Love at first sight: Gaming hooks discussed

[Lebowski]

I rember playing lots of ridge racer on the ps1 i could spin the car in the wrong direction and snap it back while cornering just for the hell of it, they even made it into a mini game in ridge racer revolution it was just ermm great fun.........

Thats what i like in a game attention to detail and i think a little time and effort goes a long way to creating fun enviroments to play in, ico is swarming with little touches and neat new ideas, ico had the massive scale of the castle and a neat twist on a standard platform style that all seemed to just fit and make the game feel really solid,

And i find recentley that im replaying the highway 17 level in halflife 2 just to re-explore all the houses and chuck cars into the sea i have also spent ages pileing up boxes and furniture and pretty much anthing i can find to get to other places. dont even get me started on zelda as i love the find new item put two and two together go find new area to explore mechanic it has

so its that attention to detail that hooks me most of the time

[Iron Z]

maybe im in the minority...but Ico got switched off after 40 minutes, back in the box, never to be seen again. I mostly play games with friends (housemates), and after 40 minutes even the hardcore RPG / god game player who loves slow paced stuff was falling asleep.

Dark Forces 1 & 2 were another one that drew you in...the first time you got to walk around Star Wars in 3D...

[Concept]

ICO captivated me like no other game I've ever played. Sometimes it's just not everyone's cup of tea. We all like different things, so that's just the way it goes.

But to me, it's very, very special.

[Ostrog]

A fair few games had that effect on me - Super Metroid drew me in, Doom had me hooked as well. Going back further, the Turrican games enthralled me with their cool music and gameplay - I kept coming back to Turrican 2 many times since completing it.
Even Altered Beast did the same thing to me. I'd seen it in the arcades while on my hols in France - I caught a glimpse of the transformation, heard the signature "Welcome to your doom!" and that piqued my curiosity. I played the game, enjoyed it, and couldn't wait to try it again. I only had an Amiga at the time, and knowing there was a port for it, I picked it up on the way home. It was a load of old cobblers - not a patch on the MD version, nor its' arcade counterpart, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that I had my own copy of Altered Beast, and I could play it as much as I wanted. And I did. Despite its' faults, I had alot of fun with that game.
Last year, Metroid Prime sucked me into its' world, and Prime 2 may well do the same.

Recently, I came across Monster Attack/Chikyu Boeigun on the PS2. I remember seeing some screenshots, reading the review here, and checking out the video. That was a game I had to play. It's such a frantic game, and being a fan of Godzilla flicks and the like, I had to check it out. I can't get enough of taking on vast armies of giant ants, swarms of flying saucers, and giant robots - all at the same time.
Had some great moments running along, shotgun in hand, blasting ships out of the sky - they make a very satisfying 'clang' - with hordes of angry bugs bolting after me, climbing over everything in their path.
And there were a fair few 'holy crap!' moments as well - like encountering a huge Godzilla-like monster, or standing on a coastline watching a fleet of UFOs and giant robots advancing, along with a horde of ants approaching from behind you. The game has loads of moments like that. Whenever I wasn't playing the game, I couldn't wait to get back to it. A game hasn't had that effect on me in years.

[Mardigan8]

A variety of games could be given the award of 'hooking' but only gonna emtion a few special treats.

Devil May Cry!! The opening scene in your shop, walking arond with the blade in you after leathering the bike with dial handguns... you KNEW this chanracter was gonna kick serious ass when you got control of him. It used the foundation layed by likes of Resi Evil to make a slick **** action game and one that had me playing it in 4 hour windows till it was complete. I have since completed it 3 times, traded it and bought the platinum edition which I am 75% through. An instant classic!! The atmosphere and the character made this one a 'hook'

Tomb Raider on the PSOne!! Better than anything games had done up to that point and had me hypnotised for weeks, with its fantastic character and epic enviornments. Brought 3D gaming to a new level and I explored every nook and cranny of that game TO DEATH. Great cut scenes with the opening on top of that mountain fighting the wolves a treat!! SO Fresh and new on its original release and another classic!!

Need to give a shout to Metal Gear aswell, the start of that was tremendous withthe ending one of the best I have experienced in a game. Ninja = best character in any game, so cool and his sacrifice at the end is gut wrenching. An epic from start to finish. Ddint take long to complete, but mainlt due to the madly addictive and absorbing gameplay!!

Best FMV Opening for me goes to Soul Blade (PSOne incarnation). The character animation and the music, Oh THAT SONG, is the best intro to a game EVER, love it!! Intro to Metal Gear 2 first class as well, jump off bridge, stuff dreams are made of

[segages]

Shenmue Watching that intro for the first time was a real jaw-dropper. The DC had truly arrived. I'm not normally a sucker for eye candy but it was exceptional at the time. Then it was time to go find that damned black car and sailors. The whole free environment meant I wasted hours just wandering around when I felt like it. A true classic and one I've replayed many times.

PSO (DC) got me hooked when I sampled online for the first time. Even though the game didn't have much depth, it was a great example of what online games could be like. The whole work as a team aspect really shone through.

FFVII didn't really grab me until I got to the world map but after that it was like a drug.

[MikeRox]

PSO for same reasons as above

Sonic Adventure, got one soon after the PAL launch, played for a few mins felt a bit meh, tho nice graphics, got onto emerald coast, the music kicked in, the nice graphics suddenly looked amazing, and then there was the whale, that was it ?250 purchase (DC + game + VMU) fully justified the biggest hook tho, was the 2nd part of the level where the music changes, from then on I knew I'd bought a very special machine.

A few others but reasons have also been stated so not much point listing em.

[mr_rich]

sonic adv for its graphics and speed.
MGS1 for its stealth play and cool stylings.
doom, tekken and ridge racer made me buy a PS1, and wipeout2097 kept me hooked. (i love my DR)
GTA 3, for its freedom.

[Captain-N]

Not counting all the great arcade games that has blown me away during the years. Here are some of the key-moments of mine.

Starfox back on the SNES made my senses explode when I finally saw it in motion. The heroic music, the 3D-graphics and the frantic chatter from Peppy and gang. It was like seeing Star Wars for the first time! To say that screenshots didn?t make it justice is the understatement of the century.

Super Probotector also had me hooked right from level one. The tank they give you rigth away, the napalm bomber swooping down in glorious mode 7 and finally that giant turtle boss crashing trough the wall... What a rush! "Holy ****! How am I going to kill that monster?" The entire game is filled with moments like these.

Soul Calibur. Being used to muddy and grainy graphics on the N64 only to have this Dreamcast beast unleashed on you was something else. Without a doubt the prettiest game I had ever seen at the time. It was like waking up from a slumber. Played this for a month straight until I got Sonic Adventure.

Shadows of the Empire: The game turned out very flawed but it had it's moments every now and then. The first Hoth level however kicked some major ass at the system launch. Hadn't played a Hoth level since Super Empire Strikes Back and there it was... "Almost" like in the movie!

Another World. (Out of this World) That movie intro with the car immediately grabbed hold of me. It was simply impossible to let go of the haunting mystery this game presented to me. I still consider Another World being one of the most fascinating games of all time.

And finally....Super Mario 64. 'Nuff said.