Top gaming moments of 2010, pt.1

I figured I'd do my personal, ultra-biased list of those moments from games in 2010 that were particularly remarkable.

Doesn't mean the game had to be good, or that the moment in particular had artistic merit at all. If I recall my jaw dropping, tears coming to my eyes, or doing metal horns with my hand and saying "f*ck yeah!!", then it's enough reason to put it on the list. Full disclosure: I seldom, if ever, play FPS so you won't see any "sniping #2 in the world leaderboard as he was in the middle of a jump, then he landed next to my hiding spot where I conveniently teabagged him until respawn".

In more or less chronological order:

*SPOILERS THROUGHOUT*

Mass Effect 2:

- The Normandy SR1 being blown to pieces at the beginning brough some tears. I have a certain love for that ship, and one of the best cutscenes I've seen involves Joker letting her backflip and drop right before giving the killing blow to Sovereign/Nazara. Seeing beautiful SR1 getting owned, however, was a prelude to an even happier moment: the unveiling of Normandy SR2.

- Finding that Jacob's missing father had become a psychopath made me cringe quite a bit. Generally speaking, all these "missing family" quests involve said family member being abducted while in the middle of a noble mission. Not so here. The truth can be a bitch to handle.

- Old friends: seeing Liara grown up from a naive archaeologist into a ruthless spy, Tali taking up responsibilities in the migrant fleet, and good ol' Urdnot Wrex greeting me with a hug. "Shepard!"

- Humor galore: The Shadow Broker's data logs on the Normandy crew, including Miranda's dating habits, Legion's MMO addiction, and Jack's forum trolling. The Gunnery Sargeant explaining why Isaac Newton is the most dangerous SOB in the galaxy. EDI: "I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees".

Red Dead Redemption:

- Trying the game at PAX East and finding that the controls were much friendlier than those of GTA4. While I loved GTA4 as a technical achievement, I found the game extremely boring, the controls a pain in the neck, and the sidequests among the worst I've ever come across. It's the one game that sits unfinished in my collection. Kudos to Rockstar for somehow reading my mind and making RDR a much better experience than their previous game.

- Marston in the barn after getting his family to safety. Realizing the end is near, and that he won't go down without a fight. Reminded me of great film scenes in which a character accepts their fate and faces it with their chin up (Bill's death in "Kill Bill" comes to mind). Not only that, but Rockstar understood what makes a game different from a movie: its interactive nature. As the cutscene ends, we're plunged into dead-eye mode, and given, like Marston, a faint hope at getting out of this futile situation. Truly the best achievement in terms of game narrative I've seen all year, reminiscent of Andrew Ryan's death in Bioshock.

- The "real" ending of the game. After Marston's glorious yet bleak death, we are given the opportunity to exact revenge. And, boy, was it sweet.

Bayonetta:

- Fighting Sapientia (aka "that big sea monster"). The setting was beautiful, the boss absolutely enormous, and featured one of my favorite tracks from an already amazing score. Surfing the waves while shooting the hell out of of this beast was a pleasure.

- Mastering the controls, playing on hard difficulty, and defeating Jubileus with barely a scratch. Can you feel powerful?

Limbo:

- KISS: keep it simple, stupid. This game proved that a simple premise, game mechanic, and perfect art direction can be enough to make an amazing release. Indie devs rejoice!

- Beating the game with a total of 4 deaths. Achievement unlocked!

- The final baptism. After a nerve racking ending of avoiding one buzzsaw after another for a good 20min, there's a final sense of calm as we reach the end. We've gone through limbo, and our sister (Beatrice reference?) awaits. All is well for the boy now, and our own hearts can rest after the madness.