I'm pretty easily pleased, so this thread is full of "Oh yeah!!! That was awesome!!!" material for me. Another World's introduction was pretty masterful with some really high-quality animation - and the game itself was just as good! The opening 'level' especially, with the big beast chasing you, was almost cinematic - you didn't just see the lion drop down in front of you as you would in a standard platformer, you saw it appear and roar in your face from your character's point of view. Little cutscenes like this were very well integrated throughout. The game was way ahead of its time - too bad it was very, very short!
Frontier on the Amiga didn't just have some 'amazing' - for the time - polygon-based 3D graphics, it had incredibly addictive gameplay and an exciting opening sequence. As a package, it kept me occupied for years - literally.
Shelling out an amount of money I wouldn't dream of today for my first 3D graphics card - I think I went temporarily insane for the first few weeks, everything looked so nice! Looking back, the 3D games I had were rubbish, but I couldn't stop playing 'em.
As for more recent games - there are still lots, but I'll nominate a few: Hardwar, set in the desolate future on Titan - the first time I fired it up after upgrading my PC and I was able to see across an entire 'crater', complete with AI spaceships buzzing about, was just "whoa". The Grim Fandango trailer: prior to the game's release I downloaded the 'basic' demo with no music, speech or sound and was a bit underwhelmed, but once I got the full-screen trailer on a coverdisc I didn't have to think twice. Most cutscenes in the game itself were completely awesome, especially the final cutscene which is probably my most-watched cutscene ever!
Oh, and the "Hola Manuel!" bit - macabre but very funny! One of the most memorable jokes - not to mention twists - in a game ever.
Finally, GTA3. The impact had dulled by the time Vice City came out, but seeing the sunset through the pouring rain while tearing around the sweeping streets was probably the culmination of most of the various "wouldn't it be great if someone made a game where..." daydreams I've had since I started playing games.
And most recently, seeing how bloody huge the "ONS-Dria" map is on Unreal Tournament 2004! I looked at the map and thought my destination looked pretty nearby, so I decided it was quicker to walk than find a vehicle - yeah right! It was miles away! The level is so big that you can go for ages without meeting anybody, and it looks beautiful (very 'Mordor') to boot!
P.S. I keep trying to play Ocarina of Time, but I can't see past its age and its lack of manual camera control. Mohh. Maybe I'll try again soon...
P.P.S. Actually, based on this thread, I'll also add the following to my 'play for more than the five minutes you've managed so far, fool!' list: System Shock 2.
P.P.P.S. I'm sure that the number of lying phrases beginning with things like "finally..." and "lastly..." dotted around this post will tip you off that I've been editing it quite a bit! Sorry about that... the more I re-read this thread, the more I remember!
