SPOILERS! Best Death Scene in a Military Shooter

[Ambitiousmould]

I know that Military Shooters and FPS games aren't too popular 'round these parts, but fortunately, I don't care. So here's a thread about them.

What is the best death scene you've seen in a military shooter? Best here is whatever you think makes it the best. Does it make you feel? Does the person who dies go out in the most badass way?

Spoiler

For me, it's Commander Adams' death in ArmA 3. Picture this. You've just been fighting through enemy forces, but still trying to stay hidden, so you are trudging through a forest, when the tense peace is suddenly shattered by a harsh BOOM! and in the same instant, Adams is gone, replaced by a cloud of dust and smoke. Your initial reaction will invariably be 'Holy shit!'. After that reaction I genuinely just stood there, staring at the spot that Adams had been just moments before he stepped on a land mine. I didn't even mover until the guy on the other end of my radio shook me out of my stupor by saying that the enemy will be there soon, so get a move on. Even when I stepped on mines and had to replay it, it had similar effects. I think this is so intense because of its execution. There is absolutely no preparation or foreshadowing, no fancy cinematography or CoD style badly animated cutscene with slow motion, just all peaceful, then BOOM!. Your reaction is genuine too, because there is no cutscene or sad music to manipulate your emotions. The only thing like that is Kerry's (your character) reaction, which is something like 'Adams?! Sergeant Adams, Sir?! SHIT?!'

 

[Mikejames]

The only ones I can really think of are scenes from Spec Ops: The Line, with every loss chipping away at the already unstable mental state of you and your reluctant team, emphasizing the lack of right answers one can find in such a conflict.

...Tis a good game.

 

[Elfgore]

Betrayal in Modern Warfare 2. I think it was the first time I felt an emotion while playing those games.


Everything from the music to the build up is just amazing. And when Price calls in and shouts "Do not trust Shepard!" it hits me hard. They did an amazing job with this scene.

 

[Random Argument Man]

Spoiler: Does the Mass Effect trilogy count as a military shooter?

I know that it is, because it revolves around a human space-marine with a gun and military experience.

If so, then Ashley/Kaiden in Mass Effect 1, and Mordin, Thane, and Legion in Mass Effect 3. In the entire trilogy, Shepard collected nineteen teammates, of which four whose deaths were not optional. That eventually reduced the squad to fifteen, and all fifteen of those squadmates, plus Joker, Traynor, and Cortez, attend Shepard's party at Admiral Anderson's apartment.

The reason I'd mention their deaths is because of how much meaning they possessed. One human marine had to die on Virmire to save the other. Mordin died to cure the genophage. Thane died to rescue the salarian councilor from Kai Leng. And, Legion died to free the geth from Reaper control.

Besides, Shepard dies with those four squadmates in the game's ending. That means that even though s/he won't be able to reunite with his/her surviving squadmates, s/he will reunite with the ones who died. That is, unless s/he chose Control, which would make Shepard neither alive nor dead, just a super-advanced AI controlling every Reaper in the galaxy to ensure its safety and advancement. Either that, or the best Destroy ending, where Shepard mysteriously survives.

Spoiler: Speaking of Mass effect 3

Mordin's death can be avoided if you killed Wrex on Virmire and didn't save Maelon's data. Then, you can convince Mordin to hide?But he goes into hiding. But yeah, losing one teammate to save another based on what you did in the previous game is?sort of brilliant.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Your own death in the original Modern Warfare was very well done in my opinion. With the nuke and all.

 

[Tom_green_day]

In Black Ops 2

Spoiler

when you have the option to kill Harper and if you do you'll get the good outcome but if you don't he'll stay alive and he's a kinda cool dude. That or Mason's death, I only realised it was him just after pressing the button to shoot and I was like 'oh no wait shit!'

 

[senordesol]

'The Bridge' in MW1. It was sort of a blissfully sad moment. Zachiev's plan was thwarted and the day was saved, but we still needed to get out of dodge. As it happened, it was a 'bridge too far'.

Watching Griggs, Gaz, and (what seemed apparent at the time) Captain Price bite it one by one drove home the idea that we truly weren't in this for personal glory -that our training allows us to make our sacrifice meaningful (rather than avoid sacrificing ourselves outright).

We could all die on that bridge and the world would never notice: as it should be.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Plenty of the deaths in CoD4 were really good. The one I tend to remember most is the execution at the beginning of the game. The nuke at the end of Act 1 and the bridge at the end of the game were also fabulously done, and all three scenes did a good job of driving home a point of the story without reveling too much in the real-life horrors that inspired them.

(what seemed apparent at the time) Captain Price bite it one by one

Honestly, I knew Capt. Price hadn't died at the bridge. Just him appearing in CoD4 was enough to show that IW would go out of their way to feature him in all of their games. Once I realized that, I also realized that he was immune to death. Still didn't take away from how great the bridge scene was, though.

 

[Platituder]

Although Spec Ops: The Line takes my prize for the best military shooter, the death from MW2 that was mentioned before by Elfgore is probably the single most epic death in the genre.

 

[Tiger King]

I know that Military Shooters and FPS games aren't too popular 'round these parts, but fortunately, I don't care. So here's a thread about them.

What is the best death scene you've seen in a military shooter? Best here is whatever you think makes it the best. Does it make you feel? Does the person who dies go out in the most badass way?

Spoiler

For me, it's Commander Adams' death in ArmA 3. Picture this. You've just been fighting through enemy forces, but still trying to stay hidden, so you are trudging through a forest, when the tense peace is suddenly shattered by a harsh BOOM! and in the same instant, Adams is gone, replaced by a cloud of dust and smoke. Your initial reaction will invariably be 'Holy shit!'. After that reaction I genuinely just stood there, staring at the spot that Adams had been just moments before he stepped on a land mine. I didn't even mover until the guy on the other end of my radio shook me out of my stupor by saying that the enemy will be there soon, so get a move on. Even when I stepped on mines and had to replay it, it had similar effects. I think this is so intense because of its execution. There is absolutely no preparation or foreshadowing, no fancy cinematography or CoD style badly animated cutscene with slow motion, just all peaceful, then BOOM!. Your reaction is genuine too, because there is no cutscene or sad music to manipulate your emotions. The only thing like that is Kerry's (your character) reaction, which is something like 'Adams?! Sergeant Adams, Sir?! SHIT?!'

That level took me a few attempts I must say!
When I wasn't stepping on mines in the forest, I was getting killed by trying to take on all the enemy soldiers.
It was a surprising death though, did not see it coming.

 

[ThreeName]

Your own death in the original Modern Warfare was very well done in my opinion. With the nuke and all.

Seconding this one. Much better than the over the top stereotype bad-guy crap from the latter games.

 

[Sarge034]

As has been said, I believe CoD 4 takes the cake here. The nuke scene lets you try to escape your inevitable doom all the while letting you see the destruction such weapons cause. The bridge scene takes the cake though. It was just executed so well. Did you see what I did there?

 

[Evonisia]

CoD 4 just wins on all accounts, the deaths seem all the more tragic and well done when compared to the over-the-top messes that were MW2, MW3 and Ghosts.

However I'd like to argue that Spec Ops: The Line handled death very well as a device to develop the characters, especially the "A Line, Crossed" and "A Line, Held" moments and the Vengeance or Forgiveness choice near the end (if you've played it you'll know what I'm talking about).

If we're stretching the term "military shooter" I'd like to say that Halo 2 offers good deaths for all it's villains that die. The second one still makes me feel pumped up to hate Truth with all my guts, and the third one was a brilliant conclusion to the character arc of that person (loyalty or practicality).

Oh for not seriousness, here's an extra one:

Spoiler

http://youtu.be/t2axCHsb8jo?t=32s

 

[Ambitiousmould]

'The Bridge' in MW1. It was sort of a blissfully sad moment. Zachiev's plan was thwarted and the day was saved, but we still needed to get out of dodge. As it happened, it was a 'bridge too far'.

Watching Griggs, Gaz, and (what seemed apparent at the time) Captain Price bite it one by one drove home the idea that we truly weren't in this for personal glory -that our training allows us to make our sacrifice meaningful (rather than avoid sacrificing ourselves outright).

We could all die on that bridge and the world would never notice: as it should be.

I completely agree, but the reason it doesn't win it for me is because it just isn't realistic, it is all very 'hollywood', if you get what I am saying. It is very drawn out and you are (or at least I was) very aware that it wasn't real. Whereas Adams' death in ArmA made me forget for a few seconds that it wasn't real. It really puts across the fragility of life in a warzone too. One second it looks as if he's going to be a main character for most or all of the game, then without warning, he's dead. And the following events and dialogue ('I'm sorry about Adams, Kerry, but if we heard that explosion from here, the AAF sure as hell did, you have to get moving') shows how there really isn't chance at the time to lament, and how you have to deal with it and that's war, or else you'll be next.

I'm not saying you're wrong though, obviously, just saying why I personally find the ArmA 3 one better.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Gaz in Call of Duty 4 gets forth place.

Jackson (you) in the same game gets third place.

Second place goes to Ghost in MW2. Hearing him scream "NO!" and then trying to raise his gun before he's shot was horrifying.

But for me, the number one moment was in Black Ops. When you play as Reznov. When you see what happens to Dimitri (you) from World at War. Surviving all of the things he went through, raising the flag over Berlin, only to die like that. That was heartbreaking for me.

Honorable mention goes to Soap in MW3. He's not actually on the list because I suspected he wouldn't make it, but still. Price's reaction to it is touching. I think that's the only time he loses it in the entire series.

 

[gargantual]

I really deep down, wanna say Fox and Snakefist in F.E.A.R 2. though the game was more-so PMCs fighting other PMCs.
Did not see that second one coming. Bleccgghh.



Oh WAIT! I forgot Halo: Reach's ending but that's playable.

 

[mezorin]

Credit given where its due, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was full of these. The starting intro credit reel execution, the nuclear blast mid way through, and the final show down on the bridge were all pretty potent for their day. I remember being particularly hard hit from seeing first hand your character die from the nuke, probably imagining life flashing before his eyes as he went down.

Honorable mention for Mass Effect 3's Modrin. Most epic version of The Major General's song ever done, going out in a blaze of glory.

 

[balladbird]

I admit, my interest in the genre is ever low, so in my 20 years of gaming, I've only played 3 games of this particular genre, so bear with my ignorance.

But from my limited experience, the best death I've seen was Lugo from "Spec Ops: The Line." It was brutal, personal, and did an epic job of setting up the moral choice to follow.