10 Jaw-Dropping Action Scenes That Defined Their Video Games

1. The Suicide Mission - Mass Effect 2

The final hours of Mass Effect 2 just might be one of the most suspenseful, nail biting, and dramatically satisfying action sequences in any video game ever. It is the culmination of hours of prep work and narrative escalation, with everything you care about, including the very lives of your crew, on the line. Depending on the choices you make, some of your favorite characters might not make it out alive.

Dubbed the “Suicide Mission,” this operation sees Shepard and the crew of the Normandy venturing into the territory of the Collectors in a covert last ditch effort to stop them from abducting any more humans. Not only is it action packed from start to finish, but periodically you have to stop and make calculated decisions regarding the placements of your crew members. You have to play to their strengths, and if you don’t, they will die. The tension comes from these decisions, which leave you hoping you made the right choice.

It is, frankly, emotionally draining, which makes getting everyone out alive immensely satisfying in a way few games are. This is most of what makes the Suicide Mission in Mass Effect 2 such a great action sequence. It may not break the mould in regards to the gameplay, but the overall presentation and narrative weight is its greatest strength.

Simply put, there is no video game action scene quite like it.

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What are some of your favorite video game action scenes? Let us know in the comments!