It would seem that concocting an introduction to a video game is no easy task: You have to grab the viewer's attention immediately or else they won't give you the time of day. Indeed, with the lack of restriction that modern consoles offer in processing power, many games have bowled people over with a ferocious rush of an intro - and suck enough people in only to realise that less effort went into the game design itself.
Not for me though: The best intros for me came from the 16-bit era: 1990-1995. You know, a time when games knew they were games as opposed to movies. A time when developers embraced their limitations and acted smart in order to get their point across. You may bitch about me being old but for me, intros of the 16-bit era offered more atmosphere, more grabbing of the attention and more establishment of drama than many of their more recent contemporaries.
So for today, I present my list of the 10 best intros of the 16-bit era. These may be old games but they are memorable for a reason: They all worked in some way that they managed to grab my attention and urged me to take up the game controller in hand.
So here we go:
10 - Shining Force 2 (Megadrive)
And the list commences with a burglary that goes horribly wrong.
The key purpose of an introductory sequence in any game is to set up a setting and introduce both important characters and key elements. And Shining Force 2 pulls this off with flair: some key characters are established (not least of which Slade), drama and a sense of quest are both set up and a general mood of spookiness is maintained throughout - in the form of the lightening flashes, the weird music and the eventual appearance of the demonic figure. Indeed, the strongest element at work here is the suspense and the gradual sense of approaching calamity.
In this list, this introduction is the longest - and could very well be the longest introduction ever of the 16-bit era. It may seem nothing special to someone from the current area where ultra-long introductory sequences are commonplace but less has been said in eight minutes. In Shining Force 2, we see something so simple that eventually triggers a massive adventure. Every quest has to start somewhere.....
9 - Darkstalkers (Arcade)
Erm..... Morrigan.....
Seriously though, Attract Modes are integral to Arcade games: You need a decent intro to make yourself stand out from the other arcades alongside and make sure it is the gamer's money going into you - not the others. So what does Darkstalkers do? Offer up a topless chick. Well, as they say, sex does indeed sell: One can only how many people would've been sold over seeing Morrigan's curves.
Other than that, there are some nuggets of interest that maintain attention throughout the intro: I like the title appearing over the thunder effects, the panning shot of the genuine freak-show of fighters, the title's eventual appearance with the descending text, the movements of Morrigan's gaze and, of course, the silhouetted Dimitri.
So in the end, this intro won me over with some rather subtle use of imagery. And Morrigan.
8 - Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (TurboGraphix)
The Castlevania games have a reputation for building a degree of spookiness onto the player - you are, after all, traversing through a haunted castle so anything less simply would not have done at all. And the intro to Rondo of Blood establishes this spookiness right from the word go: We see a bunch of knights sacrificing a maiden which subsequently resurrects Dracula. I downloaded Rondo of Blood for the Virtual Console and I was surprised to see such a macabre intro - I never knew one such existed in the 16-bit era.
Indeed, a sense of unease is established with the toiling bell and the narration making it clear that people are rejecting peace and prosperity in favor of chaos - even to a point of going to an effort to end the peaceful age.
Of course, as made clear in the translated video above, the translation is peculiar and the German narration sounds ridiculous in it's sternness. But in the terms of spookiness, unease, drama and general macabre, you can't go past this.
7 - Chaos Engine (Amiga)
Sometimes, simplicity works best. Through text and minimal imagery, this intro introduces the characters who make up the game: Thus we meet a monster and learn just how big a threat it poses. We also meet six gun-totting mercenaries, all geared up to take on the titular baddie. And...that's pretty much it.
The reason why this intro works is that it establishes the six selectable with a portrait and passage of text. And within the confines of these two elements, the mercenaries certainly show plenty of character - we may not be presented with much more in the way of information about these dudes but what there is, is indeed enough. Perhaps maybe modern game developers should take note? Indeed, I for one would like to see how these six mercenaries would last in a current-generation game where fully-realised scripts and voice acting are the norm....
So yes, I like this intro for the way it introduces it's cast - the accompanying music, provided by the late great Richard Joseph, is a treat too.
6 - Jungle Strike (Megadrive)
Intros need to establish a sense of drama in order to grab the player's attention and to provide them with a sense of purpose for the action ahead. And this is shining example of that principle.
Two dudes blow up an island in the Pacific and immediately afterwards state their intent for revenge on the US: one for his father's death and the other for interference on their drug trading. Thus we meet the bad guys and learn their motivations - who are, of course, pissed off enough to use nuclear weapons upon Uncle Sam. Further drama is established through then cutting to a news broadcast and finally settling on the player character swinging into action. Thus, we see a chain of events which explains everything - all held together with some great music which furthers the sense of urgency. I however like the imagery which are made to resemble that of a comic book. I also like the laid-back attitude of the player character responding to things as they unfold before him.
See? This is how it's done: In a few short minutes we meet the bad guys, we see what they are capable of, we see what has inspired them to do what they are doing, we see the effects and then we meet the player character and see just what type of character he is. No in medias res, no unnecessary padding, no complexity and nothing coming all out at once. See? Simplicity works for a reason!
5 - Alien vs Predator (Arcade)
Again, an arcade game providing an attract sequence that demands attention - and again, provided by Capcom no less. Immediately, the first thing that grabs attention is the music: A theme that suggests the mood of the game without a single image: Impending doom, invasion from an unstoppable foe and unexpected help from what could be the lesser of two evils. Indeed, I remember being a kid and hanging around the cabinet just for the music itself.
The images also work great: I like the changes of perspective going from lunar orbit, to a computer screen before ending to a battlefield. I also like seeing the hordes of Aliens, the sense that the two marines are the only opposition left standing and the sudden arrival of the Predators.
Indeed, what makes this intro work is the drama of encountering an unstoppable foe who outnumbers you a hundred times over and, generally, being part of a battlefield where the main combatants are two intruders to your planet leaving you, the human cyborgs, caught in the middle. In fact the use of the sentence 'A Living Hell' on it's own, says a lot.
And the fact that I was willing to use so much coinage on this game in my teen years suggests the mission of the attract mode, a well and truly successful one.
4 - Super Metroid (SNES)
Whilst the pre-game set up of Super Metroid with Samus' narration is an impressive sequence by itself, the part I will forever remember is the title screen. In such a short space of time, we see three corpses - one clearly being a child - and the Metroid linked up to a machine, being the only light source in an otherwise darkened room. As a result, a sense of drama is established in the most subtle of ways: we the audience are left wondering who are (or were) these people? What happened to them? What is the Metroid doing there? Throw in some extremely creepy music and we have a degree of interest triggered within the player and just what awaits them ahead. Its a triumph of subtlety - and the best bit of all is the pay off: In the first location, Samus encounters the machine but this time, the Metroid is missing.
Super Metroid may be best remembered as a game of subtle moments and a sense of unease - but the most memorable moment of all is when all of these are established masterfully at the very beginning. No wonder many modern game developers keep looking to Super Metroid for inspiration.
3 - Final Fantasy 6 (SNES)
The first five Final Fantasy games (hurrah for alliteration!) had a deceptive undercurrent: It all looked bright and cheerful ate first glance but underneath there lurked some sinister elements: Somber musical pieces, as many sad endings as happy endings and permanent deaths of party characters. Thus, the sixth Final Fantasy immediately announces it's intentions from the start: Through a dramatic organ and a drab colour palette, it becomes clear that the seriousness has come to the front and the colourful back-drops of the past have been placed aside. It is interesting how such a change in mood can be pulled off so well - indeed, one can only wonder the sense of surprise on one who'd been weened on FF4. Indeed, seeing as FF is a game series that provides variations on a theme, when they do something completely different it is worth sitting up and taking notice.
And that's not the only FF convention turned on it's head: In the expository text that follows, we see magic, one of the FF hallmarks, has been discarded and technology has taken it's place. Further drama is established with certain people wanting recover the forgotten art of magic and the potential threat of repeating a previous calamity. No doubt about it, FF6 certainly adds a lot of conflict right off the bat.
However, the most memorable aspect is the credits sequence, where we see a trio of mechs advancing through the snow, accompanied by a haunting rendition of Terra's theme. This is indeed, one of most memorable images of the 16-bit era and, I for one, certainly had it burned into my mind the first time I saw it. I guess it must be one of those videos where everything clicks together to produce a solid whole - I can't really describe why it's so memorable: I guess it's one of those perfect moments that everyone has to see it for themselves.
All in all, the march sequence is truly a shining example of how music and imagery can join forces to produce something that could only be described as unforgettable.
2 - Terranigma (SNES)
Whilst the US got Chrono Trigger, the UK, Europe and Australia had to settle for Terranigma. A forgotten gem yes but what an introductory sequence! In terms of presentation, this one leaps ahead of the rest. It utilizes some stunning graphics and a great choice of music, ranging from the heartbeat at the beginning to the restrained music throughout. Everything is handled in a subtle manner (an alien concept to many JRPGs) and the effort gone into it shows. The text is also compelling describing a planet from birth and the trials and tribulations of the people on it, accompanied by the brilliant use of time passing on a pocket watch. Also of particular interest is the use of Biblical motifs - which of course leads to my favourite moment: The watch ticks to twelve o'clock, the hands fall off and a numbers shift to make way for a Thirteenth hour.
Some say JRPG's are all bombast and lack subtlety but then they decide to do things differently, it succeeds with flying colours.
Terranigma may be disregarded as some to be a poor cousin to Chrono Trigger - but it sure has a lot going for it with it's use of history, it's glorious music and it's ideas. All of these are brought together to bring the finest introduction ever on the SNES.
And my favourite intro of the 16-bit era is....
1 - Moonstone (Amiga)
So what makes a memorable intro? Awesome visuals? Unforgettable music? The establishment of what must be done in the game itself? The setting being built up? Or the creation of unease towards the viewer? How about a combination of all of them?
Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner: May I introduce Moonstone. A game from the Commodore Amiga that never went any further. Maybe it was the blood and gore that predated the sensation caused by Mortal Kombat. Maybe it was made in a place that wasn't the US or Japan. Or maybe the game wasn't that remarkable. Whatever: The intro itself was enough to make the game. Indeed, I remember being twelve years old and thinking this was actually quite a freaky intro - In fact at the time, I never thought it possible that someone was actually doing this type of thing. Moonstone is a game that has a sense of dread lurking throughout and this intro encapsulates it perfectly. Throw in a perfect mix of graphics, unsettling music (again provided by Richard Joseph)and impending doom and you've got a winner.
So many memorable moments, I don't know where to start: the music that comes creeping in, the pan down from the moon to the forest floor, the sudden clash of multiple drums, the druid's chanting, the knight's hand moving with nervousness and the concluding piece of text where the target in spelled in a single, capitalized word. It's amazing to think the developers accomplished so much with such, by today's standards, limited hardware. I don't know how many times I've seen this intro but it still works everytime.
I recall the first time I played Moonstone: I was blown away by the intro but never got any further due to my A1200 frowning upon A500 technology. It was only many years later that I managed to play the game but, with high expectations brought by the intro, I came away disappointed. Still, at least there's always the above video.....
So that's my list of best 16-bit intros - artifacts from an era where people know what they wanted to get across and did it using the tools at their disposal.
So what I do think of modern game intros? Not much I'm afraid: If the serial Unskippable is anything to go by, they just keep growing increasingly ridiculous: It's all about the spectacle, where generating gamer interest is through flashy graphics and creating confusion - interest that ultimately leads to mockery.
Some people got it right the first time - now it's a matter of time before we suddenly remember how it's done properly.
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