So hopefully I’m doing this right! :) (I’m still new to some of this so haven’t figured out things yet! I did ask this via Mastodon also, but wanted to add more detail to my answer!)
Is there a computer game, a moment in a game, a boss fight, or a specific moment that you would love to experience fresh with no prior memory of it?
Mine would have to be The Seat of Sacrifice fight in Final Fantasy XIV, one of if not my most favourite fights in the game to date.
The mechanics work so well and tie into everything that’s been happening, and then that moment where <redacted> (I refuse to spoil it!) shows up to help and then leaves with I think what made me cheer SO MUCH the first time I did the fight.
The music, the song To The Edge has become one of my most played songs in my entire music library (alongside Endwalker - Footfalls and Shadowbringers) as it is quite frankly perfect for the fight. and when they revealed that Soken had been battling cancer and wrote it whilst in hospital…
I adore the fight all together, and cannot help but say the lines in the cut scene bit in the middle every time I do the fight, and will never ever get bored of it.
So what moments in a game would you love to complete again with no prior experience?
The entirety of Outer Wilds fits that bill, an amazing experience that you only get to truly live through once. Lucky for me I still have half the DLC ahead of me, which is also pretty good.
But if I had to pull a moment from a few decades in the past, I’d say returning to Balmora through the foyada, after a successful expedition, full of loot, my quiver empty, my gear half broken and my potions gone, only to be awestruck from looking up at the starry sky, with the clouds passing by, and the soundtrack booming. I still have that save, and I still play and enjoy Morrowind to this day.
So many golden moments mentioned on here… Morrowind, BioShock, shadow of the colossus. Amazing.
A recent one for me was Tunic - those who have played it will know there is a moment about halfway through where your entire understanding of the game is flipped on its head. Left me awestruck.
In Metal Gear Solid for the original PlayStation, there was a boss fight against Psycho Mantis, who was a psychic who could predict your every move. The fight was literally impossible. It didn’t matter what you did, he always had the perfect counter. Of course, he would taunt you about his ability to predict your every move.
My brother and I were absolutely stuck on the fight for what seemed like forever. At one point, a character mentions that he’s reading your controller and you can block him by switching to the 2nd control port. So you physically unplug your PlayStation controller and plug it into the other port. Then he reacts by not being able to read your moves, and you can actually fight him “fair”.
It blew my mind the first time it happened. I can’t remember a video game ever breaking the forth wall like that before.
I loved the fight so much. The way Mantis read the data for other games off your memory card was just so cool; such a clever way to mess with the player.
I can’t remember that part, but I might not have had any other saves at the time. Do you remember what he said?
Here’s the video to see all the interactions for yourself! https://youtu.be/cX-fX7Y87dk?t=6
I would love to re-experience Shadow of the Colossus again. I loved the mystery and atmosphere of it. I tried the re-make and it just wasn’t as special.
Also that first play through of Journey. So many amazing moments that gave be goosebumps, also have to experience the heartbreak of losing a random friend who I played most of the game with!
As well as the finale of MGS3…that The Boss final battle is heartbreaking on so many levels.
Portal 2. There are no words can can describe how I love that game.
Oh, portal is such a good suggestion. Both of them are great.
Playing through the first one was in my top 3 most satisfying game experiences. Great game, then suddenly there was a huge twist. Then that ending.
The second one is great but has such a different feel. And I wish they’d gone with “GladOS has actually been activated and bored this whole time” to explain why there was so much extra STUFF. And I didn’t want to hate Wheatley. Etc.
Still, all the Cave Johnson stuff was so great. And great puzzles. And the whole potato thing. And finding out GladOS’ backstory…
Portal 1, as Yahtzee famously said, is perfect. The twist, structure, pacing, music, even how efficient they were with assets and the length of the game. All flawless.
Portal 2 is great and also does a good job for its length but Portal 1 would be my pick.
Came to see portal, left to play portal
Oh man, the first time I played Portal and a couple years later Portal 2, I beat them in a single playthrough each. Stayed up all night then most of the next day. Could not put the games down! Hilarious and beautifully musical! The story was actually pretty compelling especially all the history in 2 💀
Outer Wilds!
Chrono Trigger, the battle with Magus. Most boss battles in any game have a really high beats per minute, or awesome high energy track. The music for this boss fills you with a sense of dread and fear. I remember the first time I played it, I had goose bumps.
Oh yes, Chrono Trigger most certainly. I was so shocked the first time I got to THAT specific Lavos fight in the game. I’d never seen that happen in a game before.
Definitely this for me as well. Glenn was my favorite character, and this fight is the pinnacle of his story.
Bioshock Infinite, when Elizabeth realises what’s happening and slowly shows it to you.
TUNIC. The correct answer is Tunic. I do not know hiow to express how strongly I feel about this.
For me it’s Outer Wilds. It’s a kind of space exploration/deduction game where you fly around in your ship at your own pace and explore what you want to explore. After a while you discover that there are small mysteries that all point to a central giant mystery and you start uncovering that by experimenting with the mechanics and discovering new places.
It’s seriously amazing but you can only ever truly experience its mystery once.
The original Deus Ex is always top of my list. I play through probably once a year and the dick around on multiplayer for a month or so after that.
The entirety of FFXIV: Shadowbringers, but especially the series of cutscenes leading up to the final dungeon and trial.
WoW, WotLK.
The scope of the world as you leave the starter area, discovering the world through quest lines, meeting people organically and playing with them for a while. I still love it, but the discovery was great.
Subnautica, Outer Wilds, Chrono Trigger, Wind Waker. In order: the first time I encountered a Leviathan, the Sun Station, the Ocean Palace, and returning to Hyrule.
The Ashtray Maze in the game Control was an incredible experience. The whole game was great, but that one stage really stands out in my mind in front of almost all others. I loved it.
The music really added to the experience. Control is a really great, original game. I’m excited for the sequel!
