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[Speevy]

I've always been partial to Riddick's for the original Xbox.

 

[scoobidoo112]

Bayonetta

 

[Schrödinger's cat]

Onimusha 3

The best. Shame it wasn't a playable level.

Best CG intro ever. So badass!

Vagrant Story's was awesome.

Best in-engine! Wonderful pacing and ultra-confident credits.

As for best playable: yeah, GoW 2 or 3. Both are epic.

 

[Okamid3n]

Probably still ALttP for me. It starts up so fast, and the rainy mood + music is great.

 

[uncledonnie]

Bioshock or Lost Odyssey would be my picks.

 

[Phediuk]

Came in to say God of War 2. Good job OP.

 

[blitzcloud]

ff8 fithos lusec

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd5KLb7RQjE


with random spoilers of everything

 

[Avari]

Bioshock was pretty good. Of late, Wolfenstein.

Bioshock was the first thing to come to mind. Fallout 3 as well.

 

[Spine_Ripper]

GoW 2 and 3
TLoU
The first stages of many Sonic and Mario games

I know there's a ton more, but those always stick in my mind. I know the sonic team tends to spend a ton of time on their first stage. Can't say I blame them.

 

[Mknzy]

Suikoden 2, after the awesome start to the story you got this amazing little set of scenes

It was an amazing start to the story and adventure, and I never put it down until I was finished.

 

[playXray]

+1

Also, any of the first three MI games.

 

[HueyFreeman]

For me, it may never get any better than this.

I can recite Breen's speech off by heart.

 

[FairFriend]

"Kain is deified..." -Raziel, Soul Reaver

 

[Kinyou]

I'd go with Last of Us. Brilliantly executed from a story and design perspective.

Though the opening of both Half Lifes still give me goosebumps.

 

[Blizzard]

I liked the Half-life 2 intro ("Wake up and smell...the ashes.") but I never played the original Half-life.

I agree with the many mentions of Bioshock as well.

I seem to vaguely recall that Just Cause 2 threw you right into some skydiving sequence and ingame action, but I may be mixing games up.

 

[Pickman]

Brütal Legend. Rock show turns into a portal to a demon realm. And it has metal.

 

[Reese-015]

I am not a fan of the game at all but Bioshock Infinite's first hour may be the best introduction to a game's world I have ever experienced. Just magical. I was floored.

 

[Avid Reading Horse]

Ninja mutherfucking Gaiden for the NES

Winner! Though sadly the gif can't convey the epic music.

Monkey Island is another good candidate.

The Last of Us though? Found it tedious personally. Takes all of 3 seconds to see where they're going for it and then it just drags on.

Wing Commander Privateer - Voice acting 10/10. WHO ARE YOU THAT FLIES SO GOOD?!? Star Citizen you have a lot to live up to.

 

[marthurstewart]

Ninja mutherfucking Gaiden for the NES

the only answer.

 

[ThreePiMatt]

Never before has their been a greater fall in quality from the intro to the rest of the game than Prey. Such an great start, such a mediocre game. It helps that I'm a sucker for good use of licensed music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oObkBX6DSmk

 

[Letep]

Ninja mutherfucking Gaiden for the NES

*love*

But, I'd say The Last of Us.

 

[Sweet Ivy]

I really loved Second Son's beginning!
Very scenic and introduced the characters really well.

 

[BrassDragon]

Waking up in a morgue, being addressed by a floating skull:

 

[Ralemont]

1. Mass Effect 2
2. Metal Gear Solid 2
3. Soul Reaver

 

[Owwari]

HOW HAS NOONE SAID ASSASINS CREED 2 HOLY SHIT

 

[BibiMaghoo]

"Kain is deified..." -Raziel, Soul Reaver

No way, Defiance intro > Soul Reaver intro

Because Templeman.

 

[DaciaJC]

I don't know about best, but my favorite would be Medal of Honor: Frontline.

When you start the first mission, you're greeted by the Soldier's Poem -

- and then immediately thrust into an LCVP approaching Omaha Beach.

 

[marthurstewart]

Learning that there's a Korean wrestler named "Kin Corn Karn" in NES Pro Wrestling vaunted this game up my list of Greatest Game Intros Ever.

The fact that his signature moves come from Mongolia and Japan is pretty great as well.

 

[BDrummer1606]

Gotta go with either Super Mario Galaxy or Earthbound. SMG is just so epic and showed what the wii hardware could do while earthbound is just really atmospheric and the music is amazing.

 

[Schweinehund]

I liked Arkham City, AA's was good too. AO wasn't shabby either, the first boss fight is pretty cool.

Bioshock is memorable.

All time though? Probably Half Life 2. They really nailed the alien occupation theme.

 

[shinobi602]

 

[Rizzi]

Resident Evil 2.
A quick fmv, and then holy shit everything is on fire and there are zombies everywhere fucking run.

 

[Gaffercake]

HOW HAS NOONE SAID ASSASINS CREED 2 HOLY SHIT

They have, including myself.

 

[Hatchtag]

Not the greatest, but I love GTA V's opening. Not just cause it did a good job setting the tone, but because you're doing bad ass shit right away, as opposed to how long it took to get to that point in GTA IV.

 

[thefro]

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the perfect combination of a mainly-invisible tutorial, awesome setpieces and starting a story off with a bang.

 

[PuppetSlave]

There are many good ones but the one that struck the strongest chord with me at the time was half life.

"they are waiting for you Gordon... In the test chamber" *shudder* So bad ass.

That game broke so much new ground.

 

[Game4life]

Seeing a lot of TLOU posts but man I still cant see how it tops GOW3.

 

[EvB]

The Mass Effect 2 Intro came to mind straight away. I'll need my memory jogging in order to remember anything else.

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

There aren't really any for me. I didn't even think of the God of War II one until I looked at the first post, but no video game's intro is that good to me, you always get the best parts of a game somewhere in the middle. The beginning takes things a bit easy to get you prepared for what's to come.

 

[ForsakenLotus]

BioShock. Such a beautiful, broken world. Plus, the game starts off feeling a lot like a Horror game and it fit just so perfectly.

Some other noteworthy games off the top of my head.

Naughty Dog has some great opening in Uncharted 2 and The Last of Us.

If you have played Mass Effect 1 then Mass Effect 2 has a great opening.

The most technically impressive openings I think, at least with modern games, are the God of War games. That Hydra fight really was an eye opening experience.

 

[SeanFloyd]

IBioshock Infinite's first hour may be the best introduction to a game's world I have ever experienced. Just magical. I was floored.

This. The atmosphere creates a feeling of immersion that I've never experienced in a game before. The introduction all the way up until the raffle is about as perfect as I can imagine a game starting off.

 

[Shanlei91]

God of War 3. You were close though.

That James Bond intro followed by the craziest level in gaming makes it my favorite intro to a game.

Followed by

 

[Grisby]

Suikoden 2's intro set the stage for the greatest PS1 RPG.

Mass Effect 2 also comes to mind. The destroyed ship, trying to get to Joker and the following title reveal.

 

[angular graphics]

HL1. Nothing will ever top it.

 

[Laevateinn]

Final Fantasy 6

 

[takriel]

Xenoblade's is quite nice, too!

 

[theshape31]

Best Cinematic Intro:
Ninja Gaiden (NES)

Best Gameplay Intro:
Bioshock Infinite (PC)

 

[Bisnic]

Mass Effect 2 was already mentioned a few times, but the first Mass Effect was something special too. Dat music, dat Mass Effect Relay (which I thought was a giant spaceship first time), dat first appearance of a Reaper on the Normandy's screen(which I thought looked strangely like a giant hand in the sky the first time), dat anticipation of working with a cool looking alien "This will be the first of many missions together"

Spoiler

too bad he got killed a few minutes later lol

, dat atmosphere on Eden Prime.

 

[2spooky4me]

Although I haven't played many of the games suggested in this thread. TLOU was also one of the best intros I've ever experienced.

 

[Baron Von Beans]

Bioshock, and HL2 are my two favorites.

Batman Arkham City (minus Catwoman part) and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance are also great.

A lot has been said that I agree with. GoW3 (both Gears AND God), the several games in the post I quoted, and more. But really, Metal Gear Rising takes the cake for recent games.

Spoiler

I mean...they take a known very late game boss in previous games, and throws him at you within the first 5 minutes. Then you body his ass to next week. Add tthe music, and to me you get perfection

. I had goosebumps, a shit eating grin, soiled pants, and drool all over myself in one fell swoop. It really set the tone for the entire game, which to me was nothing short of spactacular.

Edit from the future:
Thank you, Sephzilla, for helping prove my point!