I don't mean to set the bar too high, but god damn, Chrono Trigger was the absolute goat

She IS still alive.

I don't know if this counts as a "scene" but the installer for Red Alert 2.

This was my first time experiencing a game installation experience like this and also probably my last time.

Launching the installer for Red Alert 2 and getting greeted with voice acting, game art and hype music was just so unexpected for me back then and really hyped me up.

It's such a crazy experience, but it's the type of experience that will likely never come back.

I would have wanted her to be… curious. And willful, unstoppable even… but with enough compassion to… heal the world… just a little bit.

Never felt so bad about beating a boss.

Adagio for Strings plays

"Kharak is burning."

"It's gone. It's all gone."

That moment when all the visual story telling snaps into place and you realize what is about to happen to the Sunbeam.

Here I am, ten years old. Just got home school. Figured I'd get some prince of Persia in before my parents get home. I just got a soundblaster 2.0 and I've got BIG speakers, enjoying the amazing sounds at high volume. I'm puzzling, exploring, getting used to there being piles of bones here and there. I'm backtracking through level 3 and this skeleton fucking rises and draws its sword with an eery sound. I'm shitting my pants here and reactively press the reset button on the computer to get out of this.

My first choice was already posted, so here is another moment I'll never forget

Well, i was unable to find the actual screenshot i wanted, but it is the end of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy game, but I could never actually beat it. Every time i enabled the improbability drive, i turned into the sperm whale instead of the missiles.

I played the game so many times start to finish, but never could completed it. I had a print out of the guide on the green and white dot matrix paper. I followed it exactly multiple times.

So instead, here is a screenshot near the start of the game.

You didn't say it had to be a pleasant memory...

The D-Day landing scene in CoD 2 was i n s a n e at the time. Goosebumps

Welcome to the Black Mesa transit system.

Bioshock infinite

I think these days bioshock infinite isn't seen as that great of a game by modern standards but back when the game was first released I went into the game blind after playing the first game.

The introduction of the main setting of BioShock infinite blew me away. I didn't expect it and I really loved the way the game introduces you to the world. Bioshock infinite probably had one of the strongest beginnings of any game I've played.

12 year old me: "WHATTHEFUCKWHATTHEFUCKWHATTHEFUCK!"

I had no warning the first time I encountered the T-Rex and absolutely shat myself

Pointcrow, anyone?

The ending of Spiritfarer. Man I just sat and thought and basked in the moment.

I played the DLC for Cyberpunk through in one sitting (the main story), start to finish. I made the choice near the beginning that I was going to save Songbird. I knew there were multiple ways to end Phantom Liberty, but I wanted the best ending for Songbird. I went in not knowing about the back story, not seeing the game trailers, so when I played it, I had a huge amount of sympathy for her.

Even on the train ride over to the launch platform, inspite of everything she said, I made sure she was safely on that shuttle. I would have had V given her a kiss on the forehead if I could.

By the time Johnny and V were talking, as we watched the shuttle launch, I was already an overtired mess, barely holding back tears, and then the end credits and music (for the DLC, not the main game) kicked in and I lost it.

I'm glad I didn't know the launch version of Cyberpunk, I heard it had a rough start. If I had, I don't think it would be one of my favorite games I've ever played. I'm almost done with my second play through and I'm eyeing my third. send help

Uncharted 2

Hat scene where Midna explains how the twilight realm was used to calm the hearts of the ones in them

Going blind into the game I did NOT expect that!

The animation is crazy visceral. I had nightmares for days.

Tomb Raider (2013)

I remember way back in the early days of WoW. WoW was my first MMO, and I hadn't been playing the game for all that long, but I saw there was a group looking for a fifth for a dungeon, so I thought I'd give it a go. I'd done one or two before.

Uldaman. We were having a rough time of it. I can't remember if we were underleveled, or just inexperienced, but it was a slog. Near the end of the dungeon is a room with four big statues that come to life one by one. We wiped a few times on them, and the rest of the dungeon was starting to respawn on us, so we were on our last legs, but we managed to make it through that last room, and up to the boss room. The scene I remember is that door opening.

More of the big statues that we'd just been throwing ourselves against. Rows of smaller statues on top of that. And the boss, towering over it all.

Fuck.

Portal 1 where you find Ratman's hideouts. It was amazing environmental storytelling that a newbie player like myself back then could've easily missed. Felt like playing the friggin cave allegory. I was obsessed with that game. So amazing.

This area toward the end of Majora's Mask has always stuck with me. I think it's really cool storytelling about what Majora is, where it comes from, and why it behaves the way it does.

That scene with Madeline and Theo in Celeste.

The opening of the mission "party time" in saints row 3. Screenshot wouldn't do it justice. Starts as a wide shot over the shoulder of your protagonist looking out of a helicopter. Power by Kanye West starts as you jump out of the copter and parachute onto a huge penthouse full of enemies. Song continues to blast as you clear it out. Great mission and the best pairing of contemporary music with a game I know of.

(Slight spoilers but its very low resolution)
Both in terms of gameplay and the plot reveal.

No need to thank me for the sleep paralysis demons, I'm just passing the favor

Walking around trying to stay on the blood trail while listening to that baby cry was something ...

I couldn't even process what I was seeing

The stroggification in quake 4.

This scene from freelancer burned itself in on how creepy it was as.

https://youtu.be/XMEa-04Gg8A?t=9537

also this scene from jk2 where kyle is getting tortured for failing the stealth part

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmnCj1HDL-k

That part of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons when you realise why everyone told you that you needed a controller with rumble to get it, and you got it.

I could get a screenshot but the point is the rumble.

A screenshot doesn't really help; a transcript is better

Canderous Ordo: Carth, you fought in the Mandalorian Wars, didn't you? We may have faced each other in combat. What battles were you in?

Carth Onasi: I try not to think about my past battles too much. The horrors of war are something I'd rather not relive.

Canderous Ordo: The horrors of war? My people know only the glory of battle. I'm disappointed in you, Carth. I thought a warrior like you could understand.

Carth Onasi: I'm not a warrior, I'm a soldier. There's a difference. Warriors attack and conquer, they prey on the weak. Soldiers defend and protect the innocent — mostly from warriors.

Arthur’s death scene in red dead redemption hit me so hard, even though I knew it was coming. The music, the build up. I was already a mess losing my horse. It was brutal and amazing, and now I play this game at least once every year.

OK, I can't just post a screenshot.

Crysis 2. I knew nothing of OG Crysis until I saw an ad in Xbox 360 for 2, and I watched the cinematic trailer and immediately bought it for both 360 and PC.

The detail and graphics, the music (Hans Zimmer score), the voice acting, the cut scenes. Fell in love, played the fucking hell out of this game! Went back, played 1, Wars, and eventually 3. I, for a very brief time, was top of the Crysis 3 leaderboards.

Crysis 2 YouTube or YouTube Invidious private front end

Operation Winback (from the PS2 remake (that's right G*mers, remakes were a thing back in the "good old days" too))

I was too little for this moment.

Climbing the ladder in Metal Gear Solid

BioShock: Infinite

There are a lot of memorable moments in BG3, but those wise words from Karlach stuck with me