Someone can spend dozens or even hundreds of hours on a game and the most memorable thing will still be the opening credits. It's that pure and unbridled moment of joy where a player finally gets to allot their free time and try out a new and exciting title. As an added bonus, if the opening credits are great, then it is a safe bet that the game will be an instant classic.
That's almost a given. Most developers who are proud of their work will always give credit where it's due. Also, some of the best opening credits in gaming seamlessly meld into the gameplay, reminding everyone that they're playing a game instead of watching a film. Over the years, these games have introduced themselves well enough that they're already unforgettable in the first few minutes.
10 God Of War
- Release Year: 2018
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
Compared to the older games, 2018's God of War offers a more somber and mature start for Kratos in revealing that he's now a weary family man. Players start off the whole Norse pantheon deicide adventure by having Kratos chop up some timber for firewood.
It's also a flex of just how beautiful the graphics are as the whole tree chopping or scene is actually the in-game visuals. The music does well to set the tone and the people responsible for this kind of character development for Kratos are minimalistically introduced at the corner.
9 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- Release Year: 2015
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
While Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain might fumble its ending and late game, it starts off rather strong. The whole intro plays out like a nostalgic period piece thanks to David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold The World" song — except it is a cover by another artist, not the original which subtly foreshadows the game's biggest twist.
In any case, the music is followed by "Big Boss" supposedly waking up from a coma after several years. Truth be told, the whole opening sequence is filled with Kojima's signature weirdness pseudo-military juju, but this kind of experimental approach is what makes his games special.
8 Half-Life
- Release Year: 1998
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows; macOS; Linux; Xbox; Xbox 360; PlayStation 2; PlayStation 3; Shield Portable
While its graphics and gameplay are naturally dated, Half-Life was a pioneer of gaming back in its heyday. For one, it had one of the most unconventional opening credits or intros in gaming as the players start off in scientist Gordon Freeman's perspective while he's running late on a tram ride.
Players can even move around and see the sights while admiring the Black Mesa facility and also acknowledging the credits. The whole intro is quite long and has several loading screens, but it lends much to the slow-burn FPS experience and also masterfully builds up the atmosphere.
7 BioShock
- Release Year: 2007
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Mac OS X, iOS
It's not really much of a credit scene as BioShock's intro sacrifices the names of its developers for immersion, but it can't be helped. BioShock's opening is simply too relevant and influential to skip when naming the best intros in gaming. The whole opening sequence is all about introducing the underwater city of Rapture.
With a clever wordplay on Ayn Rand, Andrew Ryan expresses his distaste for communism, democracy, and theism. Hence, he created an anarcho-capitalist society under the sea. Back then, it was refreshing to see a game that treats its players like adults and discusses some heavy socio-sciences with them. That's why BioShock's opening is always praised.
6 Grand Theft Auto 4
- Release Year: 2008
- Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
This one's a tough call since Grand Theft Auto openings have always been, well, grand. However, the nod has to go to Grand Theft Auto 4 for having the most "complete" intro out of all the games. It had everything: adequate exposition for Niko Bellic, signature GTA music, a graphical showcase, and of course, the game maker's names.
It also shows a lot of underground activities involved in immigration and some of the darker sides of the "American Dream." But no other intro best suits an entry into a parody of New York better than Grand Theft Auto 4's pragmatic and jaded approach.
5 Red Dead Redemption
- Release Year: 2010
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
It's a cruel, cruel world since Red Dead Redemption remains unavailable on PC, which is a shame since its successor was one of the most celebrated console ports on PC ever. The original game has a more memorable intro than its sequel, complete with metaphors and juxtapositions that best explain John Marston's conflicted existence in a civilized America.
Red Dead Redemption begins seemingly like a GTA in industrial age US but quickly cements its own identity. It's a poetic Spaghetti Western adventure game where cowboys and outlaws are nearly extinct. At the heart of all that maelstrom is John Marston, a romantic trying to be a cynic who just can't catch a break in his new world.
4 Fallout 3
- Release Year: 2008
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Fallout 3 was polarizing for many of the franchise's hardcore fans — that is until everyone saw the game's opening. After that, there was no doubting it anymore, Bethesda did its magic and transformed a ruthless turn-based RPG into the Elder Scrolls equivalent of the post-apocalypse genre.
The nostalgic music amidst the nihilistic background of a ruined atom-punk world set the tone and then some. It was then followed by an ominous and pessimistic narration, Fallout's iconic "war never changes" monologue which briefly sums up why the world became grimy and everyone had to be corralled in vaults. Exciting would be an understatement for this kind of opening credits.
3 Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- Release Year: 2007/2016
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii, macOS, Nintendo DS, Classic macOS
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was the first evolution for the franchise and while it resorted to some questionable Hollywood stereotypes regarding Russians and Arabs, one can't deny just how intense and riveting that opening credit sequence is even in the old version.
Players see the whole scene through the eyes of a former Middle Eastern sovereign who fell from power due to an extremist coup and was about to be executed. Before that, he was paraded through the streets where he saw all manners of Hollywood atrocities. It's almost like a nod to Half-Life's long and winding intro as the players are helpless here and lack agency, but that adds up to the game's theme.
2 Mass Effect 2
- Release Year: 2010
- Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows
Speaking of experiments, Mass Effect 2 was when BioWare started shedding off the hardcore RPG skin and began trying out different gameplay formulas. It paid off well, and this can be seen as soon as the intro where the Normandy came under attack and was quickly destroyed along with Commander Shepard.
It was not only shocking but also innovative as players thought they were just going to watch until the "cutscene" starts giving them a dialogue wheel. At that point, one can't help but be immersed as they suddenly became a part of that nerve-wracking sequence. It was like a J.J. Abrams space movie but more interactive and with equal amounts of lens flares.
1 Red Alert 2
- Release Year: 2000
- Platforms: Microsoft Windows
One can't go wrong with electronic metal rock when hyping up players and giving them a taste of what's in store for the rest of the game. That's how Red Alert 2 handled everything: a bit of outlandish Cold War fiction, a bit of war, and a metric ton of gung-ho rock that's fitting for the era.
Red Alert 2 sets off its Cold-War-turned-hot with nuclear launches and a breakpoint of the tension between the Soviet Union and the US. Soon after, it also treats fans with one of the most dreaded American nightmares and fear since the Red Scare: an actual Soviet invasion on US territory. It would have been a horror film if it wasn't for the "Hell March" track which remains to this day, the most energetic banging modern war nerd music.
