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A good game is a lot like a good date; first impressions are everything. Intros are a vital, instrumental component, giving the player a window into what awaits after they press start, giving the player a sense of hype, excitement, wonder, or even sheer dread. To show our appreciation, we are happy to present, in no particular order, the best intros of all time.
10. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
The Kombatants have become too powerful and too numerous. All out war has broken out and it will lead to the literal end of the world. No mistake about it, this game is a blast, but it is objectively a bloated, unbalanced mess. However, Armageddon stands above any MK title by having what is the most epic, action-packed, blood-soaked introduction of all time. Almost every Kombatant in the franchise is on screen, charging into battle in the ultimate clash of good vs. evil. Spines break, teeth are knocked out, swords impale, all on the backdrop of a rush to the top of the pyramid to gain ultimate power.
9.Sonic Adventure 2
Let’s just be frank, this game has aged about as well as a glass of chocolate milk. The treasure hunt levels are boring, and the mech suit missions are dull and repetitive. However, the Sonic/Shadow levels, even today, have been universally acclaimed as some of the best in the entire franchise. The real highlight of this game is the intro level, Escape From the City. Sonic has escaped from a military helicopter and is on the run in the heart of the city. Skateboarding on a piece of a helicopter, destroying evil robots, and running from a truck that’s taller than most of the residential buildings. The soundtrack is a popping and catchy beat that really hypes up the player and puts them in the right mood. This is coming from someone who doesn’t even like Sonic.
8. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
Oddworld was definitely a stand-out title amongst its peers. This is evident right at the opening cutscene. No magic kingdom, tropical island, or dragon world; we are introduced to a grimy and dirty meat processing plant. Rupture Farms is an utter nightmare fuel hellscape. Abe is just an average worker (actually a slave) who happens to eavesdrop on the evil Glukkons’ production meeting. Profits are plummeting, and Rupture Farms is on the verge of bankruptcy. Mullock, the big cheese CEO, has a brilliant idea: give all his workers a raise!… Just kidding, slaughter all of them and sell them as a new meat product. Never had I seen such an intro with such a sense of dread and urgency, especially for a PS1 game.
7. Hong Kong 97
Without a doubt, the most preposterous and absurd intro to any game I have ever seen in my entire life. Hong Kong has now been taken over by mainland China, or as the game calls them, F***kin Ugly Reds. The Hong Kong government is desperate; there is no other choice but to call the ultimate killing machine: Bruce Lee’s relative, Chin. When you press start, you get a blaring 3-second music loop of I Love Beijing Tiananmen, having to kill the entire population of China, and the sheer stupidity of the deceased Deng Xiaoping being transformed into an ultimate weapon. All this constitutes the only redeeming quality in an otherwise completely abhorrent game.
6. Resident Evil 4 (Original)
What was considered the best of the series. Six years have passed since the outbreak in Racoon city, the evil corporation Umbrella, is finished. Our favorite emo boy-band-haired cop turned special agent, Leon, is now on the hunt to save the president’s daughter “Somewhere in Europe” (Which speaks the Mexican dialect of Spanish for some reason). He goes into an unassuming house and asks a local, “Have you seen this girl?” The villager says no, with his axe. Leon neutralizes the hostile local and now the whole village decides to say hello. With a fiesta and dancing ? Most certainly not. This party has sickles, pitchforks, and even a chainsaw. All of this before the title screen even appears; talk about a warm welcome.
5. Homefront
One of the most underrated games of the PS3 catalog. The USA has been taken over by the United Korean Republic. It has turned the USA into a complete hell on Earth. The protagonist wakes up and is dragged out of his apartment by the Korean People’s Army. On the bus ride to the processing center, we see just what a hell on Earth the US has become under Korean occupation. You will see the separation of families, people living in slums, and, most disturbing of all, a summary execution of two parents in front of their child. This did a beautiful and masterful job of crafting what a bleak and grim tone Homefront had to offer.
4. Call of Duty: WAW
The most direct and to-the-point intro in any COD game ever. There is no narration, no overexplaining, no beating around the bush. A blood drop hits the globe and pans out to see the Axis powers have spread like a plague. Utilizing actual WW2 footage, WAW is absolute tier-one presentation in terms of a world that has experienced an utter free fall into barbarity. This is a title that cuts the BS and gets right to the point, showing that indeed, less can be more.
3. Uncharted 2
Best game, best intro. Uncharted is renowned for its use of in medias res. Our hero, Nathan Drake, is awakened in the heart of Tibet. He looks down and sees he’s been shot. But on the bright side of all this, he has a terrific view. His train has finally made it to its stop… hanging off the side of a cliff at a 90-degree angle. Uncharted 2 had a vision, and it brought it to life in the most gorgeous and detailed introduction of any game on the PS3. A detailed train, sub-zero temperatures, scaling the Himalayan mountains, making this intro the peak of the series.
2. Crash Bandicoot 1
Might be a bit of a cop-out because it was never used in the actual release. However, it would be leaked 20 years later, and upon viewing it, we all asked the same question: WHY WAS THIS CUT!? Taking cues from Looney Tunes and Animaniacs, Crash Bandicoot originally utilized a fully hand-drawn animated intro. VO master Jim Cummings sings the lyrics and is delightfully wacky and absurd. Crash is immediately shown to be a hyperactive, dimwitted, and goofball protagonist that lets the player know they are in for a grand old time. Also, it has one of the most honestly cynical lyrics ever sung: “Play our game and tell your friends, so we’ll make lots of loot!”
1. Bioshock
This list was mostly in no particular order, but for the number 1 spot, we emphatically made the exception. Our man Jack (not the king of the pumpkin patch) has survived a plane crash in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Thankfully, there is a lighthouse in view, and he eagerly swims for shelter. However, upon entering, he is greeted with a stern and aggressive-looking statue. Under said statue is a banner which reads, “No Gods or Kings. Only Man.” Jack ventures into a bathysphere, which plunges into the ocean. While en route toward the ocean floor, a screen and film play. We are greeted with the one and only Andrew Ryan, a business tycoon. He asks, “Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?” He explains the outside world has said no; he has wholeheartedly rejected this worldview. In its place, he made something different, something revolutionary: he made Rapture. An underwater city where altruism would not hamper the businessman, where the artist would not be censored, where man was free to pursue his success, at any cost. This is a perfect example of world-building and exposition in the most concise way possible. Within ten minutes, you know exactly what this city is and what it was SUPPOSED to be about before descending into chaos and civil war. Also, not to mention, the squid swimming by is pretty cool too.
Did your favorite make the list? Comment down below on why you may agree or disagree and what should have and shouldn’t have made it. I hope you enjoyed the list and eagerly wait to see your responses. Thanks again!
