Board 8 > Trdl's Top 50 Gaming Moments: The Rankings! (Unmarked Spoilers) (Writeups)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Ok I can walk away from this list happy.

So good. Might not be #1 either but it's damn close.
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Although actually in my head I'm combining this with everything that happens up until the very end, so I don't know where I'd rank it if it's just the scenes in the final battle. Still pretty high but probably not top 5 or something.
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I hear ya there, but I can only contain so much under the umbrella of a "moment."
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"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate... Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yet, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed..."

the greatest of all time

only a handful of moments could really compete with this for #1 and given the game restrictions in play i don't think any are really available. closest is probably persona 3 still just the actual ending
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Kinda surprising to me that FFX's ending didn't make the list (probably - I refuse to believe True Pacifist Undertale's ending won't make it), but it's not like BFES isn't a top tier choice.
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damn just reading that writeup getting me back into thinking about persona 3

god that game is so ****ing amazing

such damn style too. those damn openings. the original and portable's so good (peak persona openings along with p4 original, p4 golden a regression). SEES the best. GOAT Final Boss.

god i want to just replay it now but i can't because augh persona 5 in two weeks not enough time and i don't want to risk persona burnout
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xp1337 posted...

persona burnout

Can confirm this is a real thing. It's especially bad when you beat one game and then immediately try and leap into the next one also.

I tried this with Persona 4 after just having beaten Persona 3, and like I didn't really even enjoy P4 at all that first time. Ended up stopping in the Bathhouse dungeon or something.

Of course I then came back to it a few years later and it is now also one of my favorite games of all time, but man trying to do it the way I did initially was a mistake.
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Should I do Honorable Mentions before or after #1?
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Before
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profDEADPOOL posted...

Before

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Okay. I have quite a few, so no writeups, just quotes.
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Honorable Mentions:

Final Fantasy IX -- Curtain Call

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBjWyjy6HCI

Grant me my only wish! Bring my beloved Dagger to me!

Persona 4 -- King's Game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxL5U7ZJtCo

Phew, somebody decent... no crazy orders this time...

Spec Ops The Line -- Confrontation with Konrad

(I didn't play it myself so it couldn't be on the list, but I need to put it somewhere.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=915FESKzjWM

You're here because you wanted to be something you're not: a hero.
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trdl23 posted...

Final Fantasy IX -- Curtain Call

Such a great moment
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trdl23 posted...

Final Fantasy IX -- Curtain Call

Not gonna lie I was still hoping against hope that this was going to be #1.
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The final battle against Nyx is so great. I remember I only had my MC alive and was one hit away from death when I won, which was pretty harrowing (but appropriate!) after an hour-long fight. >_>

King's Game is quality. FFIX ending is eh.
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Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney -- Von Karma's Defeat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD1fb51vpz0

Edgewooooooorth...! Only you... would dare... defy me!
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Mobilezoid posted...

trdl23 posted...

Final Fantasy IX -- Curtain Call

Such a great moment

cuz it means ffix is finally over, right?

>_>

More seriously, King's Game was a moment where I later realized "wow i'm dumb that i forgot this among p4 moments" but by the time I actually had that thought we were far enough where I was confident it wasn't appearing. Great moment though.
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Bloodborne -- Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdWOFrFbcz8

Only an honest death will cure you now. Liberate you from your wild curiosity.

Touhou 7 Perfect Cherry Blossom -- Necrofantasia

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

Don't you dare tear a hole in the barrier.
-Oh, didn't I say that I already had, before we fought?
Go home and sleep!

Pokémon Gold/Silver -- Showdown on Mt. Silver

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9acbPU4wYJw

...
...
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Bloodborne is part of my increasingly-way-too-big backlog. It always looked like a lot of fun, I just hope I'm not so bad that the difficulty destroys me.
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xp1337 posted...

Bloodborne is part of my increasingly-way-too-big backlog. It always looked like a lot of fun, I just hope I'm not so bad that the difficulty destroys me.

Don't worry. You are.
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Up
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Persona 3 -- Shinji's Sacrifice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxPVF24zy4I

This... is how it should be...

Fire Emblem The Blazing Blade -- Matthew's Vengeance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_6ifN0mVcE

That woman... there was a name clinging to her final breath. She said "Matthew."

Valkyria Chronicles -- Farewells

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmnzrGRxnE4

Hey, kid. I'd like to sing for you if that's okay. After all, a promise is a promise, right?

Final Fantasy X -- The End of the Dream

(This was a snub. A massive snub. There's no excuse for it, but once I started going down the list I couldn't change it.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JPo6Qs72fU

Everyone has lost something precious.
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I had half my writeup done for #1 when my browser crashed. God damn it.
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Lazarus is your friend
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/lazarus-form-recovery/
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/lazarus-form-recovery/loljledaigphbcpfhfmgopdkppkifgno?hl=en
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That's awesome, Snake. Thanks.

I'll try to rewrite it tomorrow. It was probably a shitty one anyway. It's hard to capture this one without writing like 15 paragraphs.
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Not tonight after all.
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Work late makes Trdl not writeup...
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Or you can send me to Tennessee on 5 hours' notice, that's cool.
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Bump
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Thanks, raccoon mafia.
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bump
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too read, didn't long.

I just worked 14 hours.

No writeup tonight either.
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Bump
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I'll try to finish this tonight.
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Nice try, I know what today is
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OrangeCrush980 posted...

Nice try, I know what today is

Lol
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So, should I predict that #1 will be Tidus laughing?

HA HA HA HA HA ha
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Tidus laughing would be a legit choice for number one, that moment is great!
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#1: Undertale -- SAVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH05QKkk6Q8

I've gone through ASGORE's sorrow. I've gone through the insanity of Omega Flowey but spared him and received his advice. I've had manly cooking time with Undyne, played matchmaker to her and Alphys, and then I've endured the terror of the underground lab. I've learned the truth of Determination and Flowey's role as the vessel of souls. Having reached a point of no return, I've confronted Asgore again, only for all my friends, the people I've come to adore, intercede and tease a happy ending, only for Flowey to reveal this as another ruse. He couldn't beat me with six souls, but knowing all the friends I made would come to my aid, he would absorb all the monster souls in the underground as well, equaling the power of that seventh soul he needed to become a god.

But I also knew the truth of who Flowey was even before he transformed. I'd read that a monster's dust is spread on an object upon death so that the essence will live on through it. And a certain prince's dust had spread on that first yellow flower from the surface to grow in the underground. The flower Alphys had used as her vessel symbolically.

Hello, Asriel.

His power transcends everything I've seen to this point, but for some reason, I'm not afraid. Maybe it's because he doesn't want to destroy the world but reset it and keep on going through this story, knowing I would actually do whatever it took to get my happy ending. Maybe it's hard to take a guy seriously when he's covered in rainbows and calls his attacks juvenile things like "CHAOS BUSTER." But I also know I can do this. I can Hope and endure things that should finish me. I can sustain myself by making my Dreams come true. Even with my enemy's equivalent of seven souls, my Determination keeps me going. "HYPER GONER" was pretty brutal, but it still couldn't finish me off. Go on, sure, ascend to your "true form," kid.

But that ends up having more potency than I expected. I can't move. I'm at 1 HP. And he releases a brutal assault I just can't dodge. This can't be how it ends.

*But it refused.

It speaks to the quality of the writing again that Asriel calls out my death, knowing that I can keep coming back, but he claims I'll only endure so long. And he's right. I'm powerless. I can't even reach my SAVE file anymore. He's taken the power from me. But maybe... just maybe... I have the Determination to SAVE something else.

With a smile and an inspiring music change, I reach out to all my friends who are part of Asriel's being now. If I can get to them, I can start a cascade to change fate. And so it begins.
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Papyrus. You goofy, adorable skeleton. You're obsessed with proving yourself because you want people to recognize your greatness, whether it's your social status or your awful cooking skills. You feel lonesome because you want more friends, and you want people to pay attention to you. But you don't need to become a royal guard or capture anyone to do that, Paps. You don't have a mean bone in your body, and that's what we love about you. All your friends like you for who you are, and you don't need to prove anything to us. I might even try eating something of yours when we're back to normal.

SAVE.

Sans. You're a riddle wrapped in an enigma, aren't you? There's a lot going on behind that smile. Everyone likes you and your lazy, easygoing ways, but there's a sadness behind those lights in your eye sockets. You're not lazy as much as you've been beaten down enough for you to stop caring about anything. I don't know how you do those tricks. I don't know the meaning behind the machine in your basement. I don't know what you mean when you say you'll "never see 'em again." But let me throw you a bone. I know how much you love your brother. I know you still have some passion beneath the sadness. What you have here is valuable, and I know you can recognize it, too. I know you're rooting for me, and when this is done, I'll be rooting for you, too.

SAVE.

Undyne. You want to be the hero for all your fellow monsters. You've trained your whole life to be the strongest, toughest knight in the Underground because you want to champion everyone. You want to be everyone's shining hope to return to the surface. And you really are a hero. You're the only monster known to even produce her own Determination, not knowing how dangerous that can be. But there's so much more to life than fighting, and you've started to learn that. Your best friend Papyrus looks up to you for the quality of your character more than for your might. Your love Alphys is infatuated with your undying passion and devotion. You're not just the strongest monster physically, but also the strongest in will, and that's more important. I've seen how much you care about everyone around you, and even how much you came to care for me. Hold onto that, Undyne. I'll see you on the other side.

SAVE.

Alphys. You might still not consider yourself as such, but you really are a genius. Everything you've done, you've done for others. You had ambitious goals, and that takes ambitious ideas. You wanted to find a way to make things work; how could you possibly predict what would happen with the Determination experiments? But look at who else you've changed. You made Mettaton's dreams come true and provided endless smiles to the Underground through this shows. You introduced Undyne to the wonders of anime and found a passionate woman to respect your own passions. You kept the Underground powered through the CORE. And you did your best to help me, too -- puzzles, lasers, whatever. You just wanted someone to think you're better than you think you are, but that's already true. Please, you don't need to hide anymore. You don't need to lie anymore. You don't need to think of "doing something cowardly" anymore. You have so many people supporting you if you just look. Including me. Let's watch some Mew Mew Kissy Cutie when we come back. It's probably terrible, but I don't care. We'll enjoy it anyway.

SAVE.
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Toriel. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to see me, the seventh human to fall here, knowing the implications. You've tried so hard to make up for what happened to Asriel and his adopted brother, but your shame keeps gnawing at you. You not only know about those two, but you know your self-imposed exile prevented the other children from returning home, too. You saw your own hypocrisy and did whatever you could to prevent me from being your eighth mistake, even at the expense of your own life, as I sadly discovered early on. But I don't blame you. I understand. But you have to see that I can't finish this until you let it go -- both my presence and your burdens. Don't worry. Even in this situation, I have the Determination to see it through. I'll free everyone, just you watch. And I'm looking forward to the pie afterward.

SAVE.

Asgore. You're a man put in an impossible situation. Your children abruptly dead, and the truth of why it happened hidden from you. Your subjects, already lacking hope, crying for vengeance. Your wife disowning you for the decision you didn't want to make. You've been living your entire life in the past, hoping that things would stop getting worse, only for human after human to test your will to keep your promise to your people. You never wanted to free everyone because you knew it would mean war, a war you didn't want to fight and probably didn't think you could win. You have to get back in the present, Asgore. You can't apologize forever and just accept fate. We're going to make it through this. I'll show you how to find another option. Put some tea on the stove for me, and I'll have this done before the kettle whistles.

SAVE.

But I'm not done, not yet. There's still someone else I need to SAVE. Someone who's needed to be SAVED for a long, long time. The music and glimpse into the past go through my mind, and I know exactly what I need to do.

He's not a "God of Hyperdeath." He's not a sadistic, soulless vessel. He's a sad, scared little boy who's lost everything, even his own life. He's a kid who wants a way to play again, a way to feel again, a way to love again.

Hello, Asriel.

I'm not going to leave you. I'll endure whatever I need to endure. Your threats are hollow, and you know it.

SAVE.

Through my tears, I can see your heart change. You were just acting out. You just don't want to be alone again.

SAVE.

You just want to see your best friend again, no matter what it takes. You remember how much you care about them again, and you never want to let this feeling go. I want to see that happen, too, but we can't do this forever. We can't live in the past. We can only go forward.

SAVE.

You're not ready for this to end. Nobody is. But it's the only way I can SAVE everything. It's the only way I can SAVE you.

SAVE

A God starts crying, and I can't hold back my own floodgates anymore. But I won't let you win, Asriel. It's not what you want, and we both know that. My Determination will keep me here, no matter what you throw at me, so I can do the right thing for both of us.

SAVE.

"I'm so alone, Chara..."

SAVE.

"I'm so afraid, Chara..."

SAVE.

I forgive you, Asriel. I'm not Chara, but I'm here to help you with whatever I can. You did the right thing in the end, and that's the most I could ask for. I'll look after Mom and Dad; they're basically mine as well.

If only I could have truly SAVED you in the end, too.
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FINAL List Recap:
50. Portal 2: The Turret Aria
49. Bioshock: First Big Daddy fight
48. Metal Gear Solid 3: "It's a blank!"
47. Final Fantasy IX: Beatrix fights
46. Transistor: "Who gets to go first?"
45. Metal Gear Solid 4: The Microwave Hall
44. Guild Wars 2: Tybalt's Sacrifice
43. Life is Strange: Nightmare Sequence
42. Call of Duty 4: Aftermath
41. Dark Souls: Ornstein and Smough
40. Final Fantasy 7: Cloud's Memories
39. Half-Life 2: We Don't Go to Ravenholm
38. Shadowrun Dragonfall: The Raid on Feuerstelle
37. No More Heroes: Sir Henry Fight
36. Bastion: The Last Voyage of Weeping Nellie
35. Metal Gear Solid 3: The Salute
34. Dark Corners of the Earth: Attack of the Fishmen
33. Valkyria Chronicles: The Megatank
32. Undertale: "I know what you did."
31. Persona 3: First "Date" with Elizabeth
30. MadWorld: Look Pimpin'!
29. Touhou 8 Imperishable Night: Reach for the Moon, Immortal Smoke
28. Metal Gear Rising Revengeance: Make America Great Again
27. Persona 4: "Then let's get equal!"
26. Portal: The Companion Cube
25. Bastion: Saving Zulf
24. Final Fantasy IX: "Why...? Why would you do such a thing?!"
23. Persona 3: Ikutsuki's Betrayal
22. Touhou 7 Perfect Cherry Blossom: Saigyou Ayakashi
21. Risk of Rain: Coalescence
20. Psychonauts: The Milkman Conspiracy
19. Batman Arkham Asylum: Scarecrow Sequences
18. Final Fantasy X: The Sending Ritual
17. World of Warcraft: Arthas
16. Devil May Cry 3: Vergil
15. Final Fantasy VII: End of Disc One
14. Undertale: ASGORE
13. Metal Gear Solid 4: "We still have a score to settle."
12. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: "I would like to cross-examine the witness's pet parrot!"
11. Bioshock: A Man Chooses. A Slave Obeys.
10. Final Fantasy VI: Kefka's Ascension / World of Ruin
9. Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations: "In my world, the color red doesn't exist."
8. Final Fantasy IX: You're Not Alone!
7. Persona 4: Myriad Truths
6. Undertale: Your Best Nightmare
5. Final Fantasy X: Yunalesca / "Now is the time to choose!"
4. Spec Ops The Line: White Phosphorous
3. Life is Strange: "I'm right here. Kate, please..."
2. Persona 3: The Battle for Everyone's Souls
1. Undertale: SAVE
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Woo, we hit the end!

Solid list too - only major omission was FFX's ending. That was fun!
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Final Scores

Robazoid:
Starting total (12)
You're Not Alone! (1)
Your Best Nightmare (1)
Kate Marsh (1)
Battle for Everyone's souls (1) - Close enough
=16

xp1337:
Starting total (14)
Kefka's Ascension (1)
You're Not Alone! (3)
Your Best Nightmare (1)
Yunalesca (2+1)
Battle for Everyone's Souls (3+1)
=26

KanzarisKelshin:
Starting total (25)
You're Not Alone! (1)
Myriad Truths (1)
Your Best Nightmare (3)
White Phosphorous (1)
Battle for Everyone's Souls (2+1)
SAVE (3+1)
=38

ProfDEADPOOL:
Starting total (2)
Battle for Everyone's Souls (2+1)
=5

Snake5555555555:
Starting total (16)
Your Best Nightmare (2)
White Phosphorous (2+1)
=21

NFUN
Starting total (1)
The Color Red (1)
Yunalesca (1)
=3
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Thanks for being on this journey with me, guys. I knew it was ambitious with my work schedule, but we got through it, and I hope you've had as much fun reading through this as I had writing it.

Congrats to our winners in the predix contest! Kanzaris took 1st, which makes sense since we've been buds for quite a while at this point. Xp pulled a miracle in that last 10 to take the second place prize convincingly. Snake kicked ass into 3rd place even though his list was running at 30% the length of others'. Even NFUN managed to get a couple points in the end.

Kanzaris, I'm giving you Transistor because you need to play it, damn it. XP, let me know of a steam game under $10 you'd like. As for Kanz's "secret prize," well... I'll tell that to you via PM.

I'd also like your feedback. Which writeups were best for you? Which weren't? I'm always trying to improve as a writer, so I'd appreciate your insight!
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excuse me

i thought i had previously established that i was not in this for such base material prizes but solely for love of predicting

(You can decide what to do with my prize. consider it forfeited, pass it 3rd place, whatever)

I recall liking the Battle for Everyone's Souls write-up but that might just be because I like that moment a ton too. >_>
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I'd forgotten that. In that case it passes down to Snake!

I need to get this over to the wiki at some point.
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