I LIKE MAKING LISTS
It's been a pretty worthless summer and I like making lists. So, in honour of an uneventful, lazy summer week:
CEPHIED VARIABLE'S TOP FIFTEEN VIDEO GAME OPENINGS
PASS IT ON!
Disclaimer: This list may make it appear that I have not touched an RPG since 1999
Edited: Because I thought of two more I liked.
15. Zone of the Enders
Whatever, this game is awesome.
14. Persona 4
This is, like, the hippest opening ever. I've watched it about eight thousand times since I started the game.
13. Tales of Destiny
Symphonia and Abyss are great and all, but Tales of Destiny will always be my favourite in this series with its talking swords and its ditzy badasses and its end of the world and its constantly changing villain and its GORGEOUS FUCKING 2D SPRITES. This is also the only Tales opening besides Abyss that I like better with the Jpop song layered over it. I almost gave this spot to Symphonia's english intro, but the montage at the end of this one with all the characters and swords sells it for me. Also, y'know, nostalgia factor.
12. Tekken 2
Heihachi climbing up that freaking mountain barehanded is like some kind of crowning moment of badass for the geezer or something. Tekken is the first fighting game I ever loved (this is how you can tell that I am a child of the polygon era) and the only reason I was interested in it was because of how EPIC this opening video was. I love how it gives you the mistaken impression that some of these characters are cool (Paul Phoenix has a motorbike! He must be an awesome dude, ha ha). Also, some of these character intros are actually really emotional, like King stumbling beaten through the alley or... Heihachi climbing up that freaking mountain. ♥ And the MUSIC- oh man, I love the 90's, guys. I love the 90's so much.
11. Galerians: ASH
Oh man, this music is so needlessly dramatic, I love it. The Galerians games have one of the creepiest and most compelling stories I've played in an action game but they suffered terribly from rotten gameplay. They were still fun, though, if only because how awesome and sad the story was made it worth it (also, this is the only game I can think of that actually has a male/male kiss in it o_O). I love this opening for obvious reasons- it's pretty and melodramatic.
10. Silent Hill 3
It was a hard choice between this and 2's opening (dsjfkhsdklj the footage of James' shadow carrying Mary through the prison gaaah). Ultimately, it comes down to 3 because I couldn't find the default version of the SH2 opening and I'm not as big a fan of the one with all the dialogue over it. It's still pretty, though. Not that I don't love 3's opening on its own merits- this song is awesome and the whole thing is a beautifully timed music video and Heather is awesome too so there.
9. Grandia
ARE YOU READY FOR AN ADVENTURE?
BECAUSE AFTER WATCHING THIS I SURE AM.
8. Suikoden III
I've never actually played Suikoden III (although I've seen enough of it to get the jist), but this is still one of the most beautiful animated sequences I've ever seen. It's pretty late to the game as well- this was made around the time 2D animted intros to RPGs was going out of style. It would probably be much higher on my list had I actually played the game- the strongest nostalgic attatchment I have to this is the fact that the music was Lici's old busking song.
7. Xenogears
I still find it hard to believe sometimes that large chunks of Xenogears weren't some bizarre, hopeful fever dream. I have never played a more terrifying, bleak, unsettling, beautiful game than Xenogears. Here's what I like about the opening cutscene: right there, guys? What you just watched? That was the extinction of Mankind. Yup.
Also, I like when the captain says the word "evacuate" like, eight times in one sentence.
6. Final Fantasy VIII
Oh man, oh man, oh man. I have my problems with FFVIII and I dump on it alot and I think the plot is dumb in some places and I hate most of the characters but HEY DESPITE ALL OF THAT I still think that it has some of the best art direction in the series and it HANDS DOWN features the most beautiful cutscenes of any Final Fantasy game. Even that shit at the end where they throw Rinoa's face through all the photo filters- each and every FMV in FFVIII is beautifully concieved and brilliantly executed, starting with Liberi Fatali.
... when I was a lame, fangirly eleven year old and this game was nearing release, I used to stand outside of EB in the mall and watch this video play over and over and over again. (/lame)
5. Chrono Cross
I've never been able to get into Chrono Cross (THERE ARE TOO MANY OPTIONS. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DOOOO), but every time I watch this opening video I want to play it like burning even though I know it's not up my alley. It probably helps that the CC soundtrack is probably Yasunori Mitsuada's best work and Scars Left by Time is one of the most beautiful tracks in the game. Also, the timing, the flow, the imagrey in this video... all of it is pretty much perfect. Like, when I do that lame nerd thing nerds do and compose music videos in my head when I'm bored on the bus, they usually flow a little like this- all the grand sweeps, the people falling over in pain, the random, shaky shots of vague objects or shadows... beautiful all around.
4. Metal Gear Solid 2+3
It's the MGS2 movie and music ("DAA DAA DAAAA Do do do DAAAAA DAAAAA~") that gets me right in the nostalgia (the fact that MGS2 is old enough now that I feel nostalgic about it is a really weird thing, actually), but I'm linking the MGS3 one as well because it's kind of a WORK OF ART ("Snaaaake eeeaaaAAAaateeer~!")
Okay, but seriously, that music in Sons of Liberty's opening- I DARE you not to be humming it for hours after you watch it.
3. Wild ARMS
Holy crap, this was actually kind of hard to find on YouTube.
Anyways, this is a fine piece of animation for a fine, vintage RPG. This is the first 2D anime intro I'd ever seen to a game. I popped this into my Playstation shortly after finishing FFVII for the first time and it blew my mind. Eleven years later, I still think it's gorgeous. I love the music, the animation, the cross illuminated against the moon, Rudy climbing the cliff with the fireflies, the fact that HANPAN is in it, how everything is cast in dark, solemn blues (for all Wild ARMS was a "Western", it was more a story about a dying world than anything). The retooled opening for the remake can't even hope to compare.
2. Final Fantasy Tactics
There's no fancy animation here, no cool action scenes, no shiny, pretty people- just some fantastic music and glowy astrological signs with weapons spinning in front of them. It probably helps that this is one of my favourite pieces of video game music (from one of my favourite soundtracks!), but I think that the simplicity of this opening lends itself well to the complicated story told in the game.
1. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
BOY. HOW PREDICTABLE.
BUT SERIOUSLY GUYS.
Everytime I hear the opening chords of this song, I get a little misty eyed. I made a post earlier this summer about the many reasons that this game is incredible. Everything that is awesome and beautiful about the game (great characters, a plot that improves on ancient tropes, the wide eyed innocence of it all) is also everything awesome about this opening video.
PASS IT ON!
Edited: Because I thought of two more I liked.
15. Zone of the Enders
Whatever, this game is awesome.
14. Persona 4
This is, like, the hippest opening ever. I've watched it about eight thousand times since I started the game.
13. Tales of Destiny
Symphonia and Abyss are great and all, but Tales of Destiny will always be my favourite in this series with its talking swords and its ditzy badasses and its end of the world and its constantly changing villain and its GORGEOUS FUCKING 2D SPRITES. This is also the only Tales opening besides Abyss that I like better with the Jpop song layered over it. I almost gave this spot to Symphonia's english intro, but the montage at the end of this one with all the characters and swords sells it for me. Also, y'know, nostalgia factor.
12. Tekken 2
Heihachi climbing up that freaking mountain barehanded is like some kind of crowning moment of badass for the geezer or something. Tekken is the first fighting game I ever loved (this is how you can tell that I am a child of the polygon era) and the only reason I was interested in it was because of how EPIC this opening video was. I love how it gives you the mistaken impression that some of these characters are cool (Paul Phoenix has a motorbike! He must be an awesome dude, ha ha). Also, some of these character intros are actually really emotional, like King stumbling beaten through the alley or... Heihachi climbing up that freaking mountain. ♥ And the MUSIC- oh man, I love the 90's, guys. I love the 90's so much.
11. Galerians: ASH
Oh man, this music is so needlessly dramatic, I love it. The Galerians games have one of the creepiest and most compelling stories I've played in an action game but they suffered terribly from rotten gameplay. They were still fun, though, if only because how awesome and sad the story was made it worth it (also, this is the only game I can think of that actually has a male/male kiss in it o_O). I love this opening for obvious reasons- it's pretty and melodramatic.
10. Silent Hill 3
It was a hard choice between this and 2's opening (dsjfkhsdklj the footage of James' shadow carrying Mary through the prison gaaah). Ultimately, it comes down to 3 because I couldn't find the default version of the SH2 opening and I'm not as big a fan of the one with all the dialogue over it. It's still pretty, though. Not that I don't love 3's opening on its own merits- this song is awesome and the whole thing is a beautifully timed music video and Heather is awesome too so there.
9. Grandia
ARE YOU READY FOR AN ADVENTURE?
BECAUSE AFTER WATCHING THIS I SURE AM.
8. Suikoden III
I've never actually played Suikoden III (although I've seen enough of it to get the jist), but this is still one of the most beautiful animated sequences I've ever seen. It's pretty late to the game as well- this was made around the time 2D animted intros to RPGs was going out of style. It would probably be much higher on my list had I actually played the game- the strongest nostalgic attatchment I have to this is the fact that the music was Lici's old busking song.
7. Xenogears
I still find it hard to believe sometimes that large chunks of Xenogears weren't some bizarre, hopeful fever dream. I have never played a more terrifying, bleak, unsettling, beautiful game than Xenogears. Here's what I like about the opening cutscene: right there, guys? What you just watched? That was the extinction of Mankind. Yup.
Also, I like when the captain says the word "evacuate" like, eight times in one sentence.
6. Final Fantasy VIII
Oh man, oh man, oh man. I have my problems with FFVIII and I dump on it alot and I think the plot is dumb in some places and I hate most of the characters but HEY DESPITE ALL OF THAT I still think that it has some of the best art direction in the series and it HANDS DOWN features the most beautiful cutscenes of any Final Fantasy game. Even that shit at the end where they throw Rinoa's face through all the photo filters- each and every FMV in FFVIII is beautifully concieved and brilliantly executed, starting with Liberi Fatali.
... when I was a lame, fangirly eleven year old and this game was nearing release, I used to stand outside of EB in the mall and watch this video play over and over and over again. (/lame)
5. Chrono Cross
I've never been able to get into Chrono Cross (THERE ARE TOO MANY OPTIONS. I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DOOOO), but every time I watch this opening video I want to play it like burning even though I know it's not up my alley. It probably helps that the CC soundtrack is probably Yasunori Mitsuada's best work and Scars Left by Time is one of the most beautiful tracks in the game. Also, the timing, the flow, the imagrey in this video... all of it is pretty much perfect. Like, when I do that lame nerd thing nerds do and compose music videos in my head when I'm bored on the bus, they usually flow a little like this- all the grand sweeps, the people falling over in pain, the random, shaky shots of vague objects or shadows... beautiful all around.
4. Metal Gear Solid 2+3
It's the MGS2 movie and music ("DAA DAA DAAAA Do do do DAAAAA DAAAAA~") that gets me right in the nostalgia (the fact that MGS2 is old enough now that I feel nostalgic about it is a really weird thing, actually), but I'm linking the MGS3 one as well because it's kind of a WORK OF ART ("Snaaaake eeeaaaAAAaateeer~!")
Okay, but seriously, that music in Sons of Liberty's opening- I DARE you not to be humming it for hours after you watch it.
3. Wild ARMS
Holy crap, this was actually kind of hard to find on YouTube.
Anyways, this is a fine piece of animation for a fine, vintage RPG. This is the first 2D anime intro I'd ever seen to a game. I popped this into my Playstation shortly after finishing FFVII for the first time and it blew my mind. Eleven years later, I still think it's gorgeous. I love the music, the animation, the cross illuminated against the moon, Rudy climbing the cliff with the fireflies, the fact that HANPAN is in it, how everything is cast in dark, solemn blues (for all Wild ARMS was a "Western", it was more a story about a dying world than anything). The retooled opening for the remake can't even hope to compare.
2. Final Fantasy Tactics
There's no fancy animation here, no cool action scenes, no shiny, pretty people- just some fantastic music and glowy astrological signs with weapons spinning in front of them. It probably helps that this is one of my favourite pieces of video game music (from one of my favourite soundtracks!), but I think that the simplicity of this opening lends itself well to the complicated story told in the game.
1. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
BOY. HOW PREDICTABLE.
BUT SERIOUSLY GUYS.
Everytime I hear the opening chords of this song, I get a little misty eyed. I made a post earlier this summer about the many reasons that this game is incredible. Everything that is awesome and beautiful about the game (great characters, a plot that improves on ancient tropes, the wide eyed innocence of it all) is also everything awesome about this opening video.