10 Best Intros of the 5th Generation

And here we are with this blog’s 600th post! Woot!
Well I did promise I’ll do a better job with my 600th post than I did with my 500th post so what do I have in store for today? Well I decided I’d do a follow up on one of my favorite posts in this blog. Remember the best intros of the fourth generation post I did? Well today we’ll be doing the best intros of the fifth generation!

To do a post like this presents a challenge and a half: My previous post lauded intros from the fourth generation largely through their ability establish mood, drama and intent largely through the limitations of the day – and having a particular attachment to that generation helped too. Not so with the fifth generation – with the increase of technology, more restrictions were broken down and the palette the game designers could work from grew bigger. But the removal of restrictions doesn’t always mean an increase in creativity. As such, I often find myself having little to no attachment to the games of fifth generation like I have to the games both before and once.

Nevertheless, a challenge has been set and it’s one worthy to rise up to. So here are my eleven best intros of the fifth generation.


11. Independence War (PC)

Let’s start this list with a game I’ve never actually played – hence it’s lowly positon on this list. It does seem unfair true but somehow I could not go past this intro.
And could I not? It may run for fifteen minutes making it easily the longest on this list but somehow it never feels like a chore to get through. Instead, a lot is established about the game and the universe it is set in. We see multiple planets. We see a conflict being set up. We see a background and history brought forth. We see political intrigue and the desperation with fighting a war. Indeed, I’ll go so far to say that this video does the whole establishing of its own universe so well that it puts a lot of modern games to shame.
Also pleasing is the look of this universe: It has a gritty look to it and some great lighting effects that really go a long way in establishing the mood of the game. This isn’t some gung-ho idealist space opera, this is a war being fought. Its more Babylon 5 than Star Trek and is all the better for it.
Actually, now that I watch this intro, maybe this game should be worth a look…


10. Lunar: Eternal Blue (Sega CD)

Okay so I’m cheating again here seeing as this game was originally released for the Sega CD but it was also released for the PS1 so it still counts!
Anywho, what I particularly like about this intro is the art direction: I ‘m impressed by the anime-esque character designs and the horrific image of a planet being bloodily destroyed by some demonic hands. But what really makes the intro for me is the place that Lucia is wandering through: We see wall carvings describing a story that is appears to be a mixture of both history and mythology. We see wars being fought, demonic beasts wracking destruction and instances of deities providing salvation.
Whilst I’m typing this from a relative newcomer (I’ve played both Silver Star and Eternal Blue but not long enough to complete them or form an idea about the game’s mythology), it is still impressive to see this ruined fortress and how it’s been abandoned by time. Also impressive is how it’s building on what appears to be clearly the game’s own mythology. Again, I haven’t the game enough but seeing this makes me feel inspired to play the game further and find out just what this mythology is. And that’s what a game’s meant to do right? Convince you to play the game it’s attached to? In this case it is a mission well and truly accomplished.

9. Metal Gear Solid (PlayStation)

If we could, for a moment, consider the landscape of gaming in a post-Sega CD world: Full Motion Video games have turned out to be a complete joke with pretentions to offering an experience akin to a movie – but instead presenting appalling acting and little to offer the ‘game’ side of things. CD storage suddenly looks significantly less appealing and the ‘movie experience’ looks best suited to staying with the movies.
That being said, Metal Gear Solid comes across as being a revelation. Finally, we have a game that actually has the look of a genuine movie (as opposed to something shot in someone’s backyard). The voice acting is superb. There are credits for both cast and staff members. And, most importantly, it still requires player participation – a balance that sounds absurd but works like a charm.
Unfortunately, with hindsight, it is sad that future Metal Gear Solid games continued going down the movie path with extended cutscenes that required little to no involvement from the player. But for one glorious moment, it all came together for the first Metal Gear Solid game.

8. Starcraft 2: Brood War (PC)

Whilst I may have shown some contempt for fifth generation graphics, I am somewhat lenient towards the PC crowd. Maybe it’s because I was using one at the time. Or maybe some of the graphics in that area hold up the best. Or maybe PC games have an ‘ageless’ quality to them largely due to the presence of the modding crowd.
But no matter: Let’s talk about this intro. Whilst I found the intro to the original Starcraft dull, this however is more compelling. It begins with the Terran marines fighting a losing battle through the Zerg and then goes onto to introduce two characters who become of key importance in the campaign ahead as well as their intent. So much of this works so well: The rain, the thunder and the mood of hopelessness that radiates throughout the intro. Also of particular note is the music that starts off with some rockin’ guitars, which had already been established as being tied to the Terran campaign in the original game, and then evolving into something operatic, as befit the UED campaign in Brood War. For any newcomer, seeing this intro makes one eager to have a shot at this campaign and find out who Alexei and Gerard are and just what they intend to do. Which is what any good intro should do.


7. Shining Force 3: scenario 1 (Saturn)

Again I’m cheating because this is another game I’ve never played. Yes I’ve played Shining Force 1 and 2 but not 3 – this is instead another game I am relying upon purely on the intro (as well as game footage on YouTube). But what an intro! This is packed to the gills with some great imagery, with the most significant being at the end where two swordsmen face off against each other in a fire-ravaged city as a giant mech approaches. The music is fantastic, certain characters are introduced and a lot is packed into this video to convey that things do indeed happen in the game attached to it. And with the presence of elves, centaurs, winged demons, magic spells, statues that come alive and steampunk this certainly ticks all the boxes for any fantasy aficionado.
Whilst I could’ve done without the inclusion of the sound effects, this is intro, like any intro, is designed to grab the player and to that end it succeeds with flying colors. Could it be enough to hunt down a Saturn, all three installments of Shining Force 3 and learning Japanese to understand all the dialogue? Some people have so one could say that this intro may have done plenty enough.

6. Tekken 2 (PlayStation)

I recall seeing this back in the day and the first thing that sprung to mind was; “I gotta get this game”.
I could end the story right there and then as it would sound very familiar and such a reaction is the exact thing an intro is made to do. The thing is, however, I wasn’t really impressed with the original Tekken (both in the arcade and the PS1 version), but seeing this intro was a key step in convincing me that the PlayStation may be worth a damn.
So what makes this intro so special? Well, compared to it’s predecessor it looks great: The graphics look pretty good, they are devoid of the ‘blocks’ that plagued fifth generation gaming graphics (they look dumb then and still do today). The character designs are superb. And the lightening effects are also a stand out - which astonished me back in the day as I didn’t think that thing would’ve been possible. 
As for the intro itself, we’re introduced to the characters, both old faces and new, and we see enough to establish their character and their role in the game. It may not sound like much but this intro does it so well that I’ve seen similar intros done for other games but they come across a pale imitation. So whatever this intro does, it does it right. 
(and I’ll rather have this intro than the one with Heihachi’s screaming mug any day).

5. Nights Into Dreams (Saturn)

It may be a short intro but within the space of forty-three seconds, the game’s intentions are established with ease. Bright colorful graphics? Check. A mood that is both mischievous and heroic? Check. A setting both over-worldly and grandiose? Check. Visuals that support the claims made in the title? Check. Indeed, I recall seeing this intro in the mid-nineties and I was hooked. So much so, I waited for well over a decade before I downloaded the HD remake of the game on XBLA.
Okay seriously: I’m always impressed by how this intro establishes so much within such a short space of time. Some may say it’s the limitations of the Saturn hardware but I feel this is a holdover from the previous gaming generation where developers had limits as what they could do – and subsequently had to work hard and work smart to navigate around such limits. And this intro shows signs of the developers putting in the same kind of hard effort.
And the fact that this was on the Saturn, a console now notorious for having some failures of games and a mishandled PR campaign, makes such effort worth it’s weight in gold.

4. Ghost in the Shell (Playstation)

I’ve certainly talked up Sega a lot in this post – and even I can’t deny that the fifth generation was not a good time for Sega. So, for the sake of balance, let’s talk about PlayStation.
Let’s not beat around the bush: I love me some Ghost in the Shell. I thought the original movie was great, I found Stand Alone Complex superb so it was somewhat inevitable that I would eventually track down this lost treasure.
Whilst not the sequel that many people longed for it was however a follow up to the movie and, as this intro indicates, it was true to the spirit of both the movie and the original manga. Plus you get to blow shit up as a tachikoma long before Stand Alone Complex came about (clearly the game was ahead of its time).
Without a doubt, the most striking thing about this intro is the quality of animation. One thing I recall distinctly from the mid-nineties is that with the increase in storage space offered by the CD-ROM, many game developers attempted to incorporate animation into their game, in an attempt to replicate Disney or even Don Bluth. This however felt like a game that truly walked the walk. The animation is incredible, easily on par with the movie and certainly exciting to watch. Indeed, whilst I may find the blocky graphics of many PS1 games hard to take seriously this however is a delightful surprise.

3. Soul Edge (PlayStation)

Remember what I said about how every fighting game that has an intro introducing every character is a pale imitation of the one in Tekken 2? Well Soul Edge doesn’t do anything to change that opinion but it has enough clout to stand proudly on it’s own two feet.
So what we have here is one of the most rockin’ intros ever. So where do I start? The theme music kicks arse; the singer, Suzi Kim, sings with a conviction that is entertaining; each and every character gets plenty of screen time and they appear multiple times (which is more that can be said of similar intros to other fighting games). And it is absolutely glorious from start to finish.
Also of note is that this intro holds up really well years later. Yes I’ve been critical of the lasting power of fifth generation graphics but this is one intro I can watch again and again and still find entertaining. Whilst my own experience with the Soul series is with the Soulcalibur 1 and 2 – both of which have a graphical quality that still holds up today - it’s nice to know the progenitor of the series still has something of its own to say and it still works years later.

2. Final Fantasy VII (Playstation)
All right, I admit it: This intro is nothing short of impressive. Yes I’ve been critical of Final Fantasy 7, yes I think FF6 is better, yes I’m put off by the fandom this game inspired but at the end of the day, one can’t deny this is intro is incredible.
Years later, this is still jaw-dropping to watch. It must be the zoom out of Midgar. Or it could be the graphics which still look great seventeen years later.
And with hindsight, one can see how this game made many people excited and pretty much made a lot of people forget about the NES and SNES incarnations of Final Fantasy. And considering the strength of it, one can see how such a recognizable scene was used as tech demo (but the less said about that better).


And my favorite intro of the fifth generation is…

1. Planescape Torment (PC)

In coming up with this list I had something of specific criteria: The success of an intro depended on a combination of how well it established the game in-universe, how it made me interested in a game, how it worked with the technology of the day, and how many times it made me rewatch it on YouTube (as you might imagine that last one may have been the deciding factor.
Thus, the video you see above this passage of text is the intro I felt fulfilled all these criteria.
Within this video a lot is established about the game and its universe. We are introduced to both the Nameless One and Deionarra. We also see locations that later prove to be of importance –and, as players of this game would know, it pays to pay attention.  We see key themes within the game being raised with the image of the Torment insignia and the army of zombies with fingers raised in accusation.
However, what I find most interesting about this video is what is known with hindsight because (SPOILERS) as anyone who’s beaten the game would know, it is never actually revealed what the first incarnation did that inspired him to seek atonement through immortality. Thus this video is pretty much the only clues we get. We see a woman (who clearly doesn’t share Deionarra’s appearance), a guy drowning, battles being fought and a glimpse of the Nameless One as a human. What does it all mean? We’ll never know and that, in turn, is a tantalizing detail that adds to this video’s mystique.
This intro adds so much to the game. Even after I’ve beaten the game, I’m still finding things if interest in the intro and seeing how it connects with the rest of this game – which is more than many other games can claim. It’s a unique intro and here at Game Tumour we celebrate the unique. So it gets the gold star from me.

So that’s it for the 600^th post! Thank you for taking the time reading it and here’s to the next 100 posts!