… with that deviant video game behavior. Maybe my head has just always been in the clouds, but there have been legitimate moments in video game history that truly shocked me. Or maybe more like an enjoyable surprise. Playing these games alone or witnessing them with a friend have fostered memories that led me to where I am today with my dorky sensibilities. Follow along as I discuss some of the moments in video games that I never saw coming, even if the rest of the world did.

Summoning the Dead

I think what I loved about video games the most were the ones that told a story; the kind of story that took hours to get through, in other words, a Final Fantasy game. Originally meant to be Final Fantasy IV, American fans got the fourth installment as Final Fantasy II on the Super Nintendo in 1991 and I ended up getting over a year’s worth of game play.

I enjoyed this game so much for its interesting characters and rich story line. One of my favorite characters was Rydia, the shy quiet summoner who was orphaned by the dark knight Cecil and the dragoon Kain. 

My shock was evident though when on a quick trip through the ocean, Rydia was thrown overboard and presumed dead. My heart was devastated. How could a video game kill a kid? What sort of world was this? My shock would eventually change once my team of adventurers traveled into the underworld and after facing near death in the Dwarve’s Castle at the hands of Golbez, they would then be saved by a slightly older and mature Rydia!

The entire scenario was breathtaking. I remember screaming and jumping for joy that Rydia was back, that she had never died at all. It was this sort of device in a video game that kept me coming back for more; to say nothing of the pure joy and instant connection I feel once meeting a fellow gamer who has had a similar experience with seeing Rydia rush in at the last second. For me Rydia coming back has been one of the best moments in a video game.

Backstabber

Squaresoft (now Square Enix) had more surprises up their sleeves with their never ending series of role playing games that promised our fantasies were to be final. The look and feel of video games had shifted towards the later part of the 90’s. To catch up with the times, Squaresoft released Final Fantasy VII. The world was more high tech than medieval. The story was far more complex though the characters were still engaging.

Being the quiet unassuming dork girl I was, Aerith the flower girl was my favorite character. She seemed like the weakest link, but her kindness and level building potential was more than enough for me to keep her in my lineup.

All of that was shattered though when in a moment of prayer, Aerith was killed by the villainous Sephiroth. A quick slice at her back and through her stomach at the hands of Sephiroth was more than enough to cause me to melt into hysterics.

I had known that something bad was going to happen to Aerith, but to have her die with a sword through her back!? In front of Cloud?! I was gutted. Sadly I was the only one devastated as my friend who also played at the time was more shocked that her death had played so heavy on my heart. I still have trouble witnessing that scene to this very day and I am on the verge of being 33. I feel as if I should get over it, though who am I kidding, it’s just too shocking of a scene.

Finish Him!

Fatalities were not exactly a shock in the first Mortal Kombat. In fact they were the selling point for the video game. Everyone knew that they happened and aside from some concerned parents, no one was really put off by their existence. However trying to punch in the buttons at just the right amount of time to pull off the fatality was the only downfall. Time felt like it moved so fast when it was time to "Finish Him!" When I was finally able to execute Sonya Blade’s Kiss of Death fatality, it had to go down as one of the biggest personal shocks I ever experienced while playing a video game.

It felt like a dream. At long last all that practice had paid off for one cheesy looking fatality. I don’t condone violence, but there was something satisfying at finally being able to tap those blasted buttons in the proper order.

My sense of pride would be dashed though as I would learn that everyone else in my class could execute all the fatalities with the simplest of ease. Not only that, but they had also unlocked secret characters. Shocks to the system always kept coming when it came to Mortal Kombat.

Stop, Drop, and Roll!

Those various surprises mentioned before were all great, though nothing could ever hold a candle to the biggest video game shock I have ever experienced. Let me set the stage. Growing up I had a best friend and her name was Karen. We had similar tastes in that we loved Cherry Merry Muffin dolls and our career goals consisted of growing up and becoming members of the Babysitter’s Club. We also loved playing video games.

Karen had an older brother who was always introducing us to new games that we were thrilled to get our hands on. While Karen was wide eyed with flaxen hair, her brother Eric was gangly with hair made up of wiry flames. I had a crush on him. I knew it would never amount to anything. It was just the innocent crush of a pale little dork girl.

One night we were all hanging out together, Karen and I must have been in the first grade or so, and Eric had asked us if we’d ever played Metroid. I had heard of Metroid, but the strange foray into space had escaped my newly minted Nintendo experiences. It was soon settled, Karen and I were going to watch her brother beat Metroid for his second time. According to her brother there was something we really needed to see at the end.

Watching someone play a video game is like sitting outside a closed donut shop: you just want to be involved in the good stuff on the inside. Of course Karen and I respected her brother and thus found the determination to sit and simply watch. As Karen and I sat there watching Eric play, I soon found myself a bit intrigued at this space adventure. The levels were confusing and the music set a tone that I got wrapped up in. It also helped that the space adventurer was able to perform all kinds of tricks to battle up against a variety of space monsters.

After awhile our patience wore thin though. Karen and I wondered what the goal of the game was and just what were we doing in space? Eric told us to be patient. He explained that beating this game was worth it and that it would all make sense. I was lost but still along for the adventure.

The point finally came when the yellow space adventurer faced off against the terrifying creatures simply known as metroids. On a side note, I had thought that the space adventurer‘s name was Metroid. Eric got a huge kick out of that. Anyways, the energy draining metroids were a sight to behold. They seemed to swarm the hero at every turn. Karen and I worried for Eric, he had come so far and yet it seemed as if those scary little buggers were going to be the end of him.

Only that wasn’t even the worst part. Eric had to battle up against a giant brain. I recall being highly revolted that the main villain in the game was a giant red brain. It was one of the most horrific things I had ever witnessed. You must understand I wanted to be a member of the Babysitter’s Club. Mother Brain was simply too much for me to handle.

Mother Brain soon perished as Karen and I cheered Eric on. Finally, after so much time, the game was over. I was thrilled to be done watching someone else play a video game. For those who know what happened next though, the horrors of Metroid were far from over. Karen and I clutched our plastic pearls as Eric had to race against a ticking time bomb.

It was too much for my younger self to handle. I was enjoying it though. The mayhem from Metroid was quite addicting. That’s when the ending really fired up and Eric told us to pay careful attention. The space adventurer we had been following along with took off his helmet to reveal that ‘he’ was a ‘she.’ I have never experienced that kind of complete and utter shock before. Samus was the first lead female character that I had ever seen in a video game. This was a huge deal. A variety of reactions have been discussed by numerous people who recall that moment in video game history, but trust when I say this: Samus being a woman was a really big deal for my younger self.

When I went home that night all I could think of was how I wanted to be Samus. No longer content with being a babysitter, I had dreams of being a space hunter. Since I couldn’t imagine what it would actually be like to be in space, I instead pretended that space pirates had invaded my school and it was up to me and my arm canon to save my fellow students from the likes of Kraid, Ridley, and Mother Brain. There was something magical and powerful about Samus and Metroid. There was urgency within me to explore new worlds and delve a little more into space and science fiction, though I had no real firm concept on what science fiction was at that point.

Eventually I would receive my own copy of Metroid. (Aside from the screen shots of the various video game scenes, the images of the instruction booklet pages and figures are mine.) The various adventures that I’d go on as Samus were an important part of my gaming experience and I probably never would have touched that game had it not been for Karen and her brother Eric.

I look back on that experience as well as the others I mentioned earlier and I can’t help but miss those moments of surprise that playing a simple video game could elicit. Those kinds of moments are a rarity these days. After all, time has moved on and I’m a little older now. Karen and I grew apart as friends sometimes do. Sadly she would end up leaving this world far too soon. However I always have that memory with she and I and it is a darn good one. There are many video games and stories that have helped create the dorky woman I am today. Whether it be Rydia racing in for the rescue, the shock of losing a flower girl, a personal accomplishment with a deadly kiss, or where I was when I found out Samus was a woman, those surprising moments are so special and highly important that I will forever hold onto them. Now I must be off, space awaits!