The end of Portal 2, when the enrichment center barfs out your old companion cube. Such a charming way to end the story, and I couldn’t help but smile. Especially in contrast to the intense turret opera immediately preceding it, it just feels oddly wholesome.
About 8 or so hours into Tears of The Kingdom I discovered the depths completely on accident by riding one of the dragons into it. First time in a long time I felt a complete sense of awe while playing a video game.
What I find interesting is that you spent 8 hours doing random things, because quite early in the game the main town has a quest that brings you down there and has you tap a light root to see what they do.
Completely missed that quest lol. Most of my time early on was just spent exploring and unlocking the map. Eventually made my way to kakariko village, saw a dragon flying into one of the holes and hopped on thinking I’d go out of bounds and die or something.
Hahaha love that you jumped on just to see if the game would let you ride it into the abyss
I also missed the quest, but I saw the hole and dove right down it at the start.
Came here to post about TOTK - I didn’t think it could match the sheer wonder and awe BOTW filled me with but somehow it’s surpassed it. Skydiving off the tutorial island / fusing a weapon for the first time have made me feel like a kid again. Truly incredible stuff from Nintendo.
When that music kicks in when you start a game of We Love Katamari or Katamari Damacy
It will always bring me joy
It brings me back to a simpler time of being a kid during summer and picking the game up for the first time with a former friend.
Though that former friend is no longer here, those memories of that summer will be with me hopefully forever.
I had lost those memories (and many many others) a few years back when I had a traumatic brain injury, and last summer when my AC was broken and I caught myself humming a some I didn’t remember. And after a bit of working on the song it clicked what it was from. I listened too a few songs from it and booted it up on my old PS2. And that intro music while sitting in front of my TV on the floor, brought me to happy tears as those memories of that summer started to flood back.
ugh, I used to have the soundtracks for those games on my iPod. might have to go requisition those again…
As a cat family, Stray had me and my wife smiling from start to finish. So many “yep, that’s a cat thing” moments.
Right at the beginning of Nier Automata when it shifts into a bullet hell game for a bit and the already amazing soundtrack changes styles to match I just knew I was in for an amazing experience.
In Control, the Hotel Ashtray maze:
spoiler
You put on headphones and some epic hard rock kicks in. (Old Gods of Asgard: “Take Control”.) The hotel hallways open up and transform into a surreal maze of twisting, sliding paths as you run through and hit a series of intense fights.
I’d never done the maze before, so I totally wasn’t expecting this: At the very end of it, basically unison with the in-game character Jesse, I said “That was awesome”
Finally beating the asylum demon on my very first playthrough of dark souls.
Then i immediately realized i only just beat the tutorial.
Playing Dark Souls 1 for the first time has so many amazing moments like that - finally defeating the Bell Gargoyles, or surmounting Sens Fortress and pushing the Iron Golem off… But I don’t think anything will ever compare to the exhilaration I felt in beating Ornstein and Smough for the first time.
Playing Portal 2 with a guy I found on Steam.
Totally agree. I need to try out the new Portal: Reloaded co-op, see if it has the same magic.
The “Invaders Must Die” fight in Hi-Fi Rush had me beaming ear to ear. By that point in the game I was so in tune (intended) with the mechanics I just chewed through the fight, headbanging the whole time. One of my all time favourite gaming moments.
Think its gotta be THAT moment towards the end of Disco Elysium (if you know, you know, I don’t wanna spoil it for folk who haven’t experienced it for themselves yet), it made me cry but it was a happy cry so I think it counts
Which part?
Spoilers
The shootout? Or the old man on the island? Or the cryptid?
spoiler
The third one
Yeah, that moment was awesome.
Red Dead Redemption - the first ride into Mexico, during the nighttime, when the music came on
Not so much a smile, more of a ‘WTF?! 🤣😂🤣😂’.
THAT quest in Kingdom Come Deliverance with the Priest.
Bastion, near the end; can’t remember the names, but when you’re carrying the man that betrayed you, while being shot at by his former clan; and eventually they stop, in awe of your commitment.
One of the soldiers finally opens fire again, and the one next to him throws him to the ground.
Anytime I instakill myself in Noita with my own spell combos i think “Yeah, I could have seen that coming” and smile.
Playing Mario Odyssey.
The segment right at the end where you
Mario Odyssey
play as Bowser was incredible. Just smashing through rocks as the whole place came crashing down I was grinning like a kid. It was just so incredibly fun and a great reward for beating the game.
