Not too long from now, I might look back on 2011 as a year when I spent an unhealthy amount of time with my jaw hanging open in front of my television screen. For better or worse, developers this year seemed to focus on the big “impact” moments–those plot-points and set-pieces that reach legendary YouTube status and have you texting your friends at 2 a.m. Other games, as they always have, made for great water-cooler moments in less scripted but more personal ways. But regardless of method, half the fun of those experiences comes from sharing them. So if you’ll indulge me a bit, here are my favorite moments of 2011.
Dead Space 2–Eye and the Needle
Cheap horror movies like “Saw” really don’t do it for me. They’re gruesome to be sure, but if onscreen action is going to keep me up at night, it needs to put me in the mind of a believably traumatized character, not just show me someone’s body being brutalized. Dead Space 2 delivers on both fronts, standing as the genre’s best example of how interactivity can foster a visceral sort of pathos that’s unachievable in films. That point hit home for me in the game’s final stretch, when protagonist Isaac Clarke–an eerily relatable character compared to his 2008 debut–needs to make a grotesque and unthinkable sacrifice. To describe the scene in detail would be a disservice; it needs to be played. But as you, the player, lower tapered metal ever closer to Isaac’s shivering flesh, I challenge you to keep your composure.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception–Just Deserts
I’ve heard people criticize this scene for involving little more than “just pushing forward.” It’s a fair argument, but one that belittles the very core of the Uncharted franchise. Trudging through the Arabian sandscape is special because it epitomizes the preeminent trait of one of gaming’s most endearing characters: Nathan Drake is a normal man with relatable vulnerabilities. We’ve been through a lot with Nate, but until Drake’s Deception, we’d never seen him reduced to the basic need for food and water. One mirage gives way to the next, the sun sets and rises, and still we press forward with fleeting clarity. The camera pulls back to show the endless sea of dunes; Nate is lost in body and mind, and we’re right there with him.
Batman: Arkham City–Jumped by a Shark
It’s surprisingly non-controversial to say that Batman: Arkham City has the best brawling mechanics of any game since the 16-bit days. After Arkham Asylum, I’d even say it was expected. But I never would’ve predicted that I’d need to unleash my Bat-fists on the snout of 25-foot great white shark. Beholding the beast as it breaks through the waves–and onto your precarious bit of flotsam–is a legitimate shocker for the decidedly T-rated game, not to mention a brilliantly subtle throwback to the classic 1966 film, when Adam West goes toe-to-toe with a laughable plastic prop. It was also the only moment this year that made me scream out loud. (Seriously, who the hell would expect that? Not me.) Holy Sardine, Batman!
Portal 2–Shooting (to) the Moon
The brilliance of Portal 2’s moonshot is that it doesn’t need to tell the player to do anything–the game’s no-nonsense premise has trained you to fire at highlighted surfaces, and after seeing the roof break open with the full moon shining through, keen players might even recall an otherwise throw-away conversation about how Portals rely on lunar particles. So with one last button-tap and a “here-we-go” sparkle, it’s off to space with evil robots in tow and a dumbfounded grin on your face.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim–Stealing a Heart
The stand-out feature of this entry is that I came upon it by chance. Not to say that I’m special: Skyrim’s greatest strengths are its emergent gameplay and adaptive storytelling. With a massive world to explore and intricate systems overlapping in unpredictable ways, Skyrim allows an imaginative player to craft his or her own set of unique tales. You could almost think of this entry as a stand-in for whatever your own “Skyrim moment” might be.
After a long journey west, only a small band of Forsworn warriors separated me from the final components I needed to reforge the legendary blade, Mehrunes’ Razor. My housecarl and I could handle most of them without trouble; moving silently up the mountainside, we made short work of the archers and swordsmen. But a powerful witchdoctor stood firmly in my path–he was barely a man now, with torturous sutures holding his body together and his chest gaping open. A gruesome, bestial heart pulsed steadily in place of his own. As he sought me out to make a final blow, I took shelter in a cave and considered my options–maybe I could slip some poison into his pockets or steal some of his charms. I just needed to get close enough. I told my companion to wait, cast a silencing spell and tracked the shaman down. Slumped over his alchemy laboratory and muttering some incantations, he was deep in thought. Now was my chance. In a flash, the unthinkable presented itself to me. It was gutsy–literally–but I went for it. I tore the throbbing mass from his chest, and the mighty shaman collapsed. At last, I’d taken the summit.
After I stole his heart, I knew Skyrim had stolen mine.