The end of Portal 2, when the enrichment center barfs out your old companion cube. Such a charming way to end the story, and I couldn't help but smile. Especially in contrast to the intense turret opera immediately preceding it, it just feels oddly wholesome.
When that music kicks in when you start a game of We Love Katamari or Katamari Damacy
It will always bring me joy
It brings me back to a simpler time of being a kid during summer and picking the game up for the first time with a former friend.
Though that former friend is no longer here, those memories of that summer will be with me hopefully forever.
I had lost those memories (and many many others) a few years back when I had a traumatic brain injury, and last summer when my AC was broken and I caught myself humming a some I didn't remember. And after a bit of working on the song it clicked what it was from. I listened too a few songs from it and booted it up on my old PS2. And that intro music while sitting in front of my TV on the floor, brought me to happy tears as those memories of that summer started to flood back.
ugh, I used to have the soundtracks for those games on my iPod. might have to go requisition those again...
As a cat family, Stray had me and my wife smiling from start to finish. So many "yep, that's a cat thing" moments.
About 8 or so hours into Tears of The Kingdom I discovered the depths completely on accident by riding one of the dragons into it. First time in a long time I felt a complete sense of awe while playing a video game.
What I find interesting is that you spent 8 hours doing random things, because quite early in the game the main town has a quest that brings you down there and has you tap a light root to see what they do.
Completely missed that quest lol. Most of my time early on was just spent exploring and unlocking the map. Eventually made my way to kakariko village, saw a dragon flying into one of the holes and hopped on thinking I’d go out of bounds and die or something.
Hahaha love that you jumped on just to see if the game would let you ride it into the abyss
I also missed the quest, but I saw the hole and dove right down it at the start.
Finally beating the asylum demon on my very first playthrough of dark souls.
Then i immediately realized i only just beat the tutorial.
Playing Dark Souls 1 for the first time has so many amazing moments like that - finally defeating the Bell Gargoyles, or surmounting Sens Fortress and pushing the Iron Golem off... But I don't think anything will ever compare to the exhilaration I felt in beating Ornstein and Smough for the first time.
In Control, the Hotel Ashtray maze:
spoiler
You put on headphones and some epic hard rock kicks in. (Old Gods of Asgard: "Take Control".) The hotel hallways open up and transform into a surreal maze of twisting, sliding paths as you run through and hit a series of intense fights.
I'd never done the maze before, so I totally wasn't expecting this: At the very end of it, basically unison with the in-game character Jesse, she & I both said "That was awesome"
Think its gotta be THAT moment towards the end of Disco Elysium (if you know, you know, I don't wanna spoil it for folk who haven't experienced it for themselves yet), it made me cry but it was a happy cry so I think it counts
Right at the beginning of Nier Automata when it shifts into a bullet hell game for a bit and the already amazing soundtrack changes styles to match I just knew I was in for an amazing experience.
Playing Portal 2 with a guy I found on Steam.
Same - I was done with the SP story and wanted to play coop.
I got matched with someone and we communicated by head bobbing / jumping and very little text chat.
Played through the whole thing together and never saw each other again, it was a special moment for sure.
The "Invaders Must Die" fight in Hi-Fi Rush had me beaming ear to ear. By that point in the game I was so in tune (intended) with the mechanics I just chewed through the fight, headbanging the whole time. One of my all time favourite gaming moments.
Anytime I instakill myself in Noita with my own spell combos i think "Yeah, I could have seen that coming" and smile.
Bastion, near the end; can’t remember the names, but when you’re carrying the man that betrayed you, while being shot at by his former clan; and eventually they stop, in awe of your commitment.
One of the soldiers finally opens fire again, and the one next to him throws him to the ground.
Maybe it is nostalgia, but Prince of Persia: Sands of Time ending. That whole soundtrack was a banger too.
Any Dark Brotherhood quests in the Elder Scrolls.
Yes! Sands of Time ending was great.
Red Dead Redemption - the first ride into Mexico, during the nighttime, when the music came on
Borderlands still tends to make me crack up. dem bandits are funny when they die
Not so much a smile, more of a 'WTF?! 🤣😂🤣😂'.
THAT quest in Kingdom Come Deliverance with the Priest.
I was trying out the Portal RTX upgrade and found a QR code while messing with a radio. When I scanned it, it gave me a txt file "black mesa". And I genuinely cackled physically. Wasn't expecting something so silly, let alone a functioning QR code, to make me laugh like that.
The first sight of Botw/genshin's open world, Gaur plains and gormott from Xenoblade 1 and 2.
The indescribable joy of feeling the wind on your face as the world opens before you
BOTW was such an awesome feeling
Hollow Knight, final phase of the fight with Radiance -> you ascend dodging the lasers to deliver the final blow as your shadowkin gather to witness your victory over Radiance.
The first time I beat the Cairo Station level in Halo 2, way back in 2005. The ending cutscene to that level is one of the best ever made, and was absolutely incredible to experience for the first time.
Recently, Hi-Fi Rush made me smile (and laugh) more than once :)
Playing Mario Odyssey.
The segment right at the end where you
Mario Odyssey
play as Bowser was incredible. Just smashing through rocks as the whole place came crashing down I was grinning like a kid. It was just so incredibly fun and a great reward for beating the game.
Mass Effect 2, Grunt's loyalty mission on Tuchanka. Always, always take the renegade interrupt to headbutt Uvenk and cut off his rant.
When in Rome...
2 of my favorite from Titanfall 2 are when:
1: During the home/neighborhood factory when you realize this is building the boss arena.
2: Using the time travel device to fight your way out of the facility in two different timelines.
The time travel sequence in Titanfall 2 is like the moment where the game clicked for me. I was hooked from then on. Such a good game, shame we're not getting a third :(
Dayz 'You are dead' screen always makes me smile, knowing i wont get that 4-8hrs back but then immediately starting again.
I don't particularly like the game, but the final mission in Mass Effect: Andromeda was wonderful and made me smile. It was gorgeous, great music, and gave me an adrenaline rush.
Recently it has to be the penultimate stage of Hi-Fi Rush. I was absolutely grinning from ear to ear while playing it, just perfect use of a licensed song
Metal Gear Solid PS1. Wipeout, also on the PS1, especially when the music kicked in.
Yes, many parts of MGS 1, but some that stand out for me:
I totally forgot about those moments! (⁀ᗢ⁀)
My first time playing no mans sky and finding out you get to fly around the solar system. I love how infinite the game is even if its a little repetitive
There were two in Control for me, both involving killer music: the ashtray maze and the altered movie camera. Absolutely grinning the entire time for both of those!
A bunch of moments in Mario Odyssey come to mind, especially the ending sequence
Frog detective - basically all the time.
The ending of God of War: Ragnarok. Although I have some problems with the "mechanics" of the story (how they handled the prophecy is a bit silly) the emotional and thematic core of the story is A+. I got a bit teary eyed at multiple points in the game, and I almost cried at the ending. Kratos got the finale he deserved.
Outer wilds spoilers!
spoiler
One time falling into the black hole on brittle hallow, I just happened to have my signalscope out and fall in at the right time to get the harmonic convergence achievement. It was an amazing moment exploring that world, falling through a black hole and being greeted by the travelers theme.
The first thing that comes to mind was my first play through of Yakuza 0. Majima spends so much time winning stuffed animals for a little girl that lost her dad. Part way through the quest line she starts calling him dad and it made him so happy. It warms the heart and I could not stop smiling.
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