10. It's Next-Next Gen!
For the past couple of years, everyone had expected an announcement regarding new consoles. When E3 2012 came and went without a mention of either a PS4 or next generation Xbox, everyone hoped that 2013 would be the year when both companies announced their new consoles. Earlier this year our wishes came true - both Sony and Microsoft held their own conferences where they revealed their consoles to the world. The difference between each conference was pretty startling - Microsoft managed to alienate practically everyone right off the bat, while Sony kept saying things that made us love them. Microsoft have spent most of the last year carrying out damage control after there's been many a bumble along the path to next gen, but there's no doubt that both the PS4's announcement and the Xbox One's will be remembered for years to come.
9. Will Everyone Escape Alive?
After living, fighting with and bonding with your crewmates - including listening to a bizarre alien sing - there was a lot riding on your decisions in Mass Effect 2. The suicide mission - as it is affectionately dubbed - had Commander Shepard and his/her crew entering completely uncharted territory as they took the fight to the evil Collectors and their masters, the Reapers. Emerging from a relay into a hostile part of space, the suicide mission's trajectory changed on how far you'd gone to upgrade your ship, the bonds with your crew mates and interacted with the storyline of ME2. Not knowing if all of your characters were going to survive the experience was absolutely nerve-wracking. First time I ever played it I thought I'd got away with it and everyone would survive; unfortunately this wasn't to be the case, as my resident bad-ass Thane was shot and slain just before the final battle. Perhaps one of the greatest final missions ever, this one was only let down by the silly human Reaper you had to fight right at the end.
8. Derailed
For me, the most memorable moment of the entire Uncharted franchise is in Uncharted 2, where Nate wakes up after falling unconscious to find himself inside a train that just happens to be dangling off a cliff at the time. Since this was first shown right at the start of the game, it set off the crazy adventure of Uncharted 2 with a resounding bang that kept going for the entire experience. Filled with danger and literally edge-of-your-seat stuff, this section forced us to react quickly to the experience, navigating Nate around the train as it threatened to tip over the edge at absolutely any moment. This scene basically said 'Yup, this is what we can do now. Enjoy!'