Salka

Intro Sequences in Games

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There is only one contender for greatest intro and that goes to Namco for the SOUL BLADE intro. I remember bringing my Japanese copy to work and loading it up on the screen. There were people lined up just to watch it. Then they would line up AGAIN! Namco taught every other developer cat how to make intros. Salute Namco, you!

Secondly, on the audio front, my personal fav goes to SEGA. All of you go and boot up your SEGA SATURN (you DO all have one dont you?) and load up VIRTUAL ON - the original game. Let the bootup run and when the screen goes white, there's a sonic boom followed by a DEEEEP gravel voice declaring - PATENTED BY SEGA! It's just the best. Plus it doesn't do it everytime. It's like a gift to you.

Ben go into the SEGA archives and listen to the sweet sweet sound of our lifegiver.

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What is with the sudden surge of necromancy?

Err... I liked the intro to Red Alert (1).

Also, Far Cry's intro was... interesting. It didn't really work in the context of the game, though.

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"FRIENDS?!?! We've only gone out together three times and already you just want to be FRIENDS?!?!"

Sorry, that's just the best way to start a game ever. Not to mention Sam referencing the "obligitory, overly long credit sequence." (or something like that, been too long)

I love the way Sly Cooper opens (Sly's right there at the title screen and starting a new game gives you control of him right there, if memory serves), but that's more of a guided interactive introduction.

Final Fantasies have always had mediocre opens, I thought. Especially Tactics for the PSX. Ugh.

Come on, though, how can you forget the disturbing randomness of Katamari Damacy? Hello? Singing swans? I was trying to think of opens that I would invite people over just to watch, well, that's got to be one.

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Loved the intro of Sam & Max: Hit the Road, 'Monkeys are listening' made me laugh and for some perverted reason I listened 'Medieval: TO-TAL war' over and over again.

Discworld 2 had pretty nice intro too, but the best part of the beginning was the skeleton singing during the credits. That was so awesome. Good thing I borrowed that game to my friend who then scratched the cd so that I never have to play it again. :shifty:

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One thing I absolutely cannot stand are those...I don't know, I guess they're like intro gameplay montages. They're not actually the intro sequence to the game, but they play when you first start up the game. Anyone who owns the Xbox version of Chaos Theory should know what I'm talking about. Disc goes in. Press Start. Then you have to sit through 3 minutes of unskippable video of the game you're about to play. It's like they're saying "Look how much fun you'll be having in just a bit! But first you have to watch this."

It's so irritating.

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most annoying intro thingy ever to me is the "intro" (or rather logoshow) at the startup of Dead or Alive (2??? not sure...) for the PS2. The damn soundeffekt when the Team Ninja logo appears was so LOUD that it brought the house down first time I started it up at my parents place (they have a HUMONGOUS surround sound system).

I really loved the intro to the first Wipeout for PSX. I remember showing that to all my friends and everybody just went crazy! ;)

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Favorite intros:

-Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Not the intro sequence itself, but the title screen is the beautiful part, it's one of the prettiest moments in gaming history.

-Zelda: The Wind Waker - I loved everything in it, so I'm mentioning it.

-Grim Fandango - It's Grim Fandango, it's all good.

-Sam & Max - Just amazingly funny. (The quote painaxl posted immediately came to my mind when I saw this thread.)

-Super Mario Bros. 3 - It didn't really have one, it's just the joy of starting it.

-Curse of Monkey Island - Funny and a double parter (it's also hearing the great Monkey Island theme redone).

-Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2 - I loved the artstyle.

-Psychonauts - It made me laugh quite a bit, in games that's an achievement. It was also very well made.

-Day of the Tentacle - Hearing Hoagie's voice for the first time.

-Super Smash Bros. Melee - I need not to explain.

-Final Fantasy VIII - I loved it when I was younger, and though I don't find quite as good now I still think it's very well made.

-Final Fantasy IX - I just found it to be a very nice beggining (also after the intro when you play as Vivi in Alexandria, it's my favorite Final Fantasy moment).

-Eternal Darkness - Great narration, kinda loses it after though.

-Ico - Lovely.

-Chrono Cross - I think it was the music.

-Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - Very atmospheric, I liked it (when they started talking it lost me).

-Vagrant Story - It was too long and I think credits belong at the end, but it was very nice. (I dislike the game itself though.)

Hated intros:

-Final Fantasy X-2 - If you've seen it you already know.

-Kingdom Hearts - Same as FFX-2.

-Dead or Alive 2 - I thought it was dumb.

-Donkey Kong 64 - They rap... badly.

-Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Too many slow motion moments (also too long).

-Sonic Heroes - The song.

-Star Fox Adventures - It was just tedius and boring.

-THUG 2- It a new age MTV feel to it. (They also misused The Doors.)

And many others that don't come to mind at the moment.

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Fave intros:

Every LEC adventure game ever made.

C+C red alert

Zelda: OoT and Wind Waker

MGS2

Psychonauts

Max Payne: First time I played it I loved the opening narration.

Mario 64's intro was really impressive

I loved LEC's old games' intro logos, because every time they did something different. I mean sure, after the first time you skipped them, but it was still awesome the first time.

The worst I've seen was one game (don't remember) that had splash screens for all of the following (in this order):

Publsiher

Developer

3 Different technologies liscensed.

1 Nvidia logo

1 Createv audio logo.

All unskippable. I hated starting that game up

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To be completely honest, while I enjoyed Psychonauts's intro I didn't really think it was the greatest. I think it was a bit too long winded especially the bit where where Raz is reciting the brochure. It's ending on the other hand was certianly one of the best out there.

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A good intro is like good in-game music. You should be able to see it multiple times without getting sick of it, and it should get you pumped to play the game.

Of the games that haven't been mentioned yet, an otherwise forgotten game called Startopia had an intro that was a brilliant parody of the opening scene of "2001: A Space Odyssey." It had some neat gameplay ideas but I think it sold poorly. Ahem.

Also, I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Interstate 76's funny, funky intro given that it was profiled so recently.

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I really like the Conflict Freespace intro, mostly because of the voice acting. You can hear the desperation in the pilot's voice. It gets me evey time how well done it is. Great game too.

The Freedom Force intro and all of the character origins were also pretty damn sweet. They set the mood perfectly for the game.

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I seem to remember liking the opening scenes of Yoshi's Island on the Super Nintendo. That game was cool. I liked the whole cheesy stalk delivering the baby thing, and the atmospheric music lol. Well I have fond memories of it from when I was a kid anyway! :yep:

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The Thief1&2 cutscenes were outstanding. One case where an in-engine cinematic would have been completely woeful in comparison.

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I loved the intro to Super Metroid on the SNES. One of the greatest games of all time to me and the intro is just something I will never forget.

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Yea, Psychonauts and Grim Fandango's openings basically spent the whole time talking about their complex premise in an overly obvious manner. Their all right, but the rest of the game's cinemas are a lot better.

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Soul Reaver's intro was brilliant. Total agreeance on that one Baconian, the story line made me play all the repetitive bits just to see more of it.

I have fond memories of Chuck Rock on the Megadrive.

The SEGA logo appears and Chuck Rock appears and hits it, it was the first time I'd seen something like that and it surprised me.

The main menu screen had a neanderthal rock band that when you punched in the ABRACADABRA level cheat the drummer winked.

Not mind blowing but set the tone for the game.

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Soul Reaver's intro was brilliant. Total agreeance on that one Baconian, the story line made me play all the repetitive bits just to see more of it.

I have fond memories of Chuck Rock on the Megadrive.

The SEGA logo appears and Chuck Rock appears and hits it, it was the first time I'd seen something like that and it surprised me.

The main menu screen had a neanderthal rock band that when you punched in the ABRACADABRA level cheat the drummer winked.

Not mind blowing but set the tone for the game.

I loved Chuck Rock, I have the Amiga version and sometimes I just liked to sit back and listen to the band play! :woohoo:

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Oh yeah chuck rock. What a cool game. That was core design, which turned into rare if I'm not mistaken.

<meta>I prefer not researching opinions before I post them on the internet these days.

<metameta + rambling stream of conciousness>The internet brain-implant thing that will soon happen (hankering towards the soul box-things from the culture novels) is sort of ominous to me. Some guy from microsoft has one I seem to remember.</meta>

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Oh yeah chuck rock. What a cool game. That was core design, which turned into rare if I'm not mistaken.

<meta>I prefer not researching opinions before I post them on the internet these days.

<metameta + rambling stream of conciousness>The internet brain-implant thing that will soon happen (hankering towards the soul box-things from the culture novels) is sort of ominous to me. Some guy from microsoft has one I seem to remember.</meta>

No, Ultimate (Alien 8, Sabre Wulf) became Rare, Core Design's most recent work was the Tomb Raider games among others...

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No, Ultimate (Alien 8, Sabre Wulf) became Rare, Core Design's most recent work was the Tomb Raider games among others...

And Core themselves no longer exist.

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Core also made Bubba and Stix, which was really cool, but I could never get past the second level. Beautiful looking game though, and a really nice idea.

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