30 Day Video Game Challenge Thing.

[Cube]

Day 2 - Opening Section of a game.

Prey, the 2017 game. The very opening is very cool (but I won't go into why), then when you get onto the station you're put into a complete mystery. You don't quite know what has happened, nobody is around and there are mimics everywhere disguising themselves as completely random objects. I loved being surprised by these, I loved noticing them early when I could, I loved hitting a random object only to be wrong.

You also see the Metroidvania aspects - places you know you will be able to explore later on, some places you can creatively get to earlier. It created an amazing tone and atmosphere.

 

 

[Goafer]

Opening Section of a Game

The Last of Us. Dang, right in the feels. Sets the tone for the whole game and the voice acting for Joel's daughter is spot on and utterly devastating.

[Will]

Opening Section of a Game

I wasn’t too sure what to go with on this one but after some thought (and dropping a few ideas to keep for later days) I’m going to go with Shenmue:

The way it introduced you to the world, characters and the motivation behind everything that happens was great. Totally loved it. That day the snow turned to rain...

[drahkon]

Opening Section of a Game Genre

I'm gonna go rogue here (heh) and choose an entire genre of games: Rogue-lites(-likes)

Every game in this particular branch starts with you being quite weak. You feel a little helpless as enemies take a few hits to defeat but usually (depending on the game) you pick up one or two items early giving you a stat-boost or some special ability. You start to realize that there's a lot of potential here. And there lies the beauty of rogue-lites(-likes): The possibilities to grow stronger isn't apparent to you at first, because you don't know what's in store for you (especially during your first few runs) but once you start to build some synergies or just flat out become stronger...the game opens up.

[Goafer]

1 hour ago, will' said:

Opening Section of a Game

I wasn’t too sure what to go with on this one but after some thought (and dropping a few ideas to keep for later days) I’m going to go with Shenmue:

The way it introduced you to the world, characters and the motivation behind everything that happens was great. Totally loved it. That day the snow turned to rain...

This was almost mine too. It'll almost certainly come up for me in a later category.

[martinist]

Opening section of a game

Dead Space 2 you know where everything is normal and all of a sudden guy gets jacked from behind and turns into an alien zombie thing.

 

[Dufniall]

Opening section of a game: Fallout 3

 

The game literally starts with you being born, which you see from an FPS view. In the first bits you experience life inside the Vault during various ages. But then you get to step out of the Vault and see this desolate world before you, and you realize just how big of an adventure this is going to be.

Edited July 2, 2020 by Vileplume2000

[RedShell]

I’m going to go with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for opening section.

Was completely blown away by the atmosphere when I first played it, the rain/lightning, the music, sneaking into the castle... soooo good.  That entire segment (up to the Sanctuary) is an absolute master class in how to commence a game.  

[Ronnie]

As a side note, I love that feeling of excitement when you start an ambitious new game and you're learning all the systems, digging through menus etc. Running around like an expert after hour 20 or 50 is fun too but nothing beats that early wide-eyed excitement as you start a (good) new action/adventure/openworld game. Love that feeling.

Opening Section of a game

I'm sorry to shamelessly rip off your pick @RedShell but I'll have to go with A Link to the Past too, it's often mentioned as being one of the best openings to a game ever and it's easy to see why for all the reasons you mention. I'll add that spending the opening moments of the game in darkness/rain/the castle and then emerging out into the sunny overworld with the music blaring was great (Mario Odyssey did this too with New Donk City). 

[BowserBasher]

Looks like we got three in a row here. 
 

opening section to a game

Link to the past was my first foray into Zelda games on the home console. And that opening really sealed it for me as a game I loved. I was never a fan of these types of games. The seemed to o-en and vast for me. But that all changed when I played this. 

[Londragon]

Day 2 - Opening Section of a Game

 

Damn, beaten to the punch by two others (edit: damn three now, haha). It’s basically the opening to the game that showed me what games could be. All games before it, were mere distractions and fun times. This game came along and forced you to pay attention, and the opening exudes storytelling through its sense of place, the music, the rain, the death,

 

It is of course A Link to the Past.

 

[S.C.G]

Day 2 - Opening Section of a Game.

 

Metroid Prime

If you've played it, then you'll know why, the above video seems to outline everything about it pretty well, but if you've not played it, it's something which should be experienced.

I can still remember playing the opening section on a GameCube set up in a retail store, which led to me purchasing the game straight after.

The rest is history, as I've loved the Metroid series ever since.

[Will]

I very almost went for Metroid Prime too, absolutely loved that opening section.

[Dufniall]

1 hour ago, will' said:

I very almost went for Metroid Prime too, absolutely loved that opening section.

+1!

[bob]

Best Opening

 

I realise this probably means first level, but i'm going for the opening cinematic of Borderlands 2 (starting at 3:08). Just sums up the violence, humour and chaos of the game perfectly - with some bitchin' music too.

 

 

[Julius]

Some excellent picks on here. 

@Goafer, The Last of Us immediately came to mind for me too when I saw that openings were today's focus, and I totally agree with you, the first 10 or 15 minutes of that game nail the tone and the world that you'll see for the remainder of the game: it is now harsh and brutal, and completely innocent people will surely be caught up in it. Loved it. I actually played through that opening three times prior to starting and completing the game in May for the first time - goosebumps every single time. 

@will', Shenmue was the second thing that came to mind for me. I only played it a couple of years ago with the remasters, but that opening scene set the stage for the first and second games perfectly, and had me blasting through both in 10 days. It's an opening which still serves as a great hook over 20 years later. The mystery and ruthlessness of Lan Di is awesome. 

@S.C.G as someone who cannot wait to play the Prime games when they eventually make it to Switch (c'mon Nintendo...) as it is, the long wait is certainly made more difficult from what you've said about its opening!

Day 2: Opening Section of a Game

It didn't immediately come to mind as I've played so many great games over the last few months, but after giving it a little bit of thought, Final Fantasy VII Remake is absolutely my pick for the best opening section. 

The world laid out in the opening movie is one that has clearly come a long way and hints at the world's history and the game's main themes, but the oppressive chants of One Winged Angel bring a mystique and underlying tension to the table not present at the start of the original game in my opinion, most notably in the alleyway. Then there's the camera's famous swing out to show Midgar, this electricity in the air, before the title is blared across the screen to much musical fanfare. And Cloud's hair rustling in the wind before flipping onto the platform with Bombing Mission in tow. 

It successes in adding nuance to and fleshing out the original opening in a number of ways, but the tweaks here made it clear that Square Enix were really going for it, and not afraid to change the tone of this long anticipated remake where necessary. I've watched it at least ten times now, and even months after having completed the game, I still get goosebumps every single time.

This is then followed by the Bombing Mission itself, I would say one of the best paced and, even in the original, most action- and battle-heavy openings to a JRPG. By the end you know what you need to know for the first 10 hours of the original's - and the entirety of this remake's - story, the main figures on both sides have been set up, and the world has too. For a genre known for slow burns, it's little wonder that this game's opening served as such a great hook and is looked back on so fondly by so many. 

Edited July 2, 2020 by Julius

[Sméagol]

Opening section of a game

First thing that came to mind.. Was Zelda OoT, and Metroid Prime mentioned above is also a good one Edit: as is Fallout 3. I can probably think of more if I didn't have such a bad memory, however, I'm going with:

Soma

For story reasons.. I'm not sure if I should explain what happens in the opening section. I'll say this: Soma is a first person survival horror, but you won't get any of that in the opening section. It's more like a.. drama? But you have no idea why the game opens the way it does, until you piece together the story later. I absolutely loved the realization of what the opening section was in context.. It's part of why I consider Soma one of the best stories in gaming ever.

8 hours ago, drahkon said:

Opening Section of a Game Genre

I'm gonna go rogue here (heh) and choose an entire genre of games: Rogue-lites(-likes)

That's cheating.

Edited July 2, 2020 by Sméagol

[Glen-i]

Opening section of a game

Nothing sticks in my mind quite like the opening of Final Fantasy VI. I'd explain it, but I wouldn't be able to do it justice.

When I first played this game, I had already played the 5 Final Fantasy games that preceeded it. So I kinda got into the idea of what kind of tone to expect.

Boy, was I wrong!

Seeing the title of the game just appear with no music accompanying it immediately gave me the impression that something was different, and then that slowly building ominous organ sound until those sudden two notes. Spectacular!

And then, seeing an opening credit sequence with that amazing song (Terra's Theme) and that beautiful mode 7 scene really cemented that the sixth Final Fantasy was gonna be something quite different. It gives me goosebumps every time.

Edited July 3, 2020 by Glen-i

[Nicktendo]

Technically not an opening, so I apologise.

After what had already been an incredible opening section of a game, this took it one step further.

Spoiler

 

 

[Jonnas]

Man, in the end, I couldn't find time to post at all yesterday. This is an excellent thread, and I wish I could like every post I've seen. Please allow me to briefly catch up:

Day 1 - Earliest memory of a videogame: Either Tetris (on a cheap handheld bought in a fair) or Sonic the Hedgehog (at a cousin's house). Hard to say which came first, as both are very early memories. Other people also claim that I first played Super Mario Land 2, or Arkanoid, or something on the Game Gear, but I don't remember.

Day 2 - Best opening section: Metroid Prime is an excellent pick, but my choice has to go to...

Can you hear the music? The gorgeous, almost ethereal flute that accompanies this opening? If not, you haven't played this game (but you should).

After that otherworldly musical experience, you're treated to some lovely FMVs (that, imo, still hold up), a brief introduction to the battle system and our main character, a ne'er do well who intends to kidnap a princess... and then you get to explore a huge city with an entirely different character, small kid dressed like a wizard. It's a bustling city with minigames, quirky designs, items and secrets to find, brief tutorials, and a great look all around. You will soon take him to where he needs to be... and the perspective shifts once again. This time, you alternate between the kidnappers, and the knight who must protect the princess. You get to enact this entire comedy of errors by yourself, all while getting endeared to the characters, and learning more about the battle system. Finally, the hijinx reach their climax, and everybody I just mentioned goes blasting off into their next adventure...

Not only is this an excellent start to any adventure, a great introduction to the setting, a good tutorial, and a feast for your ears... But I'm also fond of it because I actually played through this section dozens of times. A friend of mine had FFIX back in the day, and I was enamoured, hooked by it, even though I was only experiencing bits of it. However, because it was a (badly) pirated copy, the game froze near the end. While we were waiting for someone to burn Disc 4 again, but still hungry for more, I asked him if I could play from the beginning myself, and he said "Sure, but no saving". The end result is that I played through that opening section several times, every time I visited his house. And every time, I felt like I was finding something new about it. It's that rich in detail, and that engrossing (Also, we'd occasionally give them funny names, like swear words, or naming them "Bush" and "Putin". Very childish, but very neat)

And honestly, only a sliver of what the full game has to offer, so make sure to play it sometime

(EDIT: Oh, and the philosophical quotes that appear if you leave the title screen running? Absolutely sublime!)

Edited July 2, 2020 by Jonnas

[Will]

5 hours ago, Nicktendo said:

Technically not an opening, so I apologise.

After what had already been an incredible opening section of a game, this took it one step further.

  How I saw it at 13 (Hide contents)

 

 

I think it counts, I almost went for specifically this too, considering it to be the ending of the opening phase that sets you out on your main adventure. The big hit of that music is still one of my all time favorite gaming moments.

[WackerJr]

Great thread!

Best Opening

The first games that sprung to mind were, as previously mentioned, The Last Of Us, and one that will mentioned much in this thread, Goldeneye on the N64.
 

The freedom you initially had, and then finding and using the Sniper Rifle within the first two minutes.  The game felt new, felt special, felt like something I’d never played before.  It absolutely hooked me in within mere seconds!

[Cube]

Day 3 - Local Multiplayer

My favourite local multiplayer is Perfect Dark. It took what GoldenEye started and improved on it massively: lots of maps, creative weapons, a massive amount of customisable options and options for bots.

On top of that, there were lots of challenge scenarios, co-op and counter-op mode (one person plays as a random guard, when they die they change into another guard)

 

[RedShell]

Local multiplayer for me is undoubtedly Wii Sports.

What it managed to achieve in that area is nothing short of miraculous! Literally anyone could play it. A local multiplayer video game revolution.  

[drahkon]

Local Multiplayer

Easy: Super Smash Bros. Melee

The amount of time two of my best mates and I spent with this game in our youth...