So I finally beat ICO, and got the platinum. I have to say this game, despite being centered on one of the most hated gameplay mechanics (the escort), is an amazing game. It was truly, an emotional journey that even overwhelmed me at the end. Now, I'm not sure if any other game has made me shed a tear before so I figured I'd stir up a discussion.

First I'll talk Ico. Again, escort missions are bottom shelf in gaming. Make them too long and people will hate the game. Team Ico decided to base the entire game around it. At first glance it seems like a disaster, and even playing the game you start to become annoyed and hate dragging around Yorda. And I mean dragging. You practically pull her off the whole game. That's what baffled me; I should be glad it’s over, stack the game on my shelf and be done with it. But no, my heart wrenched at the end as the meaning of the entire game unraveled itself in my mind.

Everytime Yorda was attacked I had an emotional reaction: anger, panic, completely full on defensive mode to protect her. So completely unaware, the moment we two were headed to our escape, we were cast away from each other. I watched a desperate attempt by both to stay together and witnessed an unstoppable separation. That defensive like emotion accelerated and the climb up the castle’s waterworks had immense purpose.

I fought my way up and found Yorda petrified to stone, surrounded. I dispatched the flying horned creates without much thought, rushing to eliminate them to attempt her rescue. Upon completion I found her lifeless so I continued forward to end it. The battle with the queen did end with my blade, but her words are what seemed to pierce my heart instead. She revealed her plans for Yorda, to become her, to possess her, use her as a vessel. The knowledge manifested the reality of this world.

The story connected and suddenly I knew, this drama has been playing out for ages. Ico was far from the first and Yorda one of many. This evil queen has been imprisoning young women to lengthen her own life and the nearby village sacrificed them to the queen along with horned boys, left there to die in a coffin. The spirits were the shadows of past boys made to die and entrap the women until she met her end. With my blade lodged in her chest the queen said Yorda can never leave the castle, even though I killed her and threw Ico to the ground. The implications engulfed me as I watched the ending unfold as Ico laid there bleeding, unconscious, with the castle collapsing around him. Even after all that, keeping Yorda alive, stopping the queen, Ico laid there about to die.

Then the remaining strength of all the spirits gathered around Yorda as if to protect her, for maybe they were not enemies at all, only shadows of the past endlessly protecting her from danger, from Ico. Yorda awoke and with the remaining time carried Ico to a boat and cast him away. In the last moment, she save the boy who put an end to the vicious cycle and she remained awaiting the end she could never escape. The credits role and that damn song played and I teared up!

After the credits, they added Ico landing on the shore and finding Yorda alive across the beach. To me it felt unnecessary to throw in a happy ending. The culmination was already reached and I was climatically impacted. Regardless of the addition, I was entirely taken aback by the game and ...

 I would like to know if there has been any gaming moments in your life that inspired such an emotional reaction.

If it makes you feel better about the final reversal to a "happy" ending apparently Ueda has been asked about it and to him that's just Ico's dream, and not reality.  

i didn't read anything except the title but i came here because i was thinking about making a thread about games that made people cry because it happened to me a little while back

Please share, the bolded part at the end of my OP is asking about just that. I suppose it is hard to enter a spoiler thread though.

Really? Well I suppose anything could be reality with so few words.

Ico is my favorite PS2 game and my favorite Sony exclusive. I didn't like SOTC as much as everyone else seemed to, in fact I never finished it because it lost my interest. I bought Ico the day it came out based on my love of the demo. I played straight through, loved every minute of it, and it stands as one of my most memorable times as a gamer.

I didn't cry at the end, but I did like that the girl who was so helpless found the strength to save her protector. I love the song that plays and the fact that Yorda survived and is shown after the credits with Ico and his now two broken horns.

The only game that had as much of an impact on me was Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Recently Halo 4's ending had a big impact on me since I've grown so attached to the characters over the last 10 years. It was an emotional parting, but I don't for a single minute believe the 343i would make any of it permanent.

valkyria chronicles made me want to got back and try to stop Isara from dieing. i really couldn't find away to keep playing when it happened.

i played the game atleast 10 times and still had a hardtime continuing on after Isara dies. just talking about it gets to me abit.

Lame

you should totally start another thread titled "Has a video game ever brought you to tears?"

The "spoiler Alert" usually scares people away from entering and reading lol

You can make it if you want, though I figured enough people already played Ico, but I can get rid of the word spoiler in the titles and place spoiler tags on in the OP. I will change the title to "Games that make you cry"

Edited to reflect changes made to thread.