The best "passage" in a game you've ever played?

Kilboor

A New Life mission in Hitman Blood Money.

The Mafia II snow themed intro

Metal Gear Solid 2 Intro missions

callaway92

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa1fi1gxxUw

PerrinV2

Medal of Honour: Allied Assault

Landing on Omaha Beach,for time it came out I thought it was pretty epic.

Pickpocket

I've only just recently played through Half Life 2 for the fist time so that's foremost in my mind at the moment. There's so many fantastic sequences in that game. The Ravenholm section has already been suggested but I also particularly enjoyed commanding the Antlions along the sand dunes, clearing out enemy bunkers and breaking into Nova Prospekt. And then of course there's the Prospekt facility itself. Very challenging enemy placement, turrets, etc. along with some superb sound design and music from Kelly Bailey. Outstanding work from Valve.

Incidentally, I played through the entire Half Life series on my 2012 Macbook Pro. I never thought of my Mac as a viable gaming platform but all of the Valve stuff performs very well on it (even Portal 2). So if you're a console gamer and a Mac owner, then do yourself a favour and install Steam and play through the series (not to mention the many other Mac compatible games on Steam, especially older titles and low-spec indies). If you were like me, then one of the greatest gaming franchises ever is sitting right under your nose. And it's as cheap as chips.

ShadowHearth

Bioshock 1

I went in to it a bit blind. Just knew ots coming out, sow a bit off gameplay amd just went to gamestop amd bought it. Back then I was earning a lot and bought pretty much all mew games.

Then the whole rapture intro hit me, the graphics,atmosphere, retro America style got me right away.
All game was just insane for me. Loved it to bits. All the lore about characters spread around the environment, really cool scares and feel of dread. Story and the twist was really cool.
Still in my top 3 best games ever played.

johnny_ultimate

Smarmy but semi-serious answer: Passage!

One of the reasons I appreciate the recent-ish wave of 'short' games is because it allows designers a much greater degree of control over the pace, tone and feel of a game. Something like The Beginner's Guide is simply engrossing for its short duration. Another case in point is the recent Kentucky Route Zero: Act 4. Part of a bigger experience, but for an hour or two it's a captivating standalone mood piece, a series of magical realist and surprising set pieces. Given that it's a single journey down a river, it maintains that sense of it being a single 'passage' while still fitting in a variety of surreal yet beautiful situations, some of which are among the most potent in gaming history:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHbGHBqnSlg

On the other end of the spectrum, there's the opening to Bayonetta 2. A thrillingly OTT assault of increasingly impossibly large-scale situations, it's that rare sequel that arrives and almost straight-away shows itself to be as confident as its esteemed predecessor. That the combat system is so immediately responsive - as accessible or deep as you want it to be - means the player actually feels part of the madness as well, rather than just a succession of barely interactive action sequences (basically the anti-Asura's Wrath). Please pay particular notice to the thumbnail below, because it is awesome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGpRbSMEnQM

Think you could make up a few lists made solely of particularly artful stretches of the Souls games. For an obvious example I'd go with the opening few hours of Bloodborne: how it introduces you to its miserable world; how it teases you with story hints and mysteries; how it effectively trials you by fire right up until Father Gascoigne.

Another passage that always sticks out is the hour or so surrounding the East Arena section in Ico. I think that's when an extraordinary game is working at its peak powers: where the mechanics, world and narrative are perfectly aligned.

Robert ninja

Zero-Cool wrote: »

The intro chapter in The Last of Us. Holy Jaysus...

OP said played.

Gonzo

1 - first time I played World of Warcraft back in 2006 as a night elf warrior. The starting zone was incredible and the whole experience up to level 70. Never played a game like this before.

2 - Super Mario World (SNES), first console game I ever played after owning an Amiga 600. Needless to say this blew my mind. The music, the gameplay, the graphics, the everything.

3 - Starfox (SNES). I remember seeing this in the old Virgin Megastore on day of release. I stood there in awe, never seen graphics like this before in any game. This game was well ahead of its time. Bought it and indeed it played like a dream, music was fantastic as well.

4 - Doom (PC) I will never forget seeing this running on a pc downstairs in the old HMV in Grafton Street. Of course I didn't own a pc at the time and all I could do was drool. I didn't get to play Doom till at least a year or two later.

5 - Half Life 2 (PC) An incredible experience, this game still holds up extremely well today.

6 - Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) roaming across Hyrule for the first time, never experienced anything like this before. A living breathing world

7 - Call Of Duty 4 (Xbox 360) - one of the most memorable games of the last generation, one of the best fps games on console. All cod's have been very poor in comparison ever since.

8 - Silent Hill 1 (PS1) - an unforgettable experience, the fog just made it more scary. The twisted demented sections and the incredible soundtrack. Would love a proper remaster of this game.

9 - Bloodborne (PS4) - spending several days just getting past the first section of the game dying over and over and over. The gameplay and atmosphere kept me going, if this was any other game the disc would have been long snapped in two. Finished the game eventually, one hell of a game.

10 - Uncharted 2 (PS3) - one of the best games ever made, incredible cinematics, scripted scenes and gameplay.

Chancer3001

There was a passage in one of the early resident evil games where a giant crocodile came smashing through the wall and you had to turn around and high tail it out of there.

Ut scared the absolute jaysus out of me and the 2 lads who were watching me play.

You know its a well scripted passage when 3 young lads are screaming as poud as they can at the tv!

gimli2112

It only lasted a few minutes but Aeris' death in FF7
"Wait, what?"

Opening scene from TLOU is a good shout too.

Manning3000

The opening section of Final Fantasy vii, I was 12 years old and had just gotten the PS1 for christmas, had no idea what the game was about, when Cloud jumps off the train and stands still cos you are now in control but don't realise it WOW,

kunst nugget

Actually just playing through Half-Life 2 for the first time with the Orange Box. I was a bit on the fence with until going through Ravenholm - it's a fantastic section of play. Playing Half Life 2 has reminded me how much of a blast Wolfenstein: the New Order was and I'm probably going to play that again when I wrap up on Half Life 2. I think the section where you go back to the London Nautica was my favourite in that. Singularity was another in that vein and your first trip to the past and your changing of history was a great way to kick in with the game.

Other than those, the ones that come to mind are your first encounter with the alien in Alien: Isolation, the burning building section of Max Payne 3 and the trainwreck at the beginning of Uncharted 2. I'm playing through Yakuza: Dead Souls and I'm having a blast with that. Mowing down those zombies is great craic altogether.

Another one that stands out for me is the first couple of hours of Far Cry 3. I hadn't been near a game or gaming properly in about a decade and the first game I got for my PS3 was this. I couldn't believe how good it look and how smooth the gameplay was.

Cina

I'm not sure either of these really count as passages, maybe moreso incredible moments, but..

The giraffe's in TLOU was the most "holy sh*t that's beautiful" gaming moment ever for me.

Closely followed by RDR - John riding into Mexico to the song "Far Away".

As for actual passages...

Psycho Mantis fight in MGS (seriously, you had to swap your bleedin' controller!)
Suicide Mission in Mass Effect 2
Half Life - Intro
Half Life 2 - Ravenholm
Countless chases in the Uncharted series
Bioshock - "Would you kindly?"
Kaer Morhan in The Witcher 3 - (I mean the drunken scene has to be the most hilarious in a game ever)
KOTOR - The twist

And many more..

Retr0gamer

Cina wrote: »

Closely followed by RDR - John riding into Mexico to the song "Far Away".

It was awful for me, terrible moment. Got knocked off my horse and attacked by wolves during it which kind of killed the mood

Zero-Cool

Retr0gamer wrote: »

It was awful for me, terrible moment. Got knocked off my horse and attacked by wolves during it which kind of killed the mood

HAHAHA That sounds brilliant :pac:

kunst nugget

Cina wrote: »

The giraffe's in TLOU was the most "holy sh*t that's beautiful" gaming moment ever for me.

Yeah, I've specifically gone back to play that a couple of times because it's so great.

Azza

The most important day of your life....but for him it was Tuesday!

Retr0gamer

Zero-Cool wrote: »

HAHAHA That sounds brilliant :pac:

Not really, I was enjoying it but once you get hit the music abruptly stopped! I kept hearing about this great moment and those little ****s of wolves ruined it for me!

Zero-Cool

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Not really, I was enjoying it but once you get hit the music abruptly stopped! I kept hearing about this great moment and those little ****s of wolves ruined it for me!

Aaahhh I was picturing the scene as José still singing his heart out while you got mauled by wolves. That is some sickner man.

OptimusTractor

Destiny the 1st couple of Oryx kills were nerve racking.

"Ogres are up. Knight 1 is down, Knight 2 is down, Knight 3 ....... 3 has gotten away I'm being spammed to death by an Acolytes Eye"

Hoping you aren't slammed while being teleported into the shade.

To the final kill: "Oryx has gone centre. Weapons Bubble for god's sake someone pop a Weapons Bubble".

Digital Solitude

Anor Londo in the first Dark Souls game, looked beautiful and it was an incredible area to play through for the first time, topped off with an excellent boss fight.

Bloodborne, Old Yarnham, you open a locked door and are greeted with a ruined city, burning. It was a long time before I knew what really happened in Old Yarnham but it made the experience even better.

The twist in Bioshock, I just sat there, staring blankly at the screen. Absolutely mindblown.

The initial chase to the segment where you meet your first fake dead necromorph in Dead Space, scared the bejesus out of me.

The Swamp in The Witcher 3 was pretty surreal, I loved that area, it was so colourful, and really creepy.

The final level of Sleeping Dogs, where you escape the torture to kill Mr Tong. Game gets stupid from there but it was an intense level up to that.

I can't remember the level name, or even if it's the right game but the mission where you sneak through the Nazi-Commie battleground in Metro 2033, unsettling dialogue from a lot of NPCs and a very suffocating environment in the tunnels, it's a very memorable level for me, I still think about the two soldiers discussing the cyanide pills

cherryghost

I played through Roundabout in one sitting just for the cutscenes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZmYXFh0Ips

Vojera

Final Fantasy VII
My first ever RPG so it has a special place in my heart. One part that still stands out to me all these years later is climbing ShinRa tower and following this trail of blood and bodies in Sephiroth's wake. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. It was really well done.

Dear Esther
I know some people aren't into walking simulators but for me, the final few minutes as you

make your way towards the aerial and climb

, knowing what's going to happen... I cry every time I play it. There's something about it. There's this feeling of helplessness - because there really is no other option but to keep pushing forward - and freedom and hope that jars with the actual events. It's beautiful, really beautiful.

Kal El

Roar wrote: »

Also, the finale of Journey. Incredibly moving.

:eek::eek::eek: Yes

mcgooch

Seeing the first colossus in Shadow of the Colossus and thinking how on earth am I supposed to tackle this thing! Eventually figuring it out, taking him down and then feeling a strange mix of both exhilaration and guilt.

Gaming Nirvana.

GavRedKing

TLOU has so many moments but for me it was reaching the college campus, having to go through the dorm when it was full of spours and a bloater was bloody tense and another was starting the generator in the hospital, first time doing it I had no idea what to expect. :eek:

Kal El

GavRedKing wrote: »

TLOU has so many moments but for me it was reaching the college campus, having to go through the dorm when it was full of spours and a bloater was bloody tense and another was starting the generator in the hospital, first time doing it I had no idea what to expect. :eek:

Literally just started TLOU. Did the first scene, cried then turned on some fifa to beat some kids and feel manly again:cool:..............:(

Digital Solitude

Kal El wrote: »

Literally just started TLOU. Did the first scene, cried then turned on some fifa to beat some kids and feel manly again:cool:..............:(

Just playing TLOU myself, barely flinched at the first scene I don't normally display signs of sociopathic behaviour but there was a voice saying "you really should have reacted to that"

It was weird

gimli2112

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Just playing TLOU myself, barely flinched at the first scene I don't normally display signs of sociopathic behaviour but there was a voice saying "you really should have reacted to that"

It was weird

Morning Satan

gimli2112

Kal El wrote: »

Literally just started TLOU. Did the first scene, cried then turned on some fifa to beat some kids and feel manly again:cool:..............:(

Yeah that's what I remember too. Just so well done. Said it before but I never and I mean never watch cut-scenes. My first play-through watched every single one.