Last Friday, we kicked off our countdown of the Top 50 Biggest Emotional Moments in Video Games. There’s already an impressive list, including the Joker’s fate in Batman: Arkham City and learning a startling fact about Alan Wake.
Dry those tears, because it’s time to continue the countdown with even more selections. Check out numbers 40 through 31 – and chances are they’ll take you by surprise!
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40. The painful death of Melendez (Call of Duty: Black Ops 2)
There are a number of endings available in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, ranging from the death of Melendez and an uprising of his surrogates, to his eventual capture and the saving of the world. However, one of the most emotional has Melendez escaping prison following his capture, only to pay Woods a visit and kill him. That’s disturbing enough, but then he visits his sister’s grave and decides to set himself on fire. That’s…messed up.
39. Losing your sanity (Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem)
Eternal Darkness is a GameCube game that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Each turn you take feels like a mental screw job, whether it’s something happening to a character in the game (losing one’s head) or the mere threat of all your saves being deleted from your memory card. However, the sanity effects provide the biggest shocks in the game, as they really make it feel like you’ve lost your marbles. Relax, your system did not randomly shut down.
38. You’re the bad guy (Braid)
Braid is a fun little platformer where you supposedly set out on a journey to rescue a beautiful princess, with only a rewind tactic as your weapon. However, once you get through it all, you discover a shocking truth – that villain the princess was trying to get away from was YOU. All you can do now is try to make it right. Emphasis on “try”.
37. Watching a movie with Jenny (The Darkness)
At first, you might think nothing of sitting on the couch and watching a full-length movie with your girlfriend in The Darkness. Considering what happens next, however, it suddenly resonates with raw emotion. Relaxing with your doomed girlfriend (and even opting to sneak a kiss) leaves an emotional scar that’s hard to shake. Check back with us to learn the hard truth.
36. The death of Eli Vance (Half-Life 2: Episode Two)
He’s one of the more likable characters you’ll find in Half-Life 2, which makes it that much harder to accept when he eventually succumbs at the hands of a nightmarish machine. Losing Eli Vance is a serious blow in Valve’s first-person shooter, especially considering his daughter is right there, watching it unfold.
35. The assassination of Yasir Al-Fulani (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare)
The Call of Duty franchise has no shortage of spilt blood, but the assassination of Yasir Al-Fulani – in the face of a coup-de-tat to overtake a country – is probably the most vivid. That’s because the player experiences the entire thing in first person, from his kidnapping to his transport to being tied to a post. From there, Khaled Al-Asad simply walks up, cocks his pistol and kills him – you’re still in first-person mode, by the way.
34. The upstairs bathroom (Gone Home)
Ready to get weirded out in the indie release, Gone Home? Head up to the bathroom and look for an audio diary left from Samantha. As you listen, you’ll discover just how deep the relationship is with Lonnie. As her hair is being stroked, Lonnie will be able to catch the gaze in the mirror and tell her how beautiful she is. It’s an eerie moment, but one surprisingly filled with love. Check it out for yourself.
33. The evil ending (Bioshock)
Should you purge the Little Sisters instead of setting them free in Bioshock, you’ll pay for it dearly. They’ll eventually become evil and overtake the world, as shown in the montage above. You’ll even hear how upset the narrator is over your actions. If you like being the bad guy – or just want to revel in watching the Little Sisters dominate the human race – this one’s for you.
32. Nicole shakes up Isaac (Dead Space)
Isaac goes through hell in Dead Space, even going as far as to take on an enormous alien at the conclusion of the game, then barely escape with his life. However, he’s not rewarded for his efforts, and goes to watch a transmission of his now-lost girlfriend Nicole. It’s a sad moment – but that suddenly turns to shock when he turns around to find a zombified Nicole attack him. Fade to black. Creepy.
31. Defeat your brother (Double Dragon)
Double Dragon is a fun arcade beat-em-up that still has plenty of nostalgic value, but it offered a twist that no other games had at the time – when playing in two player, there can only be one winner. So, Billy and Jimmy Lee, who fought as a team throughout the game, are pitted in a battle for Marian’s hand. Ah well, at least they made up in Double Dragon sequels.
Click here for more of Prima’s emotional video game moments!
Published: Jul 21, 2014 05:39 pm