Best opening sequence in a videogame

[soren7550]

Well, keeping to something people haven't said yet, I have to say-

The three first missions of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. This first hour or so of gameplay is probably responsible for 90% of the spunkgargleweewee oversaturation of today's gaming industry. This is the game that started it all, and the beginning of the game is masterfully done, in my opinion.

Damn you. But yeah, that.

So, other than that, the Mass Effects, BioShock, I can't think of any others at the moment.

 

[Hagi]

I'd say Dark Souls deserves a mention. It's certainly not the greatest, but many of those have been posted already.

I still find it pretty good and it's atmosphere is excellent.

 

[SayHelloToMrBullet]

This, New Vegas, Bioshock, and Skyrim up until you enter the keep itself.

 

[BleedingPride]

Far Cry 3
ME 2 and 3
DMC3
DmC
AC1 (so unexpected the first time)
Fable 2 had a beautifully paced opening few minutes
Arkham City
Bioshock
Borderlands series

 

[Vex]

For me it was a toss up between Bioshock and Borderlands. In the first Bioshock, the opening was just jaw-dropping when I first played it. Just wasn't expecting it at all.
Borderlands, both 1 and 2 had really cool opening sequences also. Something about how they opened it up and introduced the characters like that (especially the first one with Cage the Elephant playing in the background) was really awesome.

 

[Innegativeion]

I'd say Dark Souls deserves a mention. It's certainly not the greatest, but many of those have been posted already.

I still find it pretty good and it's atmosphere is excellent.

Don't get me wrong, I adore the mythology, atmosphere, and general mystery of the Dark Souls narrative,

but in the back of our minds everyone is thinking when they first see that movie;

"God I can't wait to run all these assholes through"

 

[ASan83]

Say what you want about Final Fantasy VIII, but you can't deny the opening movie/'Liberi Fatali' is anything but kick ass.

 

[saluraropicrusa]

I'm going to chip in on everyone who's mentioned Borderlands. I loved the way the credits were introduced as well as the music, tone, and... well, just about everything about it.

Another excellent introduction would be for Okami. It perfectly sets the mood of the game, as well as keeping with the story feeling like an old fable, which is something I love about it. The intros for both Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword also perfectly set a mood for me.

Honorable mention to the first three Myst games. Not as good as some others, but very nostalgic for me, and the games themselves are excellent.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

The opening to Final Fantasy X is exciting and raises so many questions for the gamer. It makes you want to find out who these people are, what Sin is, what happened to Tidus, where was he taken? I thought it was very effective.

I too thought it was a great opening. It does a great job of showing the overwhelming power of Sin. And how badass Auron is.

 

[Childe]

The part of Nier before the start button where the girl is cursing out the talking book. So funny

 

[Remus]

Onimusha 3: Demon Siege.
I'm still waiting for a game that looks and plays like this without putting a big "Press X" in the middle of the screen.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Rise and shine, Mr Freeman.

Rise... and...

...shine.

 

[OneOfTheMichael's]

You cannot beat bioshock. for instance: You start out swimming in a sea of fire in which you find a mysterious lighthouse that takes you down to a city on the bottom of the ocean.
....Epic.

 

[JagermanXcell]

Shadow of the Colossus. No dialogue, just 3 minutes of Wander and Agro walking through beautiful landscapes with really pretty music. When I first popped in the game I went "Yep, I'm going to like this"...and I did.

I can't remember if it was the OPENING or not, but there was a scene in Devil May Cry 3 where Dante was eating pizza while killing monsters. It's so stupid yet so entertaining lol.

Thinking about it, I like the start of Dark Souls. The opening cutscene is more Heavy Metal than Heavy Metal and although I don't like much of the game beyond the tutorial level and Undead Burg it is still fun.

Funnily enough I never got that the one guy who gave you the Estus Flasks was the same guy who let you out of your cell. I was waiting for some big plot reveal but no, it turns out the guy died from... Something? There were no enemies in the room and he was far to the right of where the big ol' ball o' death crashed through the wall.

This is why I don't like the story, no more like I don't like the way the story is presented in Dark Souls AKA not at all.

What he trip over a rock and impale himself on his sword? Yeah that's probably what happened. People are damn unlucky in that universe.

To answer your question on how the Knight died at the beginning, the Asylum Demon smashed him through the ceiling (why he is found in a pile of rubble with a smashed hole above him/ why the Demon jumps from the ceiling when you first encounter him, he was a bit busy killing the Knight who was saving you). His death was pretty much used to symbolize the gruesome nature of how easy you and others can die in Lordran.

Enjoy the opening cinematic of the game while you can, doesn't do much but describe the world, set the tone, show who you'll meet/kill, and foreshadows your main objective. Pretty much: Cutscenes that move the plot? Nooooooooo. This is Dark Souls, nothing but environment and dialogue will get this plot moving!

OT: Personally Bioshock's opening is presented perfectly, all that atmosphere!
Special mentions goes to DMC3's opening for being the best in setting tone, and style lets not forget style. And Shadow of the Colossus because that build up to the first Colossus, woah. Words cannot describe.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Oh. My. God.

How did I forget the opening of Bayonetta? Just how? It sets the tone of the game extremely well, mixes cutscenes and gameplay awesomely and is pretty funny to boot.

The part where she unintentionally wrecks her partner's car was hilarious. She jumps off a cliff to chase some Angels then lands on the bonnet of the car. She freezes for a few seconds with this "oh shit" face on and the kickass music fades out.

 

[EmperorZoltan]

mass effect 2. Gives me chills just thinking about the.

With a view like that, it wouldn't be such a bad way to go.

 

[Beautiful End]

For me, it will always be Final Fantasy VIII.


It starts sort of peaceful, with a shot of the beach and the calm singing. Then the music starts getting more intense. Then Rinoa shows up and there's wings and feathers? And a quote that doesn't make much sense at the moment. How confusing! Then boom! Cloudy skies and rain that reflect the atmosphere of the battle along with a sword as the music settles for a second only to go dramatic again. Then you see Squall and Seifer fighting along with shots of Rinoa and Edea, almost as if those two women were also rivals? Hm. Then the music switches between dramatic and kinda calm, also punctuating the switch between Rinoa/Edea and Squall/Seifer; everything goes in sync. And then you hear the crescendo in the song as Squall falls. Oh, shit! Something's gonna happen! And it does! And as the song reaches the best crescendo so far, a series of images cloud the screen and it ends with Rinoa and Squall reaching out for each other, just as the song ends and this also reflects the FFVIII logo.

So at the end, you're left with so many questions: Why are these guys fighting? What's up with those two women? What was that quote all about? Why are there feathers and wings? What happened to those two guys after the fight? What are all those images about? The opening sets the theme for the game perfectly well, it introduces you to the most important characters and their relationship and wants you want to find out more about it.

Man, that's the only intro that manages to send shivers down my spine every time I atch it. The first time I watched it, I knew nothing about FF so it was a pleasant surprise.

 

[KissmahArceus]

I enjoyed XCOM:EU's tutorial, it was cinematic and taught me what I needed to know without patronising me or making me feel frustrated or bored.

Mass Effect 2 and to an extent 3, due to my investment in my Shepard and his galactic ass kicking crew, I immediately hated the Collectors (which was the point I guess) and wanted my team back from the moment Shep woke up again.

Halo 3 is up there, mainly because of how excited I was and the 1st mission is classic, fun Halo combat. Love it. (plus 1st game I played in HD)

Honorable mentions go to Half Life 2, Dishonored, Borderlands 2, Skyrim/Oblivion and GTA IV

 

[Sandjube]

The Witcher 2 gets my vote.

 

[Darzok]

I think DOW 1 was intro was just awesome blood and gore as orc and sm kill each other.