Top 50 Video Game Moments: Number 28

We reignite the list at number 28, with one of the most enjoyably badass moments I've had the pleasure of playing. It comes from Gears of War 2, and is located near the end of the game.

"Out of the frying pan, into the fire" seems like a way of life for the characters of the Gears of War series.

Check that... it's more like "Out of the frying pan, into the fire, then out of that into a nucular hollocaust, then out of that and into a malevolent alien invasion." You survived a fight with a bunch of bad guys? That's great, now fight a walking battle tank that shoots rockets from its eyes. You survived that? Nice! Now kill this giant demonic spider that can obliterate your vehicle in practically no time... and do it in 10 seconds. The series thrives on giving you brutal bosses, which are of course trumped by whatever montrosity that just so happens to be lurking around the next corner.

Seriously, if these things are lurking everywhere, how has humanity survived this long?

For one glorious portion in the second game, everything is turned on its head.

Brumaks are the aforementioned walking battle tanks. They don't actually shoot missiles out of their eyes, but they may as well. Everything about them is lethal. They function as a boss in the first game. So, when you see a downed brumak towards the end of the second game, the obvious assumtion is that you will have to fight said beast - probably in the dark... with one hand tied behind your back... there may be kryll involved.

Wrong.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

You ride it.

I suppose you're not technically invincible (though I've never died in the 5 or 6 times I've replayed this particular section), but you may as well be. Every creature that has been making your life hell for the entire duration of the game bows to your firepower. You are a god - a god with three super-powered machine guns and a rocket launcher.

The actual ending is a bit lame - your ride falls into the creepy yellow goop and you fire on it until it blows up - but the ride up to that point is easily one of the most insanely rewarding sections in video game history.