SlobsofGaming

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
What Made it Great:

The Metal Gear Solid series is renowned for its Hollywood-style cinematics and storytelling, and the second installment in the franchise is certainly no exception. In this memorable opening sequence, Snake goes on what starts out as a stroll in the rain along the George Washington Bridge until he busts out his invisibility camouflage and leaps off the bridge. The electrifying score by Harry Gregson-Williams (Enemy of the State, The Rock) also helps make this intro stand out from other video game intros.

Warhammer: Mark of Chaos
What Made it Great:

Who doesn't love some epic fantasy battling? The team behind Mark of Chaos created an extremely engaging intro movie that effortlessly draws in the gamer. In the cinema, just when you think the Empire Forces are about to be overrun the leader imbues his hammer with some kind of fiery element and takes on one of the spawns of chaos. Okay, we know the intro clip has almost nothing to do with the actual game, but this is about the intros, not the games, right? In other words, this cinematic gets our vote.

Super Metroid
What Made it Great:

The SNES' Super Metroid is a game that still stands the test of time and is as enjoyable now as it was in 1994. The intro is no different. The opening title screen is foreboding and cinematic like no game had been before, and the intro cinema, save the awful voice-over, is magnificent too. Weaving graphically-updated clips of Samus' past adventures in with a eerie, yet inspiring tune, featuring her semi-visible face through her visor as she aptly communicates her past and present to the gamer without saying a word (only typing out her mission log), Super Metroid's intro was a great primer on the series for SNES n00bs and a wonderful evolution of the series' storytelling for veterans.

Vagrant Story
What Made it Great:

Short but sweet, the intro to this lesser known Squaresoft action RPG shows the game's protagonist Ashley Riot prepping himself for battle while a smoking-hot belly dancer shakes her stuff as she balances a sword on her head. A sexy chick, a fire-breathing dragon, war, all shown in this brief video that you don't need to hold your pee in to get through.

Skate
What Made it Great:

The 3 dozen Tony Hawk games do a great job in worshiping the ground the Birdman walks on to a sickening degree that is almost hard to ignore. This game, however, gives some other talented skaters a chance in the limelight, and you can witness this in the awesome introductory video clip found at the beginning of skate which is arguably the best use of live action ever in a video game... meaning, it doesn't actually suck. The intro has a decidedly "Jackass" feel to it, which makes it all the better in terms of introducing all the skaters in a goofy, comedic way. The skaters are such oddballs to begin with that they work perfectly well acting in a clip like this one, and the clip overall succeeds in making the gamer excited to play the game, whether or not it has a whole lot to do with it. Bonus points for the Slayer song towards the end of the video.

Katamari Damacy
What Made it Great:

Nothing completely sums up Japanese zany weirdness quite like Katamari Damacy, and from the moment you view the introduction you have a good idea of what's in store. The King of All Cosmos and his insane creations are abound throughout the clip in all their colorful glory. If a game developer can somehow mix cows, four-leaf clovers, panda bears, acoustic guitars and rainbows together in their intro and make it work, then they've already succeeded on so many levels.

Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
What Made it Great:

Midway really outdid themselves with this explosive intro movie to the latest Mortal Kombat game where every single character in MK history engages in one colossal bloodbath. The special appearance by zombie Lui Kang is also pretty damn cool.

Final Fantasy VII
What Made it Great:

Final Fantasy VII brought RPGs into the mainstream, no one could argue that, and at the time there was nothing to rival its cinematic qualities. Squaresoft was praised for its cutting-edge CG sequences, and also for way they allowed these cinematics to blend seamlessly into gameplay. In the intro, Aeris is seen walking through a dark alley before coming upon the streets of Midgar, and the level of detail really stands out as the camera pans away. A train pulls in which eventually becomes part of the static pre-rendered background, and Cloud exits the train. After viewing such an awesome intro sequence, itd be hard for any gamer not to be excited about exploring the intricacies of the futuristic cityscape.

Ninja Gaiden
What Made it Great:

"Ryu, be always brave..." This line pretty much sums up the attempt at dramatizing the Ninja Gaiden story, but for its time, there were hardly any games out there that made any sort of attempt at an intro movie. The classic MIDI theme, the up-close view of Ryu's eyes and his father's words of wisdom all make this intro a truly epic gaming moment and hold a certain nostalgic value. Ninja Gaiden's intro cinematic will still be remembered years from now, for nostalgic value if nothing else.

Mario Strikers Charged
What Made it Great:

Mario Strikers Charged is easily one of the most enjoyable games on the Wii, with its crazy cast of Mario Bros. mainstays duking it out on the soccer field with their varied array of power-ups and devastating mega strikes. The intro does a great job of encompassing the madness to be had in Strikers, depicting the cast pulling off their special moves and showing off some frantic soccer action. The great thing about this intro is that isn't just some fancy cinematic that disguises a mediocre game; the exhilaration you get from watching the intro is the same you'll experience in game. Way to go Next Level Games.

Final Fantasy VIII
What Made it Great:

Following up one of the most epic RPG experiences of all time is no easy feat, but Squaresoft succeeded many times over with Final Fantasy VIII. The intro is by far one of the best CG sequences of its time, and in a way has a more movie-like feel to it than VII did. Taking cues from its predecessors effortless blending of CG into action, FFVIII actually allowed you to move during certain cutscenes, which was a huge deal at the time. The intro teases the gamer with hints about the main characters, and it was impressive to see Square making the bold move towards more realistic-looking character models.

Road Rash (PC)
What Made it Great:

The introductory sequence to the PC version of Road Rash has to be one of the funniest instances of early 90's cheesy live-action video game intros. While Resident Evil takes the cake for its laugh-out-loud B-movie performance (though also a great intro), the Road Rash intro cinema is deserving of a spot on our list with its over the top wheelies, trophy celebrations with babes, and cop outrunning. I just wish that Brendan Fraser as the Encino Man would show up at some point and rock out to Soundgarden.

Onimusha 3: Demon Siege
What Made it Great:

This is, without a doubt, one of the most mind-blowing cinematics in the Onimusha series. In it, Samanosuke takes sharpened steel to several hordes of demonic warriors, hacking his way to a showdown with the monstrosity known as Gargant. If this opening movie doesn't send chills down your spine, nothing in this list will.

Lunar: The Silver Star Story Complete
What Made it Great:

A timeless JRPG, Lunar survived through multiple platforms and its crowning moment was when it was finally released on the PlayStation. The beautiful box set and accompanying trinkets and maps all helped to make Lunar one of the most memorable gaming experiences of the PlayStation era. The intro movie consists of a beautiful montage of the main characters and locales found throughout the game, and the gorgeous main theme is instantly recognizable. As much as we love violent, gritty video games, you have to hand it to the guys at Working Designs to create such a happy little game. There is no way you can watch the following intro movie and not instantly have a better day.

Dead or Alive Xtreme
What Made it Great:

Aside from the agonizingly bad song playing during the video, this steamy intro from the first Dead or Alive Xtreme game is one of the most stimulating opening cinematics we've ever seen in a video game. Sure, it's softcore porn with computer generated women in place of real girls, but who cares? Skinny dipping, suggestive strawberry eating, and Basic Instinct-esque leg uncrossing, all in less than 3 minutes, how could we not include this in our list of great game intros?

Killzone
What Made it Great:

Say what you want about this relatively underwhelming first-person shooter, but however low of an opinion you have of Killzone, you have to admit that its opening cinematic is nothing short of astonishing. In this clip, Scolar Visari (voiced by Brian Cox of X-Men 2, Troy, etc.) gets his Howard Dean on and delivers one hell of a rousing speech that makes even us want to join the Helghast. Too bad the rest of the game is nowhere as exciting.

Resident Evil
What Made it Great:

It's hard to believe that it's been over 10 years since the original Resident Evil was released, and while the general idea of slaughtering horde after horde of the undead (or undead-like beasts) has remained throughout the years, one thing that was immediately abandoned after the first RE game are the live action cinematics. The following clip is the uncensored version of the opening to Resident Evil where S.T.A.R.S. members are being hunted down by a zombie canine. Even though there are boatloads games that have used live action cinematics in the past (C&C, Wing Commander, Omega Boost, etc.), the campy horror feel of this intro, the over the top character bios, and the first time we all heard the raspy voiced announcer say "Resident Evil," all contribute to the fact that this is hands down one of the our favorite video game intros of all time.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
What Made it Great:

It could be argued that this sequence from the Nintendo 64's first Zelda game is technically not an "intro" because it's the video that rolls during the start screen, but we consider it one. While the minute and a half long intro isn't loaded with a whole lot of action other than some horse riding through Hyrule, it's unforgettable for many gamers because it provided the first look at a 3D Link.