5. Companion Cube - Portal
This moment is entirely because of how utterly ridiculous it is, but how well it actually works. Companion Cube is really just that: it's an inanimate grey box with pink hearts on it. All it does is let you stand on it to reach upper ledges, block energy balls and act as a weight on the 1500 Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Supercolliding Superbutton. But it's the way it sticks with you to solve that puzzle, the way it seems to look back at you covered in love hearts, and the way it formed 'companionships' with former test subjects that makes it almost seem as alive as you or me. And even if it seems crazy from a third person point of view, it's why (SPOILER ALERT) it's so hard to throw it into the Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator to be lost forever. We'll miss you, CC.
4. Mastering Venice back to front - Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider II, and any of the old Tomb Raider games for that matter, are hard. In fact, it's the sort of game you can 'work on a bit every day' and take you two weeks, and there'll be plenty of bits to get stuck on. However, the second level, Venice, is the optimum balance of easy, hard and enjoyable so that in a few completes you can perfect it to the point that you're able to run through it with little trouble, knowing exactly where to go, pulling off the tricky stunt at the end and generally feeling like a Tomb Raider god. The sound of the speedboat revving is unforgettable.
3. The Golf Cart - Battlefield: Bad Company
This has to be the most memorable moment for anyone who's played the Bad Company campaign, and it single-handedly describes the humour factor which makes it completely original in its genre. The utter silliness of the whole thing is outstanding, and the clip of the squad bickering in it while escaping from a tank in the trailer (where this picture is from) is just hilarious. A great smack-in-the-face for all the games out there taking themselves too seriously, brilliantly complimented by the light-hearted bluegrass playing on the radio as you drive around.
2. Ending and credits on the hardest difficulty - Max Payne 2
This game wasn't so much a collection of awesome moments but more one continous amazing moment, doing everything (in my opinion) that every third person shooter needs exactly right with no exceptions. Character, deep storyline, original presentation with the 'film noir' graphic novel cutscenes and special stuff like the Bullet Time chucked in to make the best game I have ever played. Finding the best part of it is hard, but I remember the feeling of immense satisfaction after ending the long slog on the hardest difficulty, seeing the alternate ending (SPOILER ALERT) of keeping Mona alive for all your trouble, and then having the sweet theme song Late Goodbye come in on the credits. It runs like an Oscar-winning movie.
1. Exiting Vault 101 - Fallout 3
While I do rate Max Payne 2 as a slightly better game than Fallout 3, I this moment has to win it. The soundtrack begins with peaceful, ambient tones as the blinding light of seeing the sun for the first time covers the screen in white, and then turns to more ominous and haunting notes as the dead Wasteland that was once Washington, USA is revealed. You see Silvervale smashed to pieces, the skyline of downtown D.C and Megaton hiding behind the destroyed highway. It describes just about all of Fallout 3 in about ten seconds, and is the best possible opening to what will be a long adventure. I’ve played the game 5 times through but that moment still hits me.
I imagine some of these might change over time, but for now these have to be the top 5. Considered the completion of Gears of War 2 on Insane, or the Dom and Maria cutscene came pretty close, but no cigar.
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