Metal Gear Solid 2, you say? :O Yeah, speaking of intros, that game might not have the best intro, but it has my favorite title sequence (FMV?) preceding the game's menu. That music never fails to give me goosebumps. Outside of that, I'd say Shadow of the Colossus, Half-Life 1, Silent Hill 2 and Soul Reaver have my favorite intros.
Sons of Liberty has a fantastic title sequence with the iconic theme song, however to me Snake Eater did even better. "I'd give my life" is seared into my brain forever, Cynthia Harrell's voice makes it perfect.
MGS2 intro is incredible, which is why its so incredibly infuriating when every comment section tells a new player of the game to skip it for "spoilers" as if you have literally any context to understand whats actually being shown in it.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - both the initial combat sequence and the subsequent first point-and-click-adventure sequence. Together they might run a little over the 15 min rule you guys established, but still one of the best intros I've seen in a recent game. Those two parts of the intro frontload so much of the narrative right off the bat. In the combat tutorial you're introduced to giant robots, nanomachines, time travel, an enemy faction, a bunch of names of characters you don't know, a bunch of terminology you have no way of understanding, and how to fight your enemies; in the point-and-click adventure portion that follows immediately after, you're introduced to a handful of characters, before your player character goes home for the day and accidentally summons a giant mech, which his best friend then chastises him for, hinting that he knows way more than he's letting on. And that's all I'm going to say about 13 Sentinels, because saying any more than that would be doing a MASSIVE disservice by spoiling what I believe to be one of the best sci-fi stories ever created in recent memory. What these first 15-20 mins give you is but a handful of the many mysteries in the game; and what's even more impressive is that despite dumping so much on the player all at once, and then adding even more on top of it, all of the questions get answered in a way that makes sense by the end. This is one of those games that got me completely, helplessly hooked from start to finish, and left me wishing there was more by the end. I know I can be a bit if a pain dropping this title into the comments all the time, but I really do hope you guys cover it one day, because it really deserves more attention.
FFVII and Vagrant Story intros are so perfect, I don't see any games doing it better to this day. Another outstanding intro imo is Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Mass Effect 2 had a brilliant introduction. That moment when Shepard is walking through the destroyed Normandy with the planet in the background, to rescue Joker, leading up to floating in space and plummeting towards the planet. Absolutely perfect opening for a sequel, which is not easy to do, especially in an RPG
"Killing the protagonist" just to revive them two minutes later in game is bullshit. You can't trivialize death and then expect us to care when things die.
@kpatterson14206 I don't think ME2 trivializes death at all, especially in a game where you can canonically get your Shepard and your entire party wiped out in the "self delete" mission (don't want yt to delete this comment). Also most of your crew dies in that attack, including your XO. There's a mission where you build a memorial to them. There's a party member who is terminally ill, and most of your conversations with him are about accepting death, and making amends with his son before he goes. None of that felt cheap or trivial to me
Not quite a game itself, but the first half an hour of the Shadowbringers expansion for FF14 is something that I personally just keep going back to. This mix of callbacks, a very foreign looking land, and then Amanda Achen's singing as Shadowbringers pops up across the screen.
Nier Replicant after the opening: What the heck is going on in this game? Nier Replicant after finishing the game: What the heck is going on in this game?
Celeste is a smaller game and a smaller-scale story, but it has an amazing prologue. It crams all of what you want from an intro in just TWO MINUTES: great atmosphere, characters and themes are introduced, there's a thrilling action setpiece with the falling bridge, and you even get your tutorials on controls. I would love a Resonant Arc analysis on this one.
I'm a simple man. I see Xenogears, I click. Watching your coverage of it was both a fantastic way of living vicariously through both of your perspectives (the one who knows as well as the one who's new), and informative of the source materials like gnosticism. Xenogears was a formative game for me, and I'm always happy to hear people gush about it.
It's been mentioned before, but the intro to Silent Hill 2 is truly masterful, even just the shot of James looking in the mirror is pretty much the entire game summed up,. The whole game is James facing himself, facing his shadow, but with eyes veiled in darkness, he doesn't want to truly peer into the depths of soul.
The bravery of the approach in Xenogears is quite amazing. It will be 40 - 50 hours minimum before one will get any of the revelations that will enable one to figure out what was happening in that opening sequence. Nier Replicant's opening is quite good although I'll admit the summer reference went totally over my head when I played it. Looking forward to the Suikoden rerelease so I can play the first game for the first time and do my first replay of the second. I didn't remember details about the opening but sounds quite good here. Several of the other games I've never played (Ghosts of Tsushima, Eternal Darkness, Bioshock, Half Life 2) but you've made them all sound quite interesting. Having just finished Metal Gear Solid 2 for the first time a few weeks ago I am very excited for you to cover it, including, as Max Derrat said, "The most profound moment in video games".
Wils aRms has literally my favorite animated opening of any video game. The music is amazing. Fantasy western, sets a tone of adventure. I'd love to see you talk about it if you haven't played it. It was my "I CAN"T WAIT FOR FF7 and I NEED AN RPG NOW" game. And it's one of the few intros I would pretty much watch every time I loaded it.
I'm just going feral at the idea of Mike and Casen hopefully covering Ghost of Tsushima for the podcast someday. What a delightful game, took me WAY by surprise just like it did for Mike! Plus, I think Casen would really shine with his insight on Japanese language and culture. One can hope it'll pop up some day Great video as usual guys!
I used to feel real strongly about this like you, but as I got older I decided to just let people enjoy things but I will absolutely make my pitches for media I think DESERVES that exposure more. Being in the other side, where people tell me that my media consumption may be slop when I should be fine with enjoying it made me realize that in those moments we should try to meet those people where they are versus trying to get them to leave one thing and join my side /endramble lol
@@kurisu3000 yeah it’s kinda sad, the more popular and big something becomes the more it becomes a target of corporations to maximize profits and ruin what made the media so special
I have to mention Super Metroid, because although it's not necessarily a narrative *focused* game, there is a narrative that's told throughout the game, and entirely through environmental storytelling. There is a text opening which recaps the previous games and catches you up to speed with where Samus is and what she's doing, but the real intro sequence, to me, is when you start playing, and going through Ceres Station. The game's title screen is a scene that takes place right before the Ceres Station section, with the baby metroid in the glass tube. As soon as you get to Ceres Station, the game has you traverse several dark rooms, with no music and only alarm sounds in the background, and one of the rooms you go through is the one you see on the title screen. But now, the tube is broken and the glass is shattered, and the metroid is gone. You finally make it to the final room and find the metroid, but then you also find Ridley, who is revealed only by his shining eye first, and then the rest of him fades in. You fight him, he runs away with the metroid, the station blows up, you chase after Ridley to Zebes, and you land on the planet. When you land, the atmosphere is incredible. It's raining, there's only ambient music, and some ambient sounds. There are no creatures crawling or flying around yet, everything looks empty and dark, and you descend through old Tourian into blue Brinstar amidst this silence to find your morph ball. There's a stillness to all of it, but it's an unsettling stillness, that then is broken when you go back through old Tourian and find all the space pirates crawling around. And THEN the real game begins. It's brilliant environmental storytelling. No dialogue, no text explanation, everything is shown and not told. And I know this is about intros, but the ending sequence is just as amazing and shows you what happens in just as interesting a way as it does in the beginning.
Super Metroid is a game that probably won't get discussed much on the podcast (understandably so) but yeah I agree. Its intro is absolutely masterclass and feels even better once it sinks in that the game never holds your hand again after landing on Zebes.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night has one of the strongest intros I've ever experienced. Witnessing Richter absolutely curb stomp Dracula, and then seeing Alucard go in with his insanely cool gear really sucks you into a power trip, and then Death steals all your stuff at you're at basically Level 0. You want to get all your cool stuff back and feel like a badass again. Metroid Prime has a similar intro and it's almost as effective.
Chrono Cross. The intro video with Time's Scar, the flashforward to Fort Dragonia, the idyllic beach town and then the dimension swap to a world where you died a long time ago...
This one has been on my backlog for so long. I hope I love it when I get to it. I’ve heard so many mixed things, on extreme ends of the spectrum… people seem to either love it or hate it.
Xenogears! Hell yeah! Seriously, that opening movie is a master class. While the whole game doesn’t seem full polished and needed more time, that intro is just so polished and every second packed. It’s also a great mix of 2D and 3D
Ehh, it's still my favorite. I know a lot of people point to MGS3 as the pinnacle, but I was always let down a little by it. Honestly, there was definitely some residual animosity I felt towards it because it was now the SECOND game where Solid Snake wasn't the main character. I could never let myself get fully invested in the story of young Big Boss. It's funny how I felt less animosity towards MGS2 than MGS3 even though MGS3 never tricked you into thinking you would be playing as Solid Snake.
I think probably the best videogame intro is the 2017 Prey from the start up until you reach the lobby. It really sets the tone for the game as this unfolding set of assumptions about what you're being shown are broken one by one, until the reveal as you walk out into the lobby and realise where you really are, all the while showcasing some great ideas for how the fictional technology of its world has been used (especially if you do the obvious thing and break the glass of your apartment window). It's the best of the many children of System Shock. (The other Prey's intro is also pretty good.)
I had my doubts with the premise of the video but this list you guys have compiled is so on point. I think Chrono Cross is a pretty glaring omission. That is far from my favorite game of that era but between the FMV opening to the opening gameplay it's really something else. Same goes for Parasite Eve. You might had to have ban Squaresoft intros wholesale because of how good they were in the 90's. Same goes for Valve, they have no shortage of banger openings. An impromptu list of some of my other favorites not mentioned in the video: Shadow of the Colossus, Batman Arkham Asylum, Uncharted 2, Last of Us, Dead Space (Remake), 13 Sentinels, Psychonauts 1+2, Prey (2017). I wish I could name more retro stuff off the top of my head since the intros of these newer games stand on the shoulders of giants. I feel like the RPG and Adventure games of the 90's are pretty much where we began to take notice of games that have awesome openings. Thanks and keep up the great work.
Didn't watch the video yet, but i just wanted to preemtive attempt to mention often forgotten masterpieces that really shouldnt be forgotten, and might have better intro than some of the games on this list. - Panzer Dragoon Saga - Valkryie Profile 2 Silmeria - Secret of Mana - Fatal Frame 2 - Beyond Good And Evil - Dreamfall: The longest Journey - Rule of Rose Just wanted to mention them to remind people these games existed.
Yeah disappointed PDS wasn’t on their list! Easily stands out as one of the best. I have forgotten Dreamfall’s, I’ll have to go back and play it thanks. I tend to have more nostalgia for The Longest Journey, so play that instead. As a child I thought Shenmue had a great intro, but it’ll probably be antiquated now. Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit also stood out back in the day.
@@steveco1800Yeah Shenmu didn't age well sadly. Fahrenheit like all David Cage games, the intro ended up being the peak of that game, which is a shame. You might want ro check out Still Life series if you like that type of game, since you are fond of The Longest Journey and Fahrenheit, you might be the target audience for that game. PDS, I wonder if Mike and Casen even knows about its existence. It is well forgotten game. I wish they take a look into that game. It's a shame how that game never got it's spotlight.
Both the bioshock and half life 2 mentions brought back tons of memories getting lost in those worlds, and the intros were absolutely what got me to stick through them.
Suikoden 2s intro is unbelievable. I am so glad it got on this list. I would include it even on a list where you include Final Fantasy intros. They set up an emotional gut punch like no other game I've experienced. That whole sequence makes the character events of the game so much more impactful because you, in just a few minutes, saw Jowy and Riou as friends, watch them get betrayed and survive, and then you see their whole lives together. You see them grow up together. And then that bond lasts the rest of the game.
Casen, make sure you get to working on that Majora's Mask x Dante's Inferno reading you were eluding to, because the idea of it is already living rent-free in my head ha ha. Majora's Mask in general DEMANDS an entire analysis from you guys. If ever there was a Zelda game that requires one, that would be it - Link's Awakening probably coming in at a comfortable second. Good video, and I would probably offer Super Metroid myself - Ceres Station up until entering Green Brinstar is some of the best hands-off storytelling in all of gaming.
Always the highlight of the week when you guys pop up in my feed. Can’t wait to watch this on my lunch break! Fully expecting ff7 to come up as it has (imo) the greatest opening a game has ever had. Perhaps an expected pick but it’s lauded so highly for a reason!
looking forward to this… so many good intros out there. I remember when they introduce Squall in the opening fmv (one of the best intros of all time) in FF8 I thought he was an ultimate badass when i was a kid
I absolutely love the intro to Xenoblade Chronicles 1, it uses its main concepts to set up mysteries that aren’t even fully answered until the end of the game, and if you back to it immediately after finishing the game, you immediately see what they were hiding. It sets up just enough of the basics of the story that it keeps you engaged while also not overwhelming you at the start. And it gives you an awesome setting to first try out the combat. It’s also insanely cool, action packed, has hidden blink and you miss it details, incredible music, and super engaging cinematography. AND, it’s pretty quick and doesn’t go on for very long. Easily my favorite intro to any video game.
Love everything about this. You made me walk down memory lane and put a smile on my face. Here's a few you didn't mention that I love: Diablo II Undertale BG3 StarCraft - Brood Wars Portal Assassin's Creed II Detroit Become Human
I'm surprised you didn't mention Undertale here. For me, it's an absolute master class introduction. From very first fight to leaving the tutorial area. Sets up everything so well and emotionally impacts you as well. 10/10 for sure.
I feel another good mention for this list would be Zone of the Enders 2. Mostly for the intro cutscene but i think the opening mission gives a good contrast for what the game quickly turns into.
Nier Automata has one of THE best opening sequences in video games. It sets up the themes perfectly. The opening paragraph that 2B says sounds like it’s setting up a typical kill the god JRPG. “Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped... in a never-ending spiral of life and death. Is it a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle... and wonder if we'll have the chance to kill him.” It then spend the rest of the game deconstructing the statement and the genre. You’ll revisit that line each time you replay it and those replays are built into the experience. And each time it will mean more. The music absolutely slays. The gameplay goes through everything you can expect. And it’s so impactful.
I agree that omitting Final Fantasy was a good move but I’d go far as saying omitting all of Square. So many games in that company with top tier openings. Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy Tactics, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Vagrant Story. Hell, I even loved Einhander which wouldn’t make this list, but it’s great!
Majora's Mask was basically Aonuma's job interview. That was the point of the game. Rehash old assets into something new, and to turn it into a full game, they used the time element.
I would name drop Digital Devil Saga into this conversation. That game's intro is wild. I would also say SMT Nocturne, but it might be a little bit longer. Still, as the first game to represent Shin Megami Tensei in the west, the whole concept that the world is destroyed at the beginning of the game was mind-blowing back then. Eternal Darkness and the fingerprints: As far as my memory can be trusted, back when the game was made it was not common practice to take fingerprints of all citizens, at least not everywhere i in the world. So there's a high chance that even if they could have taken the fingerprints, there would be no record for them to find.
Anytime Suikoden 2 gets a shout out I get so giddy. I love that game so much. EDIT: BTW if you did 108 battles before you jump in the waterfall, it gives you a colored intro instead of a sepia toned. It is a reference to the 108 stars of destiny 😊
Something that occurred to me in the Bioshock discussion - The line "momma always said.." immediately begins priming your subconscious for one of the game's major plot twists: Subconsciously, this line makes you assume that main character has a normal upbringing with a standard family unit and you start building/establishing a history for your character in your mind. Folks who played to the end will know this is not the case. Great misdirection that shows the writers' forethought even to the beginning.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne has a really good intro too, there is mistery and a really cool setting, but the best part is the atmosphere you are set into. I would love too see you guys dive into the series one day.
That one floating around in your head had better have been Shadow of the colossus Mike, I can't believe it wasn't on the list. I'd also nominate Soul Reaver, Onimusha 3, either Valkyrie Profile 1 or 2, The Last Of Us, Mass Effect, Silent Hill, and for one with a more comedic bent - Brutal Legend.
I know he said he can't pick any FF games but I have to sneak FF VIII into that list- just an astonishing intro at the time . Also as you say, Soul Reaver was amazing too.
I actually think TLG has the best hook out of the available choices from team ico, I don't know that any of their hooks are S tier, though. I didn't think of Brutal Legend, but you're right. That hook is pretty fun.
MAN Grimm Fandango still does it for me, yes it's point and click and whatever, but the way it lays out what the story is about, the main character, the rules of the world main characters... all in a couple of minutes. What's more fun is it does it 3 times, with perfect execution.
there's a typo in the video description - you have a gap on 17:27 which broke the timestamp. SUPER hype to watch this video just thought I'd let you know!
Not a writer here or anything but I always loved analysing and comparing the ways videogames narrate their stories; mainly the "bad ones" in order to understand why they are bad and what could they do or change to improve the sequence. That's why I love the first Resident Evil's intro; it's so bad, it's so good.
A personal favorite of mine is the FMV intro to Soul Reaver, featuring what I consider some of the absolute best voice acting of the PS1 era. I still go back to and rewatch it more than a couple of times a year.
46:17 - There's a lot of backstory to Halflife and its tie in with Portal. Even though Gordon Freeman succeeds in Halflife 1, eventually Earth is overtaken by the Combine and it had something to do with Chell escaping from GLaDOS. At least, that's what I remember reading somewhere.
Saw the title of this video and knew Suikoden 2 was going to in it. So quick and impactful. Also, you can get those beginning credits in color if you battle those soldiers 100 times...
The intro to Persona 2: Eternal Punishment was one that hooked me since the beginning, I later found out that it was because what I felt weird about the game was because it was a sequel. Back then, on my PSX, I had no idea of the series and just got it because it was a RPG. Funnily enough, Nier Replicant I had full on context on what the hell was going on in the beginning, because I got obsessed with Drakengard and its sequel on the PS2 and got all the endings back then. I even thought that the 3rd. Birthday was the followup to that ending, and Parasite Eve was crossing with Drakengard
I haven't watched the whole podcast yet, but I am hoping to see Kingdom Hearts 2 on here! That intro has resonated with me emotionally in a way few other stories have.
Re eternal darkness, ive not played the game, but you would only be aboe to run fingerprints as a method of identification if the guys fingerprints were held on record. That would generally only be the case if he had been arrested or something. We dont hold records of fingerprints for most people.
It's funny that you guys mention Kingdom Hearts because I actually love Kingdom Hearts 2 prologue. It made me love Roxas and his summer vacation coming to an end is just tragic.
"Most people think time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction, but I have seen the face of time and I can tell you they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm. You may wonder who I am and why I say this; sit down and I will tell you a tale like none that you have ever heard!"
I love Resident Evil 2 (Ps1) intro and frantic gameplay till the police station. I was way to young to play it when it came out but it totally hooked me. On Majora`s Mask: there is a fabulous fan animation from Ember Lab (studio who did Kena:bridge of spirits) which used an orchestral reimaginated soundtrack from Theophany (Time's End II: Majora's Mask Remixed). Those 2 pieces of fan media made me revisit the game and appreciate it even more.
Commenting as I start the video, but I was wondering what your FF rule would be and it's probably for the best that you left them out and I look forward to them getting a video all by themselves. FF 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 16 are all permanently engrained in my mind as great openings. Chrono Cross is another one with a great opening (not sure if that will be in here or if that's maybe the one Mike is struggling to think of). Stellar Blade too had a good opening kinda similar to Ghost of Tsushima, though not quite as good.
A great opening is so important and one of the most important elements of the opening is a fantastic OST. Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy VIII are masterful for those reasons. Elden Ring and Ghost of Tsushima's opening are 2 modern day games that absolutely nail the opening.
About the recognition of the body in the intro of eternal darkness, I am by no means an expert on it. But my uncle commited suicide inside his house and left a note and everything, and just for procedure the police asked me to identify his body. So even though everything inside there showed it was him (photo's on the walls, dentals, prints, ect.) It seems to be procedure to ask the first relative to arrive for confirmation. That said, I don't think the game went on realism here since a ring can also be planted on the body and wouldn't serve as legal evidence.
God of War 2 has a pretty good intro, with it's own contained arc showing how Kratos was corrupted by power and taken down by the gods, all while showcasing you the powers you can have on the game before taking them away.
@@RetromancersFor me, why I think Shadow Hearts had weak intro was because it was after the intro and when I was playing main portion of the game, that's when I knew I was in for something special. I think that is a good indicator that the game's intro wasnt solid.
@@Tenpouinnot sure where you draw the line when it comes to intro. Would it be just the opening cutscene? If that is the case I could agree with you. However if it includes first gameplay tutorial portion, i thought it was lacking. It did not do a good job showing how special of a game it will be later. If anyone I know plays Shadow Heart, I'd warn them to keep at it, that the game becomes so much better once early portion is over.
Hello guys!. I want to apologize because I was unsuscribed. I NEVER UNSUSCRIBED!!!. It was like if RUclips did it itself randomly. I was waiting for new stuff from you all this time thinking "they are taking their time, something big is coming", and I never thought for a second I was not seeing anything new because I was unsuscribed (not by my own will, not on purpose). The last I saw was the final Xenosaga Episode 3 video I think, so the there's a lot of videos to catch up. I hope you are doing fine!.
This is a great video. Intros are like the reason anyone goes on to complete a video game, if the intro is meh, then a consumer can't justify the next 40 to 100 hours of playtime. Unless you're me and have a completionist OCD. I have suffered and wasted some of my time in games... I wish I could take some of it back. Persona 3 Reload is kind of not hitting home for me for example - although it had a good intro.
In my opinion a truly great opening should be recontextualized later on in the story with new information. FFX. Metal Gear Solid 1/2. Silent Hill 2. Xenogears. Rule of Rose. Fatal Frame 2 (Japanese version) or FF 4. Those are some key examples.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
If you do a Xenogears season 2 I'm definitely tuning in.
Mike confirmed it at the end! Xenogears season 2 confirmed! lol thanks for the episode guys
Metal Gear Solid 2, you say? :O Yeah, speaking of intros, that game might not have the best intro, but it has my favorite title sequence (FMV?) preceding the game's menu. That music never fails to give me goosebumps. Outside of that, I'd say Shadow of the Colossus, Half-Life 1, Silent Hill 2 and Soul Reaver have my favorite intros.
The original Russian song also gives me goosebumps. “The Winter Road” by Georgy Sviridov.
Sons of Liberty has a fantastic title sequence with the iconic theme song, however to me Snake Eater did even better. "I'd give my life" is seared into my brain forever, Cynthia Harrell's voice makes it perfect.
Yes soul reaver intro is fantastic
Yes! Soul Reaver! The intro is so good. The remaster is out today too
MGS2 intro is incredible, which is why its so incredibly infuriating when every comment section tells a new player of the game to skip it for "spoilers" as if you have literally any context to understand whats actually being shown in it.
Xenoblade chronicles 1 has a killer intro
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim - both the initial combat sequence and the subsequent first point-and-click-adventure sequence. Together they might run a little over the 15 min rule you guys established, but still one of the best intros I've seen in a recent game. Those two parts of the intro frontload so much of the narrative right off the bat. In the combat tutorial you're introduced to giant robots, nanomachines, time travel, an enemy faction, a bunch of names of characters you don't know, a bunch of terminology you have no way of understanding, and how to fight your enemies; in the point-and-click adventure portion that follows immediately after, you're introduced to a handful of characters, before your player character goes home for the day and accidentally summons a giant mech, which his best friend then chastises him for, hinting that he knows way more than he's letting on.
And that's all I'm going to say about 13 Sentinels, because saying any more than that would be doing a MASSIVE disservice by spoiling what I believe to be one of the best sci-fi stories ever created in recent memory. What these first 15-20 mins give you is but a handful of the many mysteries in the game; and what's even more impressive is that despite dumping so much on the player all at once, and then adding even more on top of it, all of the questions get answered in a way that makes sense by the end. This is one of those games that got me completely, helplessly hooked from start to finish, and left me wishing there was more by the end.
I know I can be a bit if a pain dropping this title into the comments all the time, but I really do hope you guys cover it one day, because it really deserves more attention.
you're right and you should keep saying it!
@SoloRogueStudios OMG YES. 13 Sentinels is so good!
13 sentinels is what happens when u love steins;gate and are like how can i add mechs to this?
FFVII and Vagrant Story intros are so perfect, I don't see any games doing it better to this day. Another outstanding intro imo is Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Vagrant Story: writting, music, sound desig, visuals, style. Masterpiece.
God I love these. Such a fun listen to hear people gushing about what they love. Guys, keep it up. You've got something really special here.
Mass Effect 2 had a brilliant introduction. That moment when Shepard is walking through the destroyed Normandy with the planet in the background, to rescue Joker, leading up to floating in space and plummeting towards the planet. Absolutely perfect opening for a sequel, which is not easy to do, especially in an RPG
"Killing the protagonist" just to revive them two minutes later in game is bullshit. You can't trivialize death and then expect us to care when things die.
@kpatterson14206 I don't think ME2 trivializes death at all, especially in a game where you can canonically get your Shepard and your entire party wiped out in the "self delete" mission (don't want yt to delete this comment). Also most of your crew dies in that attack, including your XO. There's a mission where you build a memorial to them. There's a party member who is terminally ill, and most of your conversations with him are about accepting death, and making amends with his son before he goes. None of that felt cheap or trivial to me
ME2's intro is one of my all time favorites, but it does rely on you having played ME1 to be maximally effective.
Not quite a game itself, but the first half an hour of the Shadowbringers expansion for FF14 is something that I personally just keep going back to. This mix of callbacks, a very foreign looking land, and then Amanda Achen's singing as Shadowbringers pops up across the screen.
The music of that intro as well as Ardbert narration is what sells it.
Nier Replicant after the opening: What the heck is going on in this game?
Nier Replicant after finishing the game: What the heck is going on in this game?
Fantastic list. I'm also thrilled to hear you guys are gonna be talking about MGS2 - I still think that's one of the greatest games ever made.
Celeste is a smaller game and a smaller-scale story, but it has an amazing prologue.
It crams all of what you want from an intro in just TWO MINUTES: great atmosphere, characters and themes are introduced, there's a thrilling action setpiece with the falling bridge, and you even get your tutorials on controls.
I would love a Resonant Arc analysis on this one.
I'm a simple man. I see Xenogears, I click. Watching your coverage of it was both a fantastic way of living vicariously through both of your perspectives (the one who knows as well as the one who's new), and informative of the source materials like gnosticism. Xenogears was a formative game for me, and I'm always happy to hear people gush about it.
It's been mentioned before, but the intro to Silent Hill 2 is truly masterful, even just the shot of James looking in the mirror is pretty much the entire game summed up,. The whole game is James facing himself, facing his shadow, but with eyes veiled in darkness, he doesn't want to truly peer into the depths of soul.
The bravery of the approach in Xenogears is quite amazing. It will be 40 - 50 hours minimum before one will get any of the revelations that will enable one to figure out what was happening in that opening sequence.
Nier Replicant's opening is quite good although I'll admit the summer reference went totally over my head when I played it.
Looking forward to the Suikoden rerelease so I can play the first game for the first time and do my first replay of the second. I didn't remember details about the opening but sounds quite good here.
Several of the other games I've never played (Ghosts of Tsushima, Eternal Darkness, Bioshock, Half Life 2) but you've made them all sound quite interesting.
Having just finished Metal Gear Solid 2 for the first time a few weeks ago I am very excited for you to cover it, including, as Max Derrat said, "The most profound moment in video games".
Wils aRms has literally my favorite animated opening of any video game. The music is amazing. Fantasy western, sets a tone of adventure. I'd love to see you talk about it if you haven't played it. It was my "I CAN"T WAIT FOR FF7 and I NEED AN RPG NOW" game. And it's one of the few intros I would pretty much watch every time I loaded it.
I loved the Xenoblade 3 intro I know it breaks the 15 minute rule you set, but wow does it set up the story so well.
Chapter 1 in general is one of the best in the series.
It's such a drastic improvement over how sluggish 2's intro is
That was amazing. It hooked me so fast.
Not an intro as such but the opening title screen for octopath traveler 2 and the music on the character select menu is so perfection.
I just finished that game. Man that title screen music is amazing. I would purposefully wait and just let it run 😂
Xenoblade 3 intro is so good.
phenomanl intro yes
Why? Genuine question.
I felt like it did the bare minimum to be just an okay intro.
I'm just going feral at the idea of Mike and Casen hopefully covering Ghost of Tsushima for the podcast someday. What a delightful game, took me WAY by surprise just like it did for Mike! Plus, I think Casen would really shine with his insight on Japanese language and culture. One can hope it'll pop up some day
Great video as usual guys!
to this day i still wonder why people consume so much slop while sleeping on actual great stuff like this
I used to feel real strongly about this like you, but as I got older I decided to just let people enjoy things but I will absolutely make my pitches for media I think DESERVES that exposure more.
Being in the other side, where people tell me that my media consumption may be slop when I should be fine with enjoying it made me realize that in those moments we should try to meet those people where they are versus trying to get them to leave one thing and join my side
/endramble lol
Cause ironically the hook is enough for most people to continue to eat the slop.
@@BlackHairedTidus hahahaha great point bro
@@Spades20XX Exactly! Especially when you realize that it's best to keep the good things niche because once it becomes mainstream... it's over.
@@kurisu3000 yeah it’s kinda sad, the more popular and big something becomes the more it becomes a target of corporations to maximize profits and ruin what made the media so special
I have to mention Super Metroid, because although it's not necessarily a narrative *focused* game, there is a narrative that's told throughout the game, and entirely through environmental storytelling. There is a text opening which recaps the previous games and catches you up to speed with where Samus is and what she's doing, but the real intro sequence, to me, is when you start playing, and going through Ceres Station. The game's title screen is a scene that takes place right before the Ceres Station section, with the baby metroid in the glass tube. As soon as you get to Ceres Station, the game has you traverse several dark rooms, with no music and only alarm sounds in the background, and one of the rooms you go through is the one you see on the title screen. But now, the tube is broken and the glass is shattered, and the metroid is gone. You finally make it to the final room and find the metroid, but then you also find Ridley, who is revealed only by his shining eye first, and then the rest of him fades in. You fight him, he runs away with the metroid, the station blows up, you chase after Ridley to Zebes, and you land on the planet. When you land, the atmosphere is incredible. It's raining, there's only ambient music, and some ambient sounds. There are no creatures crawling or flying around yet, everything looks empty and dark, and you descend through old Tourian into blue Brinstar amidst this silence to find your morph ball. There's a stillness to all of it, but it's an unsettling stillness, that then is broken when you go back through old Tourian and find all the space pirates crawling around. And THEN the real game begins.
It's brilliant environmental storytelling. No dialogue, no text explanation, everything is shown and not told. And I know this is about intros, but the ending sequence is just as amazing and shows you what happens in just as interesting a way as it does in the beginning.
Super Metroid is a game that probably won't get discussed much on the podcast (understandably so) but yeah I agree. Its intro is absolutely masterclass and feels even better once it sinks in that the game never holds your hand again after landing on Zebes.
Definitely agree. Metroid prime has a similarly great intro thanks to the same kind of environmental storytelling
Castlevania Symphony of the Night has one of the strongest intros I've ever experienced. Witnessing Richter absolutely curb stomp Dracula, and then seeing Alucard go in with his insanely cool gear really sucks you into a power trip, and then Death steals all your stuff at you're at basically Level 0. You want to get all your cool stuff back and feel like a badass again. Metroid Prime has a similar intro and it's almost as effective.
I love the lines: "You steal men's souls and make them your slaves" - Richter
"Perhaps the same could be said of all religions" - Dracula
So many castlevania games have great hooks
"Die, monster!"
Onimusha 2 and 3 both have incredible intros. More over both are intriguing, leaving ypu wanting to know more and gets you attached to the characters.
Chrono Cross. The intro video with Time's Scar, the flashforward to Fort Dragonia, the idyllic beach town and then the dimension swap to a world where you died a long time ago...
great intro theme song as well
This one has been on my backlog for so long. I hope I love it when I get to it. I’ve heard so many mixed things, on extreme ends of the spectrum… people seem to either love it or hate it.
@veespa_ go in with as open of a mind as possible and see where it takes you my friend...
Panzer Dragoon Saga has to be in this video 🤞. The intro FMV is epic and sets up the whole game, it totally ticks all your criteria.
Wish more people learn about Panzer Dragoon Saga.
Hope they manage to play it at some point
Xenogears! Hell yeah! Seriously, that opening movie is a master class.
While the whole game doesn’t seem full polished and needed more time, that intro is just so polished and every second packed. It’s also a great mix of 2D and 3D
Shadow of the colossus , FF7 , Silent Hill 2, Soul Reaver and uncharted 2 to name a few
Unrelated: Mike, the arms!!!
Oh my glad, MGS2 analysis coming! It is not the best in the series, but for the analysis it is the most interesting one. Can't wait!
MGS2 opening was and is the coolest opening of all time!
I'm just looking forward to Mike and Casen break down the Meme dialogue.
Agree with you, not my fav mgs, but the most Interesting one for sure. Just got more Interesting with each passing year.
Ehh, it's still my favorite. I know a lot of people point to MGS3 as the pinnacle, but I was always let down a little by it. Honestly, there was definitely some residual animosity I felt towards it because it was now the SECOND game where Solid Snake wasn't the main character. I could never let myself get fully invested in the story of young Big Boss. It's funny how I felt less animosity towards MGS2 than MGS3 even though MGS3 never tricked you into thinking you would be playing as Solid Snake.
@@aarons.2323at least We got to play him in the tanker mission. I agree with you with the feeling twds MGS3 and big boss. Solid is my guy too.
Metal Gear Solid games in general have top tier intros
The tv intro in 4 is amazing and has neat call backs
I think probably the best videogame intro is the 2017 Prey from the start up until you reach the lobby.
It really sets the tone for the game as this unfolding set of assumptions about what you're being shown are broken one by one, until the reveal as you walk out into the lobby and realise where you really are, all the while showcasing some great ideas for how the fictional technology of its world has been used (especially if you do the obvious thing and break the glass of your apartment window).
It's the best of the many children of System Shock.
(The other Prey's intro is also pretty good.)
I had my doubts with the premise of the video but this list you guys have compiled is so on point.
I think Chrono Cross is a pretty glaring omission. That is far from my favorite game of that era but between the FMV opening to the opening gameplay it's really something else. Same goes for Parasite Eve. You might had to have ban Squaresoft intros wholesale because of how good they were in the 90's. Same goes for Valve, they have no shortage of banger openings.
An impromptu list of some of my other favorites not mentioned in the video: Shadow of the Colossus, Batman Arkham Asylum, Uncharted 2, Last of Us, Dead Space (Remake), 13 Sentinels, Psychonauts 1+2, Prey (2017). I wish I could name more retro stuff off the top of my head since the intros of these newer games stand on the shoulders of giants. I feel like the RPG and Adventure games of the 90's are pretty much where we began to take notice of games that have awesome openings. Thanks and keep up the great work.
Didn't watch the video yet, but i just wanted to preemtive attempt to mention often forgotten masterpieces that really shouldnt be forgotten, and might have better intro than some of the games on this list.
- Panzer Dragoon Saga
- Valkryie Profile 2 Silmeria
- Secret of Mana
- Fatal Frame 2
- Beyond Good And Evil
- Dreamfall: The longest Journey
- Rule of Rose
Just wanted to mention them to remind people these games existed.
Yeah disappointed PDS wasn’t on their list! Easily stands out as one of the best.
I have forgotten Dreamfall’s, I’ll have to go back and play it thanks. I tend to have more nostalgia for The Longest Journey, so play that instead.
As a child I thought Shenmue had a great intro, but it’ll probably be antiquated now. Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit also stood out back in the day.
@@steveco1800Yeah Shenmu didn't age well sadly.
Fahrenheit like all David Cage games, the intro ended up being the peak of that game, which is a shame. You might want ro check out Still Life series if you like that type of game, since you are fond of The Longest Journey and Fahrenheit, you might be the target audience for that game.
PDS, I wonder if Mike and Casen even knows about its existence. It is well forgotten game. I wish they take a look into that game. It's a shame how that game never got it's spotlight.
Both the bioshock and half life 2 mentions brought back tons of memories getting lost in those worlds, and the intros were absolutely what got me to stick through them.
Suikoden 2s intro is unbelievable. I am so glad it got on this list. I would include it even on a list where you include Final Fantasy intros. They set up an emotional gut punch like no other game I've experienced. That whole sequence makes the character events of the game so much more impactful because you, in just a few minutes, saw Jowy and Riou as friends, watch them get betrayed and survive, and then you see their whole lives together. You see them grow up together. And then that bond lasts the rest of the game.
Casen, make sure you get to working on that Majora's Mask x Dante's Inferno reading you were eluding to, because the idea of it is already living rent-free in my head ha ha.
Majora's Mask in general DEMANDS an entire analysis from you guys. If ever there was a Zelda game that requires one, that would be it - Link's Awakening probably coming in at a comfortable second.
Good video, and I would probably offer Super Metroid myself - Ceres Station up until entering Green Brinstar is some of the best hands-off storytelling in all of gaming.
I’ve been enjoying the extra episodes every week. Please keep doing them!
Oh my god I’m so excited for your guys thoughts on MGS2. Can’t wait
Always the highlight of the week when you guys pop up in my feed. Can’t wait to watch this on my lunch break! Fully expecting ff7 to come up as it has (imo) the greatest opening a game has ever had. Perhaps an expected pick but it’s lauded so highly for a reason!
I spoke too soon I see 😂 looking forward to that episode whenever the time comes!
looking forward to this… so many good intros out there. I remember when they introduce Squall in the opening fmv (one of the best intros of all time) in FF8 I thought he was an ultimate badass when i was a kid
I absolutely love the intro to Xenoblade Chronicles 1, it uses its main concepts to set up mysteries that aren’t even fully answered until the end of the game, and if you back to it immediately after finishing the game, you immediately see what they were hiding.
It sets up just enough of the basics of the story that it keeps you engaged while also not overwhelming you at the start.
And it gives you an awesome setting to first try out the combat.
It’s also insanely cool, action packed, has hidden blink and you miss it details, incredible music, and super engaging cinematography.
AND, it’s pretty quick and doesn’t go on for very long.
Easily my favorite intro to any video game.
I liked the intro of Horizon: Zero Dawn! Agreed with many on this list, looking forward to the FF intro video!
That intro is so underrated actually. One of my favorites
Love everything about this. You made me walk down memory lane and put a smile on my face. Here's a few you didn't mention that I love:
Diablo II
Undertale
BG3
StarCraft - Brood Wars
Portal
Assassin's Creed II
Detroit Become Human
I'm surprised you didn't mention Undertale here. For me, it's an absolute master class introduction. From very first fight to leaving the tutorial area. Sets up everything so well and emotionally impacts you as well. 10/10 for sure.
I feel another good mention for this list would be Zone of the Enders 2. Mostly for the intro cutscene but i think the opening mission gives a good contrast for what the game quickly turns into.
Dude. I am SO there for MGS2! I could barely pay attention to the rest of the episode after you spoiled that little nugget! Can't wait!
Nier Automata has one of THE best opening sequences in video games. It sets up the themes perfectly. The opening paragraph that 2B says sounds like it’s setting up a typical kill the god JRPG.
“Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped... in a never-ending spiral of life and death. Is it a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle... and wonder if we'll have the chance to kill him.”
It then spend the rest of the game deconstructing the statement and the genre. You’ll revisit that line each time you replay it and those replays are built into the experience. And each time it will mean more. The music absolutely slays. The gameplay goes through everything you can expect. And it’s so impactful.
I agree that omitting Final Fantasy was a good move but I’d go far as saying omitting all of Square. So many games in that company with top tier openings.
Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy Tactics, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Vagrant Story.
Hell, I even loved Einhander which wouldn’t make this list, but it’s great!
Majora's Mask was basically Aonuma's job interview. That was the point of the game. Rehash old assets into something new, and to turn it into a full game, they used the time element.
Didn't expect Monk to get mentioned. Definitely a pleasant surprise.
The Suikoden 2 OST as a whole is amazing. I remember my brothers and I loving the music from these games.
Mass Effect 2 and 3 intros are awesome and deserve consideration. Good list fellas.
I would name drop Digital Devil Saga into this conversation. That game's intro is wild. I would also say SMT Nocturne, but it might be a little bit longer. Still, as the first game to represent Shin Megami Tensei in the west, the whole concept that the world is destroyed at the beginning of the game was mind-blowing back then.
Eternal Darkness and the fingerprints: As far as my memory can be trusted, back when the game was made it was not common practice to take fingerprints of all citizens, at least not everywhere i in the world. So there's a high chance that even if they could have taken the fingerprints, there would be no record for them to find.
emotional trip down memory lane. some of these were pretty important to my childhood.
Nothing has made me wanna play Ghost of Tsushima more than you guys discussing the opening.
I just started
GoT a few days ago, and 1000% deserves to be on this list.
it is a really good game.
Anytime Suikoden 2 gets a shout out I get so giddy. I love that game so much.
EDIT: BTW if you did 108 battles before you jump in the waterfall, it gives you a colored intro instead of a sepia toned. It is a reference to the 108 stars of destiny 😊
I think Vagrant Story is number one for me but it's definitely having a fight with Xenogears in the car park outside.
Spiderman 2s intro sequence is amazing because of its incredible camera work. It wouldn't make my top 10 but thought it deserved a nod.
Something that occurred to me in the Bioshock discussion - The line "momma always said.." immediately begins priming your subconscious for one of the game's major plot twists: Subconsciously, this line makes you assume that main character has a normal upbringing with a standard family unit and you start building/establishing a history for your character in your mind. Folks who played to the end will know this is not the case. Great misdirection that shows the writers' forethought even to the beginning.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne has a really good intro too, there is mistery and a really cool setting, but the best part is the atmosphere you are set into. I would love too see you guys dive into the series one day.
"Reinforcements? I am the reinforcements." - Ashley Riot to Callo Merlose
Man, that line in Vagrant Story's opening goes hard.
That one floating around in your head had better have been Shadow of the colossus Mike, I can't believe it wasn't on the list.
I'd also nominate Soul Reaver, Onimusha 3, either Valkyrie Profile 1 or 2, The Last Of Us, Mass Effect, Silent Hill, and for one with a more comedic bent - Brutal Legend.
Wow yeah The Last of Us intro was another level.
I know he said he can't pick any FF games but I have to sneak FF VIII into that list- just an astonishing intro at the time . Also as you say, Soul Reaver was amazing too.
good call on Onimusha 3
Amen on last of us. Never have I felt so sad at a character death within like 5 min. The fact it hit that hard after 5 min is nothing short of magic.
I actually think TLG has the best hook out of the available choices from team ico, I don't know that any of their hooks are S tier, though. I didn't think of Brutal Legend, but you're right. That hook is pretty fun.
xenosaga 2 had one of the most memorable intros for me with an insane gundam battle type scene.
I agree, xenosaga 2 intro is the best in the trilogy
"You're late, Morgan"
"I remember Andy"
MAN Grimm Fandango still does it for me, yes it's point and click and whatever, but the way it lays out what the story is about, the main character, the rules of the world main characters... all in a couple of minutes. What's more fun is it does it 3 times, with perfect execution.
there's a typo in the video description - you have a gap on 17:27 which broke the timestamp.
SUPER hype to watch this video just thought I'd let you know!
Not a writer here or anything but I always loved analysing and comparing the ways videogames narrate their stories; mainly the "bad ones" in order to understand why they are bad and what could they do or change to improve the sequence. That's why I love the first Resident Evil's intro; it's so bad, it's so good.
Man was thinking about this, all great games but surprised Uncharted 2 wasn’t on this list.
... I am ashamed that I didnt think of Uncharted until you mentioned it. all of those games have excellent hooks.
A personal favorite of mine is the FMV intro to Soul Reaver, featuring what I consider some of the absolute best voice acting of the PS1 era. I still go back to and rewatch it more than a couple of times a year.
I like that the timestamps are just numbers. No spoilers for the video :)
God of War 1 and God of War 2 intro was also brilliant.
Chrono Cross starts off great, too! One of my favorites.
Final Fantasy X is still the most epic and intriguing intro for me
46:17 - There's a lot of backstory to Halflife and its tie in with Portal. Even though Gordon Freeman succeeds in Halflife 1, eventually Earth is overtaken by the Combine and it had something to do with Chell escaping from GLaDOS. At least, that's what I remember reading somewhere.
Saw the title of this video and knew Suikoden 2 was going to in it. So quick and impactful. Also, you can get those beginning credits in color if you battle those soldiers 100 times...
The intro to Persona 2: Eternal Punishment was one that hooked me since the beginning, I later found out that it was because what I felt weird about the game was because it was a sequel. Back then, on my PSX, I had no idea of the series and just got it because it was a RPG.
Funnily enough, Nier Replicant I had full on context on what the hell was going on in the beginning, because I got obsessed with Drakengard and its sequel on the PS2 and got all the endings back then. I even thought that the 3rd. Birthday was the followup to that ending, and Parasite Eve was crossing with Drakengard
I've always loved the intro to Majoras Mask. Its so exciting compared to other zelda games.
I haven't watched the whole podcast yet, but I am hoping to see Kingdom Hearts 2 on here! That intro has resonated with me emotionally in a way few other stories have.
It was a toss up between 1 and 2. We went with 1 for this list but I agree 2 is absolutely amazing!
Looks like my summer vacation is over.
Re eternal darkness, ive not played the game, but you would only be aboe to run fingerprints as a method of identification if the guys fingerprints were held on record. That would generally only be the case if he had been arrested or something. We dont hold records of fingerprints for most people.
It's funny that you guys mention Kingdom Hearts because I actually love Kingdom Hearts 2 prologue. It made me love Roxas and his summer vacation coming to an end is just tragic.
"Most people think time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction, but I have seen the face of time and I can tell you they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm. You may wonder who I am and why I say this; sit down and I will tell you a tale like none that you have ever heard!"
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time❤ a game I've loved since it was released, so many years ago now.
I love Resident Evil 2 (Ps1) intro and frantic gameplay till the police station. I was way to young to play it when it came out but it totally hooked me.
On Majora`s Mask: there is a fabulous fan animation from Ember Lab (studio who did Kena:bridge of spirits) which used an orchestral reimaginated soundtrack from Theophany (Time's End II: Majora's Mask Remixed). Those 2 pieces of fan media made me revisit the game and appreciate it even more.
Commenting as I start the video, but I was wondering what your FF rule would be and it's probably for the best that you left them out and I look forward to them getting a video all by themselves. FF 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 16 are all permanently engrained in my mind as great openings. Chrono Cross is another one with a great opening (not sure if that will be in here or if that's maybe the one Mike is struggling to think of). Stellar Blade too had a good opening kinda similar to Ghost of Tsushima, though not quite as good.
A great opening is so important and one of the most important elements of the opening is a fantastic OST. Metal Gear Solid 2 and Final Fantasy VIII are masterful for those reasons. Elden Ring and Ghost of Tsushima's opening are 2 modern day games that absolutely nail the opening.
Panzer Dragoon Saga's intro is my favorite cutscene in any video game.
Love you guys!
Love the episode! Keep up the great work
About the recognition of the body in the intro of eternal darkness, I am by no means an expert on it. But my uncle commited suicide inside his house and left a note and everything, and just for procedure the police asked me to identify his body. So even though everything inside there showed it was him (photo's on the walls, dentals, prints, ect.) It seems to be procedure to ask the first relative to arrive for confirmation.
That said, I don't think the game went on realism here since a ring can also be planted on the body and wouldn't serve as legal evidence.
I love you guys.
God of War (2018)
Maybe a bit biased because I'm playing it right now, but the whole beginning up until the fight with The Stranger is *chef's kiss* 🤌
God of War 2 has a pretty good intro, with it's own contained arc showing how Kratos was corrupted by power and taken down by the gods, all while showcasing you the powers you can have on the game before taking them away.
Those matching outfits got you guys looking like you're about to go on Shark Tank
Perhaps Shadow Hearts could be one of the ones floating around in the ether?
Loved Shadow Hearts series for sure, but intro was not it's strong point for all 3 games.
Shadow Hearts series had incredible endings tho.
@@ab-hv8qs Ah good point. It was Shadow Hearts 1 specifically to which I was referring.
@@RetromancersFor me, why I think Shadow Hearts had weak intro was because it was after the intro and when I was playing main portion of the game, that's when I knew I was in for something special. I think that is a good indicator that the game's intro wasnt solid.
@@ab-hv8qs SH1 had an amazing intro imo. The others are ok in that regard
@@Tenpouinnot sure where you draw the line when it comes to intro.
Would it be just the opening cutscene? If that is the case I could agree with you.
However if it includes first gameplay tutorial portion, i thought it was lacking. It did not do a good job showing how special of a game it will be later.
If anyone I know plays Shadow Heart, I'd warn them to keep at it, that the game becomes so much better once early portion is over.
Hello guys!. I want to apologize because I was unsuscribed. I NEVER UNSUSCRIBED!!!. It was like if RUclips did it itself randomly. I was waiting for new stuff from you all this time thinking "they are taking their time, something big is coming", and I never thought for a second I was not seeing anything new because I was unsuscribed (not by my own will, not on purpose). The last I saw was the final Xenosaga Episode 3 video I think, so the there's a lot of videos to catch up.
I hope you are doing fine!.
Doing well! Yeah, RUclips does that from time to time and I have no idea why
This is a great video. Intros are like the reason anyone goes on to complete a video game, if the intro is meh, then a consumer can't justify the next 40 to 100 hours of playtime.
Unless you're me and have a completionist OCD. I have suffered and wasted some of my time in games... I wish I could take some of it back.
Persona 3 Reload is kind of not hitting home for me for example - although it had a good intro.
In my opinion a truly great opening should be recontextualized later on in the story with new information.
FFX. Metal Gear Solid 1/2. Silent Hill 2. Xenogears. Rule of Rose. Fatal Frame 2 (Japanese version) or FF 4.
Those are some key examples.
Awesome list! Another game with a fantastic intro is SOMA.
Peper mario intro really hooked me