The past year was one full of great games, which in turn held some great moments that will stick with players long after they’re experienced. To that end, these are the 10 moments from games in 2019 that were unforgettable.
*Warning: Massive Spoilers Ahead*
The Final Stretch (Untitled Goose Game)
After completing a myriad of mischievous tasks in Untitled Goose Game, it’s all come down to this moment.
Through your efforts to annoy, harass and otherwise inconvenience the local townspeople in whatever ways you could, you’ve reached the object of the Goose’s desires: A golden bell, nestled atop a model castle.
The only problem is, it’s out of your reach, held high above you and only reachable by picking apart the castle’s base. Doing so is sure to draw the ire of the townspeople, and considering you’re at the center of town, you’ll have a heck of a time taking it back to a safe place of your choosing.
But then, consequences have no importance to you. You’re the Goose, and all you care about is annoying townsfolk and taking what you want when you want it.
With that in mind, there’s really only one choice you can make. Time to cause some chaos.
Playing Your Way (The Outer Worlds)
It’s hard to measure the exact moment when players really fall for The Outer Worlds, but for most, it will occur when they truly feel like they’re playing the game in a way all they’re own.
Maybe it’s when they’re tasked with retrieving a power regulator from Edgewater. Having rerouted energy from the town toward the new Botanical Labs Settlement and fed up with Reed Tobson’s methods, they blast their way through the ultra-capitalist security forces to take what they need with authority.
Or, it could be near the end of the game when they need to enter the Ministry of Accuracy and Morale. Not in the mood to kill a load of people, they use their persuasive skills and intelligence to talk and sneak their way through the facility, acquiring the information they need without firing a single shot.
It could even be when they’re wandering the different planets of the universe with their teammates of choice, listening in on their banter that otherwise would be missed by enlisting the help of other party members.
Whatever it is, it’ll be something the player chose to do themselves, and the fact that the game made it possible for so many different types of players is more than a little memorable.
Escaping Darth Vader (Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order)
After so many struggles and hardships over the course of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order‘s story, you’ve finally succeeded.
After overcoming Cal’s past trauma and hardships, as well as a wealth of Imperial troops and commanders, you and your ally Cere managed to reach and defeat Trilla, an Imperial Inquisitor and Jedi turned to the Dark Side. The battle was long and hard, but through some quick thinking and quicker reflexes, you came out victorious.
And then, in the brief moment when you think everything will be ok, he appears.
Cloaked in his trademark technological suit and helmet, he cuts down Trilla and tosses Cere off a ledge in an instant. Seconds later, he’s upon you, clashing his lightsaber against yours with more power than you could ever hope to overcome.
So you run, hurling whatever you can in his way in the hopes of slowing him down. And yet, whether it’s a chunk of the facility tossed at him with the force or BD-1 frying his suit’s circuitry, he keeps coming, undeterred and determined to capture you.
Even after you regroup with Cere and make it safely to your ship, you can’t help but shudder at the implications of what just happened. Darth Vader knows who you are, and no matter what you do or where you go, he’s coming to get you.
Nero Pulls his Devil Trigger (Devil May Cry 5)
To be fair, everyone knew it was less a question of if Nero would activate his Devil Trigger in Devil May Cry 5 than it was a question of when.
Following the reveal that V was a fragment of Vergil and that he was dead-set on restoring his original form, as well as the fact that Vergil was his long lost father, Nero is sidelined against his will by Dante.
He’s believed to be too weak to take down the son of Sparda, and given the fact that he may be too kind to kill his own father, there’s little hope of him putting up the necessary fight needed to survive a clash of any sort.
But then, Nero is Nero, so as soon as he gets the chance he takes off after Dante to join the fray. as he does, he thinks back on everything he’s been through and everyone he cares about, and realizes that it will all be for naught if he fails now.
In that moment of realization, he finally activates his Devil Trigger abilities, bursting toward the battlefield and crashing in-between Dante and Vergil with authority. The last Sone of Sparda has arrived, and he’s not leaving until he’s kicked everyone’s asses.
Welcome to the War Zone (Death Stranding)
Something strange occurs halfway through Death Stranding‘s story, and that’s saying something considering the rest of the game’s subject matter.
As Sam exits a Distribution Center, a storm appears and swallows him up in an instant. When he comes to, he finds himself in an active war zone, with bullets whizzing through the air and explosions reshaping the landscape. Ghosts of soldiers blink in and out of existence, their screams and cries filling your ears in random bursts.
A familiar face likewise emerges from a pool of the black goo that houses the BTs: The mysterious man Sam has seen in memories from his BB, only this time he’s decked out in Military gear and joined by a squad of soldiers. Not only that, but he seems dead-set on taking Sam down, tracking him across the battlefield with vicious precision.
Dazed, confused and left with few other options, Sam makes his way toward the trenches at the heart of the battlefield, desperate for a way out of the chaos. Using whatever tools are at his disposal, he must sneak around the Mystery man’s forces and take them all down before they take him down first.
It’s adrenaline-inducing, intense and, as with the rest of the game, a nonsensical thrill-ride.
Help From the Past (Kingdom Hearts 3)
After reaching the final confrontation in Kingdom Hearts 3, things don’t look good for Sora and his friends.
Following a disastrous first encounter with the Xehanort-controlled Terra, Sora managed to find and restore the hearts of his allies for a second attempt against the 13 Darknesses’ forces.
Though they manage to survive the initial onslaught, they come up against another wall: A swirling mass of Heartless and Darkness, one which is completely unfazed by whatever attacks Sora and his friends throw at it.
All seems lost until Sora hears the whisper of a stranger; Ephemer, a Keyblade Wielder who fought in the Keyblade Wars long, long ago.
Seeing their struggle from the beyond, he offers his assistance as well as the assistance of his former allies – those being anyone who played Kingdom Hearts: Union χ – in the form of their Keyblades, all of which rise from their graves for Sora to wield against the tempest of darkness.
Together with all the players who supported the series over the years, he tears the dark asunder, launching them at it with an attack dubbed simply: Union χ.
The World Ends (Fortnite)
From the moment people saw a meteor approaching the world of Fortnite, everyone knew something big was coming.
Each day, it drew a little bit closer, and while the developers let slip bits and pieces of information on what it represented, the game’s international player base was largely left to speculate on their own as to what exactly would occur when it touched down.
None, however, could have predicted that when the meteor finally touched down, it would drag the entire game world into darkness.
Every map, every server and basically every part of the game went dark, ending the game of Fortnite as people knew it for an indeterminate amount of time. It was an unthinkable move considering how popular the game was, and yet it was also something no other game would be able to execute to such a gut-wrenching degree.
Even after the servers came online for the next chapter of the game, few could resist giving Fortnite credit for what it had done. It had ended its own world, and all players could do was watch it happen.
Meeting Mr. X (Resident Evil 2 Remake)
Tense though it may have been, the first hour of the Resident Evil 2 Remake isn’t all that scary.
Sure, there are Lickers that can drop down on you from above, and a zombie or two may have gotten back up after you thought you’d blown its brains out, but for the most part, nothing feels like an insurmountable threat you have no hope of killing.
Or at least, nothing does until the moment you encounter Mr. X for the first time.
Lifting the wreckage from a crashed Helicopter with a single arm and then calmly stomping toward you, he barely even blinks from most everything you throw at him. A lucky shot might stun him for a moment, but in no time at all he’s back on his feet and ready to tail you throughout the police station.
With no other option, you make a frantic dash through hallway after hallway, door after door, hoping beyond hope that he’ll give up sooner or later and give you some room to breathe.
It’s tense, frantic and, above all else, scarier than you could have ever expected it to be.
The Ashtray Maze (Control)
Control‘s Ashtray Maze is, to put it simply, an encapsulation of what makes the game such a blast to play.
Desperate to reach the Dimensional Research Wing of the Bureau, Jesse enters the labyrinthian section of the facility. Once inside, she’s met with ever-shifting walls and room layouts, paths that weave into and away from each other randomly, and a load of enemies eager to stand in her way.
Fortunately, Jesse has a wealth of powers and abilities at her disposal, all of which she must use to escape the Maze and reach her goal.
What follows is a mad dash through the Maze, with players guiding Jesse through the area and pulling out all of her abilities as they’re needed while rock music blasts in the background. Enemies are sent flying, the world shifts and writhes into new shapes, and, when they aren’t focusing on the action, players are treated to a feast for most all of their senses.
It’s an energized romp through a kaleidoscope of level design elements, and a moment few gamers will ever forget.
Everything Clicks (Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice)
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is, without a doubt, one of the hardest games of the year.
Forcing players to react to enemy attacks with pin-point precision, it offers no mercy to those who can’t learn its gameplay mechanics. Death carries heavy penalties that can hinder players, and for many, it can lead to a difficulty curve that is next to impossible to overcome.
And yet, for those who stick with it, there is a moment where everything clicks into place.
Every attack enemies throw at you becomes readable, their tells finally visible to you after dying against them so many times. The player is able to react to attacks with a parry exactly when they need to, and the sound indicating their success rings out in their ears again and again.
They go from being a wannabe samurai swinging their sword with reckless abandon to being a master of the blade, slicing through each and every enemy that crosses their path with ease.
Published: Dec 31, 2019 05:00 pm