_{“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.}

We all have experienced our fair share of sad moments in videogames. Some make us wipe a single tear from our cheek -- others result in nothing more than a quick sniffle of the nose. There are even some that don’t affect us in the least! But there are some -- and you all know which ones I am talking about -- that just take us over the edge to an almost embarrassing level of emotional outpouring.

But why is this? Why do certain sad videogame moments affect players much more than others?

While most of it has to do with the design of how the scene is presented or the emotional connection that is established by the game’s strong story, I am a firm believer that many sad videogame moments are made all the more affecting based entirely on how much one’s real-life resembles what is happening on-screen.

A perfect example of this occurs in one of my favorite games of all time, Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance. During a devastating scene near the end of the game, I was an absolute emotional wreck, thanks in large part to a simple, basic similarity I had to the game’s main character.

Hit the jump to experience, what I think is, the most hauntingly tragic videogame scene since the Solitary Island in Final Fantasy VI.

_{“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.}

Regardless of their varying types of gameplay, videogames generally portray their most emotional story beats within the confines of a safe and easy cutscene. Not to say doing this is a bad thing by any means -- some of the most incredibly beautiful videogame moments I have ever experienced have occurred in cutscenes (three words: Palom and Porom).

But it’s very rare for a videogame to integrate an emotional story moment into the actual gameplay. Sure, there are examples like BioShock or Half-Life 2 that present very moving, dramatic moments between characters in-game, but those sequences are still more or less just traditional cutscenes with a fancy, somewhat misleading, real-time sheen.

There is one moment in God of War II for the PlayStation 2, however, that manages to manipulate the player into performing a shocking act that completely changes the emotional tone of the game’s story. And it does all of this during the game’s action-heavy gameplay.

Hit the jump to witness a surprisingly brilliant moment in a game that barely gives you time to breathe.

_{"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.}

How many of you reading this right now have attacked a chicken with your sword in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past? How many of you have watched your poor friend plummet to his or her death off the bottom of the screen while scaling the waterfall in the original Contra? I am assuming almost all of you. Heck, I am raising my hand as well. The look of shame on my face is indescribable.

But despite these evil actions, why is there nothing in these games that punishes you? Sure, the chickens may fight back a little or your real-life friend may punch you in the shoulder, but where are the moral implications for being a genuinely bad guy? Zelda still calls Link a hero despite his abuse of poultry. Lance still fights alongside Bill even though his seemingly best friend abandons him during a war.

After years of videogames basically letting players get away with being, for lack of a better term, giant douchebags, there is a sequence in classic role-playing game Chrono Trigger for the Super Nintendo that attempts to bring some form of consequence for making poor moral choices.

Hit the jump to relive a memorable, sobering moment that has no problem judging you for some of the less-than-noble acts you are guilty of committing.

“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

Halloween is always such a fun time for me. Not necessarily because I like dressing up or eating a lot of candy (hey, I do that all year long!). No, Halloween is great because it is an excuse for me to go back and play some of my favorite horror videogames. From Resident Evil to Clock Tower, Silent Hill to Eternal Darkness, I love to turn off the lights, crank up the volume, and play specific sequences in games that make me jump (and some that even give me nightmares).

This year, though, I decided to do something a little different. Instead of playing genuinely scary games, I thought it would be fun to replay some horror games that err on the side of the absurd, the strange, and the flat-out ridiculous. With that in mind, I was led straight to one of my favorite horror games of all time: Phantasmagoria for the PC.

In addition to its twisted storyline, Phantasmagoria contains some of the most infamous death scenes in the history of videogames. While they are all screwed up in their own special way, one moment in particular surpasses being violent -- it could easily be categorized as gratuitous, offensive, and even sexist.

Hit the jump to relive a moment that really just needs to be seen to be believed. Happy Halloween!

“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

For the last two weeks, The Memory Card has put on a fine suit and fancy top hat and become The Graphics Card, a three-part miniseries focusing on amazing, specific moments in outstanding videogame graphics over the years. The first installment focused on my first graphics memory from the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (Mega Man 2), last week centered on the 16-bit Super NES (Super Castlevania IV), and this week is about my first “Oh my gosh did you see that?!” graphics moment on the current generation of videogames.

Now, as of late last week, I had a moment all picked out. In fact, I even finished the entire article and was ready to share my fond gaming memory with the world.

But then Uncharted 2: Among Thieves for the PlayStation 3 was released and everything changed.

You see, in the game there is a sequence that pretty much made me lose my mind. I think I even let out an audible schoolgirl squeal when it happened. Once I experienced it, the previous moment I had scheduled -- while still cool -- seemed like nothing in comparison. So, I decided to scratch my original plan and talk about the moment from Uncharted 2 this week instead. So here we are. To be fair, there are at least fifteen graphical moments in Uncharted 2 that dropped my jaw to the floor (two words: train sequence). This just happens to be the one that affected me the most -- and was also early enough in the game to blow me away first.

So, without further adieu, hit the jump for one of the coolest things you will ever see in a videogame. A visually striking moment that combines the spectacle I felt during Mega Man 2 with the visceral, emotional connection I experienced during the rotating room in Super Castlevania IV. Oh, and then it multiplies everything by about a thousand. You really are not ready for this.

“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

Last week was the first edition of a three-part Memory Card miniseries specifically focusing on amazing moments in videogame graphics over the years (I am calling it The Graphics Card). Last week’s entry featured my first “holy sh*t!” graphics memory from the Nintendo Entertainment System. This week, it’s time to move on to the 16-bit era -- more specifically, the Super Nintendo.

The Super NES is my favorite videogame console of all time, and it is home to more beautiful visual moments than I can even list. But, just like last week, this is an article on my first memory of being impressed by the graphics on a particular console, not the end-all-be-all, best graphics ever to grace the system. Thinking in these terms, one moment quickly came to mind.

The moment is in Super Castlevania IV and is one of only a handful of videogame moments that remind me of a specific, wonderful time in my childhood. Keep reading to find out the strange reason why. Hit the jump for Part 2 of The Graphics Card trilogy (of amazingness!).

“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

As a huge fan of retro games, I tell myself over and over again that fancy new graphics don’t really matter -- it’s the gameplay that really counts. A game with great gameplay and subpar graphics can still be considered good, but a game with terrible gameplay and amazing graphics more often than not is dismissed as a failure. Regardless of what is more important, graphics are obviously an integral part of the mainly visual medium of videogames. In fact, some of my favorite videogame moments of all time revolve around a game’s graphics.

Over the next three weeks of Memory Card articles, I will be focusing on three very specific moments from three different generations of videogame consoles that feature graphics that absolutely blow me away. These moments aren’t necessarily the best graphics each generation has to offer -- in fact, I don’t think that is the case at all -- but they are moments that hold a very special place in my heart. Each of these moments actually made me gasp out loud in awe the first time I witnessed them and helped me realize how strong, well-designed visuals could have just as much an emotional effect on me as a rich story or innovative gameplay.

The first week I will be talking about a moment from the 8-bit generation of videogames (Nintendo Entertainment System); next week will focus on the 16-bit era (Super Nintendo); and, finally, the third week will feature a graphical moment from the current generation of consoles (PlayStation 3).

For this week, the featured moment occurs in Mega Man 2 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. If you have read the title of this article --  and are a fan of the game -- you probably already know what moment I am talking about.

Hit the jump for Part 1 of the Memory Card Graphics Trilogy of Amazingness. Or as the cool kids are calling it: The Graphics Card!

"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

I was originally going to write about an entirely different topic this week. I had it all planned out, scheduled -- ya’ know, what annoyingly organized people do. But then I realized something. Something unbelievably important.

This is edition #69 of The Memory Card.

Now, when I noticed this was the 69th article in this series, I could have done two things: I could have ignored my immature giggling and continue things as planned, or I could scrap my original idea, move it to next week, and use this rare event to post something completely juvenile -- something that makes me laugh every single time I see it.

For better or worse, I decided on the latter.

Am I a little ashamed to stoop to a "69" joke and dedicate an entire feature to something so immature? Oh, most definitely. But, hey, it’s not very often I get to share this little bit of naughty videogame nostalgia with the world, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Professionalism, be damned!

Hit the jump to witness a videogame moment as unintentionally hilarious as my beloved Showgirls and as embarrassingly immature as this post.

69. Hehehe.

“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

Love is portrayed in many different ways in videogames. In epic Japanese RPGs, love stories are told in dramatic cutscenes, accompanied by a rousing music score and an air of slight confusion as to what is really going on. In other games, love is simply just a matter of saving the princess from a far away castle.

While love is prominently featured in games, it is rare for the digital passion between two on-screen characters to really connect with the person playing the game. It happens (says the tears that welled up in my eyes at the end of Shadow of the Colossus), but when is the last time you can remember being truly moved by a love story being told in a videogame?

Sometimes the most moving of moments can pop up in the least likely of places. Never more has this been true then when I played through the very recent Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box for the Nintendo DS. Who knew that in this completely fantastical puzzle game I would experience one of the most moving and beautifully told love stories I have experienced in recent memory?

Hit the jump to witness a wonderful tale of timeless love and tragic loss under the oddest of circumstances.

Be warned, though: MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE DIABOLICAL BOX ARE AHEAD! Seriously, the biggest mystery of the game is revealed and I really don’t want to be responsible for spoiling this masterpiece of a game.

"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

Online multiplayer is revolutionary. The fact that almost every console offers you the chance to play a specific videogame with almost anyone in the world at anytime is a pretty remarkable step forward in terms of both technology and player interaction. There is no denying the birth of online multiplayer changed videogames forever.

But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

While I still play games online and admire how its creation affected the industry, I am an old school kind of guy (translation: retro snob) and long for the days when friends got together and played videogames in the same room. I love it. I love it so much that I try to do it as much as possible (thank you, Rock Band and Wii Sports Resort).

This is why I still play and worship Contra for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Even though you can play it online through Xbox Live Arcade, nothing -- and I mean, nothing -- will ever beat sitting next to a buddy and enjoying the genuine camaraderie that fills the room as you laugh and curse your way through the game’s ridiculously tough stages.

Hit the jump to relive my favorite multiplayer moment from Contra -- actually, maybe my favorite multiplayer moment of all time. A moment so classic, so nostalgic, so maddening ... that it can only be truly appreciated with a good friend by your side.

“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

For years, role-playing games have introduced numerous, colorful casts of playable characters that ban together to stop the world from some unforeseen, horribly evil force. And, sadly, these casts are usually made up of some very interchangeable heroes. Giant sword? Check. Mysterious past? Check. Crazy haircut? Check.

As these generic heroes travel through their respective, fictional RPG worlds, they come in contact with too many NPCs to count. And sometimes these non-playable characters show signs of being even more interesting than the main protagonist you are controlling. Haven’t you ever wondered what the story is surrounding that beautiful, red-haired bartender that works in the basement of that inn? Or what of the random girl who sits by the lake, spouting helpful advice about where to find a particular treasure?

Dragon Quest IV for the Nintendo Entertainment System not only tackles these fascinating questions, the game dedicates a whole section to focus on one of the most unlikely heroes to ever set foot in an RPG.

Hit the jump to visit one of the most original, creative sequences in one of my favorite retro role-playing games of all time.

“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

Sequels can be very rewarding for a player if done right. Instead of offering something as basic as a continuation on a familiar style of gameplay, some videogame sequels are full of plot twists and references to earlier games in the series, giving players who have stuck with the series from the beginning a real sense of satisfaction.

But how cool would it be if the very first game in a series could offer glimpses of things to come in upcoming sequels? This has been slightly touched on in the past with games that already have green-lit, in-production sequels, but in most cases it is impossible -- a designer can’t see into the future, right?

Well, apparently there are designers out there with some crazy, mystical, psychic wizard powers, because Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter -- the first game in the incredible PC adventure game series -- accomplishes the impossible! There is a great moment about halfway through the game that features something that doesn’t happen until five real-time years -- and three sequels -- later!

It all gets a little complicated, so stretch those brain muscles and hit the jump for a really cool videogame moment that defies the space-time continuum!

"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

What happens to videogame characters after they die? As a gamer, you never really think about that. In most games, when the hero kills an enemy, that enemy just randomly disappears after a progressively sped up series of blinks -- never to be seen or heard of again.

This dispensable, throwaway attitude towards death in videogames is not very fair. Despite the assumed noble intentions, a game’s protagonist is still killing hundreds and hundreds of people with almost no remorse. Where are the repercussions -- physically and emotionally -- one would receive from being the center of such a massive killing spree?!

Surprisingly, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for the PlayStation 2 has an answer to this moral quandary. In one particular sequence, the game attempts to explain what happens when videogame characters pass into this “beyond the blink” afterlife. The result is both shocking and, frankly, pretty revolutionary.

Hit the jump to visit one of the most haunting, beautiful, and unique videogame moments I have ever experienced in my entire life.

"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.

I have witnessed a multitude of videogame moments over the years that I could easily describe in one word. Sad. Amazing. Impressive. Heartbreaking. Beautiful. It seems there is always one key thought that comes to mind when witnessing something extra powerful -- something that you know you will remember for years to come.

But what about the few moments that can’t be described so easily? What about the moments that are so absurd that you can’t even use the word “absurd” to define what is going on?!

One such moment occurs at the tail end of Bionic Commando for the Nintendo Entertainment System. And if you are a retro fan in the slightest you probably already know what moment I am talking about. But think about it for second: How would you describe this sequence? It’s a little bit of everything: it’s violent; it’s hilarious; it’s offensive; it’s ludicrous. It’s basically really hard to describe!

For those of you who don’t know what moment I am talking about, hit the jump to witness something mere words can never do justice.