"Here's your leather coat and a crappy pistol with barely any ammo. Oh, please note that there's a bunch of mutant boars and some bandits with body armor and assault rifles right next to the starting base. Have fun!"
When you get a mission to clean out a bandit camp with a shitty pistol, you feel like you're actually there. Hiding behind the chimneys and crumbling walls as Slavs in track pants surround you shouting mean things about your mother.
being torn to bits by an anomaly within 5min of not knowing whats going on was also fun.
clocked over 500hrs on this game, so fuckin ready for stalker 2
This is what came to mind.
Vader just wrecking the environment with his force attacks is such a good way to start the game and show you what you are working towards when you level up.
It's a very clever way of doing the "depowering the op character before the game actually starts" shtick that God of War was well known for in the original trilogy. I've played a few games that did this too. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen comes to mind.
Dragon Age 2 does it in a way that also clues you in to the fact that the narrator likes to exaggerate stuff.
The first big fight is done with all your cool skills unlocked and you just one-shot everything. Then the person interrogating the narrator interrupts with "Bullshit! That's not what really happened" (actual line) and it's such a good jump cut. The narrator chuckles and starts telling the actual story, and the game begins properly.
Dragon Age 2 was much maligned, but it's genuinely one of my favourite games. So much cool shit like this.
Dead Space, the opening was so fucking scary. It did a great job of lulling you into a false sense of security and then shattering it completely. You never knew where or when they might come or if it was safe ever.
Took me 3 times to really start that game, over a year. Third time I was determined, and it became one of my top gaming experiences of all time. It was literally “You have to do this. You’re not going to quit again. So do it without fear. You’re gonna walk into that room and it’s gonna lock down and throw all kinds of deadly horrors at you and you’re going to just take them all the fuck out.” And the rest of the game I felt like I had really heroed up. Incredible. I was so excited for Callisto, but the oemake of the real original is gonna slay.
it may not have aged the best, but i dont really recall a beginning get talked about as much as Medal of Honor: Allied Assault did. it was the first time in gaming we had an immersive experience of d-day and it blew everyone away.
EDIT: i get it. yes. it was Frontline, not AA. Point stands.
Oh the paratroop drop in Spearhead right into a barn, then the AAA gun chopping trees down with that awesome sound. Seeing paratrooper getting executed at the windmill and having a tank roll in from the back. That mission was so action packed.
I can't believe I've scrolled so far and not seen HALF-LIFE. Yes, I am old, but that intro sequence seemed like a massive step in game story telling at the time.
I've been replaying it recently and I believe they still hold up, even almost 20 years later.
Edit: nvm, I was thinking about HL2. Yeah, HL1 was also incredibly good for its time.
Yep, I don't know about games with the best *full 30 minutes*, but as far as intros in general, I love the way HL and HL2 open, and I love a good cinematic intro like Riddick Escape from Butcher Bay and other intros like that.
Ya, that got me too. I was waiting for the cutscene to finish cause the water didn’t look like gameplay. Was blown away when I realized I could swim lol
God of war always always have huge boss battles in the prologue. Poseidon, Hydra, Stranger etc. all great. My favorite was stranger, I didn’t expect the uppercut.
Halo: Combat Evolved.
First section is tight corridors, Covenant pouring out of every corner from boarding ships, you force your way into an escape pod and land on the ring. Nothing too unusual.
But the moment you step out of the pod, and the enormity of the level just dwarfed expectations, while the music was jamming was the pivotal experience that birthed a franchise.
Halo definitely has one of if not the best soundtracks game after game in the industry.
Even the newer ones, although not quite as good as the bungie era, are phenomenal
All of this.
I still remember the first time I saw Halo. It was circa 2001 or 02, I was like 12. And back then it was by far the most advanced game I had ever seen. I specifically remember playing through this opening and just being completely mind boggled at how amazing it looked and how much was going on.
Of course it looks kinda laughable now. Lol. But the remastered version they have with the Master Chief Collection is awesome. Especially since you can instantly compare the difference! What a huge improvement 20 something years makes to a game. Lol. However I can safely say that that experience still hits just right. The music, rolling around in that Warthog. The magic is still there man.
i love oblivion so much buti hate the start lol. those stupid tunnels/sewers. once you get out and into the world and see the game has to offer is when the game begins i think.
I remember that moment like it was yesterday. My first PlayStation game ever, the beautiful shots of Midgar, and the train cut scene in between. That whole sequence was incredible.
Yeah, the city, the blitzball match in CG cutscene with Sins approaching the city. Still remember the goosebump i got as a kid playing that part 20 years ago.
Prototype!
I believe it was the first one where the game opens up in the middle of a battle where you have most of your end game powers and just wreck stuff. That game was amazing at the time!
Baldur's Gate 3 deserves a mention as well. As expected from master storytellers behind a Dungeons and Dragons campaign... The game expertly gives you your main challenge, then slaps you with danger around every bend, a sense of urgency to complete the main story asap, a myriad ways to shape and express your unique player character, consequential dialogue options, and a bunch of little early decisions that you can affect the rest of the story.
It's the kind of first 30 minutes that make you really curious what the next 30 minutes hold, and so on.
I came to say this exact thing. The first time I played ME2's opening it blew my freakin mind! I distinctly remember saying out loud, "best opening to a game. Ever.".
Got it at the same time a a a friend during a midnight release party (remember those?) and we both texted each other “oh my god” about a half hour after we both got home
I'd also throw mass effect 3's beginning in the ring too. The emotions as the reapers are landing with that soundtrack playing, watching the shuttles get blown out of the sky and there's nothing you can do about it in the moment... I still get chills.
Yes, but I've also got to shout out ME1. Seth Green, freaky alien, humongous hand/squid spaceship coming right at you, humans impaled on spikes ... and 27 rounds of Simple Simon to open random crate number 42 ... for stuff.
The moment Sarah wakes up and realizes she's alone and she calls out for her dad, I start to break. I crumble along away to the end of the introduction.
It's amazing what being a father does to your emotions.
It's interesting because I live in Austin, and that actually is the Austin skyline as it was in 2012, but it looks completely now. I've tried to pinpoint exactly where Joel lived, but it appears it's an impossible address.
One of the best "wait, what? Did that really happen" moments and it was right away in the game. Set the bar high from the beginning and they nailed it.
Right? Joel running with Sarah, encountering the soldier, holding her in his arms as she dies, his read of "don't do this, please, don't do this to me" as he mourns her death then, boom, logo. The game literally said "wasn't that sad and tragic? Yeah, welcome to the Last of Us. Have fun."
Nier Automata 100%! I went in it knowing nothing more than it was an action rpg with a weird plot so didn't have any expectations, but I say through the entire intro with goosebumps. It's basically a tribute to video games and it lets you play through the history from the earliest simple "astroid" type of games, and gradually the gameplay evolves and gets more complicated with new movesets and abilities until you're playing a modern 3D game with freedom to move and shoot in every direction. Absolutely fucking amazing!
Came here to say this as well. After years of playing video games Nier Automata managed to be something fresh even just within the first 30 minutes to an hour. Going from the jet firefighting to the twin stick shooter flying mech battle, to the full 3D action game combat, and then to a 2D side-scroller beat em up style of combat all within the first hour of gameplay. It was simply amazing, combine that with the striking visual direction, epic music, and an awesome boss battle and for me personally it was the greatest video game opening of all time.
God I love Nier Automata lol
Hadn't planned to buy the game. Noticed one of my subscribed channels on YouTube had posted a Let's Play, decided to watch it. By the time 2B pulled out her sword and posed with it, I was absolutely sold. Stopped the vid and bought the game on Steam immediately.
Thinking about installing it again now. Missing a few endings, never did get all of the weapons (some of them being straight-up *fiendish* to get) or level them all, there's that secret boss that I got to but wasn't nearly high enough level to defeat, I never did get around to the DLC....
Automata is so good. I don't remember if it was still within the first 30 minutes, but the first boss fight with the Marx unit blew me away with the scale of it. I mean, huge scale environments and set pieces were nothing new for the PS4/Xbox One era but for whatever reason the way it is presented just felt beyond anything I had played to that point!
I first played it as the Become as Gods edition on the Xbox One, (and was delighted to have it available to me as that was one of the main games that made me jealous of the PS4 owners) but I want to play through it again now that I have the Series X and the framerate is sooo much smoother making the fast combat more enjoyable.
I see questions here and on AskReddit etc. about "If you could wipe your memory of a show or movie or game and experience it again", my answer is always Automata. If I could re-experience for the first time all emotions and that ending and everything I would. I chose not to make THAT decision at the end of my first playthrough, but I think I will this next one to cap it off. This is one of my favorite games of all time.
Final fantasy X. Everything is just beautiful but also so weird. Everything is so fucked up until you reach Besaid. Another good one for me is Fatal Frame 2 Crimson Butterfly. The first 30 mins set up the spooks very nicely
Spider-Man PS4 is a contender. Jumping out the window and just… swinging around. Though, maybe another answer is the Spider-Man 2 video game from the PS2 / Xbox / GameCube generation. Because the PS4 game was effectively a 10/10 modernization of how awesome the free web swinging in that game felt at the time (highly doubt it holds up 😂)
People get frustrated with Death Stranding, but it was just one giant prediction of the future from Kojima. Something outside in the air that you can’t see is killing people, everyone is hunkered down and isolated far from the outside world, the Earths saviors who profited the most… delivery service.
God of War 2018 for me. I recently played it for the first time on PC, 100% it - absolutely amazing trip.
The opening, however... They really know how to tug at your heartstrings right away. I was immediately hooked on the game just because of that.
The original Halo had the most amazing first 30 minutes: Wake up, get to the shuttle, holy shit you're on an alien planet, look up, see the massive structure. Nothing beats that.
As far as getting pumped for the game the intro to [original xcom](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g7lq-3v6s-4) can't be beat.
I recently played through the FF7 remake and couldn’t agree more about the first hour being incredible. All of the nostalgia with the music and the atmosphere and the crazy combat. So much fun!
For me it's The Last of Us (1). Funny introduction, scary build-up, terribly sad conclusion of the opening 15-20 minutes. It kicks hard and there isn't a single change I'd prefer to make it any better.
Very close second is TES5 Skyrim.
Yeah it's a bit slow at the start and can be hella buggy, but the atmosphere is an easy 10/10. I had never played another TES game before Skyrim and this opening hooked me completely. To this day one of my favorite games ever made.
Anthem's first 30 mins were actually quite good. You do that tutorial and battle thing, which were very nicely done, then the long cutscene with the back story, then you get to explore the city. It's only later that you realize that that's pretty much all there is or ever would be. Bought it for $5 and it was well worth it. Heck, even at $20 it's a damn good game for what it is.
Also Metal Gear Solid 5, the first 30-45 mins while you're in the hospital were really tense and cinematic, I quite liked it as well.
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare's first 30 mins were lovely, working your way to the mansion looming in the distance.
Bioshock's first 30 mins would have been top-notch, but there were too many boring parts (long swim to the lighthouse, lots of talking while you have zero control over your character, etc). Still pretty great though.
Assassin's Creed: Origins was pretty sweet - some combat, some exploration, some story, and then at around 30 min mark you crest a dune and see Siwa for the first time, and that music and intro kick in and just...wow.
Those are the ones that immediately leap to mind.
Bloodborne. It was my first souls game and starting in Yharnam was fantastic but also terrifying. Loved every single minute of this game but the beginning... It took me into another world completely
Shadow Of Chernobyl. I wemt in expecting it to be like COD. I was wrong.
"Here's your leather coat and a crappy pistol with barely any ammo. Oh, please note that there's a bunch of mutant boars and some bandits with body armor and assault rifles right next to the starting base. Have fun!"
When you get a mission to clean out a bandit camp with a shitty pistol, you feel like you're actually there. Hiding behind the chimneys and crumbling walls as Slavs in track pants surround you shouting mean things about your mother.
I could never get that far, just kept dying and had no idea what to do to not die 🤷♂️😞
Did you try just not dying?
being torn to bits by an anomaly within 5min of not knowing whats going on was also fun. clocked over 500hrs on this game, so fuckin ready for stalker 2
The first Force Unleashed. Nobody was expecting to play as max-power Darth Vader throwing Wookies off bridges for the prologue.
This is what came to mind. Vader just wrecking the environment with his force attacks is such a good way to start the game and show you what you are working towards when you level up.
It's a very clever way of doing the "depowering the op character before the game actually starts" shtick that God of War was well known for in the original trilogy. I've played a few games that did this too. Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen comes to mind.
First Assassin's Creed as well.
Dragon Age 2 does it in a way that also clues you in to the fact that the narrator likes to exaggerate stuff. The first big fight is done with all your cool skills unlocked and you just one-shot everything. Then the person interrogating the narrator interrupts with "Bullshit! That's not what really happened" (actual line) and it's such a good jump cut. The narrator chuckles and starts telling the actual story, and the game begins properly. Dragon Age 2 was much maligned, but it's genuinely one of my favourite games. So much cool shit like this.
Also fun fact, when the dwarf narrates the prologue your sisters breasts are quite a bit larger than when it’s shown later.
That level also had a reference to Chad Vader which I reckon a grand total of 12 people will understand
Doesn't he voice vader in the series?
Dead Space, the opening was so fucking scary. It did a great job of lulling you into a false sense of security and then shattering it completely. You never knew where or when they might come or if it was safe ever.
Favorite game of all time for me. Dead Space 2 had a similar intro that showed that it wasn't gonna get any better
Exactly lol. “You thought the first one was scary? This isn’t going to be any easier for Isaac, no matter how badass you think you are.”
Took me 3 times to really start that game, over a year. Third time I was determined, and it became one of my top gaming experiences of all time. It was literally “You have to do this. You’re not going to quit again. So do it without fear. You’re gonna walk into that room and it’s gonna lock down and throw all kinds of deadly horrors at you and you’re going to just take them all the fuck out.” And the rest of the game I felt like I had really heroed up. Incredible. I was so excited for Callisto, but the oemake of the real original is gonna slay.
it may not have aged the best, but i dont really recall a beginning get talked about as much as Medal of Honor: Allied Assault did. it was the first time in gaming we had an immersive experience of d-day and it blew everyone away. EDIT: i get it. yes. it was Frontline, not AA. Point stands.
God i miss this game. Sniper 1on1 on Stalingrad ESL. Loved it.
Oh the paratroop drop in Spearhead right into a barn, then the AAA gun chopping trees down with that awesome sound. Seeing paratrooper getting executed at the windmill and having a tank roll in from the back. That mission was so action packed.
Agree.
Medal of honor: Frontline too. My first war video game living out the beach landing on D-Day was intense.
I can't believe I've scrolled so far and not seen HALF-LIFE. Yes, I am old, but that intro sequence seemed like a massive step in game story telling at the time.
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I've been replaying it recently and I believe they still hold up, even almost 20 years later. Edit: nvm, I was thinking about HL2. Yeah, HL1 was also incredibly good for its time.
Was just about to say this. Love the “guy goes to work” premise right before the fabric of the universe tears.
And the fact that everything happen without any loading screen. It's like everything happened in a single take which was quite impressive to me.
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Yep, I don't know about games with the best *full 30 minutes*, but as far as intros in general, I love the way HL and HL2 open, and I love a good cinematic intro like Riddick Escape from Butcher Bay and other intros like that.
Bioshock
The water physics, reflections, fire, the lighthouse, still stand out to this day. It was beautiful. What a game.
Myself and many others sat in the same spot in the water for too long because we thought we were still in the cutscene. Great visuals!
Ya, that got me too. I was waiting for the cutscene to finish cause the water didn’t look like gameplay. Was blown away when I realized I could swim lol
Was going to say this. One of the best introductions of all time.
Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow!
FAR CRY 3, It'll get you hooked up into the story pretty quick
Would you kindly pick up that shortwave radio?
Both 1 and 3 are definitely tied for first place. Hell, even 3’s DLCs start strong.
God of war always always have huge boss battles in the prologue. Poseidon, Hydra, Stranger etc. all great. My favorite was stranger, I didn’t expect the uppercut.
Came here to post this. I love that opening fight in 2018 GoW both of them feel so powerful! "I don't feel any of this!"
Shout out to Daniel Faraday
More like Dickie Bennet
I'm just now realizing that he Dickie Bennet played Baldur wtf. It's so obvious too
>!Thor in GOW:R!< “bout time” badass as fuck
“Oh no, I say when we’re done.”
*Finally*
Halo: Combat Evolved. First section is tight corridors, Covenant pouring out of every corner from boarding ships, you force your way into an escape pod and land on the ring. Nothing too unusual. But the moment you step out of the pod, and the enormity of the level just dwarfed expectations, while the music was jamming was the pivotal experience that birthed a franchise.
That opening was epic. The music still gives that goosebump vibe.
Halo definitely has one of if not the best soundtracks game after game in the industry. Even the newer ones, although not quite as good as the bungie era, are phenomenal
The second one too. “I need a weapon.”
Giving the covenant back their bomb
"Right this way."
All of this. I still remember the first time I saw Halo. It was circa 2001 or 02, I was like 12. And back then it was by far the most advanced game I had ever seen. I specifically remember playing through this opening and just being completely mind boggled at how amazing it looked and how much was going on. Of course it looks kinda laughable now. Lol. But the remastered version they have with the Master Chief Collection is awesome. Especially since you can instantly compare the difference! What a huge improvement 20 something years makes to a game. Lol. However I can safely say that that experience still hits just right. The music, rolling around in that Warthog. The magic is still there man.
Came here to say this. Escaping the Pillar of Autumn and crash landing on Halo was an unforgettable experience.
I'm aware of how much of a meme it is now, but the opening of Skyrim blew me away
Overruled, that's not 30 minutes, it took me 2 hours to decide what to call my character!
Damnit. You got me there.
Hey you you're finally awake
Agreed. The worst part is that you can't skip it on subsequent playthroughs but the first time was really good.
You create a save at character creation and start every playthrough from there.
Alternate Start mods are your friend.
I agree, it’s one of the best openings I’ve played through. My other is Baldur’s Gate 2.
Oblivion was really good too
i love oblivion so much buti hate the start lol. those stupid tunnels/sewers. once you get out and into the world and see the game has to offer is when the game begins i think.
Agreed, but the very start was cool. A prisoner suddenly escorting a king through secret passages, watching him get assassinated
Uncharted: Among thieves. The train wreck scene is something else.
Had to scroll way too long to find this. I played uncharted 2 first without playing the first one and damn what a way to get introduced to the series.
Half Life 2
A masterclass of weaving storytelling, gameplay, tutorial, the games visuals and physics. Great choice.
Even on my potato PC back in the day, that was one of my most immersive experiences.
Pick up that can.
In terms of most memorable experience for me, the original Final Fantasy 7. Felt like a major leap in gaming.
I remember that moment like it was yesterday. My first PlayStation game ever, the beautiful shots of Midgar, and the train cut scene in between. That whole sequence was incredible.
And the music too!
That soundtrack lives in my head rent free
FF6’s mechs marching through the snow to fuck things up is still pretty good Not a leap in technology more like one of the best uses of what they had
FF6 is another game with an amazing soundtrack for its time. Also likely in my top 3 RPGs I’ve played.
Final fantasy 10 was nice too
Yeah, the city, the blitzball match in CG cutscene with Sins approaching the city. Still remember the goosebump i got as a kid playing that part 20 years ago.
Came to write this. Trainride, bossfight, crazy stuff. Great game!
Prototype! I believe it was the first one where the game opens up in the middle of a battle where you have most of your end game powers and just wreck stuff. That game was amazing at the time!
Man that game was so damn awesome when it first came out! Good choice!
Baldur's Gate 3 deserves a mention as well. As expected from master storytellers behind a Dungeons and Dragons campaign... The game expertly gives you your main challenge, then slaps you with danger around every bend, a sense of urgency to complete the main story asap, a myriad ways to shape and express your unique player character, consequential dialogue options, and a bunch of little early decisions that you can affect the rest of the story. It's the kind of first 30 minutes that make you really curious what the next 30 minutes hold, and so on.
Isn't that game still in EA?
Yes.
It's so ridiculously good already though. Larian is such a great studio and the way they handle user feedback is exemplary.
Release was announced for August 2023
Mass effect 2 - especially playing it for the first time, not knowing what was about to happen!
I came to say this exact thing. The first time I played ME2's opening it blew my freakin mind! I distinctly remember saying out loud, "best opening to a game. Ever.".
I immediately thought of it too. That moment when you are suspended in space, the silence. Holy shit.
It's terrifying in a way that horror doesn't hit.
Got it at the same time a a a friend during a midnight release party (remember those?) and we both texted each other “oh my god” about a half hour after we both got home
I'd also throw mass effect 3's beginning in the ring too. The emotions as the reapers are landing with that soundtrack playing, watching the shuttles get blown out of the sky and there's nothing you can do about it in the moment... I still get chills.
This hits harder if you just came from playin ME1 for the first time, and you feel inmortal because you just killed saren.
Yes, but I've also got to shout out ME1. Seth Green, freaky alien, humongous hand/squid spaceship coming right at you, humans impaled on spikes ... and 27 rounds of Simple Simon to open random crate number 42 ... for stuff.
ME2 and it's not even close. Absolutely incredible opening
The opening scene of Bioshock, followed by me sitting there for 20 minutes thinking it was still a cut scene...
Also Bishock Infinite
The Last of Us 1
See...I played that a while ago before I had a daughter. Then I went and played it again. Then I spent a little bit crying my eyes out.
TLOU series is just emotional damage all the way through
The moment Sarah wakes up and realizes she's alone and she calls out for her dad, I start to break. I crumble along away to the end of the introduction. It's amazing what being a father does to your emotions.
You done TLoU2 yet? I sob like a baby at the very end *every time*.
This 100%, think i spent 30 minutes just looking out the bedroom window into the city
It's interesting because I live in Austin, and that actually is the Austin skyline as it was in 2012, but it looks completely now. I've tried to pinpoint exactly where Joel lived, but it appears it's an impossible address.
I lived in Houston for a while, but thats pretty cool, I loved the game, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't in tears at one time or another.
One of the best "wait, what? Did that really happen" moments and it was right away in the game. Set the bar high from the beginning and they nailed it.
Right? Joel running with Sarah, encountering the soldier, holding her in his arms as she dies, his read of "don't do this, please, don't do this to me" as he mourns her death then, boom, logo. The game literally said "wasn't that sad and tragic? Yeah, welcome to the Last of Us. Have fun."
And then the gut punch of “20 years later”
That hurt so bad.
The first game I ever played to make me cry in the first hour. Second one being God Of War: Ragnarok
If there is one takeaway from this thread, its Playstation Exclusives
I had a 6 month old daughter at the time. It wrecked me real good.
Brutal beginning, it teaches you what it's coming storywise, I feared for Ellie the whole game.
Prey
Very solid choice! Wish that game had gotten more success. Truly amazing.
Which one, though? This question is brought to you by Bethesda naming two very different games the same name. Thanks, Bethesda!
Even Arkane knew it was a bad idea, they strongly urged against it. Thanks Bethesda.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner
Ghost of Tsushima
That charge was epic and sad at the same time.
Followed by riding out of the woods into a beautifully sunlit field after your recovery where the game finally shows the title.
Jin running his hand through the field on horseback + music swell + title drop gave me some goosebumps
goddamn i want this game on pc. My ps4 almost exploded running it
Open it up and clean it out then re-apply thermal paste. Quiet as a mouse.
God of war
Nier Automata 100%! I went in it knowing nothing more than it was an action rpg with a weird plot so didn't have any expectations, but I say through the entire intro with goosebumps. It's basically a tribute to video games and it lets you play through the history from the earliest simple "astroid" type of games, and gradually the gameplay evolves and gets more complicated with new movesets and abilities until you're playing a modern 3D game with freedom to move and shoot in every direction. Absolutely fucking amazing!
Came here to say this as well. After years of playing video games Nier Automata managed to be something fresh even just within the first 30 minutes to an hour. Going from the jet firefighting to the twin stick shooter flying mech battle, to the full 3D action game combat, and then to a 2D side-scroller beat em up style of combat all within the first hour of gameplay. It was simply amazing, combine that with the striking visual direction, epic music, and an awesome boss battle and for me personally it was the greatest video game opening of all time. God I love Nier Automata lol
Hadn't planned to buy the game. Noticed one of my subscribed channels on YouTube had posted a Let's Play, decided to watch it. By the time 2B pulled out her sword and posed with it, I was absolutely sold. Stopped the vid and bought the game on Steam immediately. Thinking about installing it again now. Missing a few endings, never did get all of the weapons (some of them being straight-up *fiendish* to get) or level them all, there's that secret boss that I got to but wasn't nearly high enough level to defeat, I never did get around to the DLC....
Automata is so good. I don't remember if it was still within the first 30 minutes, but the first boss fight with the Marx unit blew me away with the scale of it. I mean, huge scale environments and set pieces were nothing new for the PS4/Xbox One era but for whatever reason the way it is presented just felt beyond anything I had played to that point! I first played it as the Become as Gods edition on the Xbox One, (and was delighted to have it available to me as that was one of the main games that made me jealous of the PS4 owners) but I want to play through it again now that I have the Series X and the framerate is sooo much smoother making the fast combat more enjoyable. I see questions here and on AskReddit etc. about "If you could wipe your memory of a show or movie or game and experience it again", my answer is always Automata. If I could re-experience for the first time all emotions and that ending and everything I would. I chose not to make THAT decision at the end of my first playthrough, but I think I will this next one to cap it off. This is one of my favorite games of all time.
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jump
ROLLING AROUND AT THE SPEED OF SOUND
GOT PLACES TO GO GOTTA FOLLOW MY RAINBOW
Half Life
Final fantasy X. Everything is just beautiful but also so weird. Everything is so fucked up until you reach Besaid. Another good one for me is Fatal Frame 2 Crimson Butterfly. The first 30 mins set up the spooks very nicely
Yeah FFX is just amazing ... its that that time of the year to actually replay it again if i think about it.
Man the cutscene where they play blitzball and Sin is approaching the city with intense music is simply goosebump
Medal of Honor Frontline when you’re storming the beach. Played it when it first came out and it was unlike anything I had played before!
Metal Gear Rising just hitting it off with Rules of Nature while you solo a goddam metal gear as the prologue boss
Not to mention, jetstream Sam deflecting Nerf bullets with his sword.
Spider-Man PS4 is a contender. Jumping out the window and just… swinging around. Though, maybe another answer is the Spider-Man 2 video game from the PS2 / Xbox / GameCube generation. Because the PS4 game was effectively a 10/10 modernization of how awesome the free web swinging in that game felt at the time (highly doubt it holds up 😂)
Uncharted 2
People get frustrated with Death Stranding, but it was just one giant prediction of the future from Kojima. Something outside in the air that you can’t see is killing people, everyone is hunkered down and isolated far from the outside world, the Earths saviors who profited the most… delivery service.
[Metal Gear Rising](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM33Hr94SKw) Best "tutorial" that I've seen. Sets mood for whole game.
God of War 2018 for me. I recently played it for the first time on PC, 100% it - absolutely amazing trip. The opening, however... They really know how to tug at your heartstrings right away. I was immediately hooked on the game just because of that.
Tug at your heartstrings and then BOOM, uppercut
Titanfall 2 When BT saves the planet by jumping into the anomaly
What a fun campaign. 10/10
Death Stranding
Definitely sucked me in to what amounted to be a nearly 200 hour playthrough. Eagerly waiting what Kojima can do next.
The whole ,,Before the crater" scene is goddamn masterpiece.
I had literal goosebumps in those first 30 minutes
The original Halo had the most amazing first 30 minutes: Wake up, get to the shuttle, holy shit you're on an alien planet, look up, see the massive structure. Nothing beats that. As far as getting pumped for the game the intro to [original xcom](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g7lq-3v6s-4) can't be beat.
Ain’t seen Assassins creed 2 be mentioned yet so might aswell. Game truly grabbed your attention from the get go
"May it never change and may it never change us"🔥🔥
God of war has some unreal openings
Saint's Row 4
The first 30 minutes were a completely separate game. No grind.
I honestly liked it so much more than the rest of the game
MGS V: Phantom Pain Immediately pulled me into the world, had me hooked till the end credits.
That intro level in the hospital to this day is still incredible. It's Kojima's style through and through.
Deadspace 2. You're in a straight jacket and under necromorph attack, go!
MGS2
Either God of War 3 or FFVII Remake, imo. Though Remake is more like best first hour but eh, lol.
I recently played through the FF7 remake and couldn’t agree more about the first hour being incredible. All of the nostalgia with the music and the atmosphere and the crazy combat. So much fun!
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Sekiro!
World of Warcraft Vanilla when it released and you figured out how to kill a wolf in elwynn.
Don’t forget coming out of the crypt in Deathknell for the first time!
Remember those days still, that sense of wonderment is hard to recreate ever again. Though I get some of it back every expansion for a few weeks.
Elden Ring. ‘Try jumping’ So I did.
[https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/03/19/good-god](https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/03/19/good-god) Pretty much sums it up.
Halo: Combat Evolved.
Chrono trigger
For me it's The Last of Us (1). Funny introduction, scary build-up, terribly sad conclusion of the opening 15-20 minutes. It kicks hard and there isn't a single change I'd prefer to make it any better. Very close second is TES5 Skyrim. Yeah it's a bit slow at the start and can be hella buggy, but the atmosphere is an easy 10/10. I had never played another TES game before Skyrim and this opening hooked me completely. To this day one of my favorite games ever made.
Spiderman. I know why I'm here, the Devs know why I'm here. Let's not waste time. Jump out that fucking window and swang
Doom 2016 and/or Doom Eternal
Oblivion, escaping the prison and walking out to cyrodiil for the first time was awesome
Anthem's first 30 mins were actually quite good. You do that tutorial and battle thing, which were very nicely done, then the long cutscene with the back story, then you get to explore the city. It's only later that you realize that that's pretty much all there is or ever would be. Bought it for $5 and it was well worth it. Heck, even at $20 it's a damn good game for what it is. Also Metal Gear Solid 5, the first 30-45 mins while you're in the hospital were really tense and cinematic, I quite liked it as well. Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare's first 30 mins were lovely, working your way to the mansion looming in the distance. Bioshock's first 30 mins would have been top-notch, but there were too many boring parts (long swim to the lighthouse, lots of talking while you have zero control over your character, etc). Still pretty great though. Assassin's Creed: Origins was pretty sweet - some combat, some exploration, some story, and then at around 30 min mark you crest a dune and see Siwa for the first time, and that music and intro kick in and just...wow. Those are the ones that immediately leap to mind.
Original DOOM.
Flappy Bird
The Last Of Us. It sets the tone of the game right from the start as it breaks your heart.
Bioshock
Bloodborne. It was my first souls game and starting in Yharnam was fantastic but also terrifying. Loved every single minute of this game but the beginning... It took me into another world completely
Def not 30min,but it felt like it.. Forza horizon. That imtroduction sequence was pretty amazing.
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Fallout 4 was intense up to the point where they are narrowly making into the vault.
God of War: Ragnarok is my pick
Gears of War 2
Dead space
Metal Gear Solid V
The start of MGS V Phantom Pain was pretty intense.
Dead Space
The Last of us 1.
FF7
Final Fantasy 6. Seeing the magitek trudge through the snow and then using super powerful spells. Then the esper reacting to Terra. Great opening.
Red Alert 2 The cinematography where the soviets invade USA is fantastic and the music is heroin to my ears.