Tell your stories about the moment that made you realize something serious about a game, whether it be that you were in way over your head against the maniacal main villain, or just one small part of a game where you realized you were screwed, or when you realized you were addicted to video games, or, well, whatever you can think of...

Well one moment I remember was when I was playing COD4 it was one of those That was Awesome...oh S@#$ kinda moments. It was in the beginning of the mission where you go to get Al Asad. I was running up a hill and came to a building and immediately stab a guy threw a window and then ran in to the building a was killed in seconds by a mess load of guys.

*** SPOILER ALERT for PORTAL ***
*** SPOILER ALERT for PORTAL ***

hands down, the Portal furnace level. i seriously thought it was the end of the game and that this was the big twist everyone was talking about...until i looked and, "hmm..wait, those walls are white...HOLY CRAP" and realized i could actually escape. i seriously felt like i was breaking the game by escaping...like the designers didn't actually intend for this to happen :P very unique feeling i've NEVER felt before in a game.

Constantly in HalfLife 2. Kept trying to move to a better spot to take on the combine, next thing you know you've moved into a room with 6 of the buggers and hemorrhaging health points like no tomorrow.

It happened to me one weekend after I had been playing World of Warcraft for twelve straight hours, getting up only to pee and microwave burrittos. It was then that I realized what an addicting and utterly useless waste of time World of Warcraft is.

Mass Effect ending spoiler.

stevesan:
*** SPOILER ALERT for PORTAL ***
*** SPOILER ALERT for PORTAL ***

hands down, the Portal furnace level. i seriously thought it was the end of the game and that this was the big twist everyone was talking about...until i looked and, "hmm..wait, those walls are white...HOLY CRAP" and realized i could actually escape. i seriously felt like i was breaking the game by escaping...like the designers didn't actually intend for this to happen :P very unique feeling i've NEVER felt before in a game.

Totally agree. You really felt like it was the end n though it was kinda cool you didn't want to die. Then for a second your like I can get out of this! But am I supposed to? Will there be anything else if I just make it to the ledge? Amazing feelings through that whole game.

Metal Gear Solid 3 had alot of "NO WAY. NO SERIOUS. OH MAN! NO WAY." moments, and really opened my eye's to the whole series. So many bizarre connections that made so much sense.

I was playing wc3 (warcraft 3) and I sucked really, really hard. I had been watching replays and I had no clue as how the pros were so bloody good. And then one time when I was playing I realized I was just watching my armies run across the map. Just... watching them, and I realized that I could've done like 10 other things while those troops were running. Build a few units, scout, fix up the formation etc. From thereone I got like... twice as good in only 3-4 games : D

I still suck, but that's beside the point ~~

Serious Sam - Metropolis level.

Over a hundred damned skeletons to deal with, then it places you in one of those courtyard bits where they send a couple of waves at you. Just when you've started to think this is a getting to be a bit of an over-used mechanic, three waves in you realise this is something else.

Ten waves later, and having survived hundreds of bloody creeps and down to just your colts, I reaslise just why old school arcade shooters make me smile so damned much.

when i realised that the resistance in half-life 2 were complete and utter fuckwits. Charging straight at a strider while i was telling them to come back, oh yeah and all they had were pulse rifles.

The Sims.

Seriously that game was about as interesting as watching AI live in badly made houses...

...very realistic.

Cooper42:
Serious Sam - Metropolis level.

Over a hundred damned skeletons to deal with, then it places you in one of those courtyard bits where they send a couple of waves at you. Just when you've started to think this is a getting to be a bit of an over-used mechanic, three waves in you realise this is something else.

Ten waves later, and having survived hundreds of bloody creeps and down to just your colts, I reaslise just why old school arcade shooters make me smile so damned much.

Damn straight. I had an 'In over my head' moment in SS when, having fought my way through alleys and streets filled with bad guys, I suddenly found myself in the middle of an arena, being assaulted by waves and waves of every goddamn enemy in the game. The worst bit was when an entire flock of harpies (we're talking dozens and dozens of the buggers) descended on me. Luckily I had my minigun to hand...

When I first played Final Fantasy I for the NES I was totally new to RPG games, and had no idea that you used heal potions, spells, or tents. All I thought you could do to heal was use the Inn. I never went back to FF1 until about the time I beat FF7.

Recently, the first time I played through Mass Effect (it's not quite as awe-inspiring the third time around...damn gamerpoints!)...

When I got further into the game and saw the story-line develop (if anyone calls that a spoiler I'll gay them) there was many a time which I sat open-mouthed as it became more and more in-depth (and subsequently more and more awesome!)

I quit gaming for a few years (say between 2002 and 2006) I was just moving around the country so I wasn't quite setteled and didn't have the time to game. One day in late 2006 a friend of mine got me a copy of Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast for the PC, naturally I poped it in, installed it and started playing right away. By the time I got to the 1st level where you get a hold of you're lightsabre I was really enjoying the game, and just kept telling to myself "shit, I'm hooked to video games again".

I second the Mass Effect scene at the end, where you are fighting your way up the elevator shaft.

i third the portal mention. everything abput that game was great, but i really and truly thought i broke the game when i got out of the fire. that was incredible, i couldnt believe it.

btw merchant of evil, love the avatar and name. good job.

i was playing assassins creed and climbing a chruch then all of a sudden i realised it was saterday and sunny i looked outside.... and closed the curtain to stop the glare.

I remember playing Metroid Prime: Corruption, a ways into the exploration of Elysia. Beautiful place, giant huge vistas, airborne platforms, plants growing on metal and stone. Very pretty setting, everything seemed to merge together into this great, sweeping sort of majesty. I kind of got lost in the atmosphere of the place, until I got to the central platform, the one that has two ziplines and a cannon off it. And I see the suit lying in the center, and I remembered.

Oh $&%#. Ghor's here.

Playing Tabula Rasa with an african friend I met online it occured to me that I was spending a hefty portion of my free time killing aliens that don't exist with a south african lunatic I've never met and I really needed the men in white coats to pay a visit.

Metroid Prime. For cementing the addiction.
The fight with Ridley, desperately fought him as he blasted around destroying everything. Then promptly got whupped the moment he landed (didn't see that lunge coming).
Que 11 hours going through every section finding every energy tank, beam upgrade and missile expansion. Somewhere around the 250missiles mark it dawned on me that maybe. Just maybe I'm a little obsesive about games...

Khell_Sennet:
When I first played Final Fantasy I for the NES I was totally new to RPG games, and had no idea that you used heal potions, spells, or tents. All I thought you could do to heal was use the Inn. I never went back to FF1 until about the time I beat FF7.

lol!
Awesome! My 'oh shite I may be in trouble moment' came from Chaos at the end of that. I was down one character, the rest were hurting, but by my math, I HAD to almost have him.. then he used a cure4 to completely cure himself. My mom actually came into the room to see why I was screaming at the TV. (and to chastise my creative language)

There is a spoiler] [/spoiler tag for those of you who didn't know.

Because some people like gaming, and so they like to play games? Regardless, I think the comment was more directed at the person who posted "**WARNING SPOILERS FOR PORTAL**" instead of using the spoiler tag.