Let the developers give you some sweet extra sauce.
From Shepard spinning around and stabbing Kai Leng in Mass Effect 3, to Master Chief manually guiding a bomb onto a Covenant ship in Halo 2, to taking free reign as the incredibly powerful Jedi Master Sere Junda in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, there are standout moments that may have been minimized for the sake of the story, but they are still there. I'm glad The developers took their time to make it happen.
In the modern games industry, where it's increasingly clear that games are streamlined by ruthless corporate interference, moments and gameplay ideas like these feel increasingly rare, as it's hard for developers to devote the time to a single knockout scene.
But when developers are allowed to be creative, these moments are often some of the best in a game.
Whether big or small, funny or serious, this list focuses on those moments that truly stand out and give us that special flavor.
9. Dawn Comes – Dragon Age Inquisition
Dragon Age Inquisition was a perfect return to the Dragon Age series and remains one of BioWare's best works to date.
Moving away from Dragon Age 2's predefined character of Hawke and the fixed location of Kirkwall, Inquisition opened up a lot of possibilities for us.
As our own Inquisitor characters, we are tasked with exploring the truly beautiful Thedas and finding and closing the tears in the Veil that have arisen as a result of the Breach – a rift between the material world and the world of demons and spirits called the Fade.
Inquisition is packed with great moments as you fight dragons, explore new locations, and get to know a cast of well-rounded companions, but there's one moment in particular early on in the game that really stands out.
After successfully closing the rift above Haven, the celebrations are interrupted when most of the village is destroyed in an attack led by the ancient darkspawn sorcerer Corypheus and his dragons.
Solas then leads the survivors and allies to the abandoned fortress Skyhold, where they are all seemingly lost after suffering a major defeat.
But the solemn atmosphere begins to shift as Mother Giselle sings “Dawn Shall Come” and one by one her companions and Haven survivors join in singing the Dragon Age theme.
This scene is beautiful as it serves as a moment to restore the faith everyone has lost and reminds us that even in difficult times and when all seems lost, dawn always comes.
This could easily have been a moving speech from a character or simply implied in a minor moment in the game, but the inclusion of this scene adds a lot of nuance and emotional complexity to the game.
It's a truly epic Inquisition moment, a reminder that your strength as an Inquisitor comes from working with your team and ultimately winning — and, at the very least, that when the “BioWare magic” works, it's something truly special.
