Posts : 6721 Points : 6881 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Mon 8 May 2023 - 11:12
The inspiration from this thread is from here:
Taking your first steps into Breath of the Wild’s Great Plateau and knowing that everything on the horizon is yours to adventure was one of those moments in gaming that I’m sure brought of all us genuine joy.
It's plain to see that I'm a guy who likes to relive their happiest moments, and gaming has provided me with loads of those. I know I'll remember more as time marches on, but I'm more interested in youse sharing your moments in gaming that brought you similar happiness, and genuine joy.
Two of mine that spring to mind:
Sonic Mania:
The Sonic series has never been afraid to call back to its mainline past and that’s very tell-tale in Sonic Mania’s opening two Zones, which are a remixed Green Hill Zone from Sonic 1 and a remixed Chemical Plant Zone from Sonic 2. It’s business as usual as you speed down the slopes and through the loop-de-loops as you approach the end of Chemical Plant Zone Act 2, but suddenly your dropped into a funnel, the gameplay shifts entirely and your engaged in a match of Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine!
The recent Sonic games have taught you to expect throwbacks to the Mega Drive and Dreamcast games, but never before had Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine been recollected in any way. I thought this was absolutely genius when I first played it, a totally unexpected surprise and one of the few moments I remember where I paused a game and shouted out loud in glee! I was sat in my flat by myself too, which is admittedly riddy behaviour but I was just so happy when I realised what was going on.
Horizon Chase Turbo:
This is a very minor one but I thought it was very clever and it made me really happy all the same. Any time you boost, take pole position or collide with another car/hit any scenery in Horizon Chase Turbo your driver will produce a little speech bubble with a remark about what’s happened. There’s one very particular one that I only seen for the first time after about ten hours on gameplay; I was knocked off the track by a rival and put all the way back to the back of the pack on the last lap. My driver simply quipped “I’m losing my favourite game”, which is a very specific reference to a 1990s rock song where the video sees the singer drive through the desert in a convertible.
Again, it was one of these moments where I just thought ‘that’s absolutely class’, I thought that was so cool.
How about youse - any joyful gaming memories you'd like to relive here too?
Balladeer DIVINE LONELINESS
Posts : 26407 Points : 25242 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 35 Location : Admintown
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Mon 8 May 2023 - 16:20
Ace thread! Ace thread that I'm finding it hard to contribute to. I've had my major gaming moments but they're the same moments you all had: making Mario run along for the first time in my first game, Super Mario 64 blowing my mind when I turned it on, the Great Plateau in... er, what Cappa said. I've got one, but it's chuffing niche.
Xenoblade Chronicles X:
Not my favourite of the series at all, this. XCX tried to make Xenoblade into an MMO, combined with hard sci-fi, obtuse battle systems, and unlikeable underdeveloped characters and plot. It had some horrifying moments, and some very quick unpleasant deaths at the hands of giant surprise enemies, but not many examples of true joy - apart from one.
It happens about 80% of the way into the main story, ridiculously. You get to ride the big robots, 'Skells', at around the 50% mark - but at the 80% mark you get one of the game's biggest selling points. Yes this is silly. Anyway, that's when you get the chance to fly. You ride out of the game's main and only city, where you're told to take off and retrieve something from the rocks floating overhead. So you take to the air for the first time...
...and this plays.
Does this mean anything to anybody who hasn't got to that point in the game? Probably not. But it's a world away from the music playing elsewhere, which is more on the lines of 'here is a hostile oppressive world, try not to die!' (This is the theme you're hearing otherwise, for contrast.) The blast of synth as you take off into the skies is the first time the game really felt like it was saying, 'Have fun!' That's as you watch the world you spent ages running over (and away from) disappearing beneath your chunky mech feet, and realise that the sky itself is full of areas to explore too. Sorry TotK, XCX got there first! The mech in the air is a joy to control, a power and speed leap over where you were before, and you can zoom to anywhere on the map (that isn't guarded by mech-killing robots) quickly and easily. Another example of 'everything on the horizon is yours', but not to adventure: to conquer.
It doesn't last. The game's enemies scale up quickly to be able to wreck your mech, and that's if you don't run into the giant airborne dragon near your take-off point. And it doesn't cure any of the game's existing problems. Nonetheless, there's a moment there when you take off that was true, unfettered, genuine joy.
There's another gaming moment I can think of where mechanics and music join forces to create something that took my breath away, but I think everybody here probably knows that by now. I'll try to think up some more. I can well imagine that Sonic Mania moment being absolute class if you haven't been spoiled on it!
Buskalilly Galactic Nova
Posts : 15009 Points : 15187 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 33 Location : Nagano
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Fri 12 May 2023 - 6:55
I have a very distinct memory of playing Mario Galaxy for the first time; everything from the little arm-stretched aeroplane run of joy up to my first gravity-boggling jump around a planet. 3D mario is a near constant supply of genuine joy, hence why it is probably my favourite flavour of videogame.
Treesmurf Dry Metal Baby Princess
Posts : 4192 Points : 4194 Join date : 2013-01-17 Age : 34 Location : Manneh
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Fri 12 May 2023 - 21:51
Ooft this is a great idea that I just know I want to contribute to and will struggle to because my brain won't let me think about it. I loved that Sonic Mania too, was completely unexpected.
The best I've got so far is a few particular games of Rocket League, one where a comeback from 5 goals down in about one and a half minutes led to a genuine moment of comradery between me and two randoms. Another time me and my pals were winning by quite some margin and I jokingly voted to forfeit only for my team mates to do the same so we lost the match due to an abundance of banter, it was too funny to be mad about it.
Buskalilly Galactic Nova
Posts : 15009 Points : 15187 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 33 Location : Nagano
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Tue 16 May 2023 - 10:31
Treesmurf wrote:
Another time me and my pals were winning by quite some margin and I jokingly voted to forfeit only for my team mates to do the same so we lost the match due to an abundance of banter, it was too funny to be mad about it.
Gonna report you for artificially losing to stay in an easier league.
Balladeer DIVINE LONELINESS
Posts : 26407 Points : 25242 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 35 Location : Admintown
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Tue 16 May 2023 - 12:02
Buskalilly wrote:
I have a very distinct memory of playing Mario Galaxy for the first time; everything from the little arm-stretched aeroplane run of joy up to my first gravity-boggling jump around a planet. 3D mario is a near constant supply of genuine joy, hence why it is probably my favourite flavour of videogame.
Oddly I can't think back to any interesting moments from the 3D Marios. I do of course have the same joyous moments as everyone else though. When you touch down in Gusty Garden and that music plays?
Here's a recent gem of one though. It's from Tears of the Kingdom, Runakit Shrine (Built to Carry - there's a ball and some rails); so if you haven't tried that yet, stay away! (And, er, be careful of my Twitter. )
Spoilered for (horrible) solution:
When I created that horrible thing, with two spokes still sticking out of it and a kind of table on its bottom, and it worked I absolute cackled. And there are a bunch of moments just like it. A joyous game.
Jimbob Bargain Hunter
Posts : 4618 Points : 4644 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 41 Location : Milton Keynes
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Sat 20 May 2023 - 12:22
Oh this is a good question. I worry I have loads in my early life that I could share, which have sadly been eroded by the terrible state of me, my life, the world, and everything.
But!
Playing Boxer on the Acorn Electron (a rip-off of the Popeye arcade game, like all old home computer games of the era), really being too young to get anywhere but understanding that everyone should be talking about videogames all of the time always.
Both No Man's Sky and Starbound, getting off the starting planet and to a space station. Oh that first bit of the game you enjoyed? There's thousands of that.
Microprose F1 Grand Prix, that actually ran in 3D, and more importantly, realising how realistic it was determined to be, and allowing a "hot seat" option for multiplayer (this is before the internet, kids) so everyone could join in a race on a system that wasn't geared up for local multiplayer. F1 used to be interesting
^See Balla's answer: The first time I played Super Mario 64, and realised that 3D video games were actually fun (up until then the "future of gaming" was either unable to process 3D worlds without being boring, or the threat of FMV, the opposite of a videogame
Then getting onto Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time. Even a couple of years later there was a worry I had, related to the above, that the extra dimension was going to exist at a cost in terms of the scope of a game. Mario 64 was big, but compared to e.g. Super Mario World or Super Mario Bros. 3 there was probably less in terms of "things. But seeing the field and realising how big the world was was a relief.
But then years later exiting the sewers in Elder Scrolls Oblivion, and seeing the whole world and its possibilities.
But then ^See everyone's answer about the start of Breath of the Wild. The "the crazy sons of bitches they've done it" moment
Balladeer DIVINE LONELINESS
Posts : 26407 Points : 25242 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 35 Location : Admintown
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Wed 3 Jan 2024 - 20:08
While casting about for my Thread of the Year votes, I remember this belter of an idea, sadly under-populated. If it was "Moments In Gaming That Made You Want To Chew Your Own Arm Off" it would have least made it to page two, I reckon.
Anyway, 2023 had some properly enjoyable moments. Here are a trio:
TotK - SPOILERS!!!:
Look: there were points in playing TotK when I was, for one reason or another, just a little bit underwhelmed. This was so far from being one of them. The final battle where you fight a dark dragon on a light dragon and what is basically a Ghibli score plays was one of the best final bosses of all time. I absolutely yelled!
Sea of Stars - Spoilers:
Look, I couldn't find a picture of it, but if you've played SoS you know the moment I mean: when you actually get to the Sea of Stars, everything turns really really pretty and 3D, and this music plays. Whatever I may think about the game as a whole, that briefly blew me away.
Mario Wonder - not really a spoiler:
JayMoyles Galactic Nova
Posts : 15889 Points : 15055 Join date : 2013-01-21 Age : 31 Location : The Shibuya River
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Thu 4 Jan 2024 - 11:11
Sea of Stars (and Messenger spoilers too):
That SoS moment really was great, but having since played The Messenger, I can imagine folks that played that game thought we were about to get a wild visual change to 3D (I'm imagining chunky FFVII models, prerendered backgrounds, basically some PS1 era nostalgia) and that it might have been a missed trick not to do that.
Jimbob Bargain Hunter
Posts : 4618 Points : 4644 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 41 Location : Milton Keynes
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Thu 4 Jan 2024 - 19:49
Oh yeah, good point with this.
Would put something about Zelda here, but I don't think there's one specific thing (maybe the last "Complete" stamp happening) but just loads of little tiny ones; every time you add something to an arrow or a shield and it does something cool that you never realised it'd do.
Also
I played this in 2023 so I don't know if this counts, but - Tunic:
I was enjoying just beating the bads and collecting the things, but then This And realising how many things had been in plain sight But then on top of that, this and ultimately this (and nailing it first try)
Sea of Thieves Monkey Island:
Not really a spoiler, but turning up in Melee Island, and freely-walking through what was a static scene in a point-and-click adventure - it was like being in a theme park based on a fond memory. Now we need someone to 3D-first-person-ify Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max, and The Dig.
Balladeer DIVINE LONELINESS
Posts : 26407 Points : 25242 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 35 Location : Admintown
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Sat 6 Jan 2024 - 19:13
Ah that 'Complete' moment is so good though.
JayMoyles wrote:
Sea of Stars (and Messenger spoilers too):
That SoS moment really was great, but having since played The Messenger, I can imagine folks that played that game thought we were about to get a wild visual change to 3D (I'm imagining chunky FFVII models, prerendered backgrounds, basically some PS1 era nostalgia) and that it might have been a missed trick not to do that.
Stuff those folks, if they've played much of The Messenger they obviously don't have great taste anyway. What you say would have been a pretty good idea, but I was still quite impressed with what they did instead!
The_Jaster Din
Posts : 11946 Points : 12038 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 40 Location : Underground Corpse Pile.
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Sun 7 Jan 2024 - 14:15
Balla wrote:
If it was "Moments In Gaming That Made You Want To Chew Your Own Arm Off" it would have least made it to page two, I reckon.
Ahh speaking of which I've got one for that, in the final final level of Mario Wonder I missed the top of the flag pole not once but twice meaning the game wasn't 100 percent finished & I had to bloody do the whole level a third time. Don't think I've ever been that angry at a Mario game before.
Oh I guess it's a moment of joy when I eventually done it, I even saved a wee clip on my switch just to capture the moment.
Balladeer DIVINE LONELINESS
Posts : 26407 Points : 25242 Join date : 2013-01-16 Age : 35 Location : Admintown
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Fri 12 Jan 2024 - 22:06
See what I mean!? (I did something similar with Climb To The Beat, I ain't trying that last level because CttB was bad enough.)
My canonic Chew Your Own Arm Off moment is this utter git of a DKCTF level BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT OF THIS THREAD
The_Jaster Din
Posts : 11946 Points : 12038 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 40 Location : Underground Corpse Pile.
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Sat 13 Jan 2024 - 19:24
I've got a couple small ones from the early parts of RoboCop Rogue city, the first is right as the main menu boots up & you are hit with a fantastic piano version of the classic Robocop theme song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiEdHIx6Ezk
Second is how they've captured the films violence in the gameplay, from little moments of criminals screaming as you've blown their hand clean off to where you can grab them & chuck them out the window of a massive skyscraper.
Jimbob Bargain Hunter
Posts : 4618 Points : 4644 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 41 Location : Milton Keynes
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Sun 14 Jan 2024 - 11:16
Blimey that's the re-reboot sorted then! (Although this is the real sad Robocop theme everyone loves)
The Cappuccino Kid Mani Mani Statue
Posts : 6721 Points : 6881 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 105 Location : East of Mombasa
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Mon 12 Feb 2024 - 18:47
Here’s another one.
Banjo-Kazooie:
Banjo-Kazooie was my obsession in 1998. My anticipation for it was at fever pitch long before it came out, it was a lot higher than anything else I can remember from that time of my life. Yet it was delayed a few times, past 1997 and until finally being confirmed as launching in July – right at the time I was off school. I’d spent the first few weeks of my school holiday pouring over Banjo-Kazooie’s previews and reviews in the likes of N64 Magazine and C&VG Magazine, I likely dreamed about it too. Official Nintendo Magazine’s 96% review sent that excitement into the stratosphere. And when it released at the end of July I was there for Electronics Boutique’s doors opening with my £50 in pocket money. It felt like I absorbed every waking moment into exploring its imaginative worlds, and just being utterly infatuated with every aspect of it. After getting through the ingenious Grunty’s Furnace Fun and eventually overcoming the dramatic and hard-as-fuck Gruntilda battle, I watched this ending in amazement:
It's one I’m sure we’ve all seen, or at the very least read about. Many of the magazines couldn’t wait to spoil it in the next issues, but happily I beat the game before Tom East and his wee roaster pals could ruin it. The unsubtle tease at a second Banjo-Kazooie game was exciting enough, but it was glimpses into Banjo-Kazooie’s unearthed secrets that just blew my mind. Fair enough, Banjo-Tooie was an overambitious sequel that ultimately disappointed in 2001 and those egg secrets didn’t really pan out the way anyone expected, not being delivered upon until Banjo-Kazooie was a 360 game ten years later. But still, at least for the time the possibilities seemed endless. The obvious shout was a Sonic & Knuckles-style cartridge, but there were all sorts of suggestions and rumours that got my mates and I very excited about what was left to come of Banjo-Kazooie.
Twenty-six years ago, be Christ.
gjones Disciple of Scullion
Posts : 1671 Points : 1704 Join date : 2015-01-12 Age : 37 Location : Swindon
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Thu 15 Feb 2024 - 20:44
I never played Banjo at the time, but always admired its polished boxart from afar. It was always a 49.99 game round my way, so didn't really get tempted but was a reader of NOM and recall the 96% review. Pretty sure it came with a guide book in an issue - I could have done with one a few months back, when I started playing it via Rare Replay. I really liked the first couple of levels (one had beehives, and another was on a beach) but got a bit lost after that. Considering it's one of 30 games installed on my Series X, it has since fallen down the list. Would it be worth a proper remake?
Buskalilly Galactic Nova
Posts : 15009 Points : 15187 Join date : 2013-02-25 Age : 33 Location : Nagano
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Fri 16 Feb 2024 - 9:29
I had a similar experience to GJones on Rare Replay, but I do remember enjoying the music and vibes. Now that it's on Switch online and I have a nice N64 pad, I ought to give it another bash.
Jimbob Bargain Hunter
Posts : 4618 Points : 4644 Join date : 2013-01-15 Age : 41 Location : Milton Keynes
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy Sun 18 Feb 2024 - 10:25
The Cappuccino Kid wrote:
Here’s another one.
Banjo-Kazooie:
Banjo-Kazooie was my obsession in 1998. My anticipation for it was at fever pitch long before it came out, it was a lot higher than anything else I can remember from that time of my life. Yet it was delayed a few times, past 1997 and until finally being confirmed as launching in July – right at the time I was off school. I’d spent the first few weeks of my school holiday pouring over Banjo-Kazooie’s previews and reviews in the likes of N64 Magazine and C&VG Magazine, I likely dreamed about it too. Official Nintendo Magazine’s 96% review sent that excitement into the stratosphere. And when it released at the end of July I was there for Electronics Boutique’s doors opening with my £50 in pocket money. It felt like I absorbed every waking moment into exploring its imaginative worlds, and just being utterly infatuated with every aspect of it. After getting through the ingenious Grunty’s Furnace Fun and eventually overcoming the dramatic and hard-as-fuck Gruntilda battle, I watched this ending in amazement:
It's one I’m sure we’ve all seen, or at the very least read about. Many of the magazines couldn’t wait to spoil it in the next issues, but happily I beat the game before Tom East and his wee roaster pals could ruin it. The unsubtle tease at a second Banjo-Kazooie game was exciting enough, but it was glimpses into Banjo-Kazooie’s unearthed secrets that just blew my mind. Fair enough, Banjo-Tooie was an overambitious sequel that ultimately disappointed in 2001 and those egg secrets didn’t really pan out the way anyone expected, not being delivered upon until Banjo-Kazooie was a 360 game ten years later. But still, at least for the time the possibilities seemed endless. The obvious shout was a Sonic & Knuckles-style cartridge, but there were all sorts of suggestions and rumours that got my mates and I very excited about what was left to come of Banjo-Kazooie.
Twenty-six years ago, be Christ.
Sorry for "this"-ing, but "this" - I forgot about that, the idea that there could be extra bits in a well-loved game that, at that stage, you felt like you knew from start to finish, was so exciting. Ocarina of Time had stuff like that as well - when people found the Jabu Jabu Ocarina Pedestal in the code, everyone got mega-excited.
Sponsored content
Subject: Re: Moments In Gaming That Brought You Genuine Joy