What's a gaming moment that, even after all these years, you can vividly remember every detail?

[Isgrimnur]

(shamelessly stolen from reddit)

Falcon 4.0

Mission 11: Flameout Landing

How well does the F-16 glide? Like a 30,000-pound metal cinder block.

Actually, it glides a little better than a cinder block because of the wings… but not a lot better.

I came down on the runway, but apparently my sink rate was a little too high. Every single game I'd ever played, you'd get an immediate explosion, mission over, reload.

Not this time. This time, my landing gear collapsed. My F-16 proceeded to slide down the runway, kicking sparks out the back as I scraped off my air intake. My jaw drops and I just sit there and stare. The plane slides to a stop.

And then it tips over onto one wing.

[Carpet_pissr]

T-Rex moment in the first Tomb Raider...."Lost Valley" IIRC

[hepcat]

The moment after the prison ship in Morrowind. It was my first experience in a game where I could go where I wanted, do what I wanted.

[YellowKing]

The first time I ever got on a boat in EverQuest.

My experience with EQ up to that point had mostly been marred by frustration, not really knowing what the heck I was doing. I spent most of my time standing just outside Freeport killing rats. But a buddy of mine who was higher level was mentoring me and showed me how to get on the ship.

Then it took off and I was surrounded by other people chatting, and we were actually *traveling* together, not just sitting at a loading screen. I was going to a new land, and people were discussing what they were going to do. And I remember this light bulb moment where the "massively multiplayer" aspect clicked and it was like the idea of social gaming in an open world just hit me like a ton of bricks.

That single point started a lifelong obsession with MMOs and over the years I just played every one I could get my hands on. Dozens of them. I alpha tested, I beta tested. I spent thousands of hours, was even in one of the top raiding guilds in EQ2. I still love them to this day and it pains me that so few really good ones are left.

[Smoove_B]

The final level for Operation Flashpoint. I can't remember how much time I spent getting to that final level, but it was probably north of 20+ hours. At the risk of spoiling a ~23 year old game, for the last level you're actually captured, which I know is cliche but it didn't feel so at the time because you spent so much of the game as a solider conducting squad-based operations. Anyway, you manage to escape your captors but you have no gun, no weapons and no gear. Your only hope is to make it to friendly territory and you only know that friendlies are "north".

In between hiding from enemy patrols, you legitimately needed to use the night sky in the game to navigate yourself to safety - finding the North Star and following it out of the enemy base, into the country side (where you're hiding from patrols) and north toward freedom.

It was so awesome and the first time I can recall something that seemed unimportant (night sky graphics) that actually had a really important in-game function.

[Blackhawk]

The final level for Operation Flashpoint. I can't remember how much time I spent getting to that final level, but it was probably north of 20+ hours. At the risk of spoiling a ~23 year old game, for the last level you're actually captured, which I know is cliche but it didn't feel so at the time because you spent so much of the game as a solider conducting squad-based operations. Anyway, you manage to escape your captors but you have no gun, no weapons and no gear. Your only hope is to make it to friendly territory and you only know that friendlies are "north".

In between hiding from enemy patrols, you legitimately needed to use the night sky in the game to navigate yourself to safety - finding the North Star and following it out of the enemy base, into the country side (where you're hiding from patrols) and north toward freedom.

It was so awesome and the first time I can recall something that seemed unimportant (night sky graphics) that actually had a really important in-game function.

Unless you steal a helicopter.

[Smoove_B]

LOL that never actually occurred to me. I was very much focused on not being seen and probably just assumed if I grabbed a car, truck, tank or helicopter I would have been instantly targeted and killed.

[Daveman]

X-COM Terror from the Deep. It was fairly early in the game, I had just issued the team new weapons (gauss?) and was headed on a Terror mission.

First turn, first man at the door opens it up and there's a new enemy right outside. Looked like a lobster. My guy fires off an auto shot and hits with all three shots... but the alien doesn't go down. Instead, he takes a reaction shot with whatever the TFTD equivalent to the Blaster Launcher is.

Everyone near the door is dead, most others are down. Two men at the back of the transport are OK. I spent the next several turns scavenging medkits from the dead or unconscious and pumping them into my team. A few bleed out waiting their turn. I kept expecting the alien to come in and finish me off but he never did.

Suffice to say, I learned these were the dreaded Lobstermen and generally much tougher Muton equivalents. My fancy new weapons weren't very useful, but my few remaining men managed to clear the mission using the vibro-melee weapons which turned out to be very effective.

I was very happy I stuck with the mission and didn't just reload.

[Blackhawk]

LOL that never actually occurred to me. I was very much focused on not being seen and probably just assumed if I grabbed a car, truck, tank or helicopter I would have been instantly targeted and killed.

All I remember about that mission was sneaking out, making my way a little distance toward wherever I was supposed to go, and seeing a smaller base with a helicopter.

At least I think it was the same mission. That would have been... holy crap, 20 years ago.

[Carpet_pissr]

LOL that never actually occurred to me. I was very much focused on not being seen and probably just assumed if I grabbed a car, truck, tank or helicopter I would have been instantly targeted and killed.

All I remember about that mission was sneaking out, making my way a little distance toward wherever I was supposed to go, and seeing a smaller base with a helicopter.

At least I think it was the same mission. That would have been... holy crap, 20 years ago.

One of my other amazing gaming moments was from Operation FP: the early mission where you have to ambush a convoy. You set up mines on a road (quickly) before the trucks arrived, and set up on a nearby hill with IIRC a sniper rifle maybe?

For some reason it took me several attempts to succeed, and I remember being amazed at how differently it played out every time I tried it (and just the incredible amount of possibilities…it just felt completely open).

That game was WELL ahead of its time. Not sure if it was the AI, the mission, or level design, but it felt incredible (even with the crappy for that time graphics).

[Daehawk]

Ive had many of these. But Ill post the one I was recalling with my friend the other day that it happened with all those decades ago.

It was 1994 and I was a new PC owner. I had just got into the pc gaming world finally after years of wanting to. I had met a guy locally that ran his own bbs and we became good friends. Still my friend today. He got me into multiplayer because he knew what he was doing and of course he had warez'd games. He gave me DOOM II and we finally got our modems to connect at a good speed.

First map co-op. Here we go. You start on a little area above the bad guys with a BFG right there. I go to grab it and unseen by me he goes off the other way to grab a hidden chainsaw. I dont know these weapons....its my first time. So I take aim at the enemies in front of us and below and pull the trigger. The BFG has a small warm up to fire and as its firing I see him out of the corner of my screen wizz past me and jump down to chainsaw the two bad guys.

So right as he gets to them my BFG plasma ball gets there at the same time. They all connect and turn the room to gibs and guts all over. Im standing there dumbfound before trying to sputter out an apology over the phone Im holding to my ear. All I hear from him on the other end is total laughter. Hahahhaha What a memory. Also what a way to start a gaming friendship thats lasted for 30 years now.

[Ertic]

For me it is when I first bought a 3d graphics card and played half life. The little face-hugger leaping up to the screen made me jump and I had never experienced anything quite like that. To this day I tell my kids that this is the most impressionable moment in gaming that I have ever experienced.

[hepcat]

Can I add worst moment?

It's Shadowbane back when OO had a group on one of the servers. I treked all the way out to their city and stood outside the gate asking if I could join. They kept telling me to go away because someone was about to attack. Next thing I knew, MSDuncan kills me on his way INTO the city. I think he actually came back out and did it again after I respawned and made my way back.

The only goddamn person who would even talk to me that day was Yellowking, if I recall correctly.

Eventually they did let me in...and I think freakin' killed me again.

[Punisher]

(shamelessly stolen from reddit)

Falcon 4.0

Mission 11: Flameout Landing

How well does the F-16 glide? Like a 30,000-pound metal cinder block.

Actually, it glides a little better than a cinder block because of the wings… but not a lot better.

I came down on the runway, but apparently my sink rate was a little too high. Every single game I'd ever played, you'd get an immediate explosion, mission over, reload.

Not this time. This time, my landing gear collapsed. My F-16 proceeded to slide down the runway, kicking sparks out the back as I scraped off my air intake. My jaw drops and I just sit there and stare. The plane slides to a stop.

And then it tips over onto one wing.

I have a similar experience with Stealth Fightee.
Finished a mission and on the way back to base.
Probably half way there and low fuel alarm hits so I start climbing. Level off very high and then just slightly point my nose down.
Fuel doesn't last and engine cuts out.
I think I spent about 20 minutes gliding. Drop a bit to gain speed, level out, repeat.
Eventually reach base and make a perfect 1 shot landing. No go around option.

[Pyperkub]

The Tomb Raider reboot when Lara gets to the top of the radio tower is such a gutshot, emotional moment.

[Zarathud]

DIVE DIVE DIVE, HIT YOUR BURNERS PILOT! - FreeSpace 2 Into the Lion's Den mission

Saint's Row 4 when the aliens attack the White House (aka the "White Crib") - Now that was a press conference!

[Pyperkub]

Diablo 1 - the first encounter with The Butcher.

[YellowKing]

The only goddamn person who would even talk to me that day was Yellowking, if I recall correctly.

Dang, that's a wayback machine moment. I had totally forgotten about Shadowbane. I kind of hated that game because I've never been a big PvPer.

Similar to Ertic's video card moment, I remember when I first got a Sound Blaster sound card and booted up Eye of the Beholder. Hearing the rain - actual honest to God RAIN in the opening cutscene absolutely blew my mind.

God we're old.

[RunningMn9]

There’s two, one a moment and one a memory.

The moment is easy for me, stepping out the Vault in Fallout 3. I don’t care anything about the plot, I will never forget wandering about the wasteland in that game.

The memory is the final level of Rainbow Six. As a planner, I put together the perfect plan of attack and everything was working to perfection. There’s a part of the map where you have to attack down a long corridor with a door that opens automatically when you are close enough to trigger it. The room was full of multiple tangos on multiple levels.

The first time through, all of my teams got into place along the sides of the door without triggering the door. I crept up, the door opened, and just the repeated sweet sound of “Tango down”. Everybody inside the room was killed before the door finished opening.

And then I hit the wrong go code, my teams got all out of position and everyone died.

I never made it through that room again. Every single time the door triggered while the team was getting into position and my whole team died. Every. Single. Time.

Never beat the game.

[Malificent]

Original Thief. I’m playing in the dark with headphones on, keeping the atmosphere high. I have a memory of being one of the first games with surround sound. First 2 missions have gone well, if challenging. But I’ve managed to to avoid guards and generally gotten through. So I’m told I have to break into a prison. I’m wandering down the beach towards the tunnel in, past the dead bodies washed ashore, which in this town is not surprising. What *is* surprising to me because the game has been completely non-supernatural up to this point is when one of the bodies rises up from behind me and attacks me, my only warning the sound of its undead moan.

Holy sh*tburgers, I must have jumped 5000 feet out of my chair in shock and taken 5 years off the end of my life. I constantly search for games that can provide that kind of atmosphere, but they are rare and far between.

[hepcat]

Shalebridge Cradle took that scariness and pumped it to 11 in Thief: Deadly Shadows.

[baelthazar]

The first time I ever got on a boat in EverQuest.

This reminds me of mine, which are both from Ultima 7. First, was I started playing Ultima 7 with just onboard PC sound, so lots of blips, buzzes, and beeps. But for Christmas my parents got me my first Soundblaster sound card. This was a new thing - the first sound card released in 1989 but Creative released a mass-market one around 1991/1992 (Ultima 7 released in 1992).

We plugged that baby in and the first game I opened was Ultima. I watched the intro video, marveling at the music. Then, suddenly there was the scene where the screen turns blue and the Guardian's face pops out. We had the speakers up to loud so suddenly he blasts, "AVATAR!" I jumped so hard that my thumb nail accidentally scratched the family member next to me.

For those who didn't play it:


But the boat reminds me of getting the Magic Carpet in Ultima 7. Suddenly you can explore all the weird and wild places in the game. It was amazing.

[Jaymann]

Creating my own level for Doom. It opened my eyes to the fact that you needn't be a computer programmer to do such things, and to the community of user made content.

[Zarathud]

If you count that, it would be the few years I spent writing up community news and mission reviews/tutorials for Freespace 1-2, including talking my way into a visit at Volition after taking the bar exam. Saw FreeSpace 2’s nebula effect in advance, the alpha of Summoner and the tech demo that became Red Faction.

That was a fun day, including the multiplayer FreeSpace session that crashed just as I lined up shots on the lead developer. It also led me to pledge never to do QA Bugfixing, as watching the bug fix process was painful.

[Punisher]

Another one I just remembered.
I think it was SWAT 3 or 4. There was a mission in a sewer I think. You had to find bombs or something.
I found them and ended up making a map to them via screenshots and then photoshop to make them one map.
Then finding out even years later it was still being spread on the internet.

[Skinypupy]

Picking up the Guitar Hero controller for the first time and playing "Ziggy Stardust". This was in the early days where they didn't have the rights to use the actual songs, and it was a just a mediocre cover band version. It was probably the most amazing experience I'd ever had before or since.

Between GH and Rock Band I spent the next several years being completely consumed by rhythm games. Those games are still some of my absolute favorite gaming memories.

[Zenn7]

3, though 2 of them were more situational than game specific.

1 - watching my friends play X-wing vs Tie-Fighter. My buddy (roommate at the time) who owned the game and was good at it was flying a Tie. Our friend went for a Y-wing, nice and heavily armed. Tie killed Y-wing a few times. Was following him to do it again, so Y-wing guy hard brakes... CRASH... takes the Tie with him. His only kill.

2 - One of the Star Wars games were you got to be a Force User with powers and could play PVP. Me and Tie fighter buddy from above (he owned this game too, and was much better at it than I was, as I hadn't really played it much). He's mostly killing me, but we do a board with only force powers. I'm hiding in a corner in a building. He comes in, while he's looking around I use the force power to throw things at him, hold it for a bit. Looking... <WHAM> everything in the room hits him and kills him. My only memorable kill of him.

3 - Actual game itself - Diablo (first one) - first encounter with the Butcher. He killed me. Me and my roommate were playing, but he was done for the night, he got back on and we eventually took him down after several rounds so I could get my crap back (and by that point, we both had a ton of crap to pick up again).

Good times...

[Zaxxon]

Not a moment but a series of memories: playing the old Sierra -Quest games with my Dad.

Memories: so many!
-Playing Diablo for the first time
-Installing our SoundBlaster and having that ‘holy shit, this sounds real!’ reaction
-The Longest Journey: ‘Step into the light.’
-Guild Wars: how amazing group questing felt
-So many NBA Jam moments with friends back on the Genesis
-Writing the manual for the original Age of Wonders and repeatedly thinking, ‘wait, this is our job? We’re getting paid to do this?’

[YellowKing]

I thought of a funny one that still lives on to this day.

I believe the game was Warcraft or Warcraft 2. But it could have also been Command & Conquer. Whatever the case, it doesn't really matter - the only important thing to note is it was an RTS, and my buddy Ken was playing, What he did not realize is that he was not playing the computer. My buddy Dan from down the street was connected and playing the opposing team.

Ken was good at the game but could not figure out how "the computer" was kicking his ass. And Dan was doing all kinds of ridiculous tricky stuff the AI would never do.

Finally Ken was getting frustrated. "This is weird..." he says. Then a moment later... "This is WEIRD." Then "THIS IS BULLSHIT!!!" and angrily knocks the keyboard off the desk. I was crying I was laughing so hard. Tears streaming down my face I finally let him in on the joke.

That was 30 years ago, and to this day, "This is weird, this is WEIRD, THIS IS BULLSHIT!" is a phrase we still use when we see each other.

[disarm]

-Installing our SoundBlaster and having that ‘holy shit, this sounds real!’ reaction
-Guild Wars: how amazing group questing felt

I'll echo both of these. Soundblaster cards totally changed the gaming experience, and we had a hell of a good time with our original Guild Wars group.

I'll also add playing UT2K4 with such an awesome group.
Zaxxon...do you remember the hour-long Double Domination match on the Conduit map where it just kept going because neither team could score over the other? Such an Epic battle.

As for other game-specific memories that really stand out (spoiler free)...

- Half-Life - "We've got hostiles"
- Knights of the Old Republic - learning the truth
- Morrowind - The falling/jumping wizard
- Half-Life 2 - Ravenholm
- Red Dead Redemption - Riding into Mexico
- Batman: Arkham Asylum - Scarecrow's fear toxin
- The Last of Us - Joel's lie and the giraffes
- BioShock - Amazing opening and "Would you kindly..."
- Guitar Hero - picking up that plastic guitar for the first time

[Zaxxon]

How could I leave out UT? Yeah, I remember that match, as well as our other tourneys.

Ravenholm is another good one.

[Punisher]

Another one I remembered.
Red Alert I think.
Playing NOD against another person.
Build up money as fast as possible.
Build up defenses to look like I'm turtleing.
Pikachu look on my opponents face when I decloak a mass of cloaked tanks in the back of his base next to all the power buildings.
Proceeded to just devastate his base by taking out power which crashed all defenses and then just ripped it apart while most of his army was heading towards my base.
I think I had built almost 30 of them. I loved those cloaked vehicles.

[Jaymann]

I remember one in Unreal Tournament. I was playing co-op against the monsters with a pickup group on my character Anita Bonghit. I was the worst player on the team but also ultra cautious. I spent most time hoarding ammo and hunkering down in a semi-safe area. But when everyone else died it was up to me to hold down the fort to complete the level. Somehow I survived and was the hero.

[Eel Snave]

Diablo 1 - the first encounter with The Butcher.

My buddy and I remember this vividly. We open the door to his lair and see all the bodies on the walls and hear him say, "AHHH, FRESH MEAT." I panic and close the door. We sit there laughing like idiots because he can't open the door back up and we just left him there.

[TheMix]

I was discussing games last night and had a memory pop up.

Shadows of Modor

It was early in the game. I'd climbed a tower and scoped out a group of orcs. I identified the officer. So I jumped into the fray. I was whacking away at the peons and working on the officer. All of a sudden one of the "grunts" blocks my attack.

Another officer had joined the fight. Completely unexpected. Suffice it to say I jackrabbited.

Of course, I quickly learned to expect that. But the first time...

[Jaymann]

T-Rex moment in the first Tomb Raider...."Lost Valley" IIRC

I am currently playing through a user made re-do on TRLE of TR1 using the TR4 engine, called Tomb Raider Redux made by AngelOfDarkness in 2023. It is true to the original with a few added twists. Good times.

[wonderpug]

I still vividly remember my first Soundblaster moment. I had already been playing TIE Fighter on my computer with a Roland MT-32 for sound (great music sounds!), but I stopped by a friend’s house after school one day and he showed me the intro with his Soundblaster and I was blown away.

“The Empire is on the verge of success” from the Emperor. TIE Fighter roars by. My jaw just about literally dropped.