Like many of you, I played a handful of great games last year, but honestly I couldn't tell you a play by play account of each of them. The endings, perhaps. I wish, well I wish for a lot of things, but I sometimes I wish that I remembered every little detail about a game I play through and finish. I've never been great at remembering things. It really sucked in history class...what happened in 1492. Sheesh, I don't remember. Anyway, I thought I would go through the list of games I finished last year and recall a moment that stands out, at least for me and my play through of the game. You can agree or laugh and point...or you can offer your own memorable moments from any of these games you might've played. Oh, and the plan is to keep it spoiler free. I hope (I suppose just talking about some of these games could be perceived as minor spoilers).

Medal of Honor Warfighter

I think I'm one of the five people who thought Medal of Honor Warfighter was a great game, and the truth is I still do. I'm not quite sure why I think this particular moment is remarkable, especially since the game is a shooter and not a driver, but there is a scene where you're chasing down a bad guy in a pickup truck (go figure, I don't remember his name). I thought this was an epic and tense moment of the game as you speed through crowded streets and busy alleys. Just when you're close enough to bump him, you have to swerve to avoid hitting an innocent bystander or veer sharply to navigate a sharp turn. I thought the scene was done very well...very realistic. From the dirt streaked windshield to the bouncy ride in a dilapidated old truck whose shocks wore out decades ago, I have to admit, I was completely immersed in this set piece.

Spec Ops The Line

I think I'm one of the five people who hated Spec Ops The Line. I played it all the way through and finished it and I remember more about this game than some of the others because I took lots of notes on it for a future blog. I suppose the thing I remember most about the game I actually discovered after I beat the game, or after I thought I beat the game. I was doing a little research for a blog I was working on and discovered after the credits end there is a scene you can play out, and there is a different ending depending on the outcome of the scene. It was a nifty feature...but I still hated the game.

Bioshock

Phew, this game is full of epic moments...but none hit me as hard as the scene near the end with the little sisters. I don't want to spoil anything, even though this game came out eons ago, but I'm still reluctant to just come out and say it. Anyway...you assume a "new" role and see more of the little sisters and the result carries an immense emotional weight, or so it did for me.

Batman Arkham Asylum

As far I can remember Arkham Asylum was the first Batman game I played, and the thing that I remember most about it was the gadgets. I know that might sound odd, but when I was a kid I remember seeing Batman comics and the old TV show and being fascinated with Batman's utility belt. I always wanted one, but never got one...until Arkham Asylum. You get all sorts of cool gadgets in this game, from batarangs to explosive gel. I suppose playing this game and having Batman's utility belt at my disposal sparked that childhood memory. A great game, made even better because of something as simple as a gadget.

Batman Arkham City

When you talk of memorable scenes and Arkham City, there is only one scene worth talking about. Any game (or book or movie for that matter) that can nearly move you to tears, or at least leave you sitting in your chair, quiet and contemplating what just happened...you know that is a remarkable game. And that is exactly what happened in Arkham City. For someone who isn't a Batman fan, even I applauded the ending to this game. Brilliant.

Modern Warfare 3

I like the Modern Warfare series, and part 3 sure upped the ante with its mature content. And no scene highlights this more than the "Davis Family Vacation" video footage that shows a family enjoying their time in London up until a bomb inside of a box truck blows up and presumably kills them (I'm being optimistic). I'll never forget that moment from the game. I thought it was much worse than the No Russian mission from Modern Warfare 2. Hey, I didn't say all of these moments were going to be happy ones. This one certainly is not.

God of War 2

I don't remember much about this game, but one I thing I do remember is the scale of everything. You fight a massive statue and have to traverse these giant horse statues chained in their harnesses. It's so amazing because Kratos is this larger than life video game personality, but in the God of War universe he seems so small. I can't list any of the specifics of this game...I only played it for the experience and my experience was everything in this game is huge.

The Old Republic

I only played The Old Republic for a short time, but it's Star Wars and I loved it. There were so many little links to the movies, especially the original movies...I spent a lot of my time just noticing the similarities. And my memorable moment of the game was seeing a Wookie and a protocol droid playing a friendly game of cards...sabacc maybe?

"That's 'cause droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that." -Han Solo

Halo Anniversary Edition

Halo is such a remarkable game and even though I played through the original, I played the anniversary edition all over again even though I knew everything that was going to happen, including the scene near the end where you are driving the Warthog and racing the clock to get to the end. You're running down enemies, making huge jumps and trying to find the path of least resistance in order to save yourself...and it's an epic moment for sure.

Mass Effect 3

This was my game of the year and maybe yours too. I know it was also Game Informer's pick so certainly there are sure to be some memorable moments. The ending, maybe? Not so much for me. For me, I will always remember the scene with Shepard and Garrus on the Citadel, where they take a break and get a little target shooting in. The scene gives you the opportunity to make a seemingly innocent choice, but just the way the whole event transpired was by far one of most memorable moments of the game. It's like skipping school or leaving work earlier to go do something you're not supposed to do. Loved it.

Future Soldier

This game did okay, but as far as longevity and being talked about after its release, well it fizzled out fairly quick. I loved it though, and one of my favorite and most memorable scenes was being able to pilot the UAV. It's not really one of those UAVs armed with Predator missiles, it's more like one of those little ones you see in the mall kiosks. It was extremely easy to fly, very maneuverable and nifty. But what made it even cooler was you could land it and drive it like a remote control car...through air ducts and vents. Seems like a silly feature to remember a game by, but it's what I remember about it the most, heh heh.

Minecraft

Wow, I have so many fond memories of Minecraft it's hard to narrow down a single moment that I think about the most when I think about the game. But if I were to settle on one, it's what I like to call landscape sculpting. I don't know what it is or why I like doing it, but I am fascinated with the ability to modify the landscape and shape it into something totally different than how it looked when it was auto-generated when the level was created. Where there used to be land, I created a river...and where there used to be a river, is now land. I love having the freedom to alter the landscape and shape it however I want.

A few little moments from some big games. I can't really tell you why these are the moments that stuck out the most, I just know they are. I look forward to enjoying some more moments in the games I'm playing now, so I bid you a fond farewell...at least until tomorrow.

Cheers.