Top 6 Favourite Opening Cinematics

Eh, I'll get around to doing another review eventually, I'm currently slogging my way through Ghostbusters and would rather actually attempt to finish the game before reviewing it entirely.  For now, another list!  Games have become much more cinematic in recent years.  I personally love cinematics in games.  It lets the game progress in terms of story and let's you sit back and enjoy it.  It also helps to heighten the atmosphere and emotion of the experience.  Sometimes it's one that cuts away and makes you feel like you're watching a movie, sometimes the cinematics are incorporated into the game itself.

But for me, when I'm remembering cinematics it's often the very first opening sequence that I remember the most.  And they are incredibly important.  They establish just what kind of a story and game you're about to get into, and they're often the key things that initially hook me in.  My favourite games almost all hooked me just on the opening sequence alone, whether it was because of the gorgeous graphics, epic or mysterious atmosphere, sweeping soundtrack or all three put together.  They made me want to play more to discover just what was going to happen.  So I thought I'd put up my five favourite (so far) opening cinematics that I could watch over and over again:


6. Grim Fandango

I freakin' love this game.  Hell, I love mostly anything by Tim Schaeffer.  This one was sort of my introduction to his games, and after seeing my friend playing it I had to try it out for myself.  The opening sequence wasn't what I first saw of this game, but it's pretty memorable.  It really sets up the wacky and bizarre tone of the game, introducing you to one gaming's most memorable protagonists, Manny Calavera.  It captures the humour and upbeat nature of the game, while also getting enough exposition without overloading it.  It's one of the only cinematics that I've included in here that's really dialogue heavy, but in this case it's welcome as it's the dialogue of Grim Fandango that is one of the game's major selling points and the opening cinematic is incredibly important to get that across.  There's not much more to say about this one, other than play the game, because it is definately worth it (I'll be discussing it next).

5.  The Last Express

This has to be one of the most underrated games I've ever played.  I didn't even discover it until recently when I had a Gametap account and saw it as one of the games.  I knew little to nothing about it, but since I was paying the $10 per month for unlimited games, it couldn't hurt to at least try it.  This opening cinematic pretty much immediately drew me into the game.  It really gives this big, sweeping epic introduction that's hard to forget.  I mean, come on, when you see a guy leaping onto a train from a motorcycle in 1914, you know he must be one of the most awesome people on earth. 

Most of the game uses still shots of characters withs ome animation and it was a good choice on the designer's part to pull out all the stops with the animation on that one motorcycle sequence.  It really hooked me because it did a great job establishing itself like an old espionnage movie which of course I love.  Knowing next to nothing about the game, I was excited to try it out after seeing this sequence.  It introduced the animation, atmosphere, main character and gave some hints to the plot immediately, and it did it without state of the art graphics or heavy dialogue.

4. Syberia

Oh boy, this game.  My first thought when seeing the rain spattering against the pavement and that horse drawn carriage was "PRETTY!".  At the time I played the demo and this cinematic came up, it had been the most beautiful adventure game graphics I had ever seen (yes, even better than Riven...okay, maybe tied).  For a moment, I just couldn't get over them.  And then those creeptastic automatons come lurching forward and you really have no idea why. 

This cinematic is great for setting up the atmosphere of Syberia.  The world is full history, melancholy and bizarre innovation and whimsy all at the same time.  You really can't help but see it through the eyes of the protagonist, Kate, a clear outsider to the town just as you are.  Half the reason most people probably continued with the game was because they were thinking "What the hell are those things...".  But it also set up the plot very nicely using absolutely no dialogue whatsoever.  The game creator, Benoit Sokal, wonderfully understands how visuals can be used in a game.  Syberia's other cinematics are just as riveting, but it was this one that initially drew me to the game and it still holds up today graphically.

3.  The Longest Journey

This was more opening credits than an entire cinematic, but it's still one of my favourites.  What really got me with this sequence was the music.  It was epic and magical, reminding me of the fantasy books I read as a kid.  I had read about this game through a couple of internet reviews and looked it up on the website, but wasn't able to find it until I finally relented and had it specially ordered.  But man, was it worth it.

Like all great opening sequences, this one gives you just enough information without giving anything away.  You don't really know what you're looking at.  The music helps give you a sense that it's 1. On a much larger and important scale than real life and 2. That it's in great jeapordy.  And that's all you really need to know at the moment.  Then you're immediately whisked away and you get a glimpse of the protagonist, floating off to some mythical, unknown place.  It's magical and it's a perfect way to start the game.

2.  Riven

Normally, as with all things Myst related, this would go on the top of my list.  BUT this is a sequel, and as with most sequels you kind of already have to be invested in the series in order to even start playing the game.  I was already excited about Riven when it first came out.  I had played Myst, and had also read the first novel and gotten all the wonderful backstory associated with it.  So when I found out the sequel to Myst would be called "Riven", one of the settings in the novel, and that it meant Atrus would be confronting his evil father again, I didn't need any sort of hook or teaser to start wanting to play this game.

And yet, I still managed to get chills up my spine when I first saw this movie, and still do to this day.  Riven remains my all time favourite game, and this cinematic is one of the reasons.  It doesn't bother holding your hand, it doesn't bother with exposition for those who hadn't read the novels, it just plunges you right where you left off in the first game, with little clue of just what you were getting yourself into.  I always think it would be interesting to see what someone thought of this opening sequence who hadn't read the novels.  For me, the music, the urgency and mystery about Atrus, the hint of the ending and then being plunged straight into a trap really sucked me into the game and pretty much established that this was going to be a much different game than the first Myst.  It set up the game experience perfectly and is something I still watch to this day to inspire. 

1.  BioShock

I haven't finished playing this game yet...or rather, I haven't watched my friend finish replaying this game yet (yes, it scares me that much), but this is an opening sequence that can't just be watched.  For those who haven't played the game, this is actually controlled by the player for the most part, and it makes a huge difference in just how immersed you can become.

This is a great example of how cinematics are evolving when it comes to games.  I don't know how many would agree with me, but I would view this as a cinematic.  Others might not, because to them cinematics are something that happen seperately from the gameplay.  They're something you watch, not something you control.  Control might be the wrong word.  You experience this cinematic.  By being given the ability to look around at everything going on, you feel more a part of the story and I think they did a great job with it.

What's equally great though is the set-up.  The amnesia victim is a common feature in games now, I'll admit, but using an introductory old timey film reel to introduce the entire world really sets up every aspect of the world wonderfully.  You get the sense of wonder and decadence, and yet there's an oppressive and creepy feel about it as well, and you know immediately that something's not right with this seemingly perfect utopia.  Again, all done with little dialogue.  This is the next level of cinematics for gaming, and I really hope to see it as a trend.

If anyone would like to leave comments on their own favourites, feel free to!