#8: He Has Come To (Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain) – Released: 2015
One of the wildest introductions in gaming history, MGS5: The Phantom Pain can’t really top its bombastic, mind-bending opening. Waking up as the legendary soldier Big Boss, a black ops team immediately invades your secret hospital location, killing literally everyone they can find. You’ll hide under dead bodies, and use crowds of terrified patients for cover all while your butt hangs freely from the back of your hospital gown.
If only you had soldiers to worry about. Big Boss is also hunted by two paranormal threats — The Man on Fire, and a boy with incredible psychic powers. The hulking, implacable Man on Fire burns everything in his way, while the psychic child creepily summons fire-constructs from the sky. If you’ve never seen a fire-whale, you will see one in MGS5.
#9: Demonic Invasion In Progress (DOOM) – Released: 2016
The self-assured, pitch-perfect opening to DOOM is legendary for its simplicity. The moment your Doom Slayer protagonist wakes up, you don’t get any boring exposition or long cutscenes — you get a single video screen alerting you that a DEMONIC INVASION IS IN PROGRESS. The Doom Guy doesn’t need to know anything else. Grab your gun and start glory-killing undead freaks immediately.
The intro isn’t just perfect for those first few seconds of absolutely ridiculous nonsense. As you leave the Mars facility, you’ll get contacted by a smug mission-giver voice — instead of doing what he says, Doom Guy smashes the screen, reloads his shotgun, and prepares for battle. The music and imagery work in perfect tandem here. You’ll just have to watch to see what I mean. It isn’t just an awesome intro, it’s a work of meticulous art.
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