Video game endings often leave a lasting impression and are frequently seen as a point of discussion. However, many of us wouldn’t even reach the credits screen if the game’s introduction hadn’t hooked us all those hours ago. The best games go above and beyond, immediately securing our interest and all but guaranteeing we’ll see things through to the finale.
This article contains some minor spoilers for the very beginning of the listed games.
10
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 is interesting in that the game’s introduction hinges on which life path you choose while creating your character. If you’ve yet to play it, I highly recommend the Nomad backstory as the others are a bit more fulfilling once you’re familiar with the game’s lore. Beginning in the Badlands, you turn your back on your clan, who are now a part of the Snake Nation, and head to Night City to find work as you start a new life.
The Nomad introduction is a bit more hands-on than the other two, but what really sells it is the scene when you first arrive in Night City. It serves as the setting for the dozens of hours you’ll spend playing, and your character knowing as little as you do about the city you’re about to explore makes it a memorable, immersive experience.
9
The Last of Us Part I
The Last of Us Part I is known for its tear-jerking moments, and the game prepares you for this as early as it possibly can. In the opening scene, you witness a heartwarming scene between Joel and his daughter, Sarah. As the night unfolds, Sarah, Joel, and Joel’s brother, Tommy, must escape the town due to an unknown affliction that is essentially turning people into zombies. This heart-pounding sequence ends with Sarah being killed as a soldier fires at her and Joel.
The brilliance of this introduction sets the tone for the entire game and explains Joel’s bitter, cynical personality. We see a more easygoing side of him and how it changes him because of the pandemic’s profound effects on the world. This makes his interactions with Ellie all the more impactful, since we slowly get to see his fatherly nature come back out as he journeys with her.
The world-building and emotional impact it provides is top-notch, and the game as a whole has an amazing story that will stick with you long after you finish playing.
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8
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII’s introduction is action-packed almost from start to finish. After a brief narrative concludes, we watch Lightning effortlessly defeat a number of soldiers on a speeding train as Sazh helps free the prisoners aboard. As the train continues forward, it enters an almost hive-like futuristic city that is seemingly erupting into a warzone between the soldiers we just saw and armed civilians.
The opening cinematic thrusts you into the game’s world, while revealing that the playable characters are obviously at odds with the powers that be. It also leaves players with several questions regarding the train sequence, encouraging you to play on to find out.
Final Fantasy XIII may have been controversial when it came out due to its linear nature, but no one could deny its introduction certainly left an impression.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim‘s enthralling introduction is one of the many reasons the game is universally acclaimed. Captured by the Imperial Legion, you begin your journey with several other prisoners aboard a wagon, one of whom is the leader of a rebel faction, the Stormcloaks. The wagon stops after entering the nearby town of Helgen, where you watch one of the prisoners get beheaded. It’s soon your turn and as you make your way to the chopping block, you’re saved by a timely dragon attack.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim evokes a wealth of emotions and questions as the dragon peppers Helgen with attacks. The many brushes with death, mixed with the intense music that plays as the dragon razes everything in sight, all but ensure you’re invested in the narrative quickly.
6
Half-Life
Half-Life begins innocently enough with Gordon Freeman riding a tram through the Black Mesa Research Facility, but as I’m sure you can guess, that peace doesn’t last long. After heading to the test chamber to begin an experiment, a catastrophic event occurs. Known as a resonance cascade, the experiment’s reaction creates dimensional rifts and opens a portal between Earth and Xen, a plane of existence that connects two or more universes.
The imagery resulting from the dimensional rifts is incredibly disturbing, especially in contrast to the safe, tame environment of the Black Mesa Research Facility. As you backtrack through the facility, you come across the bodies of your coworkers, lasers cutting through virtually everything, and several variants of aliens trying to kill you.
Half Life’s introduction and its impact may be lost on people who weren’t around to play it at release, but if you were, it’s something you’ll never forget.
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5
Bioshock
Emerging from the Atlantic after your plane crashes, you swim to a mysterious structure in the middle of the ocean. As you enter, you’re greeted by an eerie statue and a banner that reads “No Gods or kings. Only man.” Lights flash on and lead you to a submersible, and, as you descend, a man named Andrew Ryan provides a chilling monologue as you’re treated to a beautiful view of an entire underwater city.
Bioshock‘s introduction is among the best of the best. Andrew Ryan’s foreboding dialogue as you descend into Rapture quickly conveys that something very bad has befallen this city and its people, providing a clear direction for the game’s narrative. The game doubles down on this, as well as its horror elements, when you use your first plasmid and are rendered helpless as splicers and the ever-ominous Big Daddy cross your path.
Bioshock’s first impression gives you goosebumps, which is appropriate since that will be a recurring feeling as you play.
4
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s introduction is simple yet effective, conveying the scope of the world you’ll be traversing for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours. Hearing a muffled voice in the darkness asking him to wake up, Link heeds the request as a mysterious pool of water drains beneath him. He awakens in a room surrounded by ancient, mystical technology, and can only progress after obtaining the Sheikah Slate by the door. Guided by the same strange voice he heard while asleep, he eventually emerges into the outside world.
Many of the games on this list begin with excitement and action sequences, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s impact is more understated and subtle. Link’s first steps outside are accompanied by a melody that crescendos as the camera pans to a breathtaking view of Hyrule, all of which you can explore.
That single view tells the player they have a long journey ahead of them and what to expect as they set forth to save Hyrule. Words can’t quite convey it, but you will always remember how you felt as the game’s title slowly appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
3
Final Fantasy VII
Whether you’re playing the original or the remake, Final Fantasy VII is exciting right out of the gate. As a speeding train grinds to a halt, you watch a couple of guards get knocked unconscious as Cloud Strife makes a stylish entrance, leaping from the top of the train. You then make your way through a heavily armed reactor to arm a bomb, defeat a giant mechanical scorpion, and escape before getting caught in the explosion.
Final Fantasy VII’s intro accomplishes so much within the short amount of time you’re at the reactor. The members of Avalanche note Cloud’s impressive credentials and strength, which the game reinforces by having the player easily mow down any opposition. The background music sets the tone of the mission by starting out bombastic and catchy, and then transitions to something more somber as you progress and learn why you’re in the reactor.
This mixture of mystery and excitement incites your curiosity, making it hard to put down. If you’re new to the genre, JRPGs are experiencing a second golden age, and Final Fantasy VII is a great place to start.
2
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect is the opening act of a space-faring trilogy rich with player choice that allows you to transfer your save data from one game to the next. You spend dozens of hours exploring and helping people, which culminates in you carving Commander Shepard’s name into galactic history after saving every known species from the Reapers invading. Mass Effect 2 destroys the ship that served as your home base and kills Shepard as its opening act.
Mass Effect 2’s plot revolves around the suicide mission at the end of the game, and nothing drives home the fact your characters can die more than the main character getting killed in the beginning sequence. Though Shepard succeeds in saving most of his crew and Joker, you’re forced to watch in agony as both your ship and you perish. I’ve replayed Mass Effect 2 nearly a dozen times now, and I still get chills as I watch the Normandy get destroyed.
1
Halo 2
Halo: Combat Evolved was such a juggernaut that when a sequel was announced, you couldn’t help but wonder how it would stack up. Halo 2 quashes any and all fears you may have about the entire game within 20 minutes. The opening cutscene shows an elite stripped of his rank and honor as Master Chief and Johnson conversely receive thunderous applause. This celebration is short-lived though, as a Covenant fleet is approaching, and a huge battle is sure to ensue.
You make your way through the station, picking off any Covenant forces you can as you attempt to get to the bomb they planted. When you finally do, Master Chief ejects the bomb into space, while holding onto it, to effectively hand-deliver it back to them.
Halo 2’s introduction has everything you could want. Its beginning cutscenes recap the first game and its consequences, both for the Covenant and humanity, while the gameplay eases you back into the satisfying gameplay loop the Halo series is known for. Despite the immense scale of Halo: Combat Evolved’s climax, Halo 2’s first mission is just as adrenaline-inducing. Every time the Chief speaks, you know something extraordinary is about to happen, and he always delivers.
Whether it’s the opening cinematic or the beginning gameplay sequence, some games absolutely excel at immediately grabbing your attention. The games listed above serve as a masterclass in both acquainting you with the world and getting you to care about it.
