There are plenty of videogames that attempt to grab your attention right from the outset with a powerful intro, but relatively few actually succeed. When you think of dramatic, cinematic or poignant openings, what games immediately spring to mind? While war games often use powerful imagery, an emotional tale, or death to trigger your emotions, there are a host of other brilliant intros that adopt a unique blend of visual style and music to suck you in, while other developers dip deep into their creative souls to deliver openings that are beyond most of our wildest imaginations.
We’ve put our heads together at PlayStation Universe to bring you our top 12 favourite videogame openings. We could have easily have chosen 20 or more, but we had to stop somewhere. Narrowly missing out on a place in our top 12 are the likes of ‘Max Payne’, where the immortal words “There’s an assault in progress in Acer Plaza. Repeat, an assault in progress at Acer Plaza” still bring those memories flooding back. Equally as memorable is the intro to ‘Shadow Of The Colossus’ as a mysterious young man travels on horseback past lakes, through the mountains and vast plains as the beautiful soundtrack grows in intensity.
We had to make a number of tough cuts, though, so without further ado, here’s our top 12.
12. Bayonetta
Not only was Bayonetta one of our favourite games of 2010, but the intro is up there with the best of them too. Director Hideki Kamiya has such a creative mind that this free-falling battle on top of a clock face that resembles London’s Big Ben was something quite extraordinary. Who would have expected this?
11. Dead Space 2
The lights are low, Isaac’s dead girlfriend turns up, and there’s tension in the air. An Infector sneaks up behind Franko and plunges its sharp talon right through the centre of his forehead. You stand up ready to run, but you’re in a straightjacket and have no weapon. It’s time to get the hell out of there.
10. LittleBigPlanet
The creative minds at Media Molecule must have been working overtime to come up with this stunning LBP intro, which explodes out of the screen. Has there ever been a better intro to any platform game?
9. Final Fantasy VIII
The Final Fantasy series is well known for its innovation, visuals and music, and no intro demonstrates that more than in Final Fantasy VIII. Great effects, stunning character models and haunting music, capture the magic of the series tremendously.
8. BioShock
A blend of stunning art direction, great audio — and the fact you’re plunged into the thick of it in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean while the remains of your aeroplane burn all around you — makes this such a memorable opening. Descending into Rapture City, not knowing what’s around the corner, is a particularly exciting moment.
7. Heavy Rain
Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain is still picking up awards for its original music and technical innovation. The art direction wasn’t too shoddy either. Remember this brilliant and moody opening sequence that set the tone tremendously for the rest of the game?
6. Resident Evil 2
Leon S. Kennedy travels into Raccoon City and stops at the sight of a man lying on the road. “What could have done this?” he asks himself. Zombies appear out the shadows, Claire Redfield turns up and they make a dash for it in the police car. A zombie jumps out at them from the back seat and causes the vehicle to crash. Uh oh, they’re stranded in the streets of Racoon City and the zombies are closing in.
5. Silent Hill
A creepy and oppressive opening to one of the greatest survival horror franchises ever. Harry Mason arriving in Silent Hill is a legendary moment that serves as a great starting point to the dark themes and brilliant music that have propelled the series to great heights ever since.
4. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
The Call Of Duty series has had some great opening moments, but brilliant graphics and audio work made this opening extra special as you’re driven through the city streets on your way to be executed. The sound of your heart-beat right at the end of the sequence was a stroke of genius.
3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
“What’s going on,” says a bloodied and dazed Nathan Drake. He’s sitting on a coach that just happens to be dangling off the edge off a cliff, that’s what! As the coach tips, he plummets to earth but grabs onto a metal railing just in time. It’s up to you to work out what to do next.
2. God of War III
The return of such an iconic character in PlayStation history was such a great moment. And to see Kratos for the first time in PS3-powered HD was truly a sight to behold. This intro tied in perfectly with the end of God of War II and left us frothing at the mouth to continue the fight. “My vengeance ends now,” booms Kratos. Hell yeah.
1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots
This is the one cut-scene that we could watch again and again and never get bored. Amazing graphics, vivid imagery, and great music all help to capture the reality of war. It’s a gripping cinematic masterpiece, once again cobbled together by the genius that is Hideo Kojima.
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