Best Opening Sequences in Gaming
- Thread starter BloatedGuppy
- Start date
Recommended Videos
We already did this!
And I said Resident Evil 4 and it was great and everyone loved me!
Basically the entire sequence up to the church bell ringing I'd call the opening sequence. The villagers, chainsaw mad man, a shotgun with like 5 shells and no pistol ammo.
And I said Resident Evil 4 and it was great and everyone loved me!
Basically the entire sequence up to the church bell ringing I'd call the opening sequence. The villagers, chainsaw mad man, a shotgun with like 5 shells and no pistol ammo.
Asura's Wrath, no game will ever be beat by it. The game starts with you falling to earth from a giant space station, with an army of gods and spaceships at your back, and an army of whales, squids, and various other large angry animals flying at you from earth.
This. No intro has ever gotten me more hyped to play a game, Liberi Fatali is easily my favorite of Uematsu's orchestral works, and I'm one of those crazies that liked Final Fantasy VIII the best out of them all.Sassafrass said:
Siiimple and clean is the WAAAY that you're maaakin' me feeeeel tonight!
While I do love the FFVIII intro, after a recent thread asking why we love FFVII I acquired a new respect for the FFVII intro while posting. Especially if we consider the whole opening mission the game's intro. It starts with a girl in an alley way before zooming out to view the whole of Midgar. This all builds up to the bombing mission and immediately you get into the action. You're fighting within seconds of gaining control of your character, who you have yet to even name. Have a second party member a minute or two later. And within ten minutes you're fighting your first boss. And then racing to escape before the bomb goes off. That is how you start a game, my friend.Sassafrass said:
And, depending how you define intro, who could forget the intro to Wild Arms?
I bet you could count the number of times I skipped this intro booting up the game on one hand. It was so good. So beautiful. So epic. It got you ready to play the game. This might sound like a backhanded compliment, but the intro is the best part of Wild Arms. The game is great, but whoever put together this intro deserves a reward.
Sooooo you think merely being in a coma after falling from orbit is more plausible than death? I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you on that one. Please note: Shepard is not Master Chief and does not have access to Armor Lock.Fappy said:
As for my own nomination...I'll go for something weird:
AvP: Extinction
Damn good call. I forgot how amazing the lift off and descent into Columbia was.Zhukov said:
For the people saying Last of Us, I concur, that was also a very effective intro. I think Fallout 4 wanted a similar feel, but they bunged it up.
Recovering from a coma is way more plausible than recovering mental facilities after you've been brain dead for months. In fact, it's literally impossible and the game's attempt to explain it make no sense.RJ 17 said:Sooooo you think merely being in a coma after falling from orbit is more plausible than death? I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you on that one. Please note: Shepard is not Master Chief and does not have access to Armor Lock.Fappy said:
As for my own nomination...I'll go for something weird:
AvP: Extinction
They could have easily explained a coma/survival scenario if he was trapped inside something that fell, but if we have to stick with exactly how that scene played out... it is literally impossible for him to have recovered from that XD
Guess it's a good thing it's taking place in the far future with highly advanced space-magic science!Fappy said:
Scientist 1: "Ma'am, we don't even know if this is actually Commander Shepard. It's just a serving tray covered in meat mixed with a space suit. Even if this is the right person, it would take nothing short of a miracle to reconstruct it, let alone bring it to life.
Miranda: "Don't be foolish, miracles don't exist. We are people of science! We believe in indisputable scientific things! Now hurry up and inject that mangled slab of meat with some science! Some sweet, delicious, magical science!"
Point is that yes, the entire premise of ME2's opening is absolutely ludicrous. Waking someone up from a coma would be more plausible than bringing someone back from the dead, but someone ending up dead after a fall from orbit is more plausible than them simply ending up in a coma. So which flavor of magical space science would you prefer? The kind that can resurrect someone who fell from orbit? Or the kind that could prevent the death of an unconscious person who fell from orbit? :3
Fappy, this is a series with magical shapeshifting space aliens, dark matter squids, telekinetic superpowers and a transparent exposition spouting god-baby.Fappy said:
The physics of falling from orbit is literally the least of its realism concerns. Shut up and eat your brain candy.
While there are alot of cool intros and whatnot out there, the one that stood out the most for me was probably the intro for the game "Red Alert".
I remember that I bought the game from a video renting store. They were selling a "magical red box" by the counter I knew I just had to buy it. So I did and, oboy, what a great experience that was. I even remember how terrified I was from the allied ending!
Intro link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJnMaTx4yjI
Cheers.
I remember that I bought the game from a video renting store. They were selling a "magical red box" by the counter I knew I just had to buy it. So I did and, oboy, what a great experience that was. I even remember how terrified I was from the allied ending!
Intro link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJnMaTx4yjI
Cheers.
For "cinematic" openings, I'd have to say Saints Row 3 and to almost the same extent, 4, has a crazy, action opening if ever there was one. The sequence has the player getting into mischief on a plane, some intense shooting and action, freefalling from high altitude and parachuting in to save the lady. It sets up an important character's role in the sequel as well. SR4, not including the tutorial/stealth mission (which itself is pretty good and sees the return of an antagonist from SR3), sees the player as the US President about to give a speech. You walk down a corridor, high fiving or slapping people as you choose. Then an alien invasion happens, Saints are being kidnapped around you so you jump onto an Uncle Sam turret and proceed to defend life and liberty with a rain of large caliber bullets
FC3 also has a great opening. While backpacking and partying around SE Asia, Jason Brody and his group find arrive on a pacific island, only to be kidnapped by pirates and held for ransom. Jason's brother creates an opportunity to escape but doesn't make it, leaving Jason alone in a tropical jungle, injured and on the run. It sets everything up really well and is quite a tense sequence.
For less drama, I think Fallout 3 and NV are both great. FO3 sees you experience your birth, being a toddler and teen in a vault, celebrate your birthday party and then stuff happens and you have to find Liam Neeson. FNV has the player wake up from a bullet to the head, amnesiac and bandaged up. The doctor who finds you asks you who you are and offers to reconstruct your face, a very clever in-game way of introducing character creation. When you can finally stand, you have a casino chip in your pocket and nothing else of note.
Lastly, I'll offer The Saboteur. As Sean Devlin, the player is the driver for a French family owned race team. They travel to Germany for a race and after some trash talk in the bar the player starts the race. Taking first on the way to the chequered flag the local favourite, Aryan specimen Kurt Dierker resorts to cheating to take 1st for the Fatherland and in revenge, Sean and his friend/mechanic/adoptive brother decide to trash Dierker's race car. They get caught in the act however and are tortured on suspicion of spying. Devlin is able to fight his way to freedom and a getaway, racing back to the farm on the outskirts of Paris. As he drives, he sees mere moments ahead of the Nazi invasion force, arriving back alive but alone. It is exciting, fun and great storytelling, setting up many characters and the occupation of Paris. Phenomenal game too, sadly Pandemic's last before EA "EAd" them.
FC3 also has a great opening. While backpacking and partying around SE Asia, Jason Brody and his group find arrive on a pacific island, only to be kidnapped by pirates and held for ransom. Jason's brother creates an opportunity to escape but doesn't make it, leaving Jason alone in a tropical jungle, injured and on the run. It sets everything up really well and is quite a tense sequence.
For less drama, I think Fallout 3 and NV are both great. FO3 sees you experience your birth, being a toddler and teen in a vault, celebrate your birthday party and then stuff happens and you have to find Liam Neeson. FNV has the player wake up from a bullet to the head, amnesiac and bandaged up. The doctor who finds you asks you who you are and offers to reconstruct your face, a very clever in-game way of introducing character creation. When you can finally stand, you have a casino chip in your pocket and nothing else of note.
Lastly, I'll offer The Saboteur. As Sean Devlin, the player is the driver for a French family owned race team. They travel to Germany for a race and after some trash talk in the bar the player starts the race. Taking first on the way to the chequered flag the local favourite, Aryan specimen Kurt Dierker resorts to cheating to take 1st for the Fatherland and in revenge, Sean and his friend/mechanic/adoptive brother decide to trash Dierker's race car. They get caught in the act however and are tortured on suspicion of spying. Devlin is able to fight his way to freedom and a getaway, racing back to the farm on the outskirts of Paris. As he drives, he sees mere moments ahead of the Nazi invasion force, arriving back alive but alone. It is exciting, fun and great storytelling, setting up many characters and the occupation of Paris. Phenomenal game too, sadly Pandemic's last before EA "EAd" them.
You guys did it again! Even though this was similar to the last community gallery, there were so many good answers in here we did it again!
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/galleryoftheday/15137-8-of-the-Best-Video-Game-Intros
Thanks!
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/galleryoftheday/15137-8-of-the-Best-Video-Game-Intros
Thanks!
Agreed on that intro being badass. *nod*The Madman said:
For me, I'd have to say the opening cinematic for Black & White.
Omg I love this intro! Every time I watch it, it chokes me up. Something about the combination of music and imagery, and the way they sort of tweak the voices as they drift into the heavens. Watching what is effectively me, being born by a prayer for help from a desperate family, and then streaking through the heavens like a literal comet to appear and save the child was just badass. And then it ends (though the clip shuts off before it), with them saying in very grateful voices "We praise you!" and then they bow. And poof, you are now immediately into game control. Just...fucking sweet! Love that shit. xD
The opening cinematics and first missions for both Homeworld and Homeworld:Cataclysm. The still frame narration, setting up the world. The opening panning shot around the Mothership as she leaves the dock for the first time. The opening combat animation for Cataclysm, pitting you directly into a thick space battle in the orbit of your homeworld. The music, oh god the music. Just, so damn good, both of them.