The Greatest Scripted Moments in Videogame History

Every medium of storytelling has their unique ways for dialing up the immersion. Videogames achieve this through scripted moments/events. While it's true that due to over-reliance & abuse throughout the years, scripted moments have lost their ingenuity. But when implemented with creativity & in moderation, these moments still make a gamer suspend his/her disbelief like nothing else.

Scripted moments are not to be confused with in-game cutscenes. Cutscenes (pre-rendered or in-game) simply take control away from the player, keeping the story and the gameplay segregated. Scripted moments, however, leaves the player with some manner of control while still moving the narrative forward. Scripted moments “show” the story instead of “telling” it, blending the interactive nature of Videogames with the programmed sequences. 

A great scripted moment makes the player forget that it's actually pre-programmed and adds a sense of aliveness that every medium of art thrives to create. Also, it's not just the moment itself but the emotional response it conjures upon the player that amounts to it's greatness. Below is a list of my favorite scripted moments in Videogames. These are ranked by their ability to take the player by surprise and their staying power. These are the moments that stick with the gamer long after the credits have rolled. 

Also, this list in entirely from my perspective and so it's perfectly fine to disagree with it. 

Warning : Mild Spoilers ahead. If you haven't played these games yet but intend to play in future, stop reading. 

 10. Portal to the Moon (Portal 2) :

Besides providing a sense of triumph, the Portal series does a great job of making the player feel all alone and disconnected from the World. Aperture labs felt like a prison from where you can never escape. So imagine the surprise and delight when the roofs of Aperture started to come crashing down, revealing the Moon in the sky and leaving you with one seemingly impossible course of action. This moment serves as the penultimate piece of puzzle in the series, toying with the players' sense of disbelief instead of their wit. 

9. The Ceph Emerges (Crysis) : 

Something sinister is at work in the Lingshan island. At a certain point in the game, a towering mountain in the distant starts to crumble & fall apart. Clouds of dust erupt & giant rocks fall down, slowly revealing an alien superstructure during the course of an entire level. The whole sequence is sublime, surreal and downright menacing in it's indication that strange things are about to happen further in. Also, the sense of realism rendered by Cryengine 2 in this sequence is mind bending and was much ahead of it's time.

8. The cake is a lie (Portal) :

This is the immortal moment in Portal where everything changes. Glados has been teasing you about the cake throughout the 19 test chambers. After finishing all of them just when you thought you're done, Glados reveals it's true self. The pulsating music that accompanies the scene feels just like Chel's accelerating heartbeat. 

7. Shodan's reveal (System Shock 2) : 

One of the most spine-chilling moments in all of gaming, the way Shodan creeps up on the player and reveals herself is nothing short of brilliance. The creepy hallway, Shodan's cold and intimidating voice and the eerie music helps orchestrating a harrowing moment that's guaranteed to stay with the player for a long time even after finishing the game. 

6. Climbing down the ladder (F.E.A.R.) : 

This exceptional First Person Shooter from 2005 has some genuinely scary moments and almost all of them scripted but none compares to the timing and execution of this one. Unlike scary moments that take place in long hallways which actually gives the player ample time and space for anticipation, this one is so unexpected and in-your-face that it almost feels organic. The brilliant ambience cranks up the fear factor even higher.

Skip to 02:15  in the video to view the sequence.

5. Keep a low profile (Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare ) : 

The best game in the COD series also has one of the most breathtaking scripted moments in Videogame history. Dressed in a ghille suit, you have to avoid detection from an approaching army (with tanks) by lying down into the tall grass just hair's breadth away from them. Seconds feel like hours as you lay still & slowly maneuver between their paths.  

4. The Microwave Hall (Metal Gear Solid 4): 

Unlike in books or films, in a videogame we don't experience anything directly ourselves, we experience everything through the character we are playing as. This also creates a different kind of bonding between the player and the playable character. The Microwave hall is one of the best demonstrations of this phenomena. 

By the time you reach this level, you feel as exhausted and hopeless as old Snake himself. The following voyage through one after another searing corridoor becomes not just Snake's journey but the player's as well. The split screen presentation and the heartbreaking music just makes you mash the buttons faster and faster simply because you don't want to see the iconic character fail. A real tearjerker of a sequence, it pushes the player's buttons way further than what's comfortable. 

3. Dog vs Strider (Half Life 2 : Episode 2) : 

Just as you're about to enter the White Forest, a destroyed giant dropship blocks your path. Suddenly a Strider rises from the debris, death seems near & then, a familiar sound. The Strider starts shooting but not at you, you look up to see it's target & grin from ear to ear. Dog has entered the scene & leaps on the strider. What follows is one of the most wondrous moments in all of gaming.   

2. When Fear takes over (Batman : Arkham Asylum) : 

You enter a hallway that seems no different than a dozen ones you've been in earlier. Just a few steps in and suddenly, lightning strikes across the room & it starts raining. As you move forward, street lights appear in the distance, water drips from the surroundings & the environment slowly turns into crime alley. I won't spoil further, you just have to experience it. The whole sequence is just magical & the way it creeps on the player & takes them by surprise is unmatched.   

1. Welcome to Rapture (Bioshock) : 

From the unusual sight of a lighthouse in the Atlantic to Andrew Ryan's introduction of the underwater art-deco city....this is the most breathtaking & by far the greatest scripted moment that I've experienced. Short in length, enormous in scope & simply impossible to forget. It's safe to say that every other scripted moments in gaming will be measured against this one for a long time.   

What do you think about all this? Let me know in the comments section.