Honorable Mentions

*** Spoiler - click to reveal *** Ok, ok, starting off a little light-hearted here before hitting the heavy stuff. What was the jaw-dropping moment that led to good ol' Duke's inclusion on the list?



The game came out.



We're not going to go ahead and document the long, LONG history of Duke Nukem Forever's path to publication, but for those who placed a pre-order a full decade earlier, it was certainly a jaw-dropper that this title ever came to fruition. A secondary jaw-dropper (or not to those who saw it coming) was that, after all that, the game was received very poorly critically. The game seems to have carved a niche out for itself with some gamers, but it's still a shock that it ever made it to store shelves.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal *** Just because a game is short doesn't mean it can't pack a jaw-dropper. In Brothers, two siblings embark on a quest to find a water of life to save their father who has fallen ill. Throughout the game, the older and younger brothers use their complimentary strengths to solve puzzles and escape dangerous situations. The jaw dropper comes, however, when the older brother dies in the course of the game. Not only that, but the younger is then tasked with digging the older brother's grave and laying him to rest. The jaw dropper really comes from the fact that even though the two are seeking the water of life to save their father, similar means cannot be used to save the child. It's further accentuated when you realize the strangeness of a young life being given to save one that is older, providing a unique and risky turn taken by the game's developers.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal *** File this under "maybe you saw that one coming", but for those of us who didn't, Dominic Santiago's discovery that his wife, Maria, was still alive but well beyond saving was stirring. Maybe it's because we weren't trained, at that time, to think that shooters, especially the kind featuring Hulked-up Space Marines, could have a story with any kind of emotional depth, but the moment Maria emerged from one of the Locust pods was enough to create a can't-look-away moment. Then, when the magic of Dom and Maria's reunion faded and the gamer and Dom realize that she is simply a shell of the vibrant mother-of-two she used to be, all involved are left pretty well heartbroken. The final moment of this scene, where a distressed-but-resigned Dom puts his weapon to his beloved's head and a shot is heard off screen certainly leaves an impression, and it also served to make some people really start to focus on the ability of a shooter to tell an emotionally rich story.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal *** The moment you finish the intense final battle of Infinite, the pieces slowly begin to fall into place. To many gamers utter joy and shock, Elizabeth transports both her and Booker to where it all began, Rapture. From here on out, Elizabeth begins to explain how Comstock, Columbia, Rapture, Songbird, The Lutece Twins, Booker and her are all woven together in a mind-bending scenario.



The ending itself presents us with a multitude of faint-worthy moments. Booker being Comstock, Elizabeth being his own daughter, Anna, The Lutece Twins being the same person but just in different universes and Columbia being another version of Rapture in a gigantic web of alternate dimensions. This idea of infinite universes and possibilities links both the original BioShock and Infinite together in a shocking twist that no one ever saw coming. It stands tall as my favourite ending to date and I still remember the night where my mind exploded when watching.

Top Five

*** Spoiler - click to reveal ***



First, the scenery. It can be said for basically any Assassin's Creed game that there's a complete sense of awe the first time you scale the tallest building in town and take in the Scenery around you, and that certainly applies to Brotherhood as well.



Second, and specifically related to Brotherhood, is the moment that Desmond stabs Lucy. At that moment, you know two things: 1) Something bad is about to happen and 2) you have no choice but to be involved. What makes the moment stick out even more is it wasn't a dream or something that was later repaired. Lucy, a character so integral to relaying the franchise's story that there was a specific Two things mark this one for inclusion on this list.First, the scenery. It can be said for basically anygame that there's a complete sense of awe the first time you scale the tallest building in town and take in the Scenery around you, and that certainly applies toas well.Second, and specifically related to, is the moment that Desmond stabs Lucy. At that moment, you know two things: 1) Something bad is about to happen and 2) you have no choice but to be involved. What makes the moment stick out even more is it wasn't a dream or something that was later repaired. Lucy, a character so integral to relaying the franchise's story that there was a specific achievement tied to speaking to her in the first entry, was now gone forever.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal *** Braid made quite a name for itself for a combination of reasons. While many of those focus on Jonathon Blow and his approach to game development in general, what's sometimes lost is what gamers discover in the closing moments of the XBLA title. throughout the game, gamers are presented with puzzles as they try to save a princess from some unknown terror. Braid very cleverly uses its core gameplay mechanic, time manipulation, to reveal the truth. As things wind down and the puzzles that were previously completed are watched in reverse, it becomes fairly apparent that the woman in question did need saving, but from the game's protagonist. As made quite a name for itself for a combination of reasons. While many of those focus on Jonathon Blow and his approach to game development in general, what's sometimes lost is what gamers discover in the closing moments of the XBLA title. throughout the game, gamers are presented with puzzles as they try to save a princess from some unknown terror.very cleverly uses its core gameplay mechanic, time manipulation, to reveal the truth. As things wind down and the puzzles that were previously completed are watched in reverse, it becomes fairly apparent that the woman in question did need saving, but from the game's protagonist. As Kaiser Flaco states in his review for the game, it's hard to determine if the ending is "pretentious or just too original for its own good," but it'll grab your attention either way.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal *** Modern Warfare 2, on the other hand, presented its own moment at the game's conclusion. As John "Soap" MacTavish is working his way through the game's final pathways, he encounters Shepherd by a helicopter crash site and quickly and decisively... gets disarmed and stabbed with his own knife. At this point, all you can do is watch as your friend, Price, tries to take the fight to Shepherd. Though it only happens seconds later, it feels like quite a while before MacTavish opens his eyes, and you are given that last bit of control to defeat the monster of a man before you. Not only was the moment of MacTavish's apparent death jarring, but the satisfaction of rising from the seemingly-dead to defeat your foe made this one of the most satisfying ending sequences to a game ever. Before going any further, I'm aware that *something* big happens in the first Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Achievements , but as I have not played it, I can't speak to its jaw-droppingness. You should know, however, that it was considered., on the other hand, presented its own moment at the game's conclusion. As John "Soap" MacTavish is working his way through the game's final pathways, he encounters Shepherd by a helicopter crash site and quickly and decisively... gets disarmed and stabbed with his own knife. At this point, all you can do is watch as your friend, Price, tries to take the fight to Shepherd. Though it only happens seconds later, it feels like quite a while before MacTavish opens his eyes, and you are given that last bit of control to defeat the monster of a man before you. Not only was the moment of MacTavish's apparent death jarring, but the satisfaction of rising from the seemingly-dead to defeat your foe made this one of the most satisfying ending sequences to a game ever.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal *** Though Jackie Estacado is filled with all sorts of tumultuous emotion, the one person who seems to balance that all out is his girlfriend, Jenny Romano. Near the beginning of the game, players are introduced to her and the time spent watching TV in her new apartment actually proves a relaxing respite from the craziness that Jackie is going through. Unfortunately, the world of The Darkness is full of corruption and, in seeking to push Jackie to the brink, Jackie's uncle, mob boss Paulie, and corrupt police chief, Eddie Shrote, kidnap Jenny and bring her to the orphanage where she and Jackie met. Jackie goes to great lengths to save her, but it's all for naught. The fact that Jenny is killed isn't jaw-dropping per se, but the fact that the person playing the game is literally forced into Jackie's shoes, only able to watch helplessly as she is murdered in front of them, makes this scene unforgettable, and one that leaves your mouth agape at the brutality of it. Jenny's final line, a quiet "This is not your fault," only serves to punctuate the frustration of being on the wrong side of the door as the murder took place.

*** Spoiler - click to reveal *** Would you kindly read my explanation of why this game is included?



While it may seem not-quite-right to include two games from a series, this was an immediate thought when the list came up and, as such, felt necessary for inclusion. When the big reveal comes, as you're nearing the game's conclusion, that "would you kindly?" was merely a Pavlovian trigger for the game's protagonist, the whole concept of free will gets chucked out the window. Throughout the scene where Andrew Ryan has control over his son (another jaw dropper), BioShock masterfully holds our attention in its clutches and the player is left both with a sense of satisfaction and horror as poor Jack Ryan is compelled to do his master's every command. In addition to this, there's also the moment you learn there is no Atlas. Even the first time you descend to Rapture and see both its desolation and beauty is enough to leave most gamers in a stunned silence. When a game is so ripe with these moments, it's hard to keep it from the list.

Ever had that moment in a game that just completely left your jaw on the floor? That made you think "I thought I had seen it all, but wow, they got me!"? Well, so have we. This week's TA Top Five aims to capture the Top Five most jaw-dropping moments that we've experienced.Of course, what counts as a jaw-dropping experience is very much based on, well, personal experience. In order for it to shock you, you have to have, on one hand, experienced the moment in question and, on the other hand, not seen it coming. Take, for example, that big twist in. If you saw through the movie's story-telling and figured out the hook (or if you never saw the movie), that wouldn't be a jaw-dropper for you. If, however, you watched the movie and got to the big reveal and either a) didn't find it contrived or b) were legitimately surprised, then it was a jaw-dropper for you.So, with that out of the way, here is TA's list of Top Five most jaw-dropping moments. This article will be rife with spoiler tags so as to not ruin anyone's potential jaw-dropping experience.Now, now, now. Before anyone is upset that this 'only' landed in honorable mentions, it's important to note that the author in this case did not actually playas of this writing. When Hounds are preparing a Top Five, the topic is put to the team for input, but final say is left with the author.As the author, I don't want to include something that hasn't made me feel like I have to scrape my jaw off the floor, but when there's so much call for something to be added, it should be included, and this is the place to do it (plus, this actually saves the author from being spoiled, as well).So, for theportion of this show, here's Marc Pilkington to talk about the game's jaw-dropping moment:

The TA Team will be bringing you The TA Top Five every Sunday until we run out of coolness to debate and discuss. If you have an idea for a Top Five you'd like us to do, be sure to let us know in the comments!