9. Finally Defeating Bowser - Mario Series
NintendoAlthough this entry covers the entire series, we would be remiss if we were not to admit the certain level of nostalgic sheen that covers this moment. It is simply so much more powerful if done on a classic entry to the Super Mario series like Super Mario World. There comes a moment, one single moment - when as a protagonist you realise you must face the Big Bad. Whether that is a dragon that can control time, or a Satanic figure intent on conquering the entire world you live in, it all comes down to you, and them. Two walk in, one walks out. As simple as that. It's a trope that has found a home in many mediums, from film, TV, even classical music. It is only in video games, however that the moment took on the importance that it truly deserves as a narrative device! Only in video games can you - actually, you -, your avatar in this never-ending story be killed. You can die, you can lose and the evil can win. That's never going to happen to Captain America and deep down we all know that. So it is, then, that facing off against Bowser for the first time as a child in the Super Mario games became a defining moment of gaming history that everyone should face. It is a gauntlet of fire, literally. It is in that moment of victory that your younger sibling stops asking when it is their turn. It is in that moment of victory that your younger sibling looks up at you and acknowledges silently, with shining eyes, that you are their personal hero, their protector and the slayer of weird dragon turtle things from Japan. That is one hell of a moment worth living.