Gaming

In Metal Gear Solid for the original PlayStation, there was a boss fight against Psycho Mantis, who was a psychic who could predict your every move. The fight was literally impossible. It didn't matter what you did, he always had the perfect counter. Of course, he would taunt you about his ability to predict your every move.

My brother and I were absolutely stuck on the fight for what seemed like forever. At one point, a character mentions that he's reading your controller and you can block him by switching to the 2nd control port. So you physically unplug your PlayStation controller and plug it into the other port. Then he reacts by not being able to read your moves, and you can actually fight him "fair".

It blew my mind the first time it happened. I can't remember a video game ever breaking the forth wall like that before.

Portal 2. There are no words can can describe how I love that game.

Chrono Trigger, the battle with Magus. Most boss battles in any game have a really high beats per minute, or awesome high energy track. The music for this boss fills you with a sense of dread and fear. I remember the first time I played it, I had goose bumps.

(My personal favorite cover of the song)

A game moment to do again with no memory? Leaving the sewers for the first time in Oblivion. It was the first open world game I had ever played as a kid, and seeing the glare of the sun and realizing that everything I saw was able to be explored? Pure gaming magic.

A whole game to do again? Disco Elysium. There are plenty of ways to go back through the game on another playthrough and do things differently, but there is nothing quite like the first run of that game.

The Knights of the Old Republic reveal. When I first played it, I was speechless, although I suspected some kind of twist with Revan and Malak.

Outer Wilds!

Bioshock Infinite, when Elizabeth realises what's happening and slowly shows it to you.

I don't remember the level name(I think it was Ash something or something Ashes?) But the part in Control where you go through the confusing rooms with the headphones on is probably one of my favorite levels in any game I've ever played but it definitely lost some of its appeal on a second play through. The worst boss I've every played against has to be that stupid barrel in DKC that just drops two of each enemy you've encountered up to that point in the game. WHO THOUGH THAT WAS A GOOD BOSS IDEA?

The entirety of Outer Wilds fits that bill, an amazing experience that you only get to truly live through once. Lucky for me I still have half the DLC ahead of me, which is also pretty good.

But if I had to pull a moment from a few decades in the past, I'd say returning to Balmora through the foyada, after a successful expedition, full of loot, my quiver empty, my gear half broken and my potions gone, only to be awestruck from looking up at the starry sky, with the clouds passing by, and the soundtrack booming. I still have that save, and I still play and enjoy Morrowind to this day.

Mass Effect 2's final mission. Getting to use all the companions collected throughout the story, sending them off on tasks they may not survive and all within a brilliant atmosphere.

For me it would be completing final fantasy 7 all over again.

I ended up moving right after making it to Genova at the end of the third disc and lost my discs.

Years later my cousin had the third disc and a PlayStation but no memory card, and I found my memory card with my save game on it and was able to beat final fantasy 7 for the first time.

It was beautiful and glorious and wouldn't hurt my feelings too much if I could live that over again

Subnautica, the first time I was attacked by a reaper I jumped out of my chair

I'd love to go back to Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 and replay them for the first time.

Two of my favourite games to get absorbed into.

Most of the boss fights in MGS3, but I liked The End most of all

Return of the Obra Dinn and The Outer Wilds both for sure. Both have common themes of solving an over-arching puzzle by exploration and examination of an environment.

So many golden moments mentioned on here… Morrowind, BioShock, shadow of the colossus. Amazing.

A recent one for me was Tunic - those who have played it will know there is a moment about halfway through where your entire understanding of the game is flipped on its head. Left me awestruck.

I would love love love to be able to fight Isshin the Sword Saint from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

When I finally beat that pole weaving old man it was a great gaming experience, and I've been into gaming for a long long time now. A close second would be when I first beat Half-Life 2. That game really amazed me. Had a major impact on me moving into tech too bc I got so into the modding scene.

WoW, WotLK.

The scope of the world as you leave the starter area, discovering the world through quest lines, meeting people organically and playing with them for a while. I still love it, but the discovery was great.

FF7 crisis core for the PSP and it is not even close.

The story, the music, the english voice acting, the cut scenes, the gameplay; it was al just fenomenal.

It is still the best story based game I played and the ending just hits you right in the feels.

My Reddit name that I used was actually based on the Loveless poem, Genesis recited in the game (favorite character with Zack Fair).

I always want to say like, Dark Souls in general but then I remember. I remember

Honestly tho I’m still trying to chase the high of my first playthrough of Undertale (yeah yeah.) I played it right after it came out and happened to be going through a lot. I definitely played it a few times after that and it’s always great but I feel like the first was just magical.

The Ashtray Maze in Control. Such a crazy action sequence unlike anything else I've ever played.

The first level of Homeworld, I had been playing games since pong and hadn't ever considered the impact music and a great story could have. That coupled with playing a type of game which was very new just floored me.

Half life, I remember running to the soldiers to protect me.

Everquest, walking out of Freeport city seeing dozens of other players, I spent the first night feeling like I'd found something I never knew I needed in video games, community.

maybe not a specific moment but i would love to play Far Cry 3 for the first time all over again.

Honestly, as a kid, the first time I beat the Elite Four in the original Pokemon Blue. I felt like I could accomplish anything, at that moment xD

I loved the time-travel level in Titan Fall 2. I don’t play a lot of games so it definitely felt very unique.

The final level of Bastion. The whole game touches hard, but if you choose to rescue Zulf in the Tazal Terminals, your hands are full of NPC and you can't attack - which resulted in this incredibly touching and poignant level experience, running through incoming fire and enemy attacks, unable to fight back and carrying your injured friend. It was such an unexpected and touching twist on how the game had gone so far that it's probably my most memorable gaming experience.

I would love to re-experience Shadow of the Colossus again. I loved the mystery and atmosphere of it. I tried the re-make and it just wasn't as special.

Also that first play through of Journey. So many amazing moments that gave be goosebumps, also have to experience the heartbreak of losing a random friend who I played most of the game with!

As well as the finale of MGS3....that The Boss final battle is heartbreaking on so many levels.

Outer Wilds - I'd love to experience that fresh again.

Also Myst and Riven.

Outer Wilds for sure. This game is special, but it's difficult to replay with prior knowledge.

Portal 2 is another game i would like to experience for the first time again

The Ashtray Maze in the game Control was an incredible experience. The whole game was great, but that one stage really stands out in my mind in front of almost all others. I loved it.

Ornstein and Smough on the 1.0 version of Dark Souls in 2011 when I was very bad at Dark Souls and video games in general. In the DLC Hawkeye Gough has some line about how hunting the dragons teased out his dearest emotions and that's truly how I felt about my O&S experience. They kicked the ever loving shit out of me so many times. I remember finally scoring the kill in spite of the controller nearly falling out of my hands due to sweat at like 4 AM. Reacted a bit too loud, woke up my girlfriend (now wife haha). Just one of those moments that I will always remember.

Besides that, mostly all the Destiny raids haha. The Day 1 raiding experience in Destiny is just such a unique and awesome thing. Nothing quite like problem solving with a group of friends. Deep Stone Crypt is probably the most memorable of such experienced to me, first time the group I play with tried a Day 1 raid and completing it just gave me such a crazy high.

I have a couple gaming moments I would love to experience again for the first time:

Destiny 1 - The Taken King raid through and through. The atmosphere, the music, the sense of "what we're doing here really matters." Raids in Destiny have always been the best part of the game for me, but that one really holds a special place in my heart.

Bioshock - There's a moment in the campaign that I won't spoil, but if you know, you know.

Fallout 3 - This game was my first open world game, so it had a lot of lasting impressions on me. All the little side stories, side quests, lore, terminal entries, etc. I spent so many hours just reading terminal logs and learning about all these people that used to exist in this world. Up until that game, most games I played were an "on-rails" experience. This was a whole new thing for me: the idea of story being what I make of it, rather than what I'm told it is.

The Last of Us - In sort of the opposite to my reasoning for Fallout 3, this one is the best linear story of all time for me. It was just such a perfectly tailored experience, there's nothing like playing it for the first time.

Titanfall 2 - "Protocol 3" (if you know, you know)

Apex Legends - Launch day specifically, because they dropped it with no prior marketing or anything. Everyone was just running around trying to learn this brand new thing. It was my first BR I had any interest at all in playing. Unfortunately, it overstayed it's welcome for me, but launch day was something else.

Confronting the great Dragon Grogori in dragons dogma. The entire game up to that point kept telling you that your fate was tied to his and that if you should want your heart back you must confront and defeat a creature considered invincible by all. When you first approach him he entices you with a wish of power stating you will become grand Duke over a kingdom and he will dissapear as if you had actually slain him all for the price of your loved ones life. There is so much more to the full battle but even just the beginning felt more personal than most final bosses.

I'd say What Remains of Edith Finch. Would love to replay that without knowledge of the game again

Escape velocity - I'd love to experience that game over again. Came out in the 90s.

Final Fantasy VII, end of disc 2.

I really wonder what experiencing that as an adult, rather than a 15 year old, would be like.