ranking game openings instead of writing my paper
save me from this never ending nightmare (i will update this more after i've finished my damn examination paper)
only rule for this is that it must be a PROPER intro, like a music video that shows what you're about to experience in the game. you know what i mean. i'll link the intros in every entry so tell me if a link doesn't work
only rule for this is that it must be a PROPER intro, like a music video that shows what you're about to experience in the game. you know what i mean. i'll link the intros in every entry so tell me if a link doesn't work
17 Games
https://youtu.be/im5tc4fcg5w?si=wITL2OV4T7LHREac
ICONIC OPENING. video game intros peaked here. utada hikaru's beautiful voice flowing through the speakers. the delicate way the characters' hair and eyes are portrayed with a sort of porcelain-glass-like quality. the mysterious way it recaps the events of KH1 and CoM. Namine's drawing of the stairs?? Roxas alone and confused at the bottom of the ocean in an echo of Sora in the KH1 intro?? The way I was obsessed with how apparently the entire song could be played in reverse to represent Riku? (it was so far-fetched but it was just enough that you could delude yourself into thinking it was true). This is the best video game opening ever made, do not @ me it just is
ICONIC OPENING. video game intros peaked here. utada hikaru's beautiful voice flowing through the speakers. the delicate way the characters' hair and eyes are portrayed with a sort of porcelain-glass-like quality. the mysterious way it recaps the events of KH1 and CoM. Namine's drawing of the stairs?? Roxas alone and confused at the bottom of the ocean in an echo of Sora in the KH1 intro?? The way I was obsessed with how apparently the entire song could be played in reverse to represent Riku? (it was so far-fetched but it was just enough that you could delude yourself into thinking it was true). This is the best video game opening ever made, do not @ me it just is
1
https://youtu.be/KClnQgyPacU?si=kZHHKcRGbHi8_UCp
Funky, fresh, shows just enough of the characters to give you a hint of who they are while still not spoiling what role they will play in the game. Colour and fun mingling with mystery and darkness (like the body on the telephone pole), hinting about what kind of story you're about to take part in. A perfect tone-setter!
Funky, fresh, shows just enough of the characters to give you a hint of who they are while still not spoiling what role they will play in the game. Colour and fun mingling with mystery and darkness (like the body on the telephone pole), hinting about what kind of story you're about to take part in. A perfect tone-setter!
2
https://youtu.be/eds1ivwq1oc?si=UJaASlC5Lw7DRSUs
(sorry for the low quality but it was literally the only one i found where the music wasn't out of synch with the visuals because of poorly done “”HD”” 60fps upscaling or that didn't have gigantic story spoilers at the start, haha)
SILENT HILL 1 INTRO it's so fantastic. No one does it like her. an intro that is actually tied to the game's actual narrative! if you skip the intro you just start with harry already in the town, while the intro shows the actual trip to get there and ends on the car crash that sets the game in motion, very cool. and the mandolin!! it's so iconic!! and all the glimpses of the few characters in the game who all have a role to play….. alessa disappearing into thin air while a few light, mysterious notes of the OST plays…. AUGH. why sh2&3 downgraded to in-game scenes for their intros i will never understand. did they just give up after they realized nothing would ever beat SH1's intro?
(sorry for the low quality but it was literally the only one i found where the music wasn't out of synch with the visuals because of poorly done “”HD”” 60fps upscaling or that didn't have gigantic story spoilers at the start, haha)
SILENT HILL 1 INTRO it's so fantastic. No one does it like her. an intro that is actually tied to the game's actual narrative! if you skip the intro you just start with harry already in the town, while the intro shows the actual trip to get there and ends on the car crash that sets the game in motion, very cool. and the mandolin!! it's so iconic!! and all the glimpses of the few characters in the game who all have a role to play….. alessa disappearing into thin air while a few light, mysterious notes of the OST plays…. AUGH. why sh2&3 downgraded to in-game scenes for their intros i will never understand. did they just give up after they realized nothing would ever beat SH1's intro?
3
https://youtu.be/OCJ8XHol-D4?si=yQiN3hiJXcAvGbAY
okay i know i'm biased because this was my first jrpg as a wee child but we can all agree that this is a cool ass intro, right. Fantastically animated scenes that switches between one scenario to the next, hauntingly beautiful music, japanese voice lines I don't understand, this intro has got it all babey. My most unrealistic and impossible dream is that someday there will be a BoF4 anime adaption that has the same exact look of this intro.
okay i know i'm biased because this was my first jrpg as a wee child but we can all agree that this is a cool ass intro, right. Fantastically animated scenes that switches between one scenario to the next, hauntingly beautiful music, japanese voice lines I don't understand, this intro has got it all babey. My most unrealistic and impossible dream is that someday there will be a BoF4 anime adaption that has the same exact look of this intro.
4
https://youtu.be/XxNAwZ-A88w?si=YoY5O_DhVA3fKVYW
so stylish and mysterious!! It knows what it's going for. Just like with P4 it shows enough to get you curious, but it's vague enough not to give stuff away (maybe just a little too vague in this case, I would've liked to see just a hint of Shinji, Ken and Koromaru). Watching the minimalistic, flowy outlines of the characters on the screen with repeating messages about remembering your own death written next to them evokes such a special feeling and sets the tone so well for what's to come - you know it will handle a heavy topic, but you don't know how they will do it. BURN MY BREAAADD
so stylish and mysterious!! It knows what it's going for. Just like with P4 it shows enough to get you curious, but it's vague enough not to give stuff away (maybe just a little too vague in this case, I would've liked to see just a hint of Shinji, Ken and Koromaru). Watching the minimalistic, flowy outlines of the characters on the screen with repeating messages about remembering your own death written next to them evokes such a special feeling and sets the tone so well for what's to come - you know it will handle a heavy topic, but you don't know how they will do it. BURN MY BREAAADD
5
https://youtu.be/923fVDDwaHo?si=a9_f0hCG-cG0vC-k
i've never played chrono cross but by god this intro makes me want to. the musics just instantly sold me and the visuals are so colourful and mysterious and everything in this trailer seems so weird. i am obsessed with it. i never stop fixating on the eye(???) things that opens at 1:05 right in time with the music. chrono cross i promise i'll play you someday soon
i've never played chrono cross but by god this intro makes me want to. the musics just instantly sold me and the visuals are so colourful and mysterious and everything in this trailer seems so weird. i am obsessed with it. i never stop fixating on the eye(???) things that opens at 1:05 right in time with the music. chrono cross i promise i'll play you someday soon
6
https://youtu.be/RAn552mtxLw?si=nSdI3D2Tu8AzQ0pO
you might think this is a very basic intro but it's literally like someone looked into my brain and found out what i find cool and then made a PS1 game intro based on that. I want to tattoo this on my eyeballs
you might think this is a very basic intro but it's literally like someone looked into my brain and found out what i find cool and then made a PS1 game intro based on that. I want to tattoo this on my eyeballs
7
https://youtu.be/d8MGyUjEW8Q?si=KNp9cdcdzp0UtkOh
remember when this intro was shown and people starting roasting it for not being like the earlier songs, or because skillrex worked on it or whatever? lol. this intro is very cool. sora's words at the beginning are cheesier than they've ever been and i aleays laugh at them, but that's okay because it's sora and this is kingdom hearts we're talking about. this intro recaps the earlier games in a very stylish and emotional way. as always it's very funny when there are all these anime characters having serious cool scenes and then donald and goofy shows up. i like this intro!!
remember when this intro was shown and people starting roasting it for not being like the earlier songs, or because skillrex worked on it or whatever? lol. this intro is very cool. sora's words at the beginning are cheesier than they've ever been and i aleays laugh at them, but that's okay because it's sora and this is kingdom hearts we're talking about. this intro recaps the earlier games in a very stylish and emotional way. as always it's very funny when there are all these anime characters having serious cool scenes and then donald and goofy shows up. i like this intro!!
8
https://youtu.be/ek8jEw4N6gI?si=hoHlWkhTGH7Fd_jj
my nostalgia….. i used to watch this intro literally every single time i played FF3. it's very feel-good and adventurous fantasy with some beautiful visuals (this was MAGIC to see on my DS back then). FF3 DS is a comfort game of mine so naturally i love this. i don't even mind that stuff in the intro like luneth & ingus' argument & trust building isn't really shown in the game, FF3 is so scaled back when it comes to character stuff that i can just easily imagine it happening somewhere along the way without the game having to show it to me. this intro is just so cozy to me. love it. mwah
my nostalgia….. i used to watch this intro literally every single time i played FF3. it's very feel-good and adventurous fantasy with some beautiful visuals (this was MAGIC to see on my DS back then). FF3 DS is a comfort game of mine so naturally i love this. i don't even mind that stuff in the intro like luneth & ingus' argument & trust building isn't really shown in the game, FF3 is so scaled back when it comes to character stuff that i can just easily imagine it happening somewhere along the way without the game having to show it to me. this intro is just so cozy to me. love it. mwah
9
https://youtu.be/0nKizH5TV_g?si=qU6ayWNkhYgcnTPT
iconic of course. i'll be real, this intro is cool but not enough happens in it for me to rate it higher than some of the others. but it's a legendary intro and utada hikaru's voice is always a joy. i appreciate the dreamlike feel it gives with riku in the water, sora watching himself falling from the sky, and him at the station of awakening with the birds flying around him at the very end. great stuff!
iconic of course. i'll be real, this intro is cool but not enough happens in it for me to rate it higher than some of the others. but it's a legendary intro and utada hikaru's voice is always a joy. i appreciate the dreamlike feel it gives with riku in the water, sora watching himself falling from the sky, and him at the station of awakening with the birds flying around him at the very end. great stuff!
10
https://youtu.be/oAvCssRk9DY?si=1wFOuWvBvUPxKG9Y
usually i'm not super fond of intros that are just a bunch of in-game footage (and let's be real the in-game footage of this game is kind of ugly), but this one is very cool imo. it's so snappy and well-timed with the music (the music absolutely rocks by the way). And the mix of the in-game footage with all the special effects and mysterious phrases and words you don't understand yet creates such a cool vibe. Most of the in-game stuff they show pass by so fast and has so little context attached to it that it piques my curiosity in just the right way (like, you see alice wielding a scalpel in a rage, but why!? you don't know! you have to find out!!). Anyway i think this intro shows so much promise for the game but the game itself is not as cool. haha. it has some good stuff here and there but i wish it had the same high-octane energy as the intro.
also let's not forget this intro gave us the legendary WHY DO PEOPLE so i have to respect it
usually i'm not super fond of intros that are just a bunch of in-game footage (and let's be real the in-game footage of this game is kind of ugly), but this one is very cool imo. it's so snappy and well-timed with the music (the music absolutely rocks by the way). And the mix of the in-game footage with all the special effects and mysterious phrases and words you don't understand yet creates such a cool vibe. Most of the in-game stuff they show pass by so fast and has so little context attached to it that it piques my curiosity in just the right way (like, you see alice wielding a scalpel in a rage, but why!? you don't know! you have to find out!!). Anyway i think this intro shows so much promise for the game but the game itself is not as cool. haha. it has some good stuff here and there but i wish it had the same high-octane energy as the intro.
also let's not forget this intro gave us the legendary WHY DO PEOPLE so i have to respect it
11
https://youtu.be/Wz3ufaZCoVw?si=kG994-ZYj7K_L1JC
sadly here we have a case of an intro full of only in-game footage, but the music fits both the tone, the main character and the entire mood of the game so well that i can't complain. whenever i think about SH3 i always thinking about heather waking up at the diner table with the orange sunset light shining through the window set to this intro music. WHAT CAN I SAY IT SLAPS, “YOU'RE NOT HERE” I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN
sadly here we have a case of an intro full of only in-game footage, but the music fits both the tone, the main character and the entire mood of the game so well that i can't complain. whenever i think about SH3 i always thinking about heather waking up at the diner table with the orange sunset light shining through the window set to this intro music. WHAT CAN I SAY IT SLAPS, “YOU'RE NOT HERE” I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN
12
https://youtu.be/nt3ZTD5yZWc?si=HzxgrGy31weiIZVI
Raidou is cool but this intro is just okay. The music is bopping but I think the intro is just a bit too low-stakes for me to REALLY get into it. I need the DRAMA. I need to watch the intro have my curiosity peaked and be like “WHAT DOES THIS MEANNN”. This intro is mostly just Raidou chasing after some non-specific character who turns out to be a monster but that's just something that happens now and then in the game, so it doesn't really feel special. love raidou though he is cool
Raidou is cool but this intro is just okay. The music is bopping but I think the intro is just a bit too low-stakes for me to REALLY get into it. I need the DRAMA. I need to watch the intro have my curiosity peaked and be like “WHAT DOES THIS MEANNN”. This intro is mostly just Raidou chasing after some non-specific character who turns out to be a monster but that's just something that happens now and then in the game, so it doesn't really feel special. love raidou though he is cool
13
Lighthearted cute intro, but it's a bit TOO lighthearted and low-stakes for me, especially considering what kind of game P4 is. I'm not saying P4 is a Serious Game but it DOES have some dark elements as well as being a small-town murder mystery story, which I think the og intro conveyed very well, both in music and animation. P4G's intro is more of a happy-go-lucky dance number, and while it hints at some of P4's darker stuff (mainly the dead bodies) it's done with no change of tone and it's still as colourful and lighthearted as the rest of the intro, so (to me) it doesn't really feel like a threat. This intro also clearly shows you who the main party are gonna be, along with their names which I think is a mistake. Most of the time, I much prefer to find that stuff out in the actual game rather than having it told to me in the intro, unless it's a game where you get all your main party members right at the start. This intro is just okay. I usually just skipped it whenever I started the game and watched the og intro instead lmao
14
https://youtu.be/4LCl2_DK6QU?si=LQKJHieiKcXW9tqE
it's okay to crucify me for this but while i LOVE sh2 and have absolutely no complaints about the music (the music is so fucking good, i love how they kept the mandolin elements from SH1) the visuals of this intro is just so……. slow………… two thirds of the intro is just in-game cutscenes of various characters talking at james. you can tell me it has Deep Important Meaning About The Themes Of The Game or whatever but i call bullshit unfortunately. it feels like they just slapped together a bunch of cutscenes from the game and slapped akira yamaoka's godlike soundtrack over it without making sure the the visuals matched the music. i DO like the very few visuals we see of the characters that aren't shown in the game, like laura and eddie up by the car on the highway!! that's cool!! it gives us story context!! but those few scenes doesn't really save this intro from being pretty boring.
SH1 intro come back i miss you
it's okay to crucify me for this but while i LOVE sh2 and have absolutely no complaints about the music (the music is so fucking good, i love how they kept the mandolin elements from SH1) the visuals of this intro is just so……. slow………… two thirds of the intro is just in-game cutscenes of various characters talking at james. you can tell me it has Deep Important Meaning About The Themes Of The Game or whatever but i call bullshit unfortunately. it feels like they just slapped together a bunch of cutscenes from the game and slapped akira yamaoka's godlike soundtrack over it without making sure the the visuals matched the music. i DO like the very few visuals we see of the characters that aren't shown in the game, like laura and eddie up by the car on the highway!! that's cool!! it gives us story context!! but those few scenes doesn't really save this intro from being pretty boring.
SH1 intro come back i miss you
15
https://youtu.be/WjiaMBUQdqc?si=1pbN1Ak7FgYSz6aX
the music slaps of course but haha. the reliance of in-game sprites (which normally looks great in the actual game) looks so awkward and stale when they're used for an action-y kind of intro like this. like look at neku running. weee! haha. it cracks me up, which makes me forgive this intro's faults. i think it would be a super cool intro if it was actually done in full-blown anime style that looked good in motion. i find this intro charming despite of (or because of?) its awkwardness, but i also can't morally rate it higher than this.
the music slaps of course but haha. the reliance of in-game sprites (which normally looks great in the actual game) looks so awkward and stale when they're used for an action-y kind of intro like this. like look at neku running. weee! haha. it cracks me up, which makes me forgive this intro's faults. i think it would be a super cool intro if it was actually done in full-blown anime style that looked good in motion. i find this intro charming despite of (or because of?) its awkwardness, but i also can't morally rate it higher than this.
16
yes the music is an absolute bop but who decided that this intro smack-full of spoilers would be a good introduction for new players lmao. and there's so much in-game footage just showing off the new outfits and such in the FES version and that is BORING. sorry. this is what i mean when i say that at least VLR did in-game footage right, at least they spiced it up
17