If you have not already listened to the podcast of this category, this is the final results, so this will spoil the course of the discussion on that podcast! Be warned!
How many games have you sold people on by telling them about an incredible moment? It’s one of the strongest tools for hooking people into a game, without a doubt. And sometimes they don’t even come from the best games. Fortunately, all our winners here are great moments from similarly excellent games.
The Winner
Berlin (Hitman 3)
Despite throwing out all the common framing of a Hitman level, with the Berlin level (Apex Predator) of Hitman 3 we come the closest we ever have to the way Agent 47 sees the world. There’s no briefing, you aren’t getting a bunch of opportunity prompts or guided stories. There’s just 47 and a nightclub full of people, some of whom want to kill him.
Which ones? Well, that’s part of the job, isn’t it? Finding out. And once you’ve found them out, carefully but brutally removing them from the equation. Maybe you let some run home to send a message. Maybe you don’t let any to send a different one. But it’s the best Hitman level I’ve ever seen.
The Runners-Up
Titania, Queen of Fairies (Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation: Code Fairy)
Sometimes a game will intentionally hold you back, with the purpose of letting you off the leash just when the time is right. That’s part of the appeal of finally piloting the Titania, after growing increasingly frustrated and limited by your custom Zaku II High Mobility Type. As reliable a machine as it is, it’s just slow. And you as a pilot keep getting faster.
But there’s another part to this, too: finally the game lets you be the shoulder your squadmates lean on. You aren’t just part of the team, you’re the tip of the spear and the wall of the shield as well. With Titania you are dancing across the battlefield with twin blades of light. That you end it with a victory over the rival whom you were hopelessly outmatched by before is just icing on the cake.
Giving Lady Dimetrescu a Hand (Resident Evil Village)
she chops his hand off and you’re like “oh shit” and then he doubles back to pick his hand up then he plays ring around the rosey and then he escapes and then he GLUES HIS HAND BACK ON
AND HIS HAND JUST WORKS
IT’S NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN
WHAT
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One thing I appreciate that we managed to pull off this year is, most of our moments aren’t too personal. Now I am all for talking about personal experiences, but how can you relate something that only happened to you and probably won’t happen to anyone else as a Best Moment? I mean, I’m sure it is for you, but we need things that we can share and help others witness. So good job us, I guess.
And now our last category is to follow: Best Game. Let’s settle this.
A big thank you to daanboii (@daanboii on Twitter) for our Game of the Year art!
