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| 27 AUG 2008 at 2:57am |
JKingSchattenjger
Posts : 2349
Joined: 4 MAY 2008
Location: 0
Status : Offline | Lufia II? Oh, you mean the pre-game introduction with the totally excellent music, as Ted would say? Yes, that one's a goodie.
In such a list I'd include Myst III, Myst IV (being the bit before the quake, or even just the scene in the tram, if you like), The Dig (always nice to see our beautiful planet from orbit), Gabriel Knight 2, King's Quest VI (I was listening to the introduction just yesterday!). As far as other genres go, Privateer has an excellent opening, as does X-Wing. I agree with you about Breath of Fire II and Terranigma and would also include Lufia & the Fortress of Doom and Final Fantasy VI. I disagree about Lunar, though: even though I adore both games, their openings just weren't that good. Wild ARMs, however... Whoo. I could liste to that one a hundred time.
I also appreciate the opening act of Phantasy Star IV, the opening movie and establishing shot of Parm (with Sue looking for Justin) in Grandia, the artful credits sequence of Metal Gear Solid, the suspenseful opening of Betrayal at Krondor, the absolutely haunting beginning of Another World and the completely neat-o opening for Flashback.
My all-time favourite opening (and opening act) would have to be that of Suikoden II, however. The movie's visuals are nothing special, but the orchestrated music is superb, and the first scene followed by accompanying credits sequence is such a touching portrayal of friendship, I simply cannot get it out of my head. Hands-down the best PlayStation game ever made, besides.
You can't kill someone in a studio.
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| 27 AUG 2008 at 3:49am |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6693
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
The first time I took that full-3D, real-time tram ride down into the deepest bowels of Black Mesa at the beginning of Half-Life - that gets my vote for all-time best.
At the time, it was a mindblowing, O...M...G... experience. Totally immersive and a real first for in-game opening credits. It set the mood and established an atmosphere so tense that by the time the actual game started, the player was completely hooked and electrified with apprehension.
It was IMO the single most effective intro to any game in any genre up to that time and it set a whole new standard for all games from that point forward.
For pre-rendered opening cut scenes, well there are just too many to list in literally every genre. But for AGs, one I really liked was the car crash in Sanitarium. I also loved the voice-over / sound effects on the main menu. The little sister's phased, ghostly voice synched to the menu buttons was sheer genius.
Cheers, Terry
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| 27 AUG 2008 at 7:28am |
| Deleted User | I haven't played Black Mesa, or some of the games that JKing and Chrono mentioned, but I have played some of those, and of course, many, many others -at least through the intro part, and for me, there is simply no contest :
The Witcher gets a clear-cut vote from me. It's a visually breathtaking, exciting and intrigueing intro - almost a story on it's own.
Any other game intro I can think of, is just iffy in comparison.
Edit: Second place to Syberia for that eerie funeral procession - thanks for the reminder, TC!
Divine Divinity's intro was also rather gripping to me, but that might be because I've just started playing it! [smiley=laughing.gif]
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| 27 AUG 2008 at 9:59am |
TCPrivate Detective
Posts : 688
Joined: 14 NOV 2005
Status : Online | When I was a kid I remember being all excited with the introduction of KQ7 : (Yeah I know, nowadays I can see clearly through its schmultz and apparent cheesiness).
GK2 - Awsome atmosphere and music, great introduction to the protagonist and a supporting character that leaves mystery behind it.
AITD - Need I say much? The pioneer (arguably) of survival horror games is named so for a reason, and I can't think of a more eerie opening scene.
Discworld Noir - Interesting and intriguing, piques your interest from the very beginning and practically forces you to finish the game. That's the ultimate goal of any introduction (and it also helps that the game is kickass).
Syberia - Not crazy about the game, but the introduction (or opening, w/e) is simply superb. The music coupled with the funeral procession is one of the most touching things I've ever seen, not to mention the oddities that provoke wonder and even slight fascination.
Actually thinking about it, it seems there are many great introductions that can be considered among the best, more so than endings/conclusions unfortunately, which is why I can fill almost most of the games I ever played (totalling over 300 I guess).
But it only makes sense when you think about it. Introductions don't have that immense weight on their shoulders endings have. I mean when you come to a game not expecting a thing (or even if you do) the introduction can do only one thing - either touch you (in many different and varying ways) or not. There's still the rest of the game itself you haven't even started yet. During the game though, if it's good, your interest builds and builds, the excitment expands and magnifies, until the very ending. If the latter sucks well, it all comes crashing down, collapsed with disappointment.
So I guess it's just easier to be satisfied with openings rather than with endings.
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| 27 AUG 2008 at 10:08am |
Agent BreaPrivate Detective
Posts : 705
Joined: 17 OCT 2006
Location: 0
Status : Online | best game intro of all time: parasite eve! 8-)
Your last waking moments are marked by wretched pain as you provide dinner for a group of ill-mannered dinner guests that just wouldn't leave.
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| 27 AUG 2008 at 11:19am |
Murphy2042Intergalactic Janitor
Posts : 59
Joined: 16 AUG 2008
Status : Online | I will probably forget quite some games but here are some of my favorite openings:
GK1-3
Under A Killing Moon
The Pandora Directive
The Dig
Phantasmagoria
Ripper ( The song by Blue Oyster Cult featured in the intro and outro just seems to fit perfectly to the mood)
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| 28 AUG 2008 at 1:58pm |
SteveSpace Cadet
Posts : 112
Joined: 3 DEC 2003
Status : Offline | Omikron: The Nomad Soul - stepping out of the alley into a living breathing 3d city complete with David Bowie track was awesome!
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| 28 AUG 2008 at 2:18pm |
BlountSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 271
Joined: 19 APR 2006
Status : Offline | Broken Sword... Paris in autumn, so classy.
Full throttle: Powerful.
THe Bad mojo intro was good too.
Currently Playing: Dracula Origins&&&&Check out my Videogame Music Covers!! http://www.youtube.com/user/SixStringsGeek
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| 28 AUG 2008 at 2:26pm |
JelenaPrivate Detective
Posts : 587
Joined: 30 SEP 2007
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Blount (28 AUG 2008 2:17pm)
Broken Sword... Paris in autumn, so classy.
Isn't it Paris in the fall? :-?
Anyway that's one of my favourites. And Syberia of course. It blew me away!
Temporary guest in your life.
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| 28 AUG 2008 at 3:30pm |
InlandAZGuild Master
Posts : 5586
Joined: 4 MAY 2007
Status : Offline | This train is inbound from Level 3 Dormitories to Sector C Test Labs and Control Facilities.
I'll second the Half-Life intro, it's my all time favorite. Thief and Obscure were also good, and let's not forget Randy's favorite game - BloodRayne.
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| 28 AUG 2008 at 4:19pm |
LadyDiIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 11
Joined: 11 JUN 2007
Status : Online | For me too, the intro to Broken Sword rates highly. I remember first loading the game and being stunned by the colours and clarity as the camera panned into the Paris scene. Up to then these aspects of games had been decidedly so-so, in that we got good games but often murky graphics. Broken Sword was a real breakthrough.
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| 28 AUG 2008 at 6:00pm |
Terry PenrodGrand Inquisitor
Posts : 6693
Joined: 16 OCT 2004
Location: US, Texas
Status : Offline | .
Originally Posted By Steve (28 AUG 2008 1:58pm)
Omikron: The Nomad Soul - stepping out of the alley into a living breathing 3d city complete with David Bowie track was awesome!
One of my all-time favorite games too Steve.
Omikron had the coolest RPG concept ever for a SP solo title - occupying different bodies / characters (both male and female of various species) to gain a variety of advantages like access to certain areas, quests and abilities as needed. I also loved the story, the freedom to explore, the amazingly detailed game world for the time, and the very diverse gameplay. The in-game musical components were highly innovative as well and I was sooooo disappointed when Quantic Dream abandoned the sequel.
My only criticisms were the clunky, linear, mandatory FPS sequences (IMO, the whole game should have been in third-person) and that crappy console save-point system. However, the latter could be dealt with through a simple cheat code on the PC that allowed you to create infinite "save rings". You still had to go to a save point, but at least you could do so as often as you wanted or needed to. It's one of the rare times I've used a cheat code (for something other than getting around game-stopping bugs) and not felt the least bit guilty about it.
Cheers, Terry
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| 28 AUG 2008 at 6:50pm |
BlountSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 271
Joined: 19 APR 2006
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By Jelena (28 AUG 2008 2:25pm)
Originally Posted By Blount (28 AUG 2008 2:17pm)
Broken Sword... Paris in autumn, so classy.
Isn't it Paris in the fall? :-?
Probably, I played the spanish version, in which the narrator said "París en otoño...", dont know really what the english version was like.
Currently Playing: Dracula Origins&&&&Check out my Videogame Music Covers!! http://www.youtube.com/user/SixStringsGeek
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| 29 AUG 2008 at 3:25am |
kateSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 245
Joined: 20 FEB 2007
Status : Online | syberia 1 was the best to me because it was so unique with the automatons or robots sad too but cool intro [smiley=wave.gif]
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| 29 AUG 2008 at 5:12pm |
| Deleted User | For some earlier games I would go with:
Lighthouse, The Dig, Mission Critical and Dark Side of the Moon. For the life of me, I can't remember if Zork Nemesis and ZGI had good openings. I'm betting they did since they were two of the best adventure games ever made, IMHO.
For more recent games that I've played/playing, I'd go with:
Indigo Prophecy, The Witcher and COR-Escape from Butcher Bay.
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| 29 AUG 2008 at 10:52pm |
MKBSorcerer Apprentice
Posts : 241
Joined: 24 AUG 2006
Status : Offline | I loved the intro to Discworld II. An obvious parody of one of the intros of a Lethal Weapon movie (#3 I think). Funny stuff and a great game too.
I don't buy download-only games. Never have, never will........Mike
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| 30 AUG 2008 at 1:19am |
karlaAdministrator
Posts : 2588
Joined: 27 JUL 2003
Location: US, Close to the Edge
Status : Offline | For me, it would have to be Still Life. Aside from the great cinematic, the use of Mozart's Requiem blew me away.
Running a close second is Syberia. Beaituful and melancholy, I think it sets the stage for the rest of the game perfectly.
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| 30 AUG 2008 at 2:54am |
Jenny100Guild Master
Posts : 3510
Joined: 12 OCT 2002
Status : Offline | It's been a long time since I played it, but didn't Legend of the Prophet have a good opening cut scene?
Also Curse of Monkey Island.
And Grim Fandango.
Syberia has already been mentioned.
TLJ's opening confused me, and made more sense after I'd played the game. But it was an interesting opening.
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| 30 AUG 2008 at 12:07pm |
HellSpawnSpace Cadet
Posts : 197
Joined: 19 FEB 2007
Status : Offline | Onimusha 3.
I fear no evil for I am fear incarnate!
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| 31 AUG 2008 at 3:04am |
LaurieIntergalactic Janitor
Posts : 37
Joined: 1 JUN 2008
Status : Online | Yeah, the Prohet and the Asassin.
And Discworld 1, Discworld Noir, Bad Mojo, the Pandora Directive, Temujin, the Dark Side of the Moon, Perry Rhodan, Black Dahlia (although the intro didn't have much to do with the rest of the game), Broken Sword 1 (the clown etc!), Full Throttle, Journeyman Project 2 and 3.
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