SNES: Earthbound. I remember staying up at 1AM when I was little, preparing for the final boss. While I fought Pokey, I listened to the retro music playing until it suddenly changed into loud jamming, 16bit goodness. I was blown away by that, but what came after was the Giygas fight itself. The eeriness of it made me gasp in awe, and when the alien started going crazy, it was a memory I will never forget.
PSone: Xenogears. The story captured me the moment I played it from beginning to end. The most memorable part to me was when Id tells the tale of Fei's past. The music captured the mode, as did the reveal of Fei's mother being Miang. The final boss (The one on one duel) was another wow moment for me, given the atmosphere.
N64: Ocarina of Time. Ganon fight. Need I say more? :)
Gamecube: Metroid Prime. The only game where the graphics made me gasp in awe. Never have I been impressed with visuals in a game, but this one took the cake. The boss fights were amazing, especially Omega Pirate and the final boss.
Tales of Symhonia: My favorite game of all time. When you have a game that 'makes' you stay up till 5AM playing it. Its the reason why RPGs are my favorite genre of video games today.
PS2: Persona 4. This is the only entry that I didn't play when that generation was sitll going on. In fact, I am playing it right now. It has wowed me numerous times, in particular the dungeons you go through. My favorite would have to be Shadow Rise's though, considering how surprised I was when it appeared. The amount of content in this game is almost countless, and as I continue to play it, the more I regret not playing the game when I had a PS2.
Wii: Xenoblade. The various places you went in this game really made you feel that you were really there. Sometimes, I would just stand in a particular spot and watch it go from day to night, gazing at the environment as it changed. One area that did this the best was Satorl Marsh, and anyone who has played the game knows what I am talking about. The music in that area is amongst the best I have heard, as is the soundtrack as a whole.
PSP: Trails in the Sky/Ys Seven. These games are why I am a hardcore Falcom fan today. Trails in the Sky has some of the best cast of characters you will ever encounter, while Ys Seven's gameplay is truly amazing. Their stories are stellar too.
Nothing has wowed me yet this gen, but that will likely change soon. (Zelda U, Xenoblade X)
Estelle and Adol... best characters ever! XD
