I know I'm probably going to get a lot of "jokes" about the title, but that was the easiest way I could think of describing the feeling I want to ask about.

So you know when you were playing Fallout 3, and you'd spent the first 10-15 minutes (at least?) inside the vault, and then you step out into the daylight the first time? I'm pretty sure they did some image processing to reinforce that feeling, but I got goosebumps at that point.

Or another example being in Bastion near the end if (when) you decide to save Zulf and how his tribe deals with it.

Or another example being likely totally dependent on nostalgia, thus a bad example, but how intros to Monkey Island games start at sea, and then have the island, and just as the musical cresendo hits you get your DEEP IN THE CARIBBEAN line.

Or a non-gamey example being something like this game trailer.

Now I'm trying to describe a very specific reaction that occurs, definitely not just simply "I thought that thing was cool!". Most of my examples were narrative-based, but it doesn't have to be restricted to narrative (I just can't currently remember a good other example).
The best way I can think to describe it psychologically is that the game sets you up in a specific engaging pattern plateau or even slowly elevating ramp, and then at one point almost instantaneously, often through a build-up of a combination of interactions, gameplay, ambience, music, visuals, just...raises the bar and whams you completely.

Have you got other examples in games of situations that result in that sort of physical reaction in you to something that is purely mental? I don't think I did any spoilers here (maybe Bastion a bit), but try to keep it spoiler free as well!

*insert HuniePop joke here*

I know that feeling :-)

Hmm. I can only think of that tanker in Fallout 2.

And the entirety of the Homeworld series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRNIFyPVHvo

I think, we feel a sense of wonder, when the game surprises us and gives us more than we have expected. I wait for this feeling every time I play a new game. But it´s been a while, that a game really surprised me :(
What comes to mind:

Shadow Man - when I realized how huge, bizarre and disturbing the Deadside is.

Painkiller - I expected some generic shooter, but was surprised by the unique level designs and the tarot card system.

X series - overwhelmed by the complexity of station and fleet building.

Morrowind and later on Fallout 3 - because of the huge open world.

thanks for that link to tetris, it was very beautiful. i even went and watched the nick robinson video afterwards.


morrowind, camping in a swamp, far from home, last few hours had been a nitemare of ghouls and hideous dungeons. i rested and saw for the first time the sun rise. goose pimple immersion. i even felt the water soak thru my pants as i sat there.

not a game but lord of the rings : the two towers, when gandalf rode down the mountainside at helms deep just when the dawn broke, god rays everywhere and crescendo music. i cried in the cinema like those girls watching the beetles play.

Oh wait, recently Hollow Knight gave me that feeling. Great game.

At what point? I have not played the game yet, so perhaps I'm entering spoiler territory, but can you relate the story (not of the game, but what resulted in the tingles :D)?

Discovering the world of Planescape : Torment.
Entering the Shamazaar in Outcast.
Playing Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (pretty much the whole game)

And reading Bilbo the Hobbit for the first time before running to the bookstore to purchase The Lord of The Rings.

Oh, and watching 300 at the cinema. The visual mesmerized me.

It wasn't the whole game for me, but at the end, with the vibration on on my gamepad (and I *hate* playing on the gamepad), even though I saw it coming a mile away, that bit in the water still slammed me.

No spoilers: It´s a huge metroidvania with many different and beautiful level and enemy designs, many secrets to discover, secret bosses and items and so on. It´s very imaginative and charming overall. It plays very smooth with tight controls.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - all NPCs are simply brilliant with unique whimsical personalities. The atmosphere and lore are great. It has cool and exciting quests. And you can choose some hilarious skills, like letting all people around you explode in a bloody mess.


Man, almost forgot my favorite games:

The Saints Row series, of course - pure distilled fun. Wreak havoc in a open city. Absolutely hilarious NPCs and story. And it has one of the best character creators. Your character isn´t silent, instead he/she takes part in the ingame movies, fully voiced and everything.

Apotheon also impressed me - it feels like playing an antique Greek vase! It´s a metroidvania with an amount of complexity and variety, I didn´t expect.

I guess I edited my last post to clarify after you had already posted an answer, but I meant what specific point in the game gave you the tingles (or a physical reaction)? As in, what was the story of the time that you got tingles while playing a game, not what was the story of the game that gave you the tingles :D.

Running out into the fields in the original Witcher, Act IV(?).
Those rolling hills with the grass, the soundtrack, seeing the village from afar and making your way down...
Wow. The devs got the atmosphere just right then. Beautiful.