Welcome to part 2 of my top 40 moments of 2024!
If you want part 1, I have it linked with all of my other content for the end of the year below. Let’s get to it!
My Other Year-End Content So Far
BigNerdGaming’s Top 10 Indie Games Of 2024
AndresPlays Top 10 Games of 2024
BigNerdGaming’s 2024 Honorable Mentions
BigNerdGaming’s Top 10 Games of 2024
BigNerdGaming’s Top 40 Moments: #40-26
#25: Vahram’s Sacrifice (Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown)
The bad guy reforming and sacrificing himself at the end of a story is a pretty standard trope. But they managed to execute it really well here.
After an absolutely epic fight with the big boss, Vahram, he realizes that he was wrong the entire time and kills himself to save the others. This moment is just so damn cool. Visually, it is awesome, and the music is absolutely epic. I wasn’t really into the story in The Lost Crown, but at the very end, it came around and at least gave me one great moment. This was an excellent way to finish the game.
#24: Walking into Mos Eisley for The First Time (Star Wars Outlaws)
Mos Eisley is arguably the most famous location in all of Star Wars history. The spaceport is kind of your first true introduction into this universe. I imagine there are a lot of people like myself who weren’t born in that era that still grew up watching A New Hope a whole bunch of times. So that city means something to me.
Walking into Mos Eisley in a video game like this for the first time was just an incredible feeling. I think I spent something like 5 minutes just walking around and taking everything in. Part of that is nostalgia, of course, but it’s also just a really well constructed city. It feels alive on a level that few video game cities do. This was such a fun mix of being a blast from the past while being a great moment in its own right.
#23: Laura’s Death (Indiana Jones and The Great Circle)
You spent quite a while in Indiana Jones chasing after Gina’s sister, Laura. She had been working with the evil Nazi Voss, and the questions are both on if she is working for him willingly and if she is safe.
After several stops looking for her, she is finally found during the Himalayas level, dead. It’s a great story moment, but the way the scene is shot is also remarkable. Everything about the setup and reveal is so perfect and well done. It’s like, you guessed it, a movie! The voice acting by Alessandra Mastronardi is also fantastic. This kept the plot intriguing around the halfway point in the game.
#22: Battle With Bjorn The Tyrant (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II)
Hellblade II is a very intense game, and this was one hell of a way to finish things off. From the build-up to the big fight, to the death of Thórgestr, to what is probably the most intense sword fight in the game, they just handle everything so well. The choice Senua makes after is also interesting and seems like a key moment for her character as a whole. Once this was done, I remember sitting and just watching the credits roll, as I felt a bit drained from how epic this conclusion was. I didn’t have the energy to change games. I just had to sit with what I just saw.
#21: Winter Boss Fight, Spring Breaks (Neva)
Phew. This was a lot. As you reach the end of winter in Neva, you finally get the chance to fight the leader of the darkness that has been hunting you throughout the game.
This fight is just epic. It’s one of the most intense in the game. The arena, the visuals, and the music are all on point.
It all finally ends with a cutscene where Neva gets attacked by the darkness, but manages to seemingly eradicate it. Neva’s eye also gets hurt, which is a key hint for the story.
After the fight, Alba and Neva ride off and share an emotional moment after the danger they just faced. Then, winter breaks and spring arrives. This leads to what is probably the most amazing visual moment that the game has. This was just fantastic all around.
#20: Angela and The Flaming Staircase (Silent Hill 2 Remake)
Shit. This one is heavy. You run into Angela early on in Silent Hill 2 and continue to interact with her over the course of the game. Eventually, you learn that she was sexually assaulted, which has scarred her permanently.
Later on, you fight a boss and kill the monster that was haunting her. This feels like it is going to be the end of that particular arc, but it is not. A bit before the conclusion, you meet her again. Despite all that has been done, despite the revenge, the scars still remain with her. She talks about how the flames are always there for her before she rejects James’ offer to help her. She then goes up the staircase into the fire.
This scene is absolutely haunting. It’s a devastating look into the effects that trauma can have on someone, especially the kind Angela endured. And it’s going to stick with me for quite a while.
#19: Kiryu Goes Old School (Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth)
There are parts of Kiryu’s story in Infinite Wealth that I really didn’t enjoy. I think the game leans into the nostalgia elements with him a bit too much, and it holds back the overall story.
But once in a while, that shit still hits. Right before the final battle, you get a quick cutscene of Kiryu slicking back his hair and throwing on his old suit. This had me complete marking out. It’s an easy move by RGG, but god damn, it was the right one. I loved it.
#18: Thickskin Gave The Villagers Dog Whistles (Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden)
Red and Antea spend some time investigating what happened to villagers who were all killed by wolves relatively early in the game. The villagers had whistles to call for help, but for whatever reason, they didn’t work.
It turns out that the reason they didn’t work is that these whistles were actually dog whistles. Thus, the whistles put them in an even worse position when they called for help. This was a stunning and awesome plot twist.
From there, this leads to a confrontation with the leader who gave them the dog whistles, Thickskin. She admits to it and actually makes a real case as to why she made the right call, which was fascinating. You can actually almost justify why she did such a wicked thing. This also leads to a great confrontation with her sister, Kate, about the decision.
This situation ends with a decision on what whether to kill Thickskin or save her. I’d say it was one of the most interesting choices the game gives you because it can easily be argued that the surviving villagers still need her. This had plot twists, drama, great voice acting, and was just a phenomenal moment.
#17: The Death of Voss (Indiana Jones and The Great Circle)
Voss is probably my #3 villain this year, behind only Louis and Dux from Eiyuden Chronicles. Those villains are great more so for their general charisma. Voss meanwhile is just a slimy and evil piece of shit. He has several encounters with Indiana throughout the game, and he knows how to get under your skin.
In the final encounter in the game, Voss gets hit by some sort of magic that holds him up in the air and seems to immediately age him into death. This was gruesome, fitting, and pretty epic. A perfect way to end things with a truly evil character.
#16: Weisshaupt (Dragon Age: The Veilguard)
I want to make clear that at the time of this writing, I still haven’t beaten Dragon Age: The Veilguard. I’ve been trying to do a lot of the side content, and if you do that, the game is a lot more massive than it first appears. I’ve heard a lot of hype about the final act of the game, but I’m just not there yet. I have enjoyed a lot of the endings to the companion arcs, so I have a lot of faith that I will enjoy the last act of the game a lot.
I have been through Weisshaupt, though, which is the big battle that takes place at the midway point in the game. And it is just excellent stuff. There is high tension throughout and tons of intense battles. I loved the choice you get to make as to whether punch the gray warden captain or persuade him into your course of action (I chose to punch, and it felt great). The ending is also pretty epic. This was just an A+ battle from both a combat and story perspective. I wasn’t super into the main story of Veilguard before this, but this had me way more engaged with it.
#15: Ei-Chan Can Walk (Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth)
This might be my favorite plot twist of the year. You spend quite a while in the early game with Ei-Chan. He is incredibly helpful to the crew and is a likable, nerdy guy. He is also in a wheelchair. Not at all the kind of guy that you expect to become a villain.
So when it is revealed that Ei-Chan is actually a spy from the crew’s enemies, and he gets up out of his wheelchair and starts walking around, it is incredible stuff. This is one of maybe three plot twists this year where I let out an audible gasp. This was masterfully set up and executed.
#14: The King’s Funeral (Metaphor: ReFantazio)
This is pure cinema. If you weren’t invested in Metaphor’s plot early on, I think it’d hard not to be after this cutscene.
At the funeral for the king, the main villain in the game, Louis, makes a very dramatic appearance and pretty much admits to killing the king. He also wants to lay claim to the throne. From there, the king’s magic activates an election to decide who the next king will be.
Your ally, Grius, then attempts to kill Louis. He is stopped and killed, adding even more drama to the cutscene. Most of the moments from this point in the list forward are things that happened later in the games, as that is usually when the absolute best story moments happen in games. This was about as good of a cutscene as you can possibly have this early in a game.
#13: Fixer’s Death (1000xResist)
Early on in 1000xResist, the playable character, “Watcher,” discovers that one of her closest friends, “Fixer,” is planning to betray the Allmother, their god/leader. Fixer tells Watcher that Allmother is corrupt. Watcher’s job is to essentially be a snitch of sorts, so she reports this transgression.
Not long after, it is reported that Fixer has been killed by the Allmother. This was a bit surprising, as I didn’t expect things to escalate that quickly. It set things up for the plot really well.
But the thing that really made this moment stick for me is how the death was presented. Allmother enjoys drawing (poorly), so the events are all shown with some very crude drawings. This is almost comical until we get to the death scene, where Allmother vividly draws Fixer being set on fire until she dies. These kinds of dark drawings being done with the quality that a seven year old might do is really jarring and set up Allmother as a very odd and evil character all at once. I was somewhat interested in 1000xResist’s story at this point, but then this moment had me all in.
#12: Fire Area/The Death of Illtauga (Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II)
This is easily one of the best set piece moments this year. You fight Illtauga by destroying the chains that bind her. You have to avoid fire attacks by hiding behind various rocks. This is intense, and it’s made even more intense by the fact that these fire attacks all link to the music in the game. It’s really incredible.
Then, the conclusion to the fight is stunning and heartbreaking, as you give the giant the bones of her child, which turns her to stone. Damn. This was really epic and really heavy.
#11: Entering The Open World For The First Time (Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth)
I want to add some extra context before discussing this. I replied FF7 Remake right before picking up Rebirth. I love Remake, but it’s a very linear game where you are stuck in tight spaces for some 40 hours (this is by design with the structure of Midgar, but still). I was then excited to check out the open world in Rebirth, but the first 5ish hours of the game also mostly have you in linear or smaller areas.
Finally, I stepped into the Grasslands for the first time. The game sets up the moment perfectly. I kept saying to myself, “I can’t believe this is real.” After all the build-up, I couldn’t believe how freaking cool this open world was and how much there was to do in it. They nailed this, and the additional context made it even more meaningful for me. This was a special moment.
Coming Friday, my top 10 moments of 2024!
Big Nerd Gaming 
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