8 Gaming Moments Where You KNEW You Were Going To Cry

8. Sgt. Jackson's Death - Call Of Duty 4

Though Call of Duty 4 is perhaps best remembered for its action-packed gameplay and representing the first time that the series had made the move into depicting modern-day conflicts, the game also included one of the most compelling storylines in the franchise up to that point.

During the Shock and Awe mission, the player takes control of US Marine Sgt Paul Jackson and is tasked with rescuing a pilot who has been downed despite the imminent threat of a nuclear explosion. As the Marines attempt to evacuate to safety, the bomb is detonated leading to a wave of destruction indiscriminately destroying everything in sight.

What makes this scene so dark is that the player actually survives the ordeal long enough to see the corpses of their colleagues before Jackson finally succumbs to his own injuries. The mission stands out by being much darker in tone than the rest of the game, and is surprisingly emotional.

In a franchise where protagonists had generally been near-indestructible bullet sponges, the helplessness of Sgt Jackson's demise is particularly sombre.