made.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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You were right. I didn't. Did you email me? If so, I haven't checked it today, and my account is not accessible at work due to intranet restrictions...
But the answer to your question is:
As long as they are taken as prescibed, those 3 drugs are compatible.
As for lithium, it is a tough drug to regulate, because it has a very narrow therapeutic window. That means that regular blood work is needed to ensure it is within tolerable limits. Because of its absorption, take it with a full glass of water.
Bextra is a new NSAID and one of the better ones on the market. However, this does not mean it can be without GI upset. If it upsets your stomach, take it after a meal.
As for tetracycline, this one is tough to take multiple times a day, (4 times a day for example). Tetracycline is susceptible to malabsorption due to exposure to heavy metals present in vitamins and dairy products so it has dietary restrictions: If you take it as prescribed on an empty stomach 1 hour before a meal or 2 hours after a meal, there is either going to be a missed dose or not so many meals... If you take it with food, make sure the food is free of calcium or iron etc...
Tetracycline can cause sensitivity to sunlight, so use at least a 30 SPF sunblock that is UVA/UVB sweatproof/waterproof.
Any more info needed, let me know.
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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No, that was it. Just trying to figure out why my body got so freaked out. Malaise, severe nausea, tremor, weakness, mentally clouded. Very creepy. o_O
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Hey man, I can talk games all day long. I don't care what the topic is, I'm all for it.
Ryuko, as for Final Fantasy, I found VII to be brilliant, but I found VIII to be dull and tedious. I couldn't even finish it, whereas VII compelled me to go out and buy a 13" TV so that I could play it in peace without interruptions from the wife because Friends was on...
Anyone ever play Blaster Master for NES?
Gunstar Heroes for Genesis?
Those two games were completely Japanese in design and were brilliant.
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Diarrhea Vomiting Drowsiness Muscular weakness Lack of coordination
SEVERE:
Giddiness Ataxia (fancy word for really really bad coordination) blurred vision tinnitus (ringing in the ears) large output of dilute urine
If this sounds like your malaise, then get some blood drawn soon. If symptoms worsen, get checked out immediately and discuss your dosing.
If the above symptoms DO NOT sound like your condition, I have had more and more reports of general malaise associated with NSAIDS like Bextra and Vioxx. This could also be the cause of your general feeling of lousiness.
Good thing they stopped the lithium. They caught it on Wednesday and my symptoms have been improving since then. My appetite has come back, I'm not as weak, and the tremor is just mild. We'll leave the nasty bodily function stuff aside. Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I prefer FF2/IV Japanese's story also...FF3/VI just has too many characters. I like how everything revolved around Cecil, not jumping from person to person. I'm not putting down FF3, I LOVE it, I just put FF2 higher on all counts. I am replaying both right now when I'm bored at my in-laws' house.
Posts: 5422 | Registered: Dec 2001
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I'd like to nominate FFVII for one of the most daring RPGs plotwise...if not in gameplay. I mean...*SPOILERS*...killing off one of the characters halfway through, then the unresolved ending? Those alone win it, I think.
Posts: 3658 | Registered: Jan 2002
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The music from Command and Conquer did, and still does kick arse. Same goes for Red Alert.
MGS- You gotta love running around in a cardboard box. Classic.
Star Wars: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight- everything about this game was amazing, especially for it's time. The intro was good, it put you right into Kyle's shoes, the fighting was good, the lightsaber was amazing, and I had a real lot of fun with the whole game. I loved the choice that you were given between light and dark, too. Both endings were great. Two levels from the game really stand out: the one where you're racing through the spaceport fuel lines and such to get to the ship, and have to run after it to catch it before it lifts off, and the one where you're inside the same ship as it's falling down a canyon and you need to get to your ship and out before it crashes. The gravity switches orientation constantly and it made for a heart-pounding experience.
Posts: 468 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Ah, I remember my first PC game, Jet Fighter II. We got it when I was 7 or 8. I remember blowing up San Francisco on countless occasions.
Then came others, Warcraft II, Wing Commander, Prince of Persia. Before I knew it, I was addicted.
And now, stupid remembering of the past aside, time for some moments...
Wolfenstein 3d: Opening the door at the end and meeting a large guy with dual chainguns shouting 'Guten tag!'
Doom: Getting the BFG 9000.
Wing Commander: Secret Missions I: The last mission, I completely ignored the first nav points and went straight for the Sivar. After expending all my missiles and making run after run with Kilrathi fighters coming at me, I finally took it down. I did a turn and burn and had my afterburners going the whole way back to the Tiger's Claw.
Descent Freespace: As the Shivans prepare for their attack on Vasuda Prime, the Shivan destroyer Eva is taken out by you. As you're giving yourself a silent pat on the back, you're suddenly recalled to the Galatea. In a Medusa bomber, armed with one or no missiles(only torpedos), you manage to fend off the waves of Shivan fighters and bombers. Just then, the Lucifer arrives and destroys the Galatea, you can do nothing to stop it...
Freespace II: *ahem* 'DIVE DIVE DIVE! HIT YOUR BURNERS PILOT!'
Starcraft: When Kerrigan emerges as the Queen of Blades. I was both surprised and further pissed at Mengsk(the bastard left her to the Zerg)
Homeworld: Seeing Kharak burn. Later in the junkyard, seeing that huge destroyed hulk in the background. And later, in the final mission on my attack run against the Emperor, seeing Higarra dwarfing my fleet. Ah, that game had some of the greatest backgrounds ever.
Posts: 332 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Sid was indeed cool. I never played him much in the first time around FFVII. I may have to dig that one out and go through with my son this time and rethink my characters.
Tick,
I have yet to play the first 4 FF's! I know this is blasphemy, but I am in a dark time in my life.
Ryuko,
I have Threads of Fate and the cluebook. My son got about half way through, and lost interest. I had to help with a few of the bosses, though, and I thought of it as a fun adventure in between the 5 star titles that came and went at the time.
Human,
I agree wholeheartedly. I don't think many games touched me the way FFVII did. Playing that game all the way through definitely feels like you just completed an honest-to-goodness adventure. Still, the chocobos were annoying. I wish I could roast one for this Thanksgiving dinner...
Polemarch,
MGS is a classic! I have MGS2 and have never cracked the case. I guess the $14.99 price tag was too tempting to pass up. As to the dark time in my life, I am stuck in a Starcraft vortex, occasionally relieved for brief moments by other stellar games, like Diablo II. As for C&C, I have yet to play any of those titles as well. Feel free to toss a tomato in my general direction, as I wholeheartedly deserve it.
Gottmorder,
I completely forgot about Doom, Duke Nukem, and a few others. Serious Sam deserves a quick nod for pure entertainment value. I actually laughed out loud when I read your part about the boss with twin chainguns!
As for Starcraft, I am a huge fan and it is by no coincidence that my daughter is named Kerrigan.
The Homeworld CD also spends a lot of time in my car, as I continually listen to the haunting music that played during the discovery of the massacre.
As for Homeworld 2 the game mechanics sound very impressive where convoys and squadrons are concerned. I have a GameInformer mag with a quick piece about HW2 and it sounds completely amazing. GI describes how a squadron of mixed vessels will automatically be compensated for speed, maneuvering, etc... No longer will your fast fighters outpace your corvettes and cruisers. And if your squadron comes under fire, some fighters may attack, while others, having assessed the threat, may remain behind to defend larger cruisers from enemy fighters. This, of course, will be done automatically!
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In Baldur's Gate... "I'm the son of WHO?" That was a bit disconcerting.
Planescape: Torment, the whole freaking thing. Each little tidbit you learn about yourself is like Revelation with a capital R. Best RPG ever, nothing else comes within lightyears of it.
I was astounded by the human campaign in WarCraft III. I was expecting to be underwhelmed by the single-player, but by the end of the human campaign I absolutely despised Arthas for what he had done. The underlying theme of making sacrifices for one's people is potent.
The Resident Evil remake for the GameCube is too scary for me to play. I've tried, and uit just about made me wet myself with fear. I can't play System Shock 2, which is a fantastic game, for the same reason. Your song is not ours... *shudder*
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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I thought I was the only one freaked out enough to not finish System Shock 2. I was reading how different areas in Deus Ex were tributes to other FPS games, and SS2 was one of them. After beating up the first zombie or two, I put that game away, on the bottom of the pile.
If any of you missed Aliens vs Predator 2, that is one heck of a scarefest, at least when you play through the human campaigns. For some reason, I found that the alien campaigns and the regaining of health by munching brains was shocking and yummy all at the same time. I am a monster, what can I say?
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Deus Ex owes a ton to SS2, which I, too, did not finish.
AvP2 was excellent as far as being scary and I loved it, but was just so despondent over the lack of multiplayer co-op that I never got very far into what promised to be an excellent game...
Posts: 2112 | Registered: Sep 1999
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You are so right. I was able to find a few servers that actually functioned rather well, and I had as much fun playing AVP2 online than any other FPS. My favorite map was all humans versus one predator. The human player that fragged the predator then got to be the next predator and was respawned somewhere else and the hunt continued.
I have something big in the works and I will try to post it in a landmark thread, but if I am ever able, I promise to host the official Hatrack LAN parties whenever possible.
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I would say I was pretty surprised when, in Thief: Gold, Constantine and Victoria ended up being mythological demi-gods and ripping your eyeball out in a cut-away scene.
I need to play the first System Shock. I've heard there moments of surprise that cause you to want to throw your tower through a window or kill someone, whichever's closer.
Posts: 7600 | Registered: Jan 2001
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The first System Shock is still the best designed game I have ever played. Deus Ex and Halflife run a close second and third.
Posts: 5383 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I have a confession to make. I started playing Half-life and loved the training program part of the game. As I sat through the intro, I was equally impressed. But as the first 30 minutes of the game progressed, I was a bit frustrated with the head crabs and infected scientists. I had to storm into an office and climb up a filing cabinet being used as a ramp and into the ventilation system. At this point, I turned the game off and did not play it for 2 years!
Just last year, I dug it out and started over. I bought a cluebook just in case and found out I did not need it at all. Needless to say, I was BLOWN AWAY! What was I thinking? I'm supposed to be hardcore and I blew off a game like half-life.
There are just so many yummy looking games and not enough hours in the day. In a nutshell, I work 6 days a week and spend the rest of daylight with my family. I try to get in 1 hour of gaming a day, and it usually occurs after midnight.
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It's been rather a long time since I finished any new games, but I'm hoping that Trinity will have at least one moment that blows me away.
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