What are the most powerful moments in gaming?

One time i was writing a comment on an article i read about "What makes a good video game Villain?" and I could not for the life of me remember who was the real bad guy in or how Fallout 3 ended when i was thinking of this topic and i had only recently completed Fallout 3 several weeks prior. On the other hand, i had absolutely no trouble thinking of Luca and Jowey Blight from Suikoden 2 and i had not played that game since its release something like 12+ years ago. This made me think about what it truly takes to make moments in a game that impact the audience and remain to resonate with the player for years to come after your interaction with them.
 
Here are some of my "most powerful moments in gaming".  They're in an order, but not a ranking order.
 
 !!!WARNING--SPOILERS ARE MOST LIKELY CONTAINED IN THE VIDEOS!!!
 
  1. Read Dead Redemption

One time i was writing a comment on an article i read about "What makes a good video game Villain?" and I could not for the life of me remember who was the real bad guy in or how Fallout 3 ended when i was thinking of this topic and i had only recently completed Fallout 3 several weeks prior. On the other hand, i had absolutely no trouble thinking of Luca and Jowey Blight from Suikoden 2 and i had not played that game since its release something like 12+ years ago. This made me think about what it truly takes to make moments in a game that impact the audience and remain to resonate with the player for years to come after your interaction with them.
 
Here are some of my "most powerful moments in gaming".  They're in an order, but not a ranking order.
 
 !!!WARNING--SPOILERS ARE MOST LIKELY CONTAINED IN THE VIDEOS!!!
 
  1. Read Dead Redemption

What the fuck is wrong with you? add some fucking spoiler tags

Metal Gear Solid 4: The slow deterioration of Old Snake.
 
Edit: So, not really one specific moment but you get the point.

@Ahmad_Metallic
 
First off, i did have a spoiler warning in CAPS surrounded by !!!! if you would have actually read the article instead of just scrolling through it. Also, did you really think an article that was basically discussing "the most impacting" parts of games wasn't going to contain spoiler material? Com'on now.

@Ahmad_Metallic  First off, i did have a spoiler warning in CAPS surrounded by !!!! if you would have actually read the article instead of just scrolling through it. Also, did you really think an article that was basically discussing "the most impacting" parts of games wasn't going to contain spoiler material? Com'on now.

@TerraMantis: No one knows what games you'll find inside a topic like this one. Maybe they have played them, maybe they haven't. I think it's only polite to hide everything concerning that game, in case someone accidentally catches a glimpse of text or something. You have better tools than "SPOILERS!!!" at your disposal. You could have done something like:

Real Ending for Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors

What about the fucking spider in Limbo or the beginning of Bioshock.

The good Mass Effect ending for me. When the fleet shows up to save the Destiny Ascension. Nothing more powerful.

When I stepped into the vacuum of space aboard the Normandy SR1 in Mass Effect 2 on PC for the first time, it's in the first 5 minutes of the game.

I had the game 100% maxed out with good headphones on, and the gameplay was super hectic, and then you open that airlock to get to Joker.. Whoa.

Suddenly, it's dead fucking silent. The only thing you hear is Commander Shepard's breathing. Gazing into outer space like that, blew my mind entirely. I could almost feel the vastness and epic scale of the black void, really powerful stuff. I am a massive sci-fi nerd though, so that might have helped.

That entire beginning of the game is pure poetry. When I got to the ME2 title logo, with the piano music, I could only whisper "ho-ly shit."

Edit: I just saw this exact moment was posted already.

@Ahmad_Metallic 
 
Happy?

The end of Half-Life 2: Episode 2 was a very powerful moment for me. I felt the desperation and sadness of the characters like I had never before in a game, mostly due to the terrific voice work and character buildup up to that point.

i'd say about 2 hours into MGS 2 when u start to realise your not going to play the game as  Snake. 

@laserbolts: More than the Aeris moment in my opinion.

Some of my most memorable moments in gaming would have to some of these.
 
 

Yo, the two-part ending sequence in Bastion. That was pretty god damned amazing.

@nintendoeats
 I've only played the demo of Bastion, i liked it quite a bit but i can't spare the cash with so many promising games on the way like; Deus Ex:HR, Gears3, Dark Souls, Batman:AC, Skyrim, LotR: WitN, Risen 2. Just can't spare it for an arcade game right now.  I want to though.
 
@buckfitches
 Yeah, i did. I am happy to see someone else spotted the same moment as i did. I actually got slight chills reading your description of it. =)
I think i just stood out in the vacuum for like five minutes the first time i did that part of the game.
 
@laserbolts
I had the same thoughts. The thoroughness of the response perfectly clarified exactly why.

Whenever I would shred the enemy flag carrier in Quake 2 CTF with a Quad Damage chaingun.

Finishing the Anju and Kafei quest line in Majora's Mask still sticks in my mind.

Probably wouldn't be as good If had failed at the end and had to start over, but luckily I remember finishing it with seconds to spare first time around so that probably added to the moment.

@TerraMantis: I totally agree with ME2 and FFVII ones - those're among the best for sure.

I usually remember the atmosphere of a game rather than any specific moments - like I really loved SMT: Nocturne for it's atmosphere. I can still remember how it made me feel. But there is one moment that comes to mind:

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together 

@Dunchad: Zaalbar is a Wookie, not an Ewok. I was really confused for a second there because I didn't remember any Ewoks in KOTOR.

A lot of the best ones have already been mentioned. Perhaps the best one of all still has not.

@Little_Socrates: Right - well, close enough I guess. Both are hairy and have 'w' in their name.

MGS3 -The Boss  

The Force Unleashed. The whole thing. This is the only correct answer. You guys can have your opinions, but know that they're wrong.

The End of Earthbound

Megaman is your dead brother.

@Ahmad_Metallic   Happy?

My mind immediately falls back to that scene towards the end of bioshock with Andrew Ryan. So amazingly well done.

I usually remember the atmosphere of a game rather than any specific moments - like I really loved SMT: Nocturne for it's atmosphere. I can still remember how it made me feel.  

Gotta be in Heavy Rain: 
 

I know this isn't the best example but I can't believe Call of Duty 4 hasn't been mentioned:

Here is another great one.
 
 

Not again with the Final Fantasy stabbing that whore, thing! That part wasn't sad or "a powerful" moment at all. People just keep brining it up since it's the only thing they remember fans talking about in the game because it has "big sword stabs a bitch" in it.

The strongest moment of Final Fantasy VII is still when Nanaki (fine, Red XIII -.-) finally figures out about his father, anyone who's played the game knows that. Only sad thing about the bitch getting stabbed is the fact that you wasted time leveling her up and giving her items that are now gone... If only she had died earlier

You're right, I didn't put a spoiler tag in there, if anyone still cared about Final Fantasy VII spoilers then they would probably already have played the game.

@Linkster7 said:

Finishing the Anju and Kafei quest line in Majora's Mask still sticks in my mind.

Probably wouldn't be as good If had failed at the end and had to start over, but luckily I remember finishing it with seconds to spare first time around so that probably added to the moment.

Definitely one of my favorite moments of Majora's Mask. I remember it so well because it was the final side quest I had to finish in the game. It made me so anxious at the very end.

Not again with the Final Fantasy stabbing that whore, thing! That part wasn't sad or "a powerful" moment at all. People just keep brining it up since it's the only thing they remember fans talking about in the game because it has "big sword stabs a bitch" in it.

The strongest moment of Final Fantasy VII is still when Nanaki (fine, Red XIII -.-) finally figures out about his father, anyone who's played the game knows that. Only sad thing about the bitch getting stabbed is the fact that you wasted time leveling her up and giving her items that are now gone... If only she had died earlier

You're right, I didn't put a spoiler tag in there, if anyone still cared about Final Fantasy VII spoilers then they would probably already have played the game.

The last fight/ending of Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. I feel bad for anyone who couldn't get past the art style and graphics for the game. Maybe my favorite Zelda game.
 
 

@Example1013 said:

The Force Unleashed. The whole thing. This is the only correct answer. You guys can have your opinions, but know that they're wrong.

I got really bored of that game near the end. The end was fine but it seemed to really drag itself there.

I gotta go with the Mass Effect series or FFX, the last FF game I played.

I know this isn't the best example but I can't believe Call of Duty 4 hasn't been mentioned:

SPOILER WARNING: Click here to reveal hidden content.

  

  
The CoD4 Nuke.

Metroid Prime - fighting Ridley
 
System Shock 2 - just plain the ATMOSPHERE
 
God of War franchise - Some of the huge boss fights
 
just to name a few....

Off the top of my head, of course Aeris' death in FF7. The ending to Prince of Persia 2008. Heavy Rain, when one of my characters died in a burning building. The way Red Dead almost ended as well.

@MariachiMacabre said:

@Example1013 said:

The Force Unleashed. The whole thing. This is the only correct answer. You guys can have your opinions, but know that they're wrong.

I got really bored of that game near the end. The end was fine but it seemed to really drag itself there.

I gotta go with the Mass Effect series or FFX, the last FF game I played.

Did you try to clear all the rooms? That might be your problem. The game really drags if you don't critical path the last level, but it's incredibly easy to avoid probably 90% of the enemies.

@Example1013 said:

@MariachiMacabre said:

@Example1013 said:

The Force Unleashed. The whole thing. This is the only correct answer. You guys can have your opinions, but know that they're wrong.

I got really bored of that game near the end. The end was fine but it seemed to really drag itself there.

I gotta go with the Mass Effect series or FFX, the last FF game I played.

Did you try to clear all the rooms? That might be your problem. The game really drags if you don't critical path the last level, but it's incredibly easy to avoid probably 90% of the enemies.

That may have been it. It's been a long time so my memory is fuzzy but I believe I went after all the lightsaber crystals.

@MariachiMacabre said:

@Example1013 said:

@MariachiMacabre said:

@Example1013 said:

The Force Unleashed. The whole thing. This is the only correct answer. You guys can have your opinions, but know that they're wrong.

I got really bored of that game near the end. The end was fine but it seemed to really drag itself there.

I gotta go with the Mass Effect series or FFX, the last FF game I played.

Did you try to clear all the rooms? That might be your problem. The game really drags if you don't critical path the last level, but it's incredibly easy to avoid probably 90% of the enemies.

That may have been it. It's been a long time so my memory is fuzzy but I believe I went after all the lightsaber crystals.

Oh god, no wonder you found it tedious. On slow run throughs it's taken me at least a couple of hours to collect all the holocrons on that level. I'd say you should replay the game and just not go out of your way looking for the last couple of crystals, just to give the game a fair shake.

My top moment has to be: