Good Old Games recently released the original Fallout, first on the market in 1997, for free download from its website. As a Fallout fan initiated on 2008's superb third installment in the series, I was naturally curious to see the roots of a title I previously hailed as the 3rd greatest title of the decade 2000-2010. I downloaded the 500 mb (!) file, loaded into onto my five-year-old PC, and got ready for a night sipping Miller Lite in my pajamas and blasting pixelated ghouls.
And a funny thing happened.
I was immediately and hopelessly engrossed by a FMV sequence that looked like a poorly designed episode of Reboot (oh yeah, I went there). From the opening strains of "Maybe" by the Ink Spots to the wonderful 1950s faux aesthetic the series is known for, the roughly 2-minute clip had me begging for the Start Game screen to appear while simultaneously making me pine for the intro to never end.
Gaming opening sequences are arguably not as important as those in film. By the time you've plopped down $50 or more (or, you've downloaded a classic title for free from the Internet), usually you've put in the time and effort to know you're going to enjoy the gameplay and narrative goodness that awaits you. But when a title does it right, and gives you an opening sequence you don't want to mash the start button until it ends, it's a pleasant surprise.
In that vain, here are some of my favorite flourishes to begin the interactive digital entertainment we all know and love. They may not signal wonderful gaming experiences (though, in the case of almost every title listed below, the care with which the developer introduces the narrative displays the quality of the game as a whole), but they do grab us by our analog sticks and force us to pay attention. And for that, we thank you.
10. Grand Theft Auto 3 (Rockstar Games, 2001)
GTA3 was a big step up for Rockstar. It ushered in the jump to 3D and a dedication to gangster storytelling that has only evolved in the 11 years since GTA3's release. The opening to the game that started the franchise as an international superhit is a jazzy, stylized presentation of Liberty City in all its dazzling, morally decrepit splendor. Teasing us for the treat that would propel video games into a new generation, this opening sequence will likely never leave its permanent occupation in my brain.
9. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Infinity Ward, 2007)
From the announcement that the shooting franchise would be leaving World War II in the past and bringing us to the contemporary theater, gamers knew Call of Duty 4 was going to be something special. Drawing upon the trail blazed by interactive opening sequences in Half-Life and other titles, Call of Duty 4 cast us in a helpless position as the credits rolled, a new narrative technique that built in tension and showed off the gorgeous, 60 fps engine developed by the folks at Infinity Ward. When the bullet left the chamber, it started a roller-coaster thrill ride of a narrative that never let you go.
8. Portal 2 (Valve, 2011)
The original Portal was an addition to Valve's Orange Box package. It told the story of Chell, a "test" subject at Aperture Labs who used a gun that created temporal passages to solve puzzles and defeat the evil GLADoS. What the original Portal achieved in simply dropping you into the story, its full-fledged sequel trumped in spades through the introduction of personality and humor immediately. Wheatley, in particular, shines through in this introduction, creating a relationship that sees, ahem, some ups and downs during the course of the title.
7. Metal Gear Solid (Konami, 1998)
Its blocky visuals may look dated today, but you can't deny the pure cinematic feel of the opening to Metal Gear Solid, which immediately casts you as an action hero cut off from any kind of support. The opening is a perfect summation of a narrative that will twist and turn throughout dozens of hours of gameplay, and gives you that wonderful sensation of a badass with the weight of the world's survival on your shoulders - a video game narrative trope that feels genuine in this tension-filled opening sequence.
6. Bioshock (2K Boston, 2007)
Eloquent in its brevity, the opening to the spiritual successor of System Shock plops you down immediately into the shoes of protagonist "Jack," with only a wallet photo for identification. Seconds later, panicked screams play behind the soaked logo of the game, and you gain control of the character after a horrific plane crash. Gee, that lighthouse sure looks inviting...
5. Silent Hill 2 (Konami, 2001)
Some messed up things are going to happen to you in Silent Hill 2. The opening sequence, where protagonist James Sunderland is pondering the creepy occurrences that have brought him to the quiet town of Silent Hill, assures you of that. Sunderland's voice over reminds us, as he makes his way out of a rest stop bathroom, that "a dead person can't write a letter." But we, like Sunderland, have no choice but to search.
4. Fallout (Interplay, 1997)
The look is dated, but the pan from a television screen to a nuclear-ravaged wasteland as Ron Pearlman's iconic voice-over: "War. War never changes" introduces us to a rich world teeming with genetically mutated activity. Series staples, including morbid humor, robotics and that cool 1950s aesthetic are all on display here, catching us up on 300 years of alternative history and establishing a world simultaneously without hope and full of possibility.
3. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Rocksteady, 2009)
If you didn't share Bruce Wayne's misgivings about how easy it was to catch the Joker as the first few moments of Rocksteady's surprising smash hit ticked by, the extended opening sequence featuring Mark Hamill's undeniably creepy portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime surely made you a believer. Rocksteady took the player and forced them into the cowl as the credits rolled, and when things finally do go wrong, it's impossible not to share the Dark Knight's conviction to clean up Arkham.
2. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (2015, Inc., 2002)
We'd witnessed the horrors of Normandy in Steven Spielberg's unapologetic film "Saving Private Ryan" and in stock footage of the attack, but never before had we as gamers been put in the uncomfortable boots of the soldiers storming the beach. Despite the limited technology available, this third installment in the World War II shooter series thrust us immediately into the herculean effort of securing a beach under heavy machine-gun fire, producing an authentically horrifying experience in the game's first few moments through dialogue, sound effects and atmosphere.
1. Half-Life (Valve, 1998)
It's hard to remember now, but interactive opening sequences weren't par for the course when Valve's groundbreaking first-person shooter appeared in 1998. The sequence gave you control of protagonist Gordon Freeman, a scientist on his commute to work at the Black Mesa Research Facility on a day that would turn out to be anything but routine. Putting you in Freeman's shoes from the outset, you get a sense of the scale of the game world you will be traversing as the title moves forward, and forces the player to develop a relationship with the character that has nothing to do with seeing their face on the screen.
What do you think of the list? Did I miss any heavy-hitters? Is one of these titles not worthy of its position? Sound off in the comments below! And, as always, thanks for reading/playing!
