Great Cinematic Moments of Video Games

TVboyCanti

Firestorm Edit: When listing your game, put the game title and then the cutscene details in white font.

As a one-time amateur film maker, for me some of the best parts of video games are where you get to just kick back and watch the story unfold for a minute or two. Even a particularly shoddy game can be made into a pleasant experience with great cutscenes (and a decent story). Similarly, a game that you otherwise wouldn't give a second glance can suddenly become intriguing if it can hook you in with a great trailer.

I'd like to see what the gamers of smogon think are the best cinematic moments in video game history are, whether they're cutscenes (prerendered and in-engine), intros or trailers. Post your favorites in whatever format you like. Here's some of mine.


MGS1:PS1 - Death of a Wolf
One of the few true tear jerkers I've come across in video games. The regret-filled music, slow sweeping shots, excellent V-acting, and wolves howling in the background make this scene stick in mind 8 years after seeing it. Too bad Twin Snakes had to go fuck it up.

H2:XBox - Return to Sender
Halo 2 still has better cinematic cutscenes than almost anything else outthere, using dynamic camera movement that makes it feel like an actual movie clip, and this was the zenith in my mind. The score and the kinetics were perfect.

Soul Blade:PS1 - Edge of Soul
The first game in the Soul Series, this is my favorite intro out of the five games, though it's probably because this was the first 3D game I owned way back in 1999. The music and musicality is great.

SCIII:PS2 - Intro + Edge of Soul
Even though it was one of the more disappointing installments in the soul series, SCIII's intro was a wonderful visual treat. However it just didn't have that great song to go with it that made it memorable. That's why you add the great intro song from Soul Blade. Seriously, the intro from SCIII matches up so well with the full version of "Edge of Soul" that it's just ridiculous. I urge you to check this out.

The Force Unleashed:multi-plat - Light Side Ending
Although the latest Star Wars game was disapointment gameplay wise, The Force Unleashed had some of the best cutscenes I've seen in a video game and the story was a great addition the star wars universe. This ending cutscene was wonderful, and if your not planning on playing this game, I suggest you give this a look.

GOW2:XB360 - Last Day Trailer
A wonderful little trailer that defies convention by combining the soft, soulful folk stylings of DeVotchka with the gritty, hardcore game GOW2. Although GOW2 didn't leave much of an impression on me after giving it a spin, I still listen to "how it ends" quite often.
 
Okami


i'm sure anyone whos played it will agree with me that okami's cutscenes when you restore a guardian sapling are absolutely fantastic, you should really check it out
well, i dont know if you can count it as a cutscene it's more like a short little cinematic, but they're incredible nonetheless
on top of that there are loads of other fantastic cutscenes in okami, like

meeting orochi, or just before orochi when the arrow chooses kushi
 
eternal darkness on the cube always had some of my favourite cutscenes ever
 
Shadow of the Colossus. Every time you kill a colossus, they have the short scene where the colossus falls... it seems really sad that they've been defeated, even though they were trying to stomp you a minute ago.

And spoilers!!!!
-When you're headed to the last colossus, and Agro falls down the valley so that you can get across.
-When you get back to the main castle place after the last colossus and turn into Dormin and you can't do anything about it. (if that counts as a cutscene, since you have some control which ultimately has no effect)
-When the girl comes back to life, you're a baby, and Agro limps over.
 
GTA:San Andreas had some great cut scenes, especially the ending where it all comes full circle.

The entire Legacy of Kain series has some marvellous cut scenes, less for the action and more for the story themselves, especially some of the one-liners that Kain tosses out (Suppose you flip a coin enough times, supposing one day it lands on its edge...)
 
I am a huge MGS fan, and having said that here it goes.

MGS - I definitely agree with the wolf scene it is one of the best. Having said that the Sacrifice of Frank Jaeger ties with it in my opinion.

MGS2- Nothing really stands out for me, I guess when Olga dies, or the ending.

MGS3- Obviously the cut scenes surrounding the final battle with The Boss.

MGS4 - *Obviously spoilers*
- Raiden vs Vamp for just being plain old awesome
- Raiden holding back outer heaven and seemingly dying.
- Meryl and Johnny against the Frogs is decent

As far as all the MGS games go, It was the original that had the best in my opinion.

Agreeing the Shadow of the Colossus.
 
Final Fantasy: Crisis Core - This game had an epic cutscene, it was stupefying to say the least. Angeal + Genesis vs. Sephiroth in the middle of the whole game was amazing. I have to say that was one of the only real good ones that stood out besides the one in the end where Zack dies.
 
Final Fantasy X: The Sending. Shows off the power of the PS2 well, the animation in the water is great. The whole scene is really moving.
 
Put the event in spoiler tags after the game name please

It was very hard editting that MGS post. If I spoiled myself on MGS4 doing that Llama, you'd be a dead man.
 
I find that cutscenes can be pretty powerful if they're used sparingly (as in, almost not at all). So in Morrowind, where you pick up Moon-and-Star in the Cavern of the Incarnate and Azura speaks to you, that was pretty cool because you're halfway through the game and that's seriously the only cutscene you've seen.
 
I always loved the cut-scenes in Dino Crisis, there was always an element of excitement and/or mystery about them. It really kept me attracted to the game and storyline.

Viewtiful Joe is another.
 
Firestorm said:
Put the event in spoiler tags after the game name please

It was very hard editting that MGS post. If I spoiled myself on MGS4 doing that Llama, you'd be a dead man.
Click to expand...


You should have just skipped the post and waited till I came back and saw to edit it. Overall the titles of the cut scenes were either too vague or already known if you had seen trailers for the game.

Also I would have thought you'd have played the game by now.
 
Sorry Firestorm, it's just that parts of the scene I mentioned are used widely throughout one of the "if you sit there long enough at the main selection screen something happens" trailers in the game itself, so I figured there was no harm it it. But I'll be more careful next time.
 
B-Rock, I didn't read most of the posts. I just went and spoiler tagged them.

Llama said:
You should have just skipped the post and waited till I came back and saw to edit it. Overall the titles of the cut scenes were either too vague or already known if you had seen trailers for the game.

Also I would have thought you'd have played the game by now.
Click to expand...
I used my hand to cover most of your post. Like a ninja. I haven't played the game yet because I wanted to wait until I had a surround sound system first. I got mine yesterday so I will start very soon! I think I should finish Tales of Symphonia II first so I can concentrate fully on MGS4 though. But then again, the wait is killing me =[
 
I'm surprised you were able to wait, the game is so very good. I got it for Christmas and today I started my 5th playthrough. And yes finish everything else first, because odds are this will take 2-5 glorious days of fairly intense play to get through the first time, and its better if done without being distracted by anything else.



Also getting back to the topic on hand, I'm going to have to say most of the cinematics in SSBB were pretty amazing, deep no, but amazing, yes.
 
I love the FF9 ending that has Garnet throw herself in the arms of Zidane after thinking for a while that he had died.

It got to me. FF9 Ending

and I agree with Thorns, many of FFX's scenes were epic.
 
FF9 had great cutscenes all around (like the one where the Black Waltz goes crazy and destroys all the black mages while Vivi watches), but I really like the ending, for the same reason as Vincent mentioned.

Scars of Time from Chrono Cross is another obvious choice, it's a nice medley of sorts comprising of most of the cutscenes from the game.
 
SSBB: Halberd defeats Great Fox, Marth vs. MK


The Force Unleashed: Dark Side ending. Shows what a dick Palpatine is. :nerd:
 
I laughed my ass off when Ares threw a giant stone pillar halfway across the earth right straight into Kratos's chest, killing him, in the first God of War. You kinda had to feel bad for him, though, because this happened to him right after he got Pandora's Box, which was like, his one hope for saving not only himself but all of humanity. It's okay, though, cuz not even being killed and sent to the underworld can stop Kratos!
 
In Metal Gear Solid 4: The scene during the credits, where Big Boss's name shows up and you're given a second to think "Hey, was he ever actually in the game?" before it switches to the true final cutscene. Naomi's death was quite well-done, too. Poor Otacon :/

Metal Gear Solid 3 had a simple, great moment as well when Big Boss saluted The Boss after her death.


Also, this is probably sticking out more clearly in my mind since it's so recent, but Persona 4's ending scene where all of the main character's friends are chasing him on the train and yelling to him as he leaves was pretty emotional. Cheesy, I'll admit, but I teared up a bit.

Valkyrie Profile 2: It's more a place that you explore rather than a specific scene but the part in Chapter 5 where you go emerge from the cave that leads to Yggdrasil and (eventually) reach Yggdrasil itself is absolutely beautiful.

I know FFX had some great moments, but I can't think of any offhand.
 
The beginning movies of Prince of Persia - Warrior Within and Prince of Persia - The Two Thrones. Both such beautifully captured short movies with realistic landscapes.

Also, Diablo II had a pretty sweet storyline and it was well-executed in the short movies also.
 
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