Big Moments in Gaming

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

Just like the thread says, what were some of the biggest or more impressive moments in gaming for you all? This can range from the very beginning of gaming history to the current generation and beyond.

I didn't get into gaming until I was 3- or 4-years-old with the original NES and Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, The Legend of Zelda, etc., but it wasn't until the SNES years that I would be pretty impressed with two specific events.

First would be Super Mario All-Stars. I only saw a commercial for this when I was around 6 or so, and I swear I had to have been dreaming. Three amazing games and one we never saw, totally updated and enhanced on better hardware? To the best of my knowledge, that was the first instance of an enhanced remake collection that I had ever seen.

Second and even more impressive to me would be the Super Gameboy. It's funny to me how Sony and Nintendo going on and on about cross-console connectivity, but I guess even Nintendo forgot that they got it right years ago: Just create an adapter that lets you play your handheld's games on your home console on a bigger screen! My mind was blown when I was able to play Metroid II, Bionic Commando, and Mega Man V GB in COLOR on my much larger. Even more impressive was that certain games had expanded color palettes available when using the adapter. It breathed new life into my then aging SNES, and was a pretty big moment in gaming IMO.

So what are yours, ladies and gents?

[Yami]

I don't even know where to start. My current life can be traced back to two focal points in gaming. First, Secret of Mana, because I loved this game so much, I started with emulation, learned japanese and got to know a lot of cool people. And the second one was Chrono Cross. I changed my life, because I had a dream of Kid

But the Super Gameboy was awesome. MMV was one of my favorte GB Megaman games and the Super GB made this game even better.

[Rexy]

The earliest moment for me would be the lock-on technology for Sonic & Knuckles. Sure, we only had the physicals for Sonic 1 and 2 to attach it with, though the awesomeness kicked up tenfold when I borrowed a friend's copy of Sonic 3 and really got to see its capabilities. It's a shame that maybe up until Vib Ribbon, that kind of technology won't be seen again.

And of course, I can't avoid threads like this without bringing up Crash Bandicoot. When I saw it in action for the first time (from the same friend that I borrowed Sonic 3 from, no less ), I had absolutely no idea that a platformer would end up go into the fresh dimension that it took. I wondered what it would be like in the past if a standard scrolling platformer had a character that could occasionaly walk into the background or closer to the player, but the clever design for the first game really took the cake. I feel honored to see it be my first experience of the PlayStation

And while we're on a PS1 tangent, let's bring up the Dual Shock controller. N64 players may have already had their equivalent and had fond memories of it, but I never really got used to analog control until my brother invested on one some point in early 1999. It took some learning to try and get used to it, as well as the rumble in it whenever I'd take damage or react with the environment someway or other, but it really brought fresh life to the games that were compatible with said controller. Just as well that I had to learn to Dual Shock, especially since I'd eventually be playing Ape Escape later that year, with its complete dependency on said controller.

Yep, call me a 90s kid, but I feel at home with those memories

[Garpocalypse]

Waking up one christmas morning and finding a Sega Genesis under the tree.

Getting my hands on Sonic 2 when it first came out.

The release of FFVII

Having Resident Evil themed nightmares for what seemed to be years on end. They stopped after the release of RE4 by the way.

One more good one! Pulling off my first fatality in MK right when Mom walked into the room! I wasn't allowed to play that game again for several years!

[Unstable Hamster]

When I saw Paper Mario on Nintendo Power describing the level up system.

I think I've still got the piece of paper of how I was going to level Mario for 30 levels, made five months before the game came out.

[linkspast]

All of MGS4 was a major OD of nostalgia especially Shadow Moses. I got a bit teary eyed, and getting to pilot Metal Gear Rex. Awesome

[A-RoN]

I was pretty impressed when Sonic Adventure first came out....and then they had to milk it and the feeling just wore right off.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

When I first played the Playstation. It was a couple years old at the time, but my parents never had much money and so we couldn't afford one. The playstation I speak of, was my cousin's. We had an old NES though and a few games, so I only knew video games by 8-bit graphics and low quality synth and white noise music.

First PS1 game I played was the original Crash Bandicoot. It blew my freakin' mind.

[ectogemia]

Probably when I discovered emulation. I was a huge VG nerd starting from birth with the NES (still by far my favorite console and the one I play the most today), but I couldn't have all the games I wanted. I remember setting up a lemonade stand on my driveway so damn many times in an attempt to afford new SNES games one dime at a time, bought from Funcoland, no less... remember that place?

Right after Super Mario RPG came out, purchase funded by MinuteMaid lemonade 100% from concentrate, a friend of mine told me about emulators. Shit, I think I must have been 7, maybe 8, years old. I spent SO much time over the next several years playing all the games I could never afford. I turned into a HUGE RPG buff, although I really can't stand the genre at all anymore. That's also kinda what kicked off my interest in music. Nobuo Uematsu's and Keiichi Suzuki's music really stood out as something special, and being that I was taking piano lessons at the time, I started to play some of their sheet music.

In any case, yeah, emulation. It opened up a ton of new doors for me 'til outright pirating opened up more

[Jax Mandrake]

I have way too many big moments that would take walls of text to describe.

I mentioned in a forgotten thread that one of my big moments of pride (which will never be repeated) is beating all three final bosses in Ninja Gaiden without dying.

Perhaps the one big moment in my gaming history for which I continuously kick my own ass is this: I had a huge collection of Transformers action figures that I had gathered in the late 80's and 1990, and I sold them off to a former friend for the money to buy a Super NES. Granted, I got to play a ton of the best games of that generation as a result, but I still miss my old figures... particularly Fortress Maximus.

BTW, Malaki, I'd like to know what you mean by 'current generation and beyond.' Are you anticipating some awesome moments in gaming?

Personally, I am. If I can figure out how, I intend to make some videos, one of which is a Top 10 list that will blow your minds off. (Hyperbole is not my strong suit.)

[zircon]

* The SNES - I had seen ads for it in Nintendo Power, graphics blew my mind. I was extremely hyped at screenshots for Final Fantasy IV.

* As mentioned, the release of Final Fantasy VII. It was very controversial among my circle of friends. It didn't SEEM like Final Fantasy - it seemed so much darker, edgier, more mature.

* The blood and gore of Doom. Was a big thing in elementary school.

* The legendary PlayStation 2; I remember the hype and shortages, people paying outrageous sums to get one, that kind of thing.

* Emulation scene and fan translations. I remember that it was a BIG deal when we finally got to play games like Final Fantasy V, Seiken Densetsu 3, etc.

[Nabeel Ansari]

Sega freakin Dreamcast.

Chao VMU games for SA/2, Tech Romancer, Bangaio, etc.

This coupled with N64 and Gamecube describes my childhood.

[Malaki-LEGEND.sys]

And while we're on a PS1 tangent, let's bring up the Dual Shock controller. N64 players may have already had their equivalent and had fond memories of it, but I never really got used to analog control until my brother invested on one some point in early 1999. It took some learning to try and get used to it, as well as the rumble in it whenever I'd take damage or react with the environment someway or other, but it really brought fresh life to the games that were compatible with said controller. Just as well that I had to learn to Dual Shock, especially since I'd eventually be playing Ape Escape later that year, with its complete dependency on said controller.

I still have a hard time figuring out which controller I prefer; the 360 controller or the dual-shock. Sony gets a bad rap sometimes for never changing the design, but I think the dual-shock was pretty much king of the hill for a long while; perfect heft, contour... The thing is damned ergonomic, and why fix what ain't broke? Then the 360 controller hit, and it was a huge improvement over the previous console's. If it weren't for the terrible D-pad design, I'd probably say it was my favorite.

BTW, Malaki, I'd like to know what you mean by 'current generation and beyond.' Are you anticipating some awesome moments in gaming?

Well I'm no clairvoyant, but I have a passing interest in iPad(and other tablets) gaming, and I think with the tech leaps with said devices are going to lead to more in-depth gaming experiences if they can both overcome the buttons hurdle and/or deliver experiences that play to the playforms strengths.

It baffles me that we haven't seen HD versions of older Final Fantasy games on iOS devices for example, because the menu-based nature of older SE RPGs lend VERY well to a touch-based interface IMO. I think games like LoZ: Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks have proven this on the DS.

Good stuff BTW, people. Let's see some more!

[FuriousFure]

one of my big moments in gaming was when my cousin who had upgraded to the N64 didn't want his SNES anymore and gave it to me along with a big box filled with SNES games. this was my second console, the first being a used n64 i bought myself. ($68.00 from FuncoLand)

as I sat out in front of the TV testing each game out to figure out what game should go to which sibling of mine. I knew a few of the titles but I popped in an unfamiliar one called "Chrono Trigger" and loaded up a saved game. I saw the bright colors, heard "peaceful days", and saw little characters waving at me. I did what any 12 year old boy would do. I promptly turned it off, and dismissed it as a "girls game" Ignoring it. Big mistake.

fortunately, months later during some boredom streak, I decided to give it a go. as fate would have it, it is an amazing game which story, music, and gameplay captured me. Now, 13 years later, I consider it one of my favorite games of all time.

[PixelPanic]

The first console I fully payed for was my DS (I was 10, that's 3 months of allowance) and I got Super Mario 64DS on it. My god. It felt like I was reliving the world. It felt so new, but so familiar.

Also, somewhat recently, I started up a Majora's Mask cartridge on his N64 and after some wonky music the screen froze on the Happy Mask Salesman and a bad screech. I will never again touch that game unless it gets a 3DS release.

[GravitySuitCollector]

I grew up playing old DOS games, NES, and SNES. I absolutely loved Super Metroid. Then one of my older brothers brought home a Nintendo 64. Super Mario 64 blew my mind. When we got a GC (we being my triplet bro and sis, plus me), It was great. It was the one with The Legend of Zelda Anniversary disc. I also received a Game Boy Player (an amazing example of cross-platform), and we also received an Altec Lansing set of speakers.

Another absolutely amazing moment was the commercial for Kingdom Hearts. The video plus the music was amazing. Goosebumps and sheer wonder. Too bad I didn't own a PS2 until... '06? This was what really opened my eyes to the next level of graphics in videogames.

[ocre]

Being at Toys R Us in the mid-90s joining a crowd gathered around a playable demo setup of Super Mario 64. Everyone was in awe at where games were. It was a good feeling.

[Modus]

• Received a GameGear as my first system, played lots of bad games I thought were good
  
• Played Banjo-Kazooie, which made me realize what a good game really is and shaped my preference for playing games that "challenge my ability"
  
• Played Skies of Arcadia, which snapped me out of my "Rareware phase" and shaped my preference for strategy, story-telling, and lore
  
• Played Wind Waker, which shaped my preference for powerful style and adventure games that have a laid-back atmosphere
  
• Played Final Fantasy XI, the true culmination of all my gaming preferences with the added benefit of being online
  
• Games anything like FFXI stopped coming out altogether...
  
• Went with the crowd and played Call of Duty and shit
  
• Played Journey for PS3 and was happy to see that there are developers out there with my exact preferences
  

Honorable mentions: Kingdom Hearts 1, Dragon Age 1&2 (I have a very complex relationship with these games ), BK: Nuts and Bolts

[psychowolf]

Playing gta3 for the first time and falling into this completely free 3D city and being allowed to do anything i want.

That or playing metal gear solid and falling in love with the complex storyline.

And of course playing sonic adventure for the first time, omg playing emerald coast on that one day my brother brought a dreamcast home from working in blockbusters, i spent the entire day on sonic adventure.

The greatest thing is due to not playing so many games i get to experience them now.

chronotrigger, megaman, the x series, super metroid, earthbound, THESE are the games I'm trying out now due to the immense following for these games and after playing them, i can see why.

And so i'm gaining more and more memorable gaming moments day by day.

that may sound cheese but its true

[Mirby]

When my uncle came to our place and gave us a copy of Mega Man X. That changed everything.

Other notable events were trading in my brother's faulty Lost World Hot Wheels set for DKC2 at K-Mart and getting loads and loads of NES and SNES games from my grandpa. Who I still have yet to meet in person. D:

[ectogemia]

Super Mario 64 blew my mind..

Oh my god, I remember I got some VHS from Nintendo Power with gameplay footage of Super Mario 64. I must have been 7 years old. First boner. Right there.

Playing gta3 for the first time and falling into this completely free 3D city and being allowed to do anything i want.

Haha, YES!!!!!!! A friend of mine was playing this when I stayed the night. I'd actually never really heard of it at the time, and I was really skeptical of the PS2 back then being the graphics Luddite that I am. Within, oh, 30 seconds of watching him play, I dropped my anti-PS2 bias and had one of the most fun gaming experiences of my life. I sold so many old games so that I could afford a PS2, just so I could buy GTA3. Jesus, that game was fun, and it's still by far the best GTA. I haven't played it in years. Did it age well?

Oh, and the nostalgia in this thread is fantastic

[psychowolf]

Jesus, that game was fun, and it's still by far the best GTA. I haven't played it in years. Did it age well?

To me it has, it was after all my personal fav of the entire series bar of course san andreas. i could play san andreas and gta3 and still get a kick out of them, listening to chatterbox with lazlow talking about eating squirrels and interviewing Fernando Martinez,

same with san andreas and gardening with maurice.

"ALLLLRIGHT Ants, killer bee's, fat people, whats plaguing you call now"

[Scufo]

When I was a kid, my mom would leave me and my siblings with various families who did daycare for extra income. One of these families had a SNES, which was my first exposure to video games. Just the idea of being able to control what happens on the TV blew my mind. They had Super Mario World and DKC2, both of which are still among my favorite games.

[wenmandarin]

Just curious, is anybody here actually old enough to remember the "Great Video Game Crash of 1983"? I'm not, but that would seem like a pretty big moment in video game history as it allowed Japan to dominate the video game market. I think the crash also fundamentally changed the manner in which games (particularly home console games) are marketed as well.

Other than that, I'd say the advent of the PS2 was a big one. It outsold even the NES and was so successful that it is sort of competing with the PS3 to this day. I understand giving due props to old school, but you gotta admit, PS2 has a pretty big library and some of the best games created.

On a personal note, the big one for me was FFVI. Each and every character had an interesting backstory, it had the first female video game main character who I ever saw and remains my favorite to this day, and has the best music I ever heard and the first time I became interested in Nobuo Uematsu. I have a theory that the popularity of FFVI and Chrono Trigger opened up the door for the Import Classic/emulation wave in the 00s.

[Benjamin Briggs]

after I beat diddy kong racing I felt that I no longer needed to beat another game in my life