Top 10 Breathtakingly Beautiful Moments in Games
Woah! These are the most memorable, most stunning, most amazingly beautiful moments that straight up took our breath away the first time we experienced them in our favorite games. Welcome to http://WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Breathtaking Moments in Games!
Special thanks to our user “DaveVsTheWorld” for suggesting this topic using our interactive suggestion tool at http://WatchMojo.comsuggest
And they say video games can’t be art. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we are counting down our picks for the top ten breathtaking moments in video games.
For this list, we’ll be looking at moments found in either cutscenes or gameplay which made our jaws hit the floor. For better or worse. As you might expect, be on the lookout for some massive spoilers down the line.
#10: Landing on Halo - “Halo: Combat Evolved” (2001)
Remember the days before Halo was a franchise and packed to bursting point with lore? Well, even in its inception the Master Chief and Cortana were still bringing us some spectacular sights. After fending off a Covenant attack on the Pillar of Autumn, everyone’s favourite Spartan manages to abandon ship with his fellow marines. It’s there we got our first glance at the titular ring-shaped super weapon, and as if it wasn’t imposing enough from the outset, we soon found ourselves heading directly towards it. Thus beginning one of sci-fi gaming’s greatest series.
#9: Jumping the Shark - “ABZU” (2016)
We all know the ocean can a place of both incredible beauty but also great danger. However, when you put it in the hands of some of the creative minds behind Journey, they managed to make the world beneath the waves look downright majestic. From the undersea horizons to the variety of submerged ruins, it was easy to fall in love with this aquatically pristine view. However, undoubtedly the greatest surprise came from our interactions with the marine life, where we (wait for it) got to ride with sharks!
#8: The Giraffes - “The Last of Us” (2013)
There’s no two ways about it; the world that Joel and Ellie inhabit sucks. In a post-apocalyptic future where the worst aspects of humanity run rampart right along fungi-esque zombies, you don’t see a lot of beauty. Sure, there are plenty of moments that make us well up or gasp in horror, but it’s obscenely rare for one to let your guard down and feel any form of happiness. That is until we came face to face with a group of giraffes making their way through the ruins of civilisation. Much like Ellie, seeing something so uncharacteristically stunning after so much death and heartbreak took our breath away.
#7: Nuclear Explosion - “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” (2007)
While these days COD is more famed for its online multiplayer, Modern Warfare’s narrative was actually a damn gripping one at that. One that also happened to include a rather harrowing scene where a nuclear device erupts before the eyes of our protagonists. During a recovery mission in a war ravaged Iraq, Sgt. Paul Jackson and the rest of his squad can only watch helplessly as the weapon is unexpectedly detonated. With barely anytime to blink before being consumed in the deadly aftermath, this moment certainly scorched its way into the mind of players everywhere.
#6: The First Colossus - “Shadow of the Colossus” (2005)
Seems like an easy deal right? Slay sixteen colossi to save the life of a recently departed loved one. After all, how big could these things really be? Well, like Wander we truly had no idea what we were getting into. As we rode out across the Forbidden Lands to take on our first challenge, we eventually came face to face with Valus, the First Colossus. The sheer scope of its stature, how the ground shook with its every step, the entire experience was hauntingly cinematic. Suddenly, all of that bravado quickly went out the window.
#5: Enter Shambhala - “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” (2009)
While we certainly got a similar rush upon discovering Libertalia(xref) there’s no denying that the first true sense of exhalation came from the series’ second instalment. After so many puzzles and a nearly endless amount of firefights, Nate and the others finally found the entrance to the mythical kingdom of Shangri-La. For a single moment we get an epic view of a truly stunning, ancient society, where all those previous misfortunes and hardships suddenly seemed worth it. Of course it all goes to hell a second later, but hey, that’s Drake for you.
#4: Across The Mountains - “Journey” (2012)
Our voyage through this strange land has been rife with danger yet layered with unimaginable beauty. As the Traveller, players had to leap across everything from blistering sands, crooked structures to the coldest of summits, all in the vein hope of reaching our far-off destination. Just as the ordeal seems to have taken its toll on our robed compadre, they’re suddenly visited by the spirits of their lost companions. Next thing you know, we’re soaring through the skies and across mountainous peaks, all in a blinding beautiful display as the Traveller’s journey finally comes to an end.
#3: Link and the Dragons - “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)
Across time, space and franchise entries, Link has encountered all manner of beasts and mystical constructs. Heck, you would have though after besting Ganon in all of his wicked forms there wasn’t anything else Nintendo could throw at us. Then they gave us dragons, ones like we had never seen before! Each not only provide some major fantastical eye candy, but if your marksman skills are sharp enough you can earn some epic armour upgrades. Just be careful when it comes to Naydra. Blighted by Ganon’s evil, it’s up to our pointy-eared hero to save it from their malicious imprisonment. No pressure.
#2: The Capital Wasteland - “Fallout 3” (2008)
We all knew that the world wasn’t going to be in the best of shape, but we could never have predicted just how mesmerizing the sight of a post-nuclear decimated landscape could be. After making our way out of Vault 101 as the Lone Wanderer, not only did we get an intense look at in-game sunlight, but the scars of war were everywhere we looked. We had no idea just how many Super Mutants, ghouls, raiders, cannibals and other horrendous threats were out there waiting for us out there, but after a view like this we couldn’t wait to find out.
Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
The Opera Scene
“Final Fantasy VI” (1994)
Arrival on the Citadel
“Mass Effect” (2007)
#1: Welcome to Rapture - “BioShock” (2007)
Andrew Ryan’s vision of a paradise far from the reach of politics, religion and other societal norms may have turned out to be more of a living hell, but we’ll be damned if our first look at the underwater city didn’t send shivers up our spines. Following a plane crash, protagonist Jack finds himself unknowingly drawn to the expansive colony, and through his eyes we get a glimpse of what promises to be an unforgettable video game setting. Granted we had no idea about Splicers, Little Sisters, Big Daddies or the other nightmares to come, but for that single moment we found ourselves believing in Ryan’s words.
