I'm not sure about the
first time, but some memorable moments include:
First time playing in the Alpha Zones in
Keith Courage. Even as a Genesis player, the sights and sounds were so impressive.
Neutopia title screen.
First major boss of
Kabukiden. The graphics, sound, animation and size of the bastard. I felt the need to show what I was experiencing to someone, even if they didn't appreciate games. But no one else was home at the time.
First major boss of
Neo Metal Fantasy. All the major bosses are just like Dark Falz in the original Phantasy Star. Same crazy design, killer art, screen filling size and black background.
Opening of
Ys II, with To Make the End of Battle. Ys for SMS was a
huge deal to me. To see part of the ending text transformed to being literal and actually carrying Adol up to the still existing land of Ys was very emotional for me.
As much as I loved Ys SMS, Ys I & II became my favorite game until I would one day beat Kabukiden. The opening to
Ys IV is the single greatest piece of fan service I have ever experienced.
Golden Axe. Pretty much everything leading into the game and then the music. It was what convinced me to do what ever it took to get a Turbo-CD asap.
Although I'd studied pictures of the bosses of
Super Darius in the manual for some time while waiting for my Turbo-CD to arrive, actually witnessing them in real-time was still jaw dropping.
Everything about
Super Darius II stunned me when I finally got the full game in recent years. It feels more like a 32-bit game to me and blows away other (still great) versions, including the arcade.
There were some indications on the case and in the manual of
Neo Nectaris that there would be a different climate or possibly different planet, as well as some more organic looking enemies. But I was still pleasantly shocked when the action moved to Mars as well as the first time I fought one of the Godzilla-style alien beasts.
The first time I saw
Gate of Thunder on display as a demo next to Genesis and SNES demos at a store, I ignored it thinking that it was just a Neo Geo game that I'd never get to play. I was stunned to discover that it was actually Gate of Thunder when I finally got a Duo. The opening cinema alone was jaw dropping, even as a long-time Turbo-CD owner and PCE importer.
I saved up for weeks to get
SFII' with a kisado and waited a long time for it to arrive. I studied EGM's spread on it every day until it finally arrived during the height of the SFII craze. I was still not prepared for how amazing it was and at the time, the only other home port was WW for SNES.
The boss of Dezant in
Lords of Thunder. Even with all the spamming TTi did, it was still jaw dropping.
Same deal as above with the first stage boss of
Ninja Spirit. The third stage boss was also very special to me.
What? No corroboration on the Aeroblasters thing? Geez, you guys are either easily impressed or I am.
Everything in Aeroblasters was impressive. The first time I rented it I knew I had to own it.
