Metal Gear Solid was my first of the series. I had no idea that there was Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake so to me it was the start of the series until I learned about the other 2 prequel games. It broke the 4th wall at the time when Psycho Mantis reads your memory card and also having to switch your control pad into the 2nd port in order to beat him, instantly made Psycho Mantis one of favourite bosses of all time. The codec number on the back of the case in order to contact Meryl everything about the game was amazing and is still to this day my favourite Metal Gear Solid game and one of my favourite games of all time.
Seeing you guys on screen together is always so heartwarming, you guys just have this amazing chemistry, it's not hard to see why you guys are best friends ^^
Im 32, so though I grew up with mainly the NES and onward, my most treasured memories really start at the Genesis but the PS1... I was purchased the Saturn fir Christmas and though I loved it, it was lacking... Thr next year when Castlevania Symphony of the Night released on the PS1 I was given that for Christmas and oh boy was my mind blown. My first real introduction to RPGs was Breath of Fire 3 and it started my love for the genre. You gotta remember it was my brother who bought all this stuff so what he bought and played its what I played. Well in the PS1 I started my own taste in games and yeah... All of these and more were so mind blowing
You two lift me up and make my days so much better with your stories and the bond you have, I would do anything to have a friendship as strong as yours.
[Coury] So many good picks here. Wild Arms especially. That was the game I got when i bought my Playstation and it really was the perfect game to get with it. It would set the tone of the system for me for its entire life span. But one game that I always loved the intro for? Soul Blade! Namco was firing on all cylinders during the Playstation years, and they had some great CG intros.
Some of my favorite openings: - Wild Arms - Legend of Mana - Chrono Cross - Final Fantasy Tactics - Mega Man X4 - Vagrant Story - Valkyrie Profile - Xenogears - Parasite Eve - Resident Evil 2
This was by far one of the most personal and enjoyable videos you have done in months. More of this please, I really enjoy the longer, more nostalgic videos. Cheers from Chilliwack
It's videos like these which is what make you one of if not MY MOST FAVORITE gaming channel on the internet. The love and the passion you have for gaming is so inspiring and its such a joy to watch you juat talk about the things you truly love. I watch all your videos man and I love them. Keep doing what you do man. Keep that fire for gaming burning. Much love johnny
Alundra has a pretty great opening showing the hero having a epic adventure and puzzlesolving between beatiful animation setpieces, such a underrated gem.
Tombi - The music is still engraved into my head and I was very big into Pokémon and Dragonball Z back then so the anime style really appealed to me. Soul Reaver - The use of insanely big words, the betrayal, the visuals, the voice acting especially! Such an impactful opening, I never skip it. Abe's Oddysee - Literally everything about this opening is perfect.
Crash Bandicoot sold the Playstation for me. The intro is nothing special now tbh, but that title screen is just burned into my brain. It's a hard thing to put into words.
Great list! I would like to add two games. Vagrant Story Soul Blade (Later became the Soul Calibur series) There are many more, but those two jumped to the front of my mind. Wild Arms touched me as well
0_o Xearrik Gaming Channel That whistle is imprinted on my heart forever. I tried learning guitar just to play that, unfortunately I cannot move my fingers accurately enough to do so.
Wonderful topic, guys. Do this for all the systems. Really enjoyed this video and great to see Rob again. It's total magic when you guys talk about the good old days of gaming. And yeah, without doubt, Wild Arms' opening was my absolute favorite on PS1. The music is so great. It just makes you really want to play that wonderful game!
***** If it is including post start screen cinematics then DEFINITELY Soul Reaver! One of the best openings ever and THAT MUSIC!!! Defiance also had a great opening, all be it PS2.
Nepu-Tech USA actually the creators of it are Working at Monolith Soft for Nintendo and have made Xenoblade, Xenoblade X, and are working on Xenoblade 2 currently.
Before I even watch the video, I can say hands down, Final Fantasy 8. The sweeping music, the dramatic battle scene ...I get chills every time I see it. Edit: Now that I've watched the episode, I've gotta say I have tears in my eyes. I had a friend who lost his father when we were about 16-17 years of age. Your story brought back the pall that was cast over that time. But along with that sadness comes a lot of very fond memories of my friends and I hanging out together all those years ago. Thank you for sharing your memories Johnny.
Wildarms had an amazing intro! And the game had quickly become one if my favorite games and really stepped up my fascination for RPGS. Really great video guys!
Legacy of Kain:Soul Reaver is my favorite. Right at the beginning of that opening as the dark fanfare orchestra starts, the Game had me. For me this Game still has the best Soundtrack of them all.
Thank you for making this awesome segment. Again, you guys are the best in bringing back those awesome memories from the past video gaming experiences. One of my favorite openings are Soul Edge (Soul Blade) and Ridge Racer 4.
Grandia! Best coming of age tale ever told. That opening and music is what I view every time I have a panic attack, and it helps me every time. Reminds me of the best of times.
Great video! My friends and I still talk about the ps1 openings to this day. I remember recording the entire legend of mana sound track on a tape recorder and chillin to it. So many good cinematic's like chrono cross and just friends in a basement, you guys nailed it. I personally will cherish the BOF 4 opening and watching it with my buddies on my 10th birthday.
Not sure why but I’m currently going back and watching all your videos again. Even though I watched them when they were originally released. The only channel I haven’t got bored with. Cheers pal.
That Grandia's music intro ! Man, Noriyuki Iwadare is a master of Epic classics !! One of my favorites: Tales of Destiny (US version): that music, those heroes, those revealings... I just love it ! Nostalgia man, Nostalgia, such a powerful thing..
Wildarms opening was always excellent. I found it moving to see it again anyway. Your story actually moved me even more. Whenever I hear that music or see him going up the mountain, I don't know what it is but it gets me right in my heart.
RE2 came out shortly after i purchased my ps1 and it absolutely blew me away. I kept showing it to my family and friends or whoever came over whether they were gamers or not lol. Honorable mentions would be Tekken 2,3, Tag, 4. Also Time Crisis because it brings me memories of watching my older bro try to beat it at the arcades. Love your channel, never stop doing what ur doing
The fact that you guys have such dedicated memories towards the openings of many ps1 games really shows that I believe that the ps1 had the best quality of jrpg's to ever grace a video game system, but at the end of the day its a matter of personal preference. Everyone is aware that xenogears is my favorite game of all time and I was captivated with the game from the very first moment, but with regards to the opening one thing that really took me back is that I'm always use to games starting happy, but the opening to xenogears was very menacing in the sense that you watched everybody die in that huge spaceship and when you seen everybody get into the escape ships and get blown up the moment they left the space station. It gave me the impression that this is really happening. Is any good going to come out of this opening. I think what really got to me about the opening song (Light of the Netherworld) is the moment when the choir hits on the track and the captain is looking at the picture in his locket of his wife and daughter before he self destructs the ship. That hit me really hard and it gave me a slight taste that I was going to undertake one hell of an adventure.
Thanks for making me cry Johnny! But seriously my dad died when I was nineteen and I kept climbing that metaphorical mountain for over ten years until I got to the top and saw my friends.
All great choices! One of the most astounding PS1 openings for me was Soul Blade. That was one of the first times I felt that CG humans actually began to look right and my jaw hit the floor.
Soul Blade. Oh my gosh. The intro still gets me pumped to this day. The music in the intro manages to convey that waht you are about to play is somehow IMPORTANT. That's such a crazy trick for a video game to pull.
Great video! Always love the personal stories you guys throw on these videos. It's what really makes the channel great. Oh, and Parasite Eve. One of the creepiest, and best, openings to a video game ever made.
I bought Grandia when I was 15 years old. That game still remains as my favorite. That opening as well as the Angelou Culture cutscene still leave me emotionally on high.
It's fascinating to hear how this guys link the games with things and times in their lives. The same thing happens to me, video games are linked to my life and to my history and sometimes I remember something or someone of my past I associate this time/person with a game.
Thanks for sharing, fortunately I didn't have to overcome such a hard time yet but it gave me a lot of strenght! For the openings, I love the following: pepsiman, monster rancher 2, megaman 8, gta 2, ace combat 3
I remember the time when I popped in MGS for the first time and the opening pumped me up for a great experience. The Policenauts theme during the Konami logo and the brief introductory scene at the beginning, I have so many nostalgic moments with it. And I also remember the openings from Crash 3, Star Ocean 2, FF7-9, RE2, Silent Hill....so many good memories.
Ahh the PS1. The true start of my love for gaming. As far as my favorite openings, I've gotta say, Tekken 2 and 3 were huge parts of my gaming life, and I've watched those opening boot ups so many times, I probably could recreate them given the tools to do so. All of the Final Fantasy opening are stellar, but as far as the one that got my the most hyped, I'd have to say Final Fantasy VIII's opening, despite personally preferring the other two entries in the series for the original Playstation. Lastly, as a huge Silent Hill fan, the music from that opening fmv on the first Silent Hill game will never leave my mind. I still get chills when I see/hear it.
These openings were absolutely great for RPGs of that generation because the gameplay graphics at that time still required a strong imagination. The cinematic openings certainly helped visualize the universe and spark our imagination. Great video guys!
My favorite is The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. That opening was so well animated, well written, and well voiced, that I've been able to recall it word for word since I saw it roughly 16 years ago. As a kid, I would call my mom in my room to watch it over and over again. Hell, it's better than any short film I've seen at two or three times its length. It's amazing how it flawlessly introduces you to an entire world - a massive franchise - and it's characters within four minutes. From the unforgettable soundtrack by Kurt Harland, to the vindictive performance of Michael Bell as Raziel, it's my favorite opening to any game by far.
I feel the same way about Wild Arms. It was a hard time in my life too. For years, I've piled up my favorite video game intros on my phone. I really need to add this one and will do so today.
you came out (wild) guns a blazing, with it's opening and acumulating story. however you sold the deal explaining how impactful openings in general could be. so, well done, great video and topic!
Epic video especially the 1st game you talked about and how it related to you in real life at that time. You relate the gaming experience with real life things going and know exactly what ya mean because ive had a few games make me feel the same way but that was on old gen stuff lol. Thats why i watch bro keep up the amazing vids.
Xenogears is not only my favorite ps1 openings but one of the best openings ever. You need to make Rob play it and review it together, that would be awesome.
My favourite is Grandia, I am replaying it now. It's not so much the opening FMV, it's the soundtrack, when you meet Justin and Sue playing adventure...I am replaying it right now and got to the bit where Sue is sent back to Parm...man that always leaves me gushing tears, but I am a real softy and that's why I love it :) Great video, very moving indeed. I'm definitely gonna check out Wild Arms now.
Oh man, it's not only my favorite PS One opening but my favorite opening of all time. The live action original Resident Evil opening. SO good, SO, SO, SO, good. It brings a smile to my face every time! A close second is the Morrowind theme. That intro just got the payer so invested so quickly. It was a point in my life where I was setting out on my own real life adventures and it will always have a place in my heart.
One of my absolute favorites happens to be Lunar Silver Star Story. The song is very cheesy and simple, but there's just so much heart there. It makes me feel like I'm going to play a very nostalgic, vintage rpg whenever I hear it. And it's in English!
man that story is so beautiful and choked me up 😥 very heart breaking. wild arms is such am amazing game even today too so you can enjoy that game forever still too 😁
Final Fantasy IX (9) is my all time favorite FF and JRPG but also one of my favorite opening as well. The cinematics in that game, the music, the art style, the characters, and the battle animations/summons.... wow just wow!
I loved the opening for Legend of Dragoon, it had such an amazing song to go with it. I remember being so disappointing that the second disk didn't play the opening that I actually put disk one back in to listen to it again before continuing with the story.
One that always stood out for me is Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee "This is Rupture Farms." The whole depth of capturing this colossus meat processing plant along with the dark dreariness of what is happening on the inside just got me hooked on this right from the start.
I think my favorite PS1 opening was the opening of Metal Gear Solid, specifically the first time that I experienced it. I was very little, probably 4 or 5, my parents were still together, and I just remember trying to play it on a really small TV from really far away because the TV was on top of my parents' dresser which was a very tall, not wide dresser. Anyway, what sticks out the most about that experience for me was how purely ominous the whole experience was for me. I just remember the really dark tones in the music freaking me the hell out, but I was so captivated that I returned to that demo time and time again, until finally, 2 years later, I beat that demo. Here I am today, one of the biggest damn nerds for the series, knowing a crap ton of information about the story. There's not a lot of emotional relevance to the situation because I was so young, but there was a huge amount of what you guys were talking about, just the sheer emotions and feelings that a game can conjure just with the presentation.
Wow guys!! That was an amazing video :P It reminds me why you are my favorite channel to watch :) Just like a lot of ppl, my favorite intro is Chrono Cross and I still watch it once in a while. After that I would say FF9, FF8, FFT, FF7, Parasite Eve, Tomb Raider (first PS1 game I've ever played)
Mega Man X4. The opening to that game will always remind me of some amazing times. The music and the seeing X and Zero in animated form. Whenever I hear the old PS1 startup screen, I immediately expect X4's opening to follow.
Great stories :) I was a teenager during the PS1 era and I have two siblings, so the N64 and its multiplayer games were played far more than PS1 games. I was always a fan of the attract mode for Galerians though; the bloodstained hallway and the cheesy vocal song were great!
My 6 personal favorites: 1. Soul Edge/Blade - great character montage. Mitsurugi in the sunset, Siegfried looking over at a collapsing tower, and Taki blowing up a castle. Great Song! 2. Tekken 3 - The Law restaurant scene and Nina waking up! 3. Tales of Phantasia - Nice rearranged theme song, feels more poignant and wistful compared to the original version. love the animation. 4. Psychic Force Puzzle Taisen - Great animation and song. An unusually elaborate opening for a puzzle game. The Psychic Force opening is great too, but I prefer the song in this one. 5. Metal Gear Solid - the game that made me fall in love with realtime game engine cutscenes. 6. Vagrant Story - another game that made use of the engine instead of pre-rendered scenes. With the game originally in Japanese, the English translation is probably the best I've ever seen in a game.
I really enjoyed this video and it seems we have a parallel. I lost my father in January and I finally started Wild Arms and I've told multiple people how it's been a saving grace for me throughout this loss. Crazy...
Resident Evil, primarily RE2 and RE3 changed everything for me. I was so into sci fi and just horror but those two games solidified my love for games forever.
Chrono Cross have the same effect on me as well...I immediately bring my younger bro in and enjoy the song together...and it's forever implanted in our mind...
Final Fantasy: Tactics on the PS1- that opening is incredible. the music just brings alive the mystery and action that the game is going to entail. It just holds a very special place in my heart.
I know not all of these are ps1, but the opening for final fantasy crystal chonicles on GameCube because of its opening song. And the opening song for Tales of Zesteria gets you so freaking pumped.When I hear the short jingle when you start up metal gear solid, the memories just flow back.
Sorry to hear about your father being gone,I never knew,i remember you mentioning going on vacations with your parents and asking them for games when you were a kid so I figured they were both still here, my father is very old now and I'm scared to imagine how things will be without him.Life is too short
Definitely Oddworld Abe's Odessy. It was one of the first PS1 games I ever owned. I remember my dad telling my uncle during the opening cutscene how far games had come back in 97.
For my very 1st cinematic PS1 opening as a 11 year old boy it was the game Heart Of Darkness. FROM the transition from the Sega MEGA DRIVE"As in the UK and in my country" and Sega Genesis to the other parts of the world TO the PS1 my mind was completely blown away by the visuals and sound and I had to learn fast of this,at that time "new" DualShock 1 controller as to which I was so used to playing on the 3 button Sega Genesis controller.However I just can't believe my 11 year old self beat that game on multiple occasions and now at 27 I can just barely play it considering just how difficult it truly is.Soon after I completed that game I had started Metal Gear Solid and that whole infiltration opening sequence up until that elevator sequence was just groundbreaking for it's time and Metal Gear Solid had made me the fan that I am today.However I only just remembered Wing Commander IV The Price Of Freedom.I had no idea at that time the PS1 was capable of playing back full motion video in cutscenes and it still baffles me to this day on how they accomplished this technical feat.Thinking back the PS1 was a powerful piece of hardware and I am glad I had been a huge part of Sony's success.Sony had release a plethora of amazing titles for the system and many franchises had their start on the PS1.Their Historical Importance speaks volumes with the fans of the 1st Sony console and I will never forget those days.
Wow Johnny I had no idea your dad had passed. I hope you've heard from him. That Wild Arms opening is nostalgic and sad for me already, and it must be x100 for you... What a great episode... So many parallels in my own life.
Metal gear solid, changed my perspective on video games; as well as perpetually making me into the gamer I am today.
Metal Gear Solid was my first of the series. I had no idea that there was Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 Solid Snake so to me it was the start of the series until I learned about the other 2 prequel games.
It broke the 4th wall at the time when Psycho Mantis reads your memory card and also having to switch your control pad into the 2nd port in order to beat him, instantly made Psycho Mantis one of favourite bosses of all time. The codec number on the back of the case in order to contact Meryl everything about the game was amazing and is still to this day my favourite Metal Gear Solid game and one of my favourite games of all time.
Seeing you guys on screen together is always so heartwarming, you guys just have this amazing chemistry, it's not hard to see why you guys are best friends ^^
Im 32, so though I grew up with mainly the NES and onward, my most treasured memories really start at the Genesis but the PS1... I was purchased the Saturn fir Christmas and though I loved it, it was lacking... Thr next year when Castlevania Symphony of the Night released on the PS1 I was given that for Christmas and oh boy was my mind blown.
My first real introduction to RPGs was Breath of Fire 3 and it started my love for the genre.
You gotta remember it was my brother who bought all this stuff so what he bought and played its what I played. Well in the PS1 I started my own taste in games and yeah... All of these and more were so mind blowing
You two lift me up and make my days so much better with your stories and the bond you have, I would do anything to have a friendship as strong as yours.
[Coury] So many good picks here. Wild Arms especially. That was the game I got when i bought my Playstation and it really was the perfect game to get with it. It would set the tone of the system for me for its entire life span.
But one game that I always loved the intro for? Soul Blade! Namco was firing on all cylinders during the Playstation years, and they had some great CG intros.
Some of my favorite openings:
- Wild Arms
- Legend of Mana
- Chrono Cross
- Final Fantasy Tactics
- Mega Man X4
- Vagrant Story
- Valkyrie Profile
- Xenogears
- Parasite Eve
- Resident Evil 2
This was by far one of the most personal and enjoyable videos you have done in months. More of this please, I really enjoy the longer, more nostalgic videos. Cheers from Chilliwack
It's videos like these which is what make you one of if not MY MOST FAVORITE gaming channel on the internet. The love and the passion you have for gaming is so inspiring and its such a joy to watch you juat talk about the things you truly love. I watch all your videos man and I love them. Keep doing what you do man. Keep that fire for gaming burning. Much love johnny
Alundra has a pretty great opening showing the hero having a epic adventure and puzzlesolving between beatiful animation setpieces, such a underrated gem.
Tombi - The music is still engraved into my head and I was very big into Pokémon and Dragonball Z back then so the anime style really appealed to me.
Soul Reaver - The use of insanely big words, the betrayal, the visuals, the voice acting especially! Such an impactful opening, I never skip it.
Abe's Oddysee - Literally everything about this opening is perfect.
Crash Bandicoot sold the Playstation for me. The intro is nothing special now tbh, but that title screen is just burned into my brain. It's a hard thing to put into words.
Great list! I would like to add two games.
Vagrant Story
Soul Blade (Later became the Soul Calibur series)
There are many more, but those two jumped to the front of my mind. Wild Arms touched me as well
Soul blade was really cool. I watched it many many times.
0_o Xearrik Gaming Channel Exactly what i was going to comment, I never pressed start until those opening movies ended.
0_o Xearrik Gaming Channel That whistle is imprinted on my heart forever. I tried learning guitar just to play that, unfortunately I cannot move my fingers accurately enough to do so.
Vagrant Story, OMG, that was super awesome.
Some of the Namco CGI sequences from back in the day were awesome. The ones that come to mind immediately are Soul Blade and Tekken 2.
Wonderful topic, guys. Do this for all the systems. Really enjoyed this video and great to see Rob again. It's total magic when you guys talk about the good old days of gaming. And yeah, without doubt, Wild Arms' opening was my absolute favorite on PS1. The music is so great. It just makes you really want to play that wonderful game!
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver for sure, best opening cinematic of all time in my opinion. Great video!
***** If it is including post start screen cinematics then DEFINITELY Soul Reaver! One of the best openings ever and THAT MUSIC!!! Defiance also had a great opening, all be it PS2.
***** Shit I forgot about that one...Good one!
"CAST HIM IN!" that opening is epic as fuck.
***** i shall make your words mine good sir...
Read my mind! As I read the comment all I could think was "RAZIEL.....YOU ARE WORTHY"
PARASITE EVE !!! If you've played it then you know what I'm talking about...
Nepu-Tech USA actually the creators of it are Working at Monolith Soft for Nintendo and have made Xenoblade, Xenoblade X, and are working on Xenoblade 2 currently.
True
Before I even watch the video, I can say hands down, Final Fantasy 8. The sweeping music, the dramatic battle scene ...I get chills every time I see it.
Edit: Now that I've watched the episode, I've gotta say I have tears in my eyes. I had a friend who lost his father when we were about 16-17 years of age. Your story brought back the pall that was cast over that time. But along with that sadness comes a lot of very fond memories of my friends and I hanging out together all those years ago.
Thank you for sharing your memories Johnny.
Wildarms had an amazing intro! And the game had quickly become one if my favorite games and really stepped up my fascination for RPGS. Really great video guys!
Legacy of Kain:Soul Reaver is my favorite. Right at the beginning of that opening as the dark fanfare orchestra starts, the Game had me. For me this Game still has the best Soundtrack of them all.
Thank you for making this awesome segment. Again, you guys are the best in bringing back those awesome memories from the past video gaming experiences. One of my favorite openings are Soul Edge (Soul Blade) and Ridge Racer 4.
this is my favorite video, i do keep this one so fresh in my mind, because it has an emotional twist with what Johnny says in it.
Grandia! Best coming of age tale ever told. That opening and music is what I view every time I have a panic attack, and it helps me every time. Reminds me of the best of times.
Great video! My friends and I still talk about the ps1 openings to this day. I remember recording the entire legend of mana sound track on a tape recorder and chillin to it. So many good cinematic's like chrono cross and just friends in a basement, you guys nailed it. I personally will cherish the BOF 4 opening and watching it with my buddies on my 10th birthday.
I absolutely love the opening to Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. I used to watch it over and over. It's still one of my favorite openings of all time.
Man... when Rob set down that Wild Arms game... that thud. Made my heart skip a beat.
Not sure why but I’m currently going back and watching all your videos again. Even though I watched them when they were originally released. The only channel I haven’t got bored with. Cheers pal.
You guys really have AMAZING game experiences/memories! Really appreciate videos like this. Brings back soo many feelings from when I was a kid
That Grandia's music intro ! Man, Noriyuki Iwadare is a master of Epic classics !!
One of my favorites: Tales of Destiny (US version): that music, those heroes, those revealings... I just love it !
Nostalgia man, Nostalgia, such a powerful thing..
VII is my favorite but the FFVIII opening was truly amazing, from the action to the music it was an excellent and exciting introduction!
Wildarms opening was always excellent. I found it moving to see it again anyway. Your story actually moved me even more. Whenever I hear that music or see him going up the mountain, I don't know what it is but it gets me right in my heart.
Tomba! Is my favorite PS1 intro. The music is so happy and it gives the journey more context.
Tekken 2's opening made a huge impression on me, it being my first PlayStation game after upgrading from the Genesis.
Awesome list guys! Always great to see you two recant retro gaming stories!
RE2 came out shortly after i purchased my ps1 and it absolutely blew me away. I kept showing it to my family and friends or whoever came over whether they were gamers or not lol. Honorable mentions would be Tekken 2,3, Tag, 4. Also Time Crisis because it brings me memories of watching my older bro try to beat it at the arcades. Love your channel, never stop doing what ur doing
The fact that you guys have such dedicated memories towards the openings of many ps1 games really shows that I believe that the ps1 had the best quality of jrpg's to ever grace a video game system, but at the end of the day its a matter of personal preference. Everyone is aware that xenogears is my favorite game of all time and I was captivated with the game from the very first moment, but with regards to the opening one thing that really took me back is that I'm always use to games starting happy, but the opening to xenogears was very menacing in the sense that you watched everybody die in that huge spaceship and when you seen everybody get into the escape ships and get blown up the moment they left the space station. It gave me the impression that this is really happening. Is any good going to come out of this opening. I think what really got to me about the opening song (Light of the Netherworld) is the moment when the choir hits on the track and the captain is looking at the picture in his locket of his wife and daughter before he self destructs the ship. That hit me really hard and it gave me a slight taste that I was going to undertake one hell of an adventure.
Thanks for making me cry Johnny! But seriously my dad died when I was nineteen and I kept climbing that metaphorical mountain for over ten years until I got to the top and saw my friends.
All great choices! One of the most astounding PS1 openings for me was Soul Blade. That was one of the first times I felt that CG humans actually began to look right and my jaw hit the floor.
Please review Xenogears, I can't wait to see it
I had goosebumps throughout the whole episode. Great episode!
Breath of Fire 4 and Vagrant Story. I always, ALWAYS let the intros to those games play whenever I booted the games up.
+ripoutyourprejudice Oh gosh! The BoF4 opening brings back memories!
+ripoutyourprejudice BoF4, Vagrant story, Parasite Eve, Soul blade and Chrono cross are openings that I don't skip haha :D
Soul Blade. Oh my gosh. The intro still gets me pumped to this day. The music in the intro manages to convey that waht you are about to play is somehow IMPORTANT. That's such a crazy trick for a video game to pull.
soul blade intro
Great video! Always love the personal stories you guys throw on these videos. It's what really makes the channel great.
Oh, and Parasite Eve. One of the creepiest, and best, openings to a video game ever made.
I bought Grandia when I was 15 years old. That game still remains as my favorite.
That opening as well as the Angelou Culture cutscene still leave me emotionally on high.
HCG video makes me happy for some reason.
It's fascinating to hear how this guys link the games with things and times in their lives.
The same thing happens to me, video games are linked to my life and to my history and sometimes I remember something or someone of my past I associate this time/person with a game.
1- Jade Cocoon
2- Resident Evil 1
3- Metal Gear Solid 1
4- Tekken 3
5- Ridge Racer Type 4
6- Tekken 2
7- Alundra
8- Silent Hill
9- Galerians
10- Bust a Grove 2
Thanks for sharing, fortunately I didn't have to overcome such a hard time yet but it gave me a lot of strenght!
For the openings, I love the following: pepsiman, monster rancher 2, megaman 8, gta 2, ace combat 3
I remember the time when I popped in MGS for the first time and the opening pumped me up for a great experience. The Policenauts theme during the Konami logo and the brief introductory scene at the beginning, I have so many nostalgic moments with it. And I also remember the openings from Crash 3, Star Ocean 2, FF7-9, RE2, Silent Hill....so many good memories.
Ahh the PS1. The true start of my love for gaming. As far as my favorite openings, I've gotta say, Tekken 2 and 3 were huge parts of my gaming life, and I've watched those opening boot ups so many times, I probably could recreate them given the tools to do so. All of the Final Fantasy opening are stellar, but as far as the one that got my the most hyped, I'd have to say Final Fantasy VIII's opening, despite personally preferring the other two entries in the series for the original Playstation. Lastly, as a huge Silent Hill fan, the music from that opening fmv on the first Silent Hill game will never leave my mind. I still get chills when I see/hear it.
My favourite videos on this channel have always been the ones like these. Love you guys together.
Final Fantasy VIII had a cool opening.
Thank you guys for another fantastic video!
Let me see...
Silent Hill
Soul Reaver
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Parasite Eve
Thats just what I could think of right now. They're all epic intros.
Adrian Gofredo
Soul Reaver
MGS
Parasite Eve(never played it, should I?)
RE3 opening gives me the biggest goosebumps as a kid
Soul Blade (Soul Edge) intro is amazing! One of my favorite openings still to this day. I used to reset to see it again before playing the game :D
These openings were absolutely great for RPGs of that generation because the gameplay graphics at that time still required a strong imagination. The cinematic openings certainly helped visualize the universe and spark our imagination. Great video guys!
Soul blade when i first saw that intro was well impressed still like it now tbh
MGS OPENING IS AMAZING
My favorite is The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. That opening was so well animated, well written, and well voiced, that I've been able to recall it word for word since I saw it roughly 16 years ago. As a kid, I would call my mom in my room to watch it over and over again. Hell, it's better than any short film I've seen at two or three times its length. It's amazing how it flawlessly introduces you to an entire world - a massive franchise - and it's characters within four minutes. From the unforgettable soundtrack by Kurt Harland, to the vindictive performance of Michael Bell as Raziel, it's my favorite opening to any game by far.
I feel the same way about Wild Arms. It was a hard time in my life too. For years, I've piled up my favorite video game intros on my phone. I really need to add this one and will do so today.
Legend of Legaia and Legend of the Dragoon, those were the last games I completed with my brother and whenever I see those intros it's all the feels.
kittensinafryingpan Same dude. Those 2 were my childhood.
I love the feels..... cheers guys. MORE TIMES TO COME!~
you came out (wild) guns a blazing, with it's opening and acumulating story. however you sold the deal explaining how impactful openings in general could be. so, well done, great video and topic!
My favorite PS1 game intro was "The Legends of Dragoons." i still love that game til this day lol
Epic video especially the 1st game you talked about and how it related to you in real life at that time. You relate the gaming experience with real life things going and know exactly what ya mean because ive had a few games make me feel the same way but that was on old gen stuff lol. Thats why i watch bro keep up the amazing vids.
Xenogears is not only my favorite ps1 openings but one of the best openings ever. You need to make Rob play it and review it together, that would be awesome.
Such a beautiful story behind the Wild Arms intro. It has a way bigger impact on me now.
My favourite is Grandia, I am replaying it now. It's not so much the opening FMV, it's the soundtrack, when you meet Justin and Sue playing adventure...I am replaying it right now and got to the bit where Sue is sent back to Parm...man that always leaves me gushing tears, but I am a real softy and that's why I love it :) Great video, very moving indeed. I'm definitely gonna check out Wild Arms now.
Ape escape for me. Its one of my favorite games on the system and that intro music is so happy it just brings me joy
Oh man, it's not only my favorite PS One opening but my favorite opening of all time. The live action original Resident Evil opening. SO good, SO, SO, SO, good. It brings a smile to my face every time! A close second is the Morrowind theme. That intro just got the payer so invested so quickly. It was a point in my life where I was setting out on my own real life adventures and it will always have a place in my heart.
One of my absolute favorites happens to be Lunar Silver Star Story. The song is very cheesy and simple, but there's just so much heart there. It makes me feel like I'm going to play a very nostalgic, vintage rpg whenever I hear it. And it's in English!
man that story is so beautiful and choked me up 😥 very heart breaking. wild arms is such am amazing game even today too so you can enjoy that game forever still too 😁
Final Fantasy IX (9) is my all time favorite FF and JRPG but also one of my favorite opening as well. The cinematics in that game, the music, the art style, the characters, and the battle animations/summons.... wow just wow!
I loved the opening for Legend of Dragoon, it had such an amazing song to go with it. I remember being so disappointing that the second disk didn't play the opening that I actually put disk one back in to listen to it again before continuing with the story.
One that always stood out for me is Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee "This is Rupture Farms." The whole depth of capturing this colossus meat processing plant along with the dark dreariness of what is happening on the inside just got me hooked on this right from the start.
Johnny sorry to hear that about your dad, my condolences. Wild Arms was a great game and friends are essential to the healing process.
I think my favorite PS1 opening was the opening of Metal Gear Solid, specifically the first time that I experienced it. I was very little, probably 4 or 5, my parents were still together, and I just remember trying to play it on a really small TV from really far away because the TV was on top of my parents' dresser which was a very tall, not wide dresser. Anyway, what sticks out the most about that experience for me was how purely ominous the whole experience was for me. I just remember the really dark tones in the music freaking me the hell out, but I was so captivated that I returned to that demo time and time again, until finally, 2 years later, I beat that demo. Here I am today, one of the biggest damn nerds for the series, knowing a crap ton of information about the story. There's not a lot of emotional relevance to the situation because I was so young, but there was a huge amount of what you guys were talking about, just the sheer emotions and feelings that a game can conjure just with the presentation.
Wow guys!! That was an amazing video :P It reminds me why you are my favorite channel to watch :) Just like a lot of ppl, my favorite intro is Chrono Cross and I still watch it once in a while. After that I would say FF9, FF8, FFT, FF7, Parasite Eve, Tomb Raider (first PS1 game I've ever played)
Mega Man X4. The opening to that game will always remind me of some amazing times. The music and the seeing X and Zero in animated form. Whenever I hear the old PS1 startup screen, I immediately expect X4's opening to follow.
1. Chrono Cross
2. Wild Arms
3. Resident Evil 3
4. Silent Hill
5. Parasite Eve
Psychic Force. Dat sweet anime opening filled with so many 90s anime tropes.
Mine was final fantasy viii
That was a good one too. Funny was talking about how awesome it was with a friend a few weeks ago
***** yeah. Once I watched it, getting rid of it from my mind wasn't that easy.
***** speaking of fighting games and 90s anime, do you remember Evil Zone opening ? :-D
Mhm. Evil Zone had a wonderfully 90s anime opening too.
Great stories :)
I was a teenager during the PS1 era and I have two siblings, so the N64 and its multiplayer games were played far more than PS1 games. I was always a fan of the attract mode for Galerians though; the bloodstained hallway and the cheesy vocal song were great!
My 6 personal favorites:
1. Soul Edge/Blade - great character montage. Mitsurugi in the sunset, Siegfried looking over at a collapsing tower, and Taki blowing up a castle. Great Song!
2. Tekken 3 - The Law restaurant scene and Nina waking up!
3. Tales of Phantasia - Nice rearranged theme song, feels more poignant and wistful compared to the original version. love the animation.
4. Psychic Force Puzzle Taisen - Great animation and song. An unusually elaborate opening for a puzzle game. The Psychic Force opening is great too, but I prefer the song in this one.
5. Metal Gear Solid - the game that made me fall in love with realtime game engine cutscenes.
6. Vagrant Story - another game that made use of the engine instead of pre-rendered scenes. With the game originally in Japanese, the English translation is probably the best I've ever seen in a game.
It's palpable that you guys are very close.awesome to have friends like that.
Final Fantasy 7 was like wow :3
Dude. That story at the beginning got the cry face coming. :)
I really enjoyed this video and it seems we have a parallel. I lost my father in January and I finally started Wild Arms and I've told multiple people how it's been a saving grace for me throughout this loss. Crazy...
Resident Evil, primarily RE2 and RE3 changed everything for me. I was so into sci fi and just horror but those two games solidified my love for games forever.
The Panzer Dragoon intros were amazing. That was the first time I was truly blown away by next generation cinematics.
Chrono Cross have the same effect on me as well...I immediately bring my younger bro in and enjoy the song together...and it's forever implanted in our mind...
Final Fantasy: Tactics on the PS1- that opening is incredible. the music just brings alive the mystery and action that the game is going to entail. It just holds a very special place in my heart.
Thanks for sharing your stories.
I know not all of these are ps1, but the opening for final fantasy crystal chonicles on GameCube because of its opening song. And the opening song for Tales of Zesteria gets you so freaking pumped.When I hear the short jingle when you start up metal gear solid, the memories just flow back.
Grandia is my favorite ps1 rpg I have a nice memory from when I played it for the first time the day I rented it.
The intro of Soul Edge (Soul Blade) was something i played on repeat. It was totally awesome with the theme song (The edge of soul).
Sorry to hear about your father being gone,I never knew,i remember you mentioning going on vacations with your parents and asking them for games when you were a kid so I figured they were both still here, my father is very old now and I'm scared to imagine how things will be without him.Life is too short
Definitely Oddworld Abe's Odessy. It was one of the first PS1 games I ever owned. I remember my dad telling my uncle during the opening cutscene how far games had come back in 97.
For my very 1st cinematic PS1 opening as a 11 year old boy it was the game
Heart Of Darkness.
FROM the transition from the Sega MEGA DRIVE"As in the UK and in my country" and Sega Genesis to the other parts of the world TO the PS1 my mind was completely blown away by the visuals and sound and I had to learn fast of this,at that time "new" DualShock 1 controller as to which I was so used to playing on the 3 button Sega Genesis controller.However I just can't believe my 11 year old self beat that game on multiple occasions and now at 27 I can just barely play it considering just how difficult it truly is.Soon after I completed that game I had started Metal Gear Solid and that whole infiltration opening sequence up until that elevator sequence was just groundbreaking for it's time and Metal Gear Solid had made me the fan that I am today.However I only just remembered Wing Commander IV The Price Of Freedom.I had no idea at that time the PS1 was capable of playing back full motion video in cutscenes and it still baffles me to this day on how they accomplished this technical feat.Thinking back the PS1 was a powerful piece of hardware and I am glad I had been a huge part of Sony's success.Sony had release a plethora of amazing titles for the system and many franchises had their start on the PS1.Their Historical Importance speaks volumes with the fans of the 1st Sony console and I will never forget those days.
I just lost my mother ah week ago...n ur words just reminded me of wat im just going though!thanks for such wise n true words!
Great choices guys. Parasite Eve, the RE games, GT2 and Test Drive stood out for me the most. The quality in them was jaw dropping for the time.
Wow Johnny I had no idea your dad had passed. I hope you've heard from him. That Wild Arms opening is nostalgic and sad for me already, and it must be x100 for you... What a great episode... So many parallels in my own life.
I always loved the ones for Resident Evil 2 and Metal Gear Solid.