None of us would play video games if we didn’t find them fun, satisfying or interesting. From pipping your opponent at the post to secure a victory royale, a first place finish or even just completing something basic that the game has tuned your brain to enjoy more than you normally would. Satisfaction is a key component in the games that we play, and so here are the five most satisfying moments in games that I’m positive anyone who has played these games will agree with.
Yes I know, another week I’m going to harp on about Death Stranding! It’s inclusion on this list is testament to just how satisfying this is, as I haven’t touched the game in over a week at time of writing as I’m blitzing Assassins Creed: Odyssey, again.
Carrying hundreds of kilograms of weight strapped to protagonist Sam’s legs, back and shoulders, often dwarfing him in height, the sight of civilisation looming into view is ever an appreciated sight. The welcoming phrase ‘Please proceed to distribution centre’ echoes across the deserted forecourt of the last remnants of humanity, confirming that you have survived another trip through the beautiful post-apocalyptic wasteland of America.
I haven’t even got to the good bit yet; as that only comes after you confirm the delivery at the terminal of the distribution centre and watch your cargo get whisked off to Kojima only knows. The deep satisfaction starts when the terminal fanfare kicks in, with all the ‘likes’ from the recipient of the delivery rolling in, boosting your level and sometimes promoting Sam to new ranks! Rewards also come in the form of your delivery location often developing new gear and weapons to use in the game, proving that within the world of Death Stranding, busywork is a thing of the past!
It’s been a while since I talked about Hot Pursuit, and it would be remiss of me to not highlight how satisfying this games vehicle combat was. The slow motion camera kicking in every time you took down an opponent’s vehicle never got old, and with a variety of ways to do so, they also never felt repetitive.
Whether ramming a car into an oncoming vehicle or tree, blasting them with an EMP burst, or deploying a lethal set of spike strips, the cinematic camera angle and booming sound effects within the game never failed to convey the damage you were causing as either a cop or a racer.
Easily the greatest Need for Speed game to date, certainly the best of the last decade, nothing would make me re-visit this franchise quicker than a return to Hot Pursuit as nothing since has come close to recapturing the magic this game was packing.
The finishers within Shadow of Mordor are one of the many reasons I racked up over 200 hours on this revolutionary title. The enemy Uruk cries of ‘filthy Tark’ being snuffed out in seconds by Talion’s ruthless blood craze with his sword, dagger and bow, truly served to create a canvas of gore and severed limbs across your screen as the battles unfolded.
My personal favourite of the finishers were any that involved Uruk decapitation, and yes I am fully aware that that covers most of them. The varied looks of shock, horror, despair and anger on the Uruks faces as their heads went flipping and spinning into the middle distance was greatly amusing, more so on the occasions they bounced off one of their previous squad mates for that extra dose of humiliation, before they also met the same grisly fate.
Shadow of Mordor was my favourite game of 2014, and when I recall the hours spent carving through wave after wave of enemies, I can tell you that I don’t regret a single hour spent creating carnage in this phenomenal title.
Feel free to replace this with your Devil May Cry game of choice, but as mine is DMC: Devil May Cry (the best one) it makes it onto this list. The occasional cries of your multiplier in the game of ‘Savage’, ‘Sadistic’ and ‘Sensational’ as your hit combo racks up is a perfect compliment to the flying debris and jets of crimson blood being projectiled everywhere across the screen.
The weapons are the true heroes of DMC, and this is the only title where I primarily used Dante’s starting sword, the Rebellion. The insane level of upgrades, potential combos and styles of attack this weapon possesses is truly legendary, and in any other Devil May Cry game I would usually abandon it as soon as literally any other melee weapon came along.
My favourite Rebellion attack in particular, and I admit I overused this with no shame whatsoever, was the ability to charge and release sharp vertical beams of light from the blade that could sever an enemy into several pieces from almost any distance provided you had line of sight.
DMC: Devil May Cry, like Shadow of Mordor above, was my game of the year that it released for its high replayability factor, amazing soundtrack and frenetic weapons that are among some of the most satisfying to use in any game ever. Fact.
Just Cause 3 is the among the best sandbox games of all time when it comes to the ‘liberate the districts’ cliché. Packing an amazing level of firepower, you play as protagonist Rico Rodriguez as he fights to liberate his home of Medici from a ruthless dictator. In order to achieve this the game gives you the pleasingly vague objective: ‘cause chaos’. This is best achieved by attacking one of the many military bases that litter the massive map, blowing up everything in site while fending off wave upon wave of enemy soldiers.
The most cinematic location for an explosive action packed battle is Porto Tridente in the North-West corner of the main island at the top of the map. The rolling seas provide a perfect backdrop to the cacophony of explosions and bursting jets of flame as you unload every last piece of ammo you can in one of the most spectacular gunfights in Just Cause 3, which was never skimping on the action to begin with!
As an added benefit to fully taking over a region, you can then choose to allow a liberated base to be retaken over again, so you never have to stop blowing this beautiful country to Hell and back.
Thank you for reading about some of the most satisfying moments in video games. Share your picks in the comments or on Twitter @RespawningUK and why not follow me while you’re there @MaliceVER. I’ll be back next week with another list feature for you and so I will speak to you then.
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