Defining moments in your gaming life

[Jarmaro]

Playing Gothic for the first time without cheats

 

[torpid]

Grimoire being released

 

[Tomatohead]

Not sure what to think about Grimoire after all. The big thread itself was fun along with all the crapshoot but that's now in retardoland. As for the game itself I think I'm going to wait for a moment before diving in. Maybe talking and waiting for Grimoire was more fun than the game itself. Of course I don't want to appear as heretic! I'm treading on holy ground here...

Also having crisis now: I spilled energy drink on my mechanical keyboard and I never put drink close to the keyboard but now it happened, and it was only for brief moment as I was adjusting something before heading out. I spilled only about less than 10ml but it went straight in. Need to figure out a way to dry it as it doesn't work at all at the moment. I really hate my life as that was the best damn keyboard I ever had.

 

[Galdred]

My first game with reaction fire. It was intense, and a worthy ancestor of X-COM.

There are also some games that are a bit embarassing to mention...
Like Ishar and its horrible combat system:

But it was the first CRPG I found for my STe at the time, and it was quite gorgeous.

 

[Tomatohead]

Laser Squad was awesome! I always had C64 and Amiga for the longest time and I was jealous of my friends who all had PCs. The games on PC started to be so awesome after one point, probably around and after when 386 came out.

 

[Anthedon]

Getting four 3,5" discs with Dune II on it from a friend. I still remember the mentats, the map where you could choose your next mission, sandworms and the Harkonnen Devastator. The game was also my introduction to IT security since the discs had a virus on them, good times.

 

[Jimmious]

Installing Fallout Demo, basically the Junktown map. I wish I could so much in awe some time again in my life (gaming wise)

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Installing Fallout Demo, basically the Junktown map. I wish I could so much in awe some time again in my life (gaming wise)

Oh man I remember this.
First, wipe out the Crypts.
New Game: wipe out the Fools.
Newer Game: Wipe them all out, Scrapheap becomes a safe haven once more.
Mind was blown.

 

[The Dutch Ghost]

Hmm, lets see...

The Secret of Monkey Island. Previous to that I only played action games, platformers and early FPS games. The teacher of my class at the time was tired that we only played those kind of titles so he installed SMI and have us try that instead.
I had seen adventure games in magazines but from the screenshots it was always unclear to me on how they played (their controls), or where the action was?
This title opened the world of narrative driven adventure puzzle games for me and made me try out other games I previously falsely ignored.

Fallout. I had bought this game during a sale at a department store. I had no intention of really playing it, I had some information about it from a magazine that told me about the game such as there being a city full of zombies (this was way way before the zombie craze and the writer turned out to be mistaken as the zombies are actually Ghouls) but that the battles were turn based. Again I falsely assumed that this would make the game to dull, how mistaken I was!
One lazy Sunday I installed it on my computer to have a quick look at the zombie city and then remove it again. I don't know how often I saw that intro and three days later I was still playing the game.

Cannon Fodder. Really old title but I guess this game made me realize how fun real time strategy games can be (well it is only partly strategy, more like a disguised shooter).
My nephew showed me this title on his Amiga and not longer after I was making soldier corpses bunny hop while laughing loudly. War has indeed never so much fun!

Half Life. Sure before that time I have played other FPS games like Doom, Quake 2, Unreal, Duke Nukem 3D and Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight that was already going into somewhat of the direction Half Life was aiming for, but playing a FPS that almost half an adventure in which I actually interacted with characters and the environment in a nearly real world setting was so revolutionary for me. That the title also had an exciting premise, campaign, and continuous levels tied into each other only further deepened that experience.
Afterwards I honestly found it difficult to go back to fully action driven FPS games. Even the Doom mods I play in general have to have a story driven campaign in it and worlds that make sense in general.

 

[Fedora Master]

It may be a bit banal but I was honestly and deeply impressed by Dark Souls, especially the way it tells its story and all the little details in the world. I think that game will stick with me for a long long time.

 

[Tomatohead]

Dark Souls has the sense of mystery to it. Only places where you can get tidbits and background of the actual world are from the brief NPC discussions and from the item descriptions itself. Of course, unless you are reading lot of spoilers of the interwebs that is. But so far after initial Demon/Dark Souls I think they have milked off the franchise maybe too much on some level but I guess that always happens with successful games (and movies...etc).

 

[Popiel]

Walking out of the prison ship, right on to the Vvardenfell for the first time. With the main theme of Morrowind reaching a climax. I see a silt strider, and it greets me with this characteristic, whale-like sound. That was and still is the only moment worthy of note in my very long gaming career.

 

[Freddie]

I started to beat shoot 'em up's on C64 without using trainers. The first one was Nemesis (aka Gradius)

I recall I was waiting for more stages and bosses but it just started again from the beginning and I was blinking at the TV screen, wow, I did it.

Manic Mansion was game that introduced me to adventure genre. A lot has been said about this game in various places, it was huge back in the day. I still prefer humour or even surrealism in my adventure games, though I liked Cognition: an Erica Reed thriller too.

Miroprose's Gunship introduced me to simulators, then somewhere along the way they became too complicated.

Roadwar 2000 and Roadwar Europe were sort of light strategy games I liked a lot. I guess that's why I still like light strategy games like nu XCOM. Original UFO: Enemy Unknown was something else though.

Pool of Radiance introduced me to cRPG's. Then Baldur's Gate and Might and Magic series I ended so overdosed of fantasy that I can only tolerate Arcanum at these days, because of Steam Punk and Shadowrun because of Cyber Punk. Fallout, well that was something different.

Doom and Dark Forces are sources for my disappointment with modern shooters.

Mass Effect series, aka dark comedy about how to fuck up a franchise and screw your customers. First in the series, all wasted potential in the sequels. Perhaps it would be good time to abandon fantasy and sci-fi and try something new with urban fantasy or something. So there are protagonist John, James and Juliet in the beginning of something that may turn out to be Zombie apocalypse. So John works in a store, he has skills with people and is decent with throwing weapons because of hobby. He has low staying power though. James drives a garbage truck. He is terrible with people but when you need ride trough those Zombies with a lorry or something you need him. He is also good with hand to hand combat and shotguns. Juliet is a nurse, she is outspoken but rarely says anything of value, useful in certain situations, but then it turns out that she can't actually treat anyone, actually she couldn't work as nurse because it just wasn't what she imagined, but still likes to bring her education up because everybody likes nurses right? And she failed because of daddy issues and at that point you can shoot her in the face or sell her to brothel or something and take your chances to find someone actually useful.

 

[blrrmmmff]

Thief 2. Everything about that game was immersive. The crappy map they give you, using sound to make sure that nobody is around the corner (instead of stupid see through walls or radar maps with enemies on them). The large levels that don't hold your hand, and give you vague directions. I remember finishing the first map with the mansion, and I didn't discover half of it because it felt too dangerous (I sucked at video games back then). Adding to the immersion.

Garrett's gritty voice complaining how he got sucked into the job. The letters laying around that actually tell an interesting story about the characters who live and work there (was also well done in NOLF). Listening in on conversations. The satisfaction when you figure out how to get past a difficult situation. The vulnerability if you get caught. Hitting a stash of secret loot. The way they spread out loot in a level was done just right. The game did get a bit tedious near the end though.

If only they could repeat this just once with modern day graphics and better AI.

Red alert and Age of empires 2 First RTS. Got me into history. Played this when I was 11 I think. It was like playing with toys in a sandbox on steroids. I fucking loved playing with toys in a sandbox. Blew me away for some reason.

Commandos games, sometimes I would be stuck at a level for days, but that just added to the satisfaction of finally beating it. Though they did get repetitive near the end.

Company of heroes. Got really hooked on this for a while. A more arcade fun version of close combat. Especially artillery really felt like it had massive impact:
https://youtu.be/abc5wrFDuDY?t=221

And having map completely ravaged near the end. Pulling off a successful flank on a tiger tank. That game was fun as hell.
Company of heroes 2. First game I preordered, Last game I pre ordered. What a fucking disappointment

Playing Bioshock infinite. That game was fucking dull. Checked on metacritic, and yes the game really got an 8.6. Then I played NOLF 2 that I had only finished half way through way back. And I had more fun for some reason. It was less of a grind. Even though it was a 10 year older game with shittier graphics and I already knew half of it. Started to realize how much video games had started to really suck.

 

[Alienman]

I have plenty of good memories, but one of my best, which really showed me gaming was something else was my first play through of X-com. I had my best friend over and we each controlled four soldiers which we had named and such. And man that game felt mysterious the first time. It had this ominous feeling about it, like we were doomed from the get go already. It really got us in the mood and I know we both felt it. This was something special. Anyway, we shot down our first UFO, a bigger one, we had killed one tiny before and it showed no real problem. So we got out of the Skyranger, moved in to secure the UFO and then the shit hit the fan. We got caught in the open in a crossfire and half the squad was downed in one turn. Panic ensued of course, but man, it felt so genuine. Me and my friend... it was like that scene from Aliens played out, when the rookie lieutenant tried to order his men back into the ground vehicle after getting ambushed. I remembered one of my surviving soldiers carrying one his wounded ones in his arms just to get shot in the back right at the Skyranger ramp as we tried to evacuate. It was intense, hilarious and jaw-dropping at the same time.

That day I came to realize how dynamic games can be and how "grown up" they could feel. I was only a kid though, but it felt so totally different from the Nintendos and Segas.

 

[Dux]

Back in 2001, playing Operation Flashpoint and eventually realising what I had gotten myself into. I had played things like Delta Force and Rainbow Six before that, but this was on a whole new level.

The sheer scale of it and the fact that an engrossing story could still be delivered.

 

[Starwars]

Getting raped in a Dance with Rogues.

True art!

 

[Galdred]

Back in 2001, playing Operation Flashpoint and eventually realising what I had gotten myself into. I had played things like Delta Force and Rainbow Six before that, but this was on a whole new level.

The sheer scale of it and the fact that an engrossing story could still be delivered.

I remember trying the mission where you end up alone behind enemy lines again and again, with my heart pounding, hoping I would make it until I eventually did. It is sad that they are only doing multiplayer focused games lately.

Another defining moment for me was when I played my first MMO game (it was a strategy browser game).

Playing in a persistent universe with other players was always something I had dreamed of.
I made friends, fought for survival with them, we won victory after victory until we were utterly crushed, we rebuilded, we fought during the day, and the night.
I also met a girlfriend here.
This was my most intense gaming experience, but after 4 years and several thousands hours, I realized I was only playing out of loyalty to my online friends. I was burnt out, and stopped.

It was a cool time, but it is something you can only do during college without jeopardizing your life.

MMORPG seemed very shallow after that, so I could never really get into them.

 

[mbv123]

Finishing Stalingrad scenario in Unity of Command on the 3rd Turn.
Defending Constantinople in Medieval 2 Total War against Mongol hordes outnumbered 5 to 1 for several turns in a row.
X-18 and X-16 labs in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl.

 

[Jimmious]

I will add my first playthrough of JA2, I believe it was like 17-18 years ago, a really rainy winter which helped me stay inside for way too long periods of time and play like there's no tomorrow.
So much freedom and so many choices in that game!

 

[Tomatohead]

JA2 is still relevant. It's pretty crazy that nothing which came afterwards haven't really improved JA2 upon. I guess turn-based tactical games are not that popular unless of course you think about Japanese games such as Disgaea series which is of course not even relevant when talking about JA2.

 

[Barnabas]

Beating the Ocarina of Time was very special for me as a young boy, never forget that feeling. Beating Serovak in melee was a good time I'll always remember. My fondest memories come from Silent Hill games and just the vibes I get from being in that town is like no other.

 

[HeatEXTEND]

Spoiler

Getting four 3,5" discs with Dune II on it from a friend. I still remember the mentats, the map where you could choose your next mission, sandworms and the Harkonnen Devastator. The game was also my introduction to IT security since the discs had a virus on them, good times.

Defined cool for me

Played it for 3 weeks and vowed to never play an MMO ever again, which I haven't

 

[Serious_Business]

When I was a kid one of the first games I played on PC was Thief, back when it came out in 1998. I played at my friend's house - said friend became a cop later on, which I suppose is rather ironic. He was really enthusiastic about the game, used to say that you could do everything - eat apples, shoot people, toss boxes around. That was indeed "everything" to me, as I came very much from a console background - these kind of free interactions were very mind-blowing to me. I remember then playing the damn game and I was just scared as all hell. I was and still am scared by everything, so I couldn't actually play this. I just watched my friend play it and I thought it was amazing, but I didn't know how he could do it. We used to creep around in Cragscleft just shooting the Hammerites and being hysterical about it. Then our face gut crushed by righteous fury and huge hammers and that was about the end of the adventure. A year or two later, I picked up the game for myself. I don't know exactly what made me do so, because all I remembered from the game was that it was going to give me nightmares. And so I became the nightmare to avoid my own fears. Batman shit and all that. That was my whole teenagehood right there. Garrett was my role model. So I became Garrett. I even had a black cloak that I wore around town ; once I hit someone on the back of the head with a stick to try to see if I could knock them out. I stayed in the shadows and avoided the light. I never showed my face to strangers, or anyone for that matter. In doubt I always ran in dark alleys and waited for them to let their guards down - then I stuck from afar. I wanted a mechanical eye. I tried to craft rope arrows but then modern gaming hit, and it just didn't work out. Still, the shadows never left me since. Obscurity is what I know and all that I want to know.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Shitting myself in the Bonehoard, Thief I.
Exlporing the demo mission for Thief II. I still think the demo version was better than Life of the Party in the final game.
Exploring Athkatla.
The moment when I will install Arcanum multiverse edition and do a playthrough as a grown up. I think I didn't really understand parts of the game when I played it as a student.