The 10th Hour 04.18.08: Top 10 Most Memorable Gaming Moments

Posted by Derek Robbins on 04.18.2008

Sometimes people get onto games for not being able to convey emotion, but...often times they do. Which moments in video games come across as the most memorable? This week, 411's Derek Robbins breaks down his 10 most memorable moments in gaming.

Hello and welcome to the 10th hour! As always there are a couple of things that I would like to touch on before I get started.

-I am rather disappointed with myself. I am playing through FF VII yet again thanks to Crisis Core. I am on Disc 3 and rather embarrassed that I'm actually going to beat the game again. When will I remember that this game is over-rated again? Dah. Well until then, I plan on beating Emerald and Ruby WEAPONs for the first time ever since I'm there. Give it a month, I'll go back to bad-mouthing it again I'm sure.

-The Cubs lost 9-2 to Cincinnati today . This is kind of disappointing because I was hoping for a sweep of Cincinnati. If they manage to come back, great! If not, whatever…we've been playing good baseball lately and ya' can't win them all. Some might think I'd be feeling negative about the Soriano injury, but I'm really not. I was getting tired of seeing him swing from his ass every pitch. Hopefully he'll be back to normal when he returns though

-King of the Ring is on Monday. I hope we get to see the coronation of King Kennedy. If not that, then MVP. Actually…I'll be fine with whoever wins as long as it isn't Triple H. Man…I'm tired of that guy.

Well now that that's out of the way, let's look at some reader feedback

Reader Feedback

We had a lot of great feedback this week. I'll get to as many as I can…let's see…Barbecued Ribs checks in with:


Know what else pisses me off? Long load times, erased data, games that go out,
n64 controllers, broken reset switches, sega, cartridges that look like shit,
ps1's, and people calling all consoles a nintendo or a sega or a playstation.


Those things are really annoying, I agree. I actually haven't had to deal with the last bit since I was reaaaallly little though. Back then I remember everyone referring to video games as "Nintendo". It was kind of annoying, but...they just didn't get it. I think as a culture we've gotten better about this though.

Sean McCabe is here!


Orton references = win.

Death Note references = you need to watch less overrated anime :P

But anyway, great list this week. Pretty much perfect, I can't think of
anything else to add.


Well glad you liked the list AND Orton…but over-rated anime? I'll show you over-rated anime! Just scroll to the bottom of the column, bwahahahaha.

Kirk M. wants to let me know what enrages him.


You forgot one thing. Platformers from the NES and SNES era not saving how many
extra lives you have. You could stockpile for the next boss or really hard
level, but if you had to turn the power off, you'd go back to having 3-5
lives.

There was an excuse before the era of the save system, but there's no reason
why the Donkey Kong Country series in the MID-NINETIES needed to pull this
crap.

Then the biggest insult was late last year when Mario Galaxy decided that this
was a good retro trend to bring back. Not that anyone cared because the game
was easy as hell, but I didn't need to be reminded of that.


I've always wondered why some games do that? I remember I'd always have a ton of lives in Donkey Kong Country but if I turned the game off…they'd go away. That's why I typically beat that one in one sitting. Why even include the features of extra lives if they don't mean anything? All that hard work collecting them goes away if you need to quit which is a bit of bullshit. You're right though. Nobody cared about Mario Galaxy doing that because it was so easy.

Travis comments:

You know I'd rank this up as a add-on to the blowing on cartridges part... But
specifically for the NES... Did you ever get to the point where the loading
spring was screwed up and you had to hold it down by jamming another cartridge
in the hole? And then just to find out, the damn thing doesn't work on top of
that so you had to take that shit out, blow in it a dozen or so more times, and
try all over?

And I am quite happy the password system has disappeared, I would always forget
to write down the passwords and end up going "Ah crap!" then followed
up by a forceful palm to the forehead. Hours of gaming lost, and me cursing
myself was had.

But what I would have to add onto a list would be the thing that annoyed me to
no end had to have been the fact as a kid having to explain in detail to
ignorant parents why you need a SNES when you have a "perfectly good NES
right there". and not having any other way to get what you want unless you
are a good childhood conman/conwoman....


No, luckily the first thing never happened to me…and actually, the bottom thing never happened to me either. I got really lucky because my parents noticed the graphical and gameplay difference between my 8-bit Nintendo and the 16-bit Super Nintendo. It still took them a while to get it to me, but it wasn't a beg a thon. Thankfully. They did say they would never buy me a gaming console ever again after that though…and they never did. I had to work my ass off for my N64 and PS1. That's probably why I appreciate those systems so much.

JLAJRC remembers those fucking hotlines…


To go along with the strategy guides/magazines, I remember calling the Nintendo
Hotline for help on a few games. Occaisionally, you could also get videos/books
that were also full of cheats/codes/tricks. Not to mention my favorite game
accessory of all time, The Game Genie.

Yea, those power sources were a pain. So clunky/heavy themselves they sometimes
even fell out of the socket.

I was so close to adding the Nintendo hotline to my list. Man, you couldn't call that unless you wanted to cost your parents an arm and a leg. I was never able to and only found out cheats through magazines or heresay. I heard some DOOZIES too. Though my favorite fake cheat were the Pokegod cheats from Pokemon Red and Blue. I swear, they had such inventive ways to capture new pokemon. Ahhh…my youth on the internet. I would believe anything.

JT was a turtles fan too

Blowing on cartridges and systems is a pretty bad idea. It just blows the dust
and dirt further into the system/cartridge. It may work in the short term, but
it screws things up in the long term.

It's interesting that you mention the Ninja Turtles. The NES port of the first
arcade game wasn't very accurate, but the SNES port of the second arcade game
was better than the original. The SNES port of "Turtles in Time"
added several levels and improved on the gameplay.


I agree with you. Turtles in Time was one of the best arcade ports of all time. Honestly, I would go out and say it's one of the best side-scrolling beat-em-ups of all time. I still prefer Hyperstone Heist though. I figure it's ALL nostalgia because Hyperstone Heist was one of my first Genesis games.

Dustin James can't stand game freezes


Oh yes. I love buying brand new games that freeze on you right away. For
instance, my brand new copy of ESPN College Basketball 2K8. I knew I should
have stuck with EA!

I will kindly ignore the last part of that comment, mostly due to my total hatred of EA, but I agree with you…when you buy a game BRAND NEW and it freezes it really sucks. I WANTED to love Smackdown versus Raw 2008 but damn, a game can only freeze so many times on you before it starts to hurt your opinion of it.

Toddo knows that old Disney games are high caliber

How can you mention Disney games and not talk about Mickey mousecapade for the
NES, and The Lion King game for Genesis? Two awesome Disney Games, if I do say
so myself.

Well, I've never played Mousecapades even though I've heard good things. I CAN confirm that Lion King was awesome, though. The only reason I didn't mention it is because…I don't know. I loved the Aladdin game so much it totally absolved other Disney games from my mind.

The Doctors say we need more Vitamin D


Let me go and say great article sir. Great article!

I don't care what the IWC or anyone else, Orton is pretty cool and he's growing
on me. The only thing I don't like about him is that he seems he can't do any
wrong. "Oh you trashed a hotel room? Here's the belt!"

Another thing you could say about what you don't miss is the high prices. Grant
it, 360/PS3 games are $60 now....but do we even want to get into the territory
of Final Fantasy II/III or Chrono Trigger? I remember a friend of my brother
bought Chrono Trigger for $90 at "Electronics Boutique" (before being
shortened and bought out).

F passwords man. F 'em!

Last note, I remember talking to someone from Nintendo and they said for NES
games, one thing to do was enter the game inside the console then shake the
game itself (not the console) while it's placed inside. Another person said to
use Emery Boards to get rid of the dirt inside, that was like F'in magic!

Anyways, take care my friend!


I think maybe the IWC is softening towards Orton. I don't care, personally. He's entertaining as all hell and is one of the best wrestlers out there right now. I was so happy when both he and Edge were champions.

As for high prices…hrrrm…I'm not sure I remember that actually. I got my copy of Chrono Trigger, in box with instruction manual for something like 25 dollars. Yes, I still have both the box, manual, and game. I don't like how expensive games are today. At all.

RavenTazECW is next with:

Although it still persists on occasion today, the one thing I really don't miss
about games are the amount of times they froze on me on the NES. There was
nothing like cruising along in Super Mario Bros. 3, preparing to fly over a
bunch of enemies, and all of a sudden everything just stops. This happened
with numerous games I owned for the NES, but I took very good care of my system
and games. Along with Guerilla Wars and RBI Baseball, TMNT was another big
culprit of freezing for me, to the point where I actually expected the game to
freeze each time I dropped into a sewer to face a bunch of enemies.

Speaking of TMNT, your entry on the lack of resources for game guides makes me
recall how I was always stuck in the 4th level in TMNT, not knowing where to
drive the van to progress in the game.

I didn't mind the password system much other than for the letters that looked
alike. Those passwords were often a gateway for me to start a game late into
it, like Mike Tyson's Punch-Out (where Tyson would always whoop me ass), and
Star Trek: TNG (to play a couple levels before the Borg came and rained on my
parade). This list was another good read, one of my favorite columns in all of
411mania.


Well thanks for the compliment. You're a better gamer than I was, by the way. I could almost never make it past the water level where you had to defuse the bombs. It was just mind numbingly difficult. There was a lot of things wrong with the original turtles game…I'm just glad that from that game on until the 16-bit era game just about every turtles title was quality.

Finally twf's sdc has this to say:

Yeah, arcade ports weren't so much with the good back in the day. At least my
friend had a Game Genie so we could get infinite lives the port of Ninja
Turtles. I never had enough quarters/tokens to get more than (I assume) halfway
through.

It's amazing how unfathomably stupid the marketing towards gamer girls can be.
It definitely still isn't handled great today, but at least there is an
awareness nowadays. Probably the most knowledgeable gamer I know is female.
Definitely a student of the, uh, games. She's quite possibly the most talented
gamer I know too.

As I recall, the SNES Aladdin was still pretty good.

Strategy guides still have their uses, to have something official and not have
to stop and seek something out online.
I picked up the special edition for Final Fantasy XII specifically for the art
book though. Hey, there's a game I need to get around to playing.

Blowing in the cartridge has a certain charm to it, but it definitely gets to
be a pain in the ass after awhile. A much shorter while than it used to be.

I found the Fukudome card of my dreams... and broke the bank for it. It's going
right next to the Billy Williams bat/autograph card and Ryne Sandberg Gold
Refractor (and a Soto autograph... when I have some money again) as my favorite
cards. Do you collect?
There are some Japanese cards of Fukudome floating around ebay.

As for the Cubbies being in close games all the time, it will pay off in
experience in the postseason, when being able to win close games is extremely
important. The Cubs got behind... last night, but ended up winning pretty
handily.
I am loving Jon Lieber right now. How great is it to have a long reliever
that's a former 20 game winner as a starter that still has his number 3 or 4
starter stuff?

Also, I'm really starting to wonder if adding Brian Roberts is necessary. Reed
Johnson slowly giving way to Pie over the course of the season could work quite
well. I really like the idea of them both having 300+ at bats each. Theriot is
fairly light-hitting, but gets many hits right when they're needed, and steals
some bases. Fontenot is just awesome, like a better hitting Craig Counsell.

I'm still loving the original art when it appears. I should send you a scan, or
more likely a webcam snapshot, since my scanner is berried, of the pic of Ness I
drew in my magic sketchbook with that forthcoming e-mail, which will hopefully
find your inbox soon.
... Why is Orton RKO-ing Gardevoir?

Most of the girl gamers I know are really into pokemon…and they are much better than I am at it as well. I remember the days when I was a pokemon master. I feel almost lost now a days. I also should say I've never played the SNES Aladdin. I just loved the Genesis one so much.

The Cubs will need that experience later, but the close stuff can get on my nerves. That's the farthest thing from my mind right now though. Ted Lilly has been terrible in each start he has had this season. If he doesn't return to form…I fear what the rest of this season has in store for the Cubs. I also should say that looking at Reed's career stats…I'd say his hot start is an aborition – like the Cardinals – and he'll fade back to mediocrity. I'd like Roberts there just for insurance since Alfonso got injured.
Make sure to send it to me! I bet'cha it'll be posted here if you do. Also, about Orton…well, I hate Gardevoir. In the Age of Orton, Gardevoir is a pokemon that will be banned. Long live the age of Orton.


Alright, enough comments for this week. Let's get on with the list. Sorry to anyone I missed!



Top-10 most memorable moments in gaming

This list is comprised of moments in video games that I consider especially memorable. I'd be interested in hearing your opinion as well as there are a plethora of gaming experiences I may have over-looked. There are no rules to this list, only one warning: There are spoilers of some older games. So read with caution.

10-) Super Smash Brothers: Melee Introduction - Super Smash Brothers 64 was a game I was looking forward to with a ton of excitement. This would be the very first time three of my favorite gaming characters – Pikachu, Mario, and Link – would be appearing together in the same game…and it was awesome. I played it for hours and hours and couldn't wait until the Gamecube came out because I knew a new one would be coming my way. Honestly, I was just expecting a game that played just like Smash 64 but with enhanced graphics. This was back in the year 2001. I didn't follow it like an obsessive fan-boy like I did with Brawl. Everything was a surprise to me. I knew there would be at least one new character – Sheik (did not see any Zelda screenshots!) – but outside of that I was left in the dark…So flash forward to the very first time I played the game and I was shocked at what I saw. Now keep in mind, Super Smash Brothers 64 had a really good opening as well. It was the first time a lot of those characters had appeared together, so Smash Brothers Melee had to do something pretty cool to top it – and they did. The opening movie to me is just so amazing. You see Bowser, Mario's arch nemesis, surrounded by flames. You see Samus blasting away at Ridley. You see three hands, each with a piece of the triforce come together…it's really special. You even get to see Ness do his teleportation move in a fully 3D version of Onett in front of two members of the Runaway Five. This was just so cool. As if this wasn't enough, while all of this was going on they had the most awesome music going on in the background. It got you prepared for what was to come – a truly epic gaming experience that would be played for years. While Smash Brothers Brawl has surpassed Melee in every conceivable way, I will always remember Melee's opening fondly.

- No matter how great Brawl is, we'll always have Melee.

9-) SUPER SONIC - Sonic was already one fast hedgehog. He was the road runner to Mario's plodding Coyote. Sonic was the hip alternative to Mario…but what was his answer to the fire flower? Mario could shoot fire, and later could sprout a raccoon tail, hop around in a frog suit…and turn to stone! What could Sonic do? Well…run really fast. Little did I know that he was about to get a little faster. If you collected all seven chaos emeralds you could turn into Super Sonic. While Sonic was a blue, lax dude, Super Sonic was golden and you could tell that he meant business. He was super fast, invulnerable, and just plain cool to play as. When I say fast, you may say: "Sure, that's great…but Sonic is fast. So what?" You don't know speed until you've played as Super Sonic. Playing as Super Sonic is so intense that playing as regular Sonic just feels kind of slow in comparison. I was so excited when I first saw him. Now obviously, Super Sonic borrows heavily from the Super Saiyans of Dragon Ball Z…but I saw Sonic first and last time I checked the fighters of DBZ hadn't been in a single good game until the last generation of consoles. Whatever the case, the first time I saw Super Sonic – by mistake, mind you. I was simply jumping in the air to get MORE rings after I collected the 50th – I could not believe what I just saw. Sonic had cemented himself as one of my favorite videogame characters of all time. It's such a damn shame that he's fallen so far from glory. I would kill for a Sonic v. Mario rivalry of old.

- NOW I'LL SHOW YOU!

8-) Metroid Ending - You're playing through the original Metroid as what one would assume is a robot. It was a really solid game and you were playing as a really cool protagonist. Really, what gets better than a robot that can shoot missles? Anyhow…let's just skip ahead. You beat the game and had an experience that is pretty good. Metroid was a fantastic game that still holds up to this day. You see the ending, and something is revealed to you…the character you were playing – Samus Aran – is in fact a female. Not only that, it's not a robot at all! She's a human! This was really shocking because at the time, video games didn't really have that one strong feminine character. Oh sure, there were girls in games, but usually they were damsels in distress or simple love interests to the main character…but this time there was a difference. You had a character that legitimately kicked ass and was also a female! I hate to go all feminist on you, but…as far as girls in games are concerned, Metroid was quite the trend setter. Games started to use more female leads that looked strong. Most of them can't hold a candle to Samus in my opinion though. She was the original female badass and is perhaps one of the most important video game characters of all time. The ending to the original metroid set up for all of this. In every single way, Metroid is a landmark series and deserves your respect. It deserves its spot on this list.



7-) Persona 3 introduction - A game's introduction is supposed to get you pumped to play. It's supposed to set the mood and tell you what in the world you are in for. Some games do it very poorly, but others…they leave you in total awe. Persona 3 fits in the later and boy, does it blow you away. The main character encounters Yukari…who proceeds to pull a trigger of a gun against her head. A gun! This would lead you to believe that she's trying to kill herself – after all she is fighting some sort of monster and survival appears to be in doubt – but in reality she's summoning her persona with a gun-shaped object called an evoker. This is really cool to me, because I couldn't believe a game could get away with something like that. I firmly believe that if Persona 3 received any sort of mainstream recognition it would have become one of the most controversial titles we have ever seen. Imagine the media: "IN THIS GAME, THEY TRY TO CONVINCE TEENAGERS TO SHOOT THEMSELVES! LOOK AT THAT" It would have been ridiculous. Whatever the case, the intro gets you adequately pumped for the game and prepares you for what is a dramatic ride full of twists. I believe that Persona 3 is one of the finest games on the PS2 and the introductory segment does it total justice. If you haven't played this game yet, I encourage you to purchase Persona 3 FES. In a market full of Madden, shooting titles, and JRPGs that play exactly alike…Persona 3 is a breath of fresh air.

- One of my favorite games ever.

6-) Star Fox 64 Ending - Starfox 64 holds a ton of fond memories. It improved on an already stellar game in a number of ways and was also the first game to take advantage of rumble technology. What a great game to introduce rumbling to! From the levels to the different vehicles, Star Fox 64 was a pretty memorable experience, but…the ending of the game launched it up a whole ‘nother level. I should mention before I get to the ending that Andross's role at the end of the game could very well have been an entry onto this list as well. After you defeat the first two forms of Andross, he transforms into a giant brain. "ONLY I HAVE THE BRAINS TO RULE LYLATT" That's really cool and I was kind of shocked the first time I saw it. After an intense battle with Andross you win, but it appears…that Andross is taking you out with him. Then…out of nowhere, Fox sees his father and the two navigate through Andross's lair and fly to safety. When you get out, Fox's Dad is gone…but the impact he made is still there, Fox has grown as a person. I did not see it coming but I've remembered it ever since. Whenever I play through Star Fox 64 I refuse to play through the easier path. I always go the hard way because I want to see Fox reunited with his father. It's just cool. Even though Star Fox 64's story isn't the greatest, the final moment of the game can resonate some emotion which was pretty cool. In the early days of the N64 there were a lot of memorable games…even if they had a bad habit of coming out in six month intervals. Star Fox 64 and its ending was one of the first and one of the best.

- He sure looked mean then.

5-) World of Ruin - There are a lot of videogame villains out there who claim to want to take over the world. They claim that they want to set things right…but rarely do they do it. The hero always intervenes and prevents them from doing what they had set out to do. What made Final Fantasy VI's Kefka such a memorable villain was that he actually accomplished all of this! Let's be fair – he didn't really want to set things right. He wanted to just rule things and have everything be suited to him. He was the ultimate egotist. So what did he do? He successfully destroyed the world. Yes, that's right. As you were playing a game, the main villain actually managed to wipe the world out. Now, while your party does manage to survive…the world is just in a different shape. Everywhere you look is in ruins. Humanity is suffering and Kefka is ruling with an iron fist. What makes matters worse is that he RANDOMLY kills civilizations of people for no real reason as he rules from up high. That's pretty fucking evil. I remember this because, once again, I was suckered into thinking the game was about to come to an end…when I was bitch slapped and faced with a new reality: The world is gone. I believe Kefka's role in Final Fantasy VI is probably the most significant a villain has ever played in a video game and that is why he is remember by many as one of the best villains ever. He makes Sephiroth look like even more of a pansy. So next time you're playing through what is most likely an un-inspired Japanese RPG where the enemy wants to take over the world or ruin things for the protagonist…remember Kefka. He actually did those things.
And it was awesome.

- Real men fear clowns.

4-) The ending to Metal Gear Solid 3 - I have to admit, I've bought into every Metal Gear title that I've played. The story that unfolds, especially in the solid series, is very enriching and keeps me coming back for more. While many complain about Metal Gear Solid 2 and its…well…bizarre story, I believe that it hangs pretty well with the rest of them. Even though Metal Gear Solid 2 had its share of memorable moments – particularly when you first see Solid Snake in his stealth suit – Metal Gear Solid 3 tops it and every metal gear before it with one of the most amazing endings of all time. Some call it a little cheesy- and it is – but it raps up the story nicely and fully explains how the totally patriotic Big Boss turned against his country. As it turns out, the main enemy of the game – your former mentor The Boss – was on your side all along. She took the fall for America so it could persevere. She went down in the history books as a villain, a scoundrel, but all of those who were there…who knew what was going on…knew the true story. The Boss was a patriot who died for her country. This does not resonate with Big Boss particularly cold…as at the end of the game when he receives his promotion to "Big Boss" he seems particularly cold to the government. They betrayed someone who was very dear to him…and you could tell it hurt. Solid Snake/Big Boss is one of the most manly, rugged videogame characters out there. So when you see a tear roll down Big Boss's face…you know it cut him deep. Something about that scene gets to me every time. Embarrassingly I shed a couple of tears at this scene the very first time I saw it, and…when my brother beat the game I actually had to hold them back. You can tell an ending has you totally engrossed when you watch someone else getting it and have it still effect you. I would argue that not only is this one of the most memorable gaming moments ever, but it's also one of the best endings of all time. If Metal Gear Solid 4 can make me feel the same way that this game did, mission accomplished. A game's legacy is what impact the finale has on its players. Metal Gear Solid 3 will always be one of my favorite games for having one of the most satisfying, moving, and engrossing game experiences out there. I often think it's foolish for people to buy a system just for one game, but Metal Gear Solid 4 makes me want the PS3. What an incredible series. It deserves every bit of praise that it gets.



3-) Hyrule Seven Years Later - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a game that holds many of us by the heart strings. It had such innovative stories and great puzzles to boot…really, it just had everything. There were plenty of memorable moments in this game – like the fight with Ganon or Link's dream or even the creation of Hyrule – but one thing in particular takes the cake for me. After you pull the Master Sword from the pedestal, Link gets frozen in time…for he is too young to be the legendary hero of time. When he awakens, it is seven years later and he is older. No longer are you playing as the young link trademarked throughout the Zelda franchise…you are an older, cooler looking Link. While it is cool to play a character at two different points of his life, things haven't quite picked up yet. Time has passed since Link was a child…so what in the world happened? When you step out of the Temple of Time, Hyrule is in ruins from the harsh rule of Ganondorf. The man that Princess Zelda had warned you about at the beginning of the game had garnered possession of a piece of the triforce. He really was as bad as she had said, because everywhere you look is in ruins. Hyrule city is barren of life and redeads inhabit it. Lake Hylia is mostly barren. Lon Lon Ranch has undergone new management…everything about the new world is terrible and Link needs to fix things. This is when you go from feeling like you're controlling just another kid to controlling the hero of time. While OoT Ganondorf isn't my favorite incarnation of Ganondorf, the seven year pass of time really puts him over as one of the finest gaming villains of all time. As a commentator put it last week, the Ocarina of Time is a game for all time. The seven year time differential helped do this.

- In my mind, this game made Ganondorf a great villain.

2-) Battle with Giygas - Love it or hate it, it's hard to deny that Earthbound is a once in a lifetime sort of game. It breaks the tradition of most every RPG out there by just being…well…different. Everything about this game straight out screamed originality – from the plot to the overall tone of the game – and made it something special. With that said, up until the end…Earthbound had not yet cemented its spot as my favorite game of all time. It was absolutely fantastic, a game that I would never forget…but at that time, I didn't figure that it would sit atop my favorite game list for over ten years. The course of action that takes place at the very end of the game takes it from an excellent game to a legendary game, and the battle against Giygas is probably the single best boss fight in video game history. For those of you who haven't played it or haven't heard of it – which is probably a lot of you given the fact that Earthbound sales in America were putrid and the series didn't gain much recognition until the release of Super Smash Brothers – you may question this as many gaming lists neglect to mention Giygas as a great boss encounter. My theory is that they just don't list it because there are a lot of people who haven't heard of it and would give it flack, it's just a damn shame. What happens at the start is that you are face to face with your annoying neighbor, your rival for much of the game Pokey (Porky) Minch. He has aligned himself with the ultimate evil and is prepared to take over the world. The first part of the battle is pretty standard fare. There are some things going on, but it isn't special…but when Pokey leaves, things go up a notch. If you haven't experienced it first hand, you really need to because what awaits you is one of the most surreal moments in gaming. The boss is barely recognizable…it's a screen of red, and a lot of imagery can be drawn from that. When there's not a definite shape, people start seeing things – and I mean LITERALLY, because people who haven't played Mother 1 have theorized that Giygas is a fetus when Ness kills him. It's crazy. On top of that, there's some creepy music going on in the background. Some people claim to hear things in the music. "Help me" for instance. This goes along with the boss saying: "H…e…l…p m…e" throughout the battle. It's in pain. In a way, you're trying to save the boss. (For those who didn't know, Shigesato Itoi – the creator of Earthbound – based parts of the fight against Giygas on a time he accidentally saw a rape scene in a movie theater) It's a creepy, creepy experience and the very least you need to do is watch the fight. At a certain point, you can't do anything else. Your attacks are meaningless and the only thing left to do is pray. After you pray so long, essentially everyone on the planet prays for the success of Ness…but he's still alive. Giygas lives. Your prayers get absorbed into the darkness. You keep praying and…eventually someone else joins in. You don't realize it at first, but it's you, the player. Earlier in the game you give your real name to a friend of Jeff's…and the payback comes now. You don't see it coming and it's a legit brick shitting moment. The battle against Giygas and the ending will always be one of my favorite gaming memories. If you haven't played Earthbound yet, do it. Hunt it down on eBay, play it on emulator…do whatever. Just play.



1-) Aeris is gone - Final Fantasy VII was a pretty good RPG that got many young gamers into the genre, and that is part of the reason RPGs are strong and healthy today…and there's a reason that it's so popular. The story that unfolds is pretty interesting and includes some of the most memorable moments in gaming history, but there's one in particular that had gamers talking for a long while after, that most gamers worth their salt know off the top of their head…the death of Aeris. Throughout the course of Final Fantasy VII, the typical player may think that Aeris was being set up as Cloud's love interest. Typically, every RPG in the history of the universe has a love story, even if it's un-necessary. So nothing could happen to her, right? After all…she was bright and cheery and it would be just downright sad if something happened to her. Square decided to change things up a bit. At the very end of disc one, the antagonist of the game – Sephiroth – impales Aeris with the masamune. She dies on spot and there's nothing the player can do. You want to help Aeris out pretty badly, but you can't. She's dead. While Aeris wasn't my favorite character in the game, her demise was a very important part of the story as it lead to some heavy characterization for the lead character, Cloud Strife. For one of the first times in the game, Cloud was a sympathetic character. It was an important detail and helped usher the game from a very good RPG to a legendary one that people are still play years after the release. Aeris was such a beloved character that people spent hours and hours of their lives looking for ways to resurrect her. They didn't want to accept the reality that she was gone. I have seen people get ultra emotional when her theme song plays. When the music of a character can actually MOVE you, you know that character was important. Until recently, I never got Aeris. I always was baffled as to why people liked her so much…but I've come to realize there's a charm about her. She was a good character that kept developing even after her death. Watching the scene doesn't have the same impact as it did years ago – I see it coming now, I know what's up – but when it first happened it was jaw dropping. People often list this as one of the best cinematic moments in gaming history, and there's a good reason for that. Aeris has gone and Final Fantasy VII has become a legendary game.



Honorable Mentions: Crono's Death, Brawl intro video, MGS 2 intro, Fight with Ganondorf in Windwaker, You're Darth Revan

Well that's it for this week. Let's take a look around 411 real quick…

Jordan "OGRE" Williams writes Working Title! He rants about people claiming that Resident Evil 5 is racist among other things. He has a good point by the way. We are way too politically correct these days. Here it is!

Owain J. Brimfield writes the Wonder Years. This week he goes on about perhaps one of the greatest side-scrolling shooters ever: Vectorman! If you don't like Vectorman, you suck. AND ON TOP OF THAT I'M IN THE READER FEEDBACK SECTION HOW COOL IS THAT? Check this out

Mark Salmela AKA the One Man Watercooler brings us B3yond the Report. This week he discusses some PS3 news as well as list his top-10 favorite PS3 games. Good list there, bro…but I think it needs more Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Oh, and I will kindly choose not to read that "Wipeout is better than F-Zero" comment. I assume you were on crack. Go b3yond the 10th hour to b3yond the report!

Theo Frasier brings us the Nintendophiles. It's where I go for all of my Wii news! The big thing this week is that Sadness is not cancelled. Hoorah! If you break news that Starcraft: Ghost is un-cancelled I will love you, sir. So would this make me a Nintendophilesphile?

Chris Evans is the man behind the PC-Centric extravaganza. If you like computer games and need a source for news that isn't corroded by an abundance of WoW love, check this out. Here ya go!

Chris Scott writes the Red Snifit and this week – in the first part of a series called gaming on the cheap, Chris gives some much needed love to the Sega Dreamcast. I gotta tell ya', the Dreamcast was a breath of fresh air amongst a sea of personality-less consoles. I'm sad it's gone. Silly Chris, Parakoopas are the way to go

John Curry AKA Curryman writes The Checkpoint! This week he suggests to game makers that they need heaven versus hell in games. Well…Guilty Gears has it! HEAVEN VERSUS HELL! Let's rock!

James McGee finishes up his series on great game anti-heroes. Actually, apparently this is also the last entry of the column. Make sure to show him some love because it's a very well written piece of work. He inducts Wander – the protagonist from Shadow of the Colossus – in this week. Good choice! Check it!

Rod Oracheski writes Achievement Unlocked! This week he discusses peeking at achievements early and interviews Dave Kudirka of Dark Sector. Personally, I don't peek. I like to be surprised! It's kind of fun, really. 2000 point achievement right here

Vincent Chiucchi writes the select and start news report. He hits on a lot of things, including the aforementioned racist Resident Evil 5 and the possibility of a new DS model. I'm with you Vince. Please no more rehashing Nintendo. BUT MOST importantly he discusses the Strong Bad game. FUCK YEAH. I will be all over that. Select+Start+L+R

AJ and Mike Minoti are the men behind The Exploding Barrel Podcast. This week they talk about Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core and Golf games. Among other things. These two guys are pretty funny so you need to listen. Or else. This podcast explodes my barrels

Well that's it for this week! I think I'll be bringing back the negativity for next week, I'll just have to think of something to stew over for a week so I'll sound nice and agitated. I'm out.

Til' the crossroads

- MY DARRING DARRING PREASE.