Raise the Curtain: Your favourite Openings.

What are some of your favourite openings to a game?

without a single doubt, the tram ride in half-life.fireandcloud

Yes it is perhaps the most famous opening to any game ever made.

My favourite at the moment though would probably be the plane crash and introduction to Rapture in Bioshock. It just blew me away.

For in game openings:

Half-Life 1: Tram Ride and Walkabout before the action.

The Chronicles of Riddik: Escape From Butcher Bay (say that 3 times fast): Not quite the opening, but the march into Butcher Bay at the beginning.

Half Life 2 Episode 1: The "car ride".

Crysis: Skydiving is fun.

Bioshock: Plane crash, bathysphere ride and discovering the lighting plasmid.

Call of Duty 4: Rapelling from the helicopter onto a ship in the middle of a storm.

Oblivion: The escape through the tunnels.

The Darkness: Police Chase. Not on the PC, but still an amazing start to a great game.

Nothing but first person games in my list, their openers have the greatest effect on me I guess.

Oblivion: The escape through the tunnels.

Crzy1

Meh. I wasn't that impressed by it. It went on too long and the linearity of much of the opening of that game really surprised me.

[QUOTE="fireandcloud"]without a single doubt, the tram ride in half-life.biggest_loser

Yes it is perhaps the most famous opening to any game ever made.

My favourite at the moment though would probably be the plane crash and introduction to Rapture in Bioshock. It just blew me away.

yeah, the intro to rapture was beautiful. but it doesn't quite get the nod in my books, cuz it's basically the same thing that half-life did, except shorter and with (much) better visuals. when half-life did it back in 1998, it was just absolutely incredible, the very first time a game made you feel like you were in a movie with everything going on around you that felt entirely natural, as if you were part of a much bigger world - you're just the one employee in a big corporation or something.

Stalker's was kinda nice.

But my favorite has to be Bioshock's (though it wasn't that good as a game). The introduction by Andrew Ryan, the plan crash, the music especially just blew me away.) I found myself liking Andrew Ryan so very much after he made quite an impression in the game's intro.

"Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?"

Classic.

Since people are giving opening movies as well, I'll throw in The Witcher. Knew the game would be something special after that start.Crzy1

Yeah, and that sequence was especially good, because (if you didn't know) it's an almost shot-for-shot reproduction of part of one of Sapwowski's novels (The Last Wish). It was really amazing to see the sequence visualised, and especially amazing to see it visualised so perfectly.

The homeworld series have great cinematic openings.

For oldies, Mechwarrior 2 also had a nice intro.

my all time favorite is one some people may have played, fewer remember, and can't find the video online. basically, my favorite is Majesty.

...seas of water, seas of time...

Easily Brood War.

"You must go into these [fields] with both eyes open"

Can't say any specific opening but when it comes to cinematics Monkey Island was one of the best

Half life 1 probably has the best opening.

the train ride into city 17 from Halflife 2

"wake up and smell the ashes"

In no particular order:

Red Alert 2
No One Lives Forever
Descent 3
Warcraft 3
FEAR
Half-Life
Half-Life 2
Crysis
Dawn of War (if you count the intro cinematic as an opening)
Myst IV

Full throttle is still my favorite opening. The music, dialogue, art style everything fit so well..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzEWGaqdtcg

Anyone who doesn't say the Fallout intro is outta his mind.vash47

I can't believe no one said it before you.

Big Rigs... Or maybe the intro part where you're not playing just seems really good because I have the actual gameplay to compare it to.

Hahah see I can make serious posts too. Why haven't I been crowned king yet? That guy that posts really long, boring posts has been banned for quite a while... You'd think I'd take the throne within an hour or so.

WOAH!!!!! WHERE IS MY SIG??????????

I don't think jesters are allowed to rise into the royal ranks, Stony.

I don't think jesters are allowed to rise into the royal ranks, Stony.

JP_Russell

unless while the king was looking down, the jester stole his pointy crown.

(points for understanding reference)

unless while the king was looking down, the jester stole his pointy crown.

(points for understanding reference)

Hewkii

But last time that happened, The courtroom was adjourned. I get points!

I don't think jesters are allowed to rise into the royal ranks, Stony.

JP_Russell

Tram ride in Halflife

THe intro to Bioshock (the only thing worth remembering about that game...)

If we are talking about intro cutscenes, however, just about evry Blizzard game.

I also like World in Conflict's stuff too.

As in the opening cutscene, The Witcher was the first opening that came to my mind. The long video where Geralt is about to fight the Striga was so amazing.mo0ksi

ya that was very very cool

NOT Tram ride in Halflife

NOT THe intro to Bioshock (the only thing worth remembering about that game...)

NOT If we are talking about intro cutscenes, however, just about evry Blizzard game.

BUT, YES I also like World in Conflict's stuff too.

mrbojangles25

Both Fallout games hit the spot for me, hard to decide which one is best - allthough the cutscene from Fallout one showing "the boys" keeping the peace in newly annexed Canada is probably the most memorable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkBNKa2KXZE

Great openings,

* Devil may cry 3 and 4

* Final fantasy 10 and 12

* Dawn of war

* RA 2

Fallout 1 and 2... 2 being the coolest ever...OgreB

2? wasn't that just the old woman talking to you? i don't quite remember...

wait, was that an old man? i don't remember that either. my gosh, i have to play it again...

fallout's opening had great style and laid the story for what was left of the world. half-life's opening showed the vastness of the game you were about to enter and sucked you in to it. planescape: torment's opening made you wonder what exactly you got yourself into.

i think all three are great in that they draw you into the game from the start.

z