Opening Sequences

[Fleetfiend]

Since I'm sure almost everyone has had enough with talk about ending sequences (well, one in particular...), I thought I would ask: what are some of the best/your favorite opening sequences of all time?

I think my personal favorite opening scene in a game has to be the one from Final Fantasy XII.

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It's just an awesome scene that does really well to introduce the world of the game and the drama surrounding the central conflict. This, followed by the scene playing as Recks up until his death, really kept me on my seat throughout the whole thing and opened me up to immerse myself in the world.

 

[Rude as HECK]

Fable 3, with the chicken is one I love.
Left 4 dead's was interesting. It was not only the closest you got to a plot, but the closest you got to a tutorial.


Also, the first few minutes to Battlefield 3's single player were great. Then.... not so much.

 

[tippy2k2]

Openings for gaming or for anything?

For anything:

Spoiler: Life of a bullet

For gaming:
The beginning of Fallout 3: Great way to introduce the atmosphere and mechanics. Also, how many games let you watch your own birth?

The beginning of Half-life (1&2): Just a cool way to start, giving you no background but letting you figure it out on your own by walking around and talking with people.

 

[-Seraph-]

Final Fantasy 6 still remains as my favorite video game intro of all time. It's just so perfect in it's execution, from the visuals, narration, music. The eerie howl of the wind, the sense of mystique, the way it sets the stage. Of course the Magitek armor trudging through the snow along with that music always gave me the sense that there is a long long journey ahead. It did all this with such primitive hardware, and yet still feels like such a technical marvel.

Will always have a special place in my memories. The music at 3:42 always gives me the chills, and man what a nostalgia rush.

Also, for a more contemporary intro; the Crysis games have awesome intros. They really are great showcases on suits abilities and the amount of ass you can kick with them. I hate it when people call the Crysis games "Tech Demos", but their intros really are tech demos, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Spoiler: Crysis 1

 

[ChupathingyX]

...yep, that's pretty much what the game is about.

Committing genocide to quick guitar riffs and not giving a fuck.

Also, the opening part of Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction which involves casually being acquainted with your support op, getting your gear ready and then driving out of the back of a C-17 in a humvee while it is still in flight.

 

[TheCommanders]

Seems to get forgotten a lot now a days, but I still think the most memorably opening to a game was the first 10 minutes or so of Bioshock.

 

[distortedreality]

I always liked the opening dialogue in Deus Ex - the FO3 character building sequence is probably the most impressive of recent times.

ME 2/3 opening sequences are great too - as far as setting a scene, I don't know if many have been any better in recent times.

Cod4 was great as well. Portal 2. The Witcher 1/2.