Game intros

Not as much of a history lesson as a tribute to these.

By video game intro, I don't mean once you actually started a new game. Well, in some cases it may apply, like most Final Fantasy games. But in certain cases, it's when you don't touch anything at the title screen, you often get something extra. In certain games, it's the same intro as if you started a new game (like Final Fantasy X). In other cases, it's something completely different and often complimentary to the story.

The first game that used this out of memory would be the very first The Legend of Zelda on the NES. Waiting on the title screen not only let you hear the entire Zelda theme song, but also has a short version of the story up to now, and an extensive list of monsters and items you'll meet. It's not something amazing I suppose, but it's better than simply seeing the first few seconds of Super Mario Bros.' first level.

Zelda games got alot better starting with the SNES, where they added some cutscenes and text to explain the backstory in a better way. Many games used similar intros afterwards, including one of my all time favorites Lufia II : Rise of the Sinistrals.

With the PSX's increased memory storage and ability to play full motion videos, game intros got another push up. Final Fantasy VII had a cinemation introduction when the game is started, which has since then been remade into the PS3 demo that has fueled so many rumors of a full remake.

So what am I building to by saying all this? My personal favorites, the ones that I feel compelled to watch at least once before loading my game, every single time I turn the console on.

The first up is Wild ARMs. The first game had a very catchy song along with the animated sequences. I was pleased to hear it again for its PS2 remake, yet I'm not sure the animation was as good. Different style I guess.


Next up is its successory, Wild ARMs 2nd Ignition, which I didn't play to the very end, but I still loved the introduction, enough to find the japanese song. The US had cut out the lyrics from the music sadly. Even without the lyrics though it was a very pretty song and animation.


And since I'm on a roll, let's put up Wild ARMs 3, which had something even more interesting. As you played through the game, the opening animation actually changed! It changed to reflect certains events that either are about to happen or have happened already. It was an interesting touch that made you want to watch it every time to see what may have changed. To add to this, they also made this animation appear AFTER you start a new game or load a previous save, but you can skip it with Start button. Here's the first version of it, if not mistaken :


Next up is Suikoden. Now all of the games in this series alone could have gotten every mention here, but I saved it for one in particular. While it was not seen as the best nor the most popular one, Suikoden III had it's share of good points, and the anime intro and song is one of those. Its one of those intros I never skipped even ONCE when playing this game, it was that pretty.



And lastly, the very newest entry, that gave me the idea of this subject today : Star Ocean First Departure on the PSP. The song is catchy and the animation is great looking. I'm currently playing this game too!


This is all for today, cya around!