Most Powerful Imagery

[Brigandier]

Video games, by nature, rely on imagery to convey an experience. What is the most powerful image you've seen in gaming?

Number one for me is the first glimpse of City 17 in Half-Life 2. I threw the can at the guard and ran, only to see a huge city and and the Director lecturing me.

Number two is the trial scene in Chrono Trigger, raised divine indignation in my young self. I replayed it a half dozen times just to be innocent, as I knew I was. The Chancellor and jury stick it to me, every time.

How 'bout yous?

 

[Jodell88]

Aerith dying in Final Fantasy VII.

The twins sacrificing themselves to save your party in Final Fantasy IV.

 

[Brigandier]

Aerith dying in Final Fantasy VII.

The twins sacrificing themselves to save your party in Final Fantasy IV.

Aries? Yeah, that sucked. I thought the FFVIII Ragnarok scene was more powerful than that.

 

[mmntech]

To the Moon has many. Probably the two that choke me up the most are where he first meets the girl at the lighthouse, and the ending.

Leaving the vault in Fallout 3 for the first time.

The end of Bioshock Infinite

 

[Chriscross3234]

Two things have recently blown my mind.

Bioshock Infinite is definitely one, I don't know how many times I just stopped to look around and enjoy the combination of art style with the underlying themes of the game.

Also Morrowind with the Overhaul mod, I was seriously blown away at how much the mod updates the game. It's amazing that they were able to take a 10+ year old game and make it rival Skyrim.

 

[AFurryReptile]

Looking out over the city of Anor Londo in Dark Souls, you get an incredible sense of what the city once was. Moving through it, seeing how empty it is, you realize what it's become.

 

[Zenoth]

Oh boy I got a couple of those, in no particular order...

º First time seeing DOOM in motion.
º Stepping out of the sewers for the first time in Oblivion.
º First time seeing Star Fox (intro, mostly) on the SNES.
º First time revelation and approach of the Citadel in Mass Effect.
º The "Normandy Reborn" scene in Mass Effect 2 (the music played a vital role).
º The arrival of the allied fleet popping out of the Charon Relay in Mass Effect 3.
º The entire Battle of Ostagar scene in Dragon Age Origins.
º The first few minutes of game-play in Bioshock (original), from the intro (plane crash) to the moment you first get to the terminus (after the crash) and make your way down the ocean toward and finally get to step in Rapture.

And a special one that is still anchored in my mind as if it was yesterday, truly marking for me...

Your (well, my) first real, tangible physical approach of the Half-Life 2's Citadel at the start of "Our Benefactors". As you manage to puzzle your way within and between the crushers before finally getting to see it so close, while jumping your way on the crater's ledge towards it. I could feel some sense of dread I've rarely experienced in games even when I am very immersed (and usually I easily am). It's partly because during the entire game up to that point I always found the Citadel to be rather menacing just by its very presence even from a distance, and its very size alone was just mind blogging. But you also know that obviously there's "stuff in there that wouldn't like you anywhere close".

There's something about it that spews "this thing is so alien and I really don't belong here", when you finally get inside it. It's also in part due to the cold, almost ominous blue steel and general strange yet still very simple and "organic" architecture surrounding you everywhere you look. You ascend a ramp, you make your way in silent-yet-intimidating alleys and somehow even though you're "alone" (until some point) you'd feel that "this thing... this tower knows I'm here, I just feel it" which is what was constantly playing at the back on my mind while playing, it was awesome, superb atmosphere.

It'd probably be more simple if I just said that the Citadel in general was in and of itself one of the greatest "imagery" moment in video gaming history, for me. From afar when I first looked at it, seeing that "unfinished" allure it had, almost reminiscent of the Death Star in Return of the Jedi, with those giant hanging cables from mid point to its base, and its "rib" like structures revealed when the plating layers start moving (at which point you almost feel the thing is alive, truly spectacular). And when you see what looks like hundreds of drones suddenly "bleeding out" of it, accompanied by its "scream" (the siren) signaling and confirming its definitive malevolence toward you and the "Rebels" of the city. Indeed, one heck of a well crafted and artistically-presented place in gaming.

So anyway, this type of thread would force me into a sleepless night and I'd type a novel or two for describing hundreds more. For now I'll leave my take on this as is, but I might edit my post at some point to add a few others.

 

[Red Hawk]

Mass Effect 3 spoiler:

Spoiler

Mordin crawling to the control panel after Renegade Shepard shoots him, and reaching for it, only to collapse.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Speaking strictly of imagery, when you step out of the jungle in Crysis right as the sun starts rising over a broad sweeping vista of the bay absolutely stunned me when I first played it. The sun rays peaking through the palm fronds, waves gently rolling up the beach, the reflections off the water... It was just breathtaking, a stunning example of the technology Crytek had developed in CryEngine 2.

 

[Brigandier]

Looking out over the city of Anor Londo in Dark Souls, you get an incredible sense of what the city once was. Moving through it, seeing how empty it is, you realize what it's become.

Reminds me of "Before They Are Hanged" when they go to the destroyed/forbidden city.

 

[videogames101]

jumping off the cliff edge in the BF3 map damavand peak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9Rjh945thDM&t=11

fullscreen, and you should really do it yourself, because the video doesn't do the visuals justice at all

also, opening off carrier level in bf3 on ultra on a 1080p projector

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHt4s_vKNQU

again, video is grainy and doesn't do it full justice, not the mention the audio quality of the scene

 

[Stringjam]

Hmmm......so many come to mind.


One that always sticks with me is the approach to the Brain Scorcher in STALKER ShoC. You're on that road and you start to catch a glimpse of those giant antennas in the distance.....and you can hear that snaps and booms coming from them as you begin to get closer.

It's one of the creepiest, most haunting things I've seen in any game, and even though I've been through the game a dozen times, I still get that feeling every time I make my way up the road.

Some of my favorite imagery in all of life is in Mirror's Edge. When you start the game and you're looking across this perfect, gleaming dystopian city. Brilliant art direction.

Atomic mentioned the "sunrise" scene in Crysis. I concur with his experience. This was actually the first game I bought after I built my first real gaming PC (with a mighty 5850.. 😉 ). The moment was like an epiphany........and to that point I had never witnessed such a dynamic living, breathing environment. My jaw was on the floor.

Don't have a screenshot of it, but I have a few others that will do....

Another one I just have to mention is Dear Esther. I'm not surprised, considering is was solely built by an environment artist from the Mirror's Edge development team. The cave scenes just blew me away. Source has definitely never looked so good.

Metro: Last Light. It's like every tiny inch of this world was lovingly crafted by a passionate artist. Venice was just amazing.

There are more I can think of.....BioShock Infinite has many.

 

[Dankk]

I'm seeing a lot of broken images in this thread. Guys, try using an image host that doesn't suck. http://imgur.com/

Anyway, an example I can think of off the top of my head is in Deus Ex: Human Revolution when

Spoiler

you and Malik fly back to Hengsha, get ambushed by belltower, Malik dies (if you don't manage to save her) and you see her body just lying on a table a little later in the enemy's compound.

 

[Elcs]

Homeworld Mission 3...

Music, AI and narrator made the image hit home HARD.

 

[Geosurface]

In the Intro to Fallout 1, when the TV playing the old fashioned commercials pulls back to show the destroyed city.

In Thief: The Dark Project when Garrett has his eye removed.

In Halo: Combat Evolved when you first see the structure of the ring outside.

Sunrise in Giants: Citizen Kabuto

The Storm Peaks (as well as Crystalsong Forest, and Dragonblight, and many other areas) in World of WarCraft's Northrend. Particularly with music.

Leaving Vault 101 for the first time in Fallout 3

The mountainous landscape of Skyrim.

And I can't agree enough with Elcs regarding Mission 3 of Homeworld

 

[DominionSeraph]

Homeworld Mission 3...

Music, AI and narrator made the image hit home HARD.

This.

jumping off the cliff edge in the BF3 map damavand peak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9Rjh945thDM&t=11

Oh god, I'm in pain over the awfulness of those physics.

 

[zerogear]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXNQNeLDg5s

Homeworld. Return to Kharak and between Agnus Dei (Adaigo for Strings) and the awesome narration when he says "standby for playback" with almost a sigh.

Loved it. That and Final Fantasy Aerith scene. But I was more pissed off about losing a set of equipment. D:

 

[XiandreX]

Two things have recently blown my mind.

Bioshock Infinite is definitely one, I don't know how many times I just stopped to look around and enjoy the combination of art style with the underlying themes of the game.

Also Morrowind with the Overhaul mod, I was seriously blown away at how much the mod updates the game. It's amazing that they were able to take a 10+ year old game and make it rival Skyrim.

Bioshock definately got its artwork/feel down. I second your comment. +1

 

[Dahak]

+1 for Homeworld Mission 3 as well
I would put Fallout 3 exiting from the vault the first time as well

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Tomb Raider - I was in awe the entire time I played this game. Absolutely stunning visuals

 

[Via]

I agree with the intro to Fallout 1, and I'll put the final scene up there as well. I had no idea it was coming, and after the 40 or 50 hours I spent scratching and clawing my way through the game it was like a punch in the gut.

Playing TR 1, and coming across an underground sphinx:

Seems silly after all of these years, but I still remember how startling it was to see 3d accelerated graphics for the first time. NFS :HP came with my Voodoo 3 3000 and made my eyes bleed; you could actually see the textures on the road as you flew by.

The Half Life Tram ride. Wait a minute... what's going on? Am I playing a game or am I in a movie?

The gameplay it self was kind of meh, imo, but I remember my jaw dropping when I first saw the expansive vistas of Dungeon Siege.

That weird vortex level in Alice.

Just looking up at the nighttime sky in Morrowind:

 

[rgallant]

"rely on imagery to convey an experience. What is the most powerful image you've seen in gaming?"
-this is the one that came to mind reading your question ,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuS9Aq3TKzM
-being lost for days inside the alien ship in Crysis 1 -did not expect the size of that level.

 

[WiseUp216]

I forget what the area is called but I took this screenshot near the end of the Skyrim main quest. One of the more beautiful scenes in a gorgeous game.

 

[Craig234]

Avoid spoilers. Like the Thief one is a spoiler.

 

[WiseUp216]

Avoid spoilers. Like the Thief one is a spoiler.

A spoiler for a 15 year old game? 😛