And the kiss scene...
Al Bhed invaded by Guado in Final Fantasy X. The specific scene that really hit me was when Riku talked about what would really happen to Yuna if she eventually fought sin. You, the player, and Tidus had no idea they would die during battle so this came as a very somber revelation.
In this same game the other scene that gets me is when Yuna and Tidus are atop the airship at the end of the game. She's being hugged by him while while his essence begins to disappear and he just walks through her body to fall off the edge of the airship.
FF7. You know what I'm talking about. It mostly has to do with the fact that I was 12 years old when I saw it. I doubt I would've reacted much if I was older.
I have a lot of them, but I think one that works really well without being melodrama-land is Drace's death scene in Final Fantasy XII. This one got me especially because it was so well directed in a way that really got to me. It was the first time where I saw something in a video-game directed in such a theatrical way and how it really played into the development and inner turmoil of Gabranth, as a man who cannot accept that his loyalty lies away from the Empire.
The look and feel of this scene, the lighting, the intimacy between these two characters in a way that looks closer to love than a summary execution, even down to the way Gabranth kills her. And we will never know if they loved each other, or just respected each other for what they stand for. But it was irrelevant, they both had a duty to fulfill to the Empire, but above all to themselves. I think it's a brilliant scene that made me choke up both by the gravity of this scene and by the great execution in terms of cutscene direction. Jun Akiyama and Yasumi Matsuno are gods.
Definitely a strong contender for top spot, not just in RPGs but of all time.
Does Mass Effect Count?
Mordins death and sacrifice. The singing :(
First time a game made me tear up was FF7. It was when we found out the truth about Seto and The Great Warrior theme came up, I was in tears the whole time.
Yeah, that and the sensorium.
It amazes me how you people can get so caught up in JRPGs. They all seem so cheesy and on the nose. More power to you, though.
Final Fantasy 6. Halfway trough. I have never seen a FF game get as dark in its story development as this.
Why everyone keeps talking about the opera sequence in this game is something I will never understand. It was just a foreshadowing of this event, and its here it reaches its climax.
Celes' attempted suicide.
This is my answer.Does Mass Effect Count?
Mordins death and sacrifice. The singing :(
For me, it is running over the mountains right after the Costa Del Sol area in FF7. There is rationale:
At this point, you've just been put through *a lot* of major story beats, presented in a fashion where you have had your open world freedom of movement ripped away for the first time since gaining it post Midgar. All of a sudden, you're free again, able to reflect on everything that has happened previously. A combination of that and the wistful music that plays as you climb up into the sunset really hits a spot