{"id":3514,"date":"2016-09-19T01:52:26","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T01:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/?p=3514"},"modified":"2016-09-19T13:27:40","modified_gmt":"2016-09-19T13:27:40","slug":"top-10-video-game-beginnings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/?p=3514","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Video Game Beginnings!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently started playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD<\/em>, which marks my second time through the game.\u00a0 I originally bought the Wii version at launch, and for the most part, greatly enjoyed the overall experience.<\/p>\n

Once I started it back up again, however, I was reminded of just how much I didn\u2019t like the beginning of the game.\u00a0 I never found fishing all that fun or particularly well done in Ocarina of Time<\/em>, so to have it be one of the things you *had* to do in the first few minutes of this game was just\u2026 ugh.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Just\u2026<\/a>

Just\u2026 drop\u2026 you stupid fishing lure…<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thankfully, you get past that, go through a few more tedious chores, and the game eventually gets going in the proper direction.<\/p>\n

This got me thinking, though \u2013 what video games had the BEST beginnings?\u00a0 Whether it\u2019s a quick intro or a prologue of some kind, that first segment of the game really has to keep you enticed enough to keep playing.\u00a0 There have been some fantastic introductory sequences throughout the years, and instead of dwelling on TPHD<\/em>\u2019s mediocre start, I started thinking about the great ones.<\/p>\n

So without further ado, here are my ten favourite video game beginnings of all time!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Last of Us<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Alright, so, full disclosure \u2013 I haven\u2019t actually played through the entirety of The Last of Us <\/em>yet, so I\u2019m not able to comment on anything from the game\u2026\u00a0 *except* the prologue.\u00a0 That I\u2019ve played, and it\u2019s incredible.<\/p>\n

Joel is the main protagonist, but the first part of the game has you playing as his daughter Sarah.\u00a0 Everything seems like a peaceful night on the home front, but a panicked phone call from Joel\u2019s brother Tommy sets things into motion.\u00a0 Through Sarah\u2019s eyes, we are introduced to a world seemingly gone mad.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s the news report and subsequent explosion nearby.\u00a0 The horrifying moment Joel is forced to shoot and kill his own neighbor (\u201cYou\u2026 you shot him\u2026 I saw him this mornin\u2019\u2026\u201d).\u00a0 The uneasy feeling from riding in the backseat, unable to control anything but the camera as the countryside burns around you.\u00a0 It all culminates with a chase through town and a shocking twist I somehow didn\u2019t see coming\u2026 and this was just in the first ten minutes of the game!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The TV signal cuts out after an explosion, which you can see happening from the bedroom window\u2026 creepy.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

My backlog of \u201cmust play\u201d games has gotten pretty huge, but I will get to The Last of Us<\/em> soon.\u00a0 After an intro like that, I can\u2019t see how the rest of the game will disappoint.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Minecraft<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

It took me a little while to get into the whole Minecraft <\/em>thing, but when I finally did, I admit I got a little carried away with it.\u00a0 I made pixel art, a Titanic that was built to scale (where one block is one metre), half-completed a replica of the Death Star trench, and then of course attempted a proper completion of the game\u2019s Survival Mode.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"So<\/a>

So this took a while\u2026 just ask Nita.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Although I\u2019ve gotten bored of it as of late, that feeling that comes from exploring a brand new un-touched world never seems to get old.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s because I didn\u2019t go out camping or on treks through the wilderness all that much as a kid, but I just love the simple idea of exploring and surviving in a completely unique world that has more than likely never been seen by anyone, anywhere.<\/p>\n

Honestly, the best part about the game is just seeing what the randomly generated landscapes have to offer.\u00a0 Pack a map and a bed, head out on an adventure through the blocky wilderness, admire the funky formations and caves you come across and build shelter at nightfall.\u00a0 You could start jumping through all the hoops it takes to find and defeat the Ender Dragon, but why do that when you can experience new beginnings over and over again?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A Link to the Past<\/em> was the first Zelda game with a proper prologue, and if you ask me, it\u2019s still the best beginning to any Zelda <\/em>game out there.<\/p>\n

Princess Zelda herself communicates to Link telepathically that she\u2019s in trouble.\u00a0 You can hear a storm raging outside, and your Uncle is about to venture out into the middle of it.\u00a0 Naturally, you follow him out the door, only to realize you\u2019re pretty much naked \u2013 well, sword-and-shield-less is naked enough in Hyrule.<\/p>\n

You make your way to the Castle grounds to find the main entrances blocked, and are inevitably driven towards a secret entrance off to the side.\u00a0 You find your wounded Uncle, who gives you his sword and shield\u2026 and this is how your adventure begins.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Zelda<\/a>

Zelda is my what??? Sister? Mother?? Cousin???<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hyrule Castle is laid out in a way that really lets you play with the new mechanics.\u00a0 Every room has upper and lower areas, meaning you could actually use stealth if you wanted to.\u00a0 When going on the offense, bad guys had shields and funky weapons that had you adjusting to every situation.\u00a0 In the basement, you could even knock guys off ledges.<\/p>\n

Not only was it paced perfectly story-wise and introduced you to some of the best music in the series, it was also a great way to show you how to play the game without bashing you over the head with instructions.\u00a0 You just had to learn by playing the game.\u00a0 Simple as that!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Medal of Honor: Frontline<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Saving Private Ryan<\/em> is one of my favourite movies, so it\u2019s no surprise that Medal of Honor: Frontline<\/em>\u2019s almost perfect recreation of the Normandy scene struck a chord with me.\u00a0 The PS2\u2019s graphics weren\u2019t quite to the point where they could duplicate the sheer gruesomeness of the scene from Spielberg\u2019s classic film, but the intensity was there nonetheless.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\u201cTHIRTY<\/a>

\u201cTHIRTY SECOOONDS!\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

From the guy puking his guts out a few feet away on the boat to the underwater swim to the shore, Frontline<\/em> did a great job of making it feel like you were on that beach.\u00a0 Bullets whizzed by, explosions sent sand and rocks flying everywhere, and here you were in the middle of it, laying down suppressing fire on the bunkers to rescue squad mates.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not too sure about the technical aspect about how the level worked, but I don\u2019t think the enemy soldiers were actually shooting at you from the bunkers.\u00a0 I think it was one of those deals where if you stood out in the open long enough without moving (or if you just moved slowly and in a straight line), the game would make it so you were being \u201cshot\u201d and ding some health from your meter.\u00a0 Because of this, it helped to make running from one objective to another on the beach one of the craziest, most sweaty palm-inducing moments in gaming history.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bioshock<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What the hell kind of game puts you in control of your character as you\u2019re 20 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean and on the verge of drowning?<\/p>\n

*Of course* Bioshock <\/em>starts like this.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve played this and its sequels, you know the plot can get kinda crazy \u2013 a bit Matrix<\/em>-ey, even.\u00a0 Honestly though, a plane crash and the possibility of dying all in the game\u2019s first few seconds is small potatoes compared to the Eve addicts, enraged Big Daddies, and all the other stuff that\u2019s about to go down.<\/p>\n

Still, there\u2019s something about the calmness of that moonlit swim to the bell tower and the beauty of the descent into Rapture that never gets old to me.\u00a0 Even the sound of Atlas\u2019 soothing Irish voice guiding you \u2013 ever so kindly \u2013 gives you a sense that even though something dark and sinister is obviously going on down here, there\u2019s a glimmer of hope for you to help out and make a real difference!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"We<\/a>

We all know that\u2019s complete BS, of course.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

It\u2019s amazing that even 9 years (!!!) after its release, I still got the warm and fuzzies watching Nita play through those first few moments the other day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mega Man X<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of having the audacity to start a game off on the wrong foot, what\u2019s up with forcing you to start a Mega Man<\/em> game on a pre-determined stage without letting you choose?<\/p>\n

I had played six or seven games in the series leading up to X<\/em>, and each one had let me plot my own course through the robot masters.\u00a0 This intro stage truly left me scratching my head \u2013 was this even a proper Mega Man<\/em> game??<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ready!!<\/a>

Ready!! Yes, let’s go… no, wait! No boss selection screen?!?!?<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Thankfully, it\u2019s just a fun way to introduce you to all the new stuff this new generation of games has to offer.<\/p>\n

Inclined surfaces?\u00a0 Check!
\nBigger\u00a0enemy sprites?\u00a0 Check!
\nWall-jumping?\u00a0 Check!
\nReduced health meter you thought was standard and completely insane, but that turns out to upgradeable as you play the game?\u00a0 Check!<\/p>\n

It was definitely eye-opening to play this as a kid, but it was a nice reminder that not only were we growing older as players, but the franchises we had known and loved since early childhood were growing up with us.<\/p>\n


\nHalf-Life<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ahh, showing up for work.\u00a0 It\u2019s something I hadn\u2019t done yet at the time I first played Half-Life<\/em>, but it seemed genuine enough; hop on the hover train, listen to the PA lady give you details about the day\u2019s activities, arrive to your destination only to find out something is wrong with the computer systems (pff, typical), put on your hazmat suit, and then have the experiment you\u2019re working on fail spectacularly and open an inter-dimensional portal that allows bloodthirsty aliens to invade and kill everyone.<\/p>\n

Yep, sounds like a normal day at the office to me!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Looks<\/a>

Looks quasi-serious.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

As you\u2019re doing all the amazing things Gordon Freeman does throughout the game, you think back to\u00a0how it all started and realize that Half-Life<\/em> is essentially just a really messed up version of Kevin Smith’s Clerks<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Freeman,<\/a>

Freeman, who looks a lot like Dante, was also probably not even supposed to be here today.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n


\nGran Turismo <\/em>(pick one!)<\/strong><\/p>\n

While it doesn\u2019t quite have the infinite number of possibilities at startup that Minecraft<\/em> does, beginning a new Gran Turismo<\/em> file gives me that same general sense of freedom.\u00a0 The game basically says “here’s a relatively small amount of money – go\u00a0have fun!\u201d<\/p>\n

It was up to you to buy a car \u2013 usually, it was in the \u201cUsed Cars\u201d section \u2013 then upgrade it and sling it around the track enough to win and make more cash.\u00a0 That sounds easy, but when you\u2019re running on limited horsepower, you really have to push hard to make it happen!<\/p>\n

Once you had a few extra bucks, you could upgrade your car even more to run the longer and faster races with bigger prizes\u2026 when your measly (but supped up to the MAX) Honda delSol just couldn\u2019t compete with the Corvettes and Vipers in the later stages, you could buy another car, and another, and another.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\""Gotta<\/a>

“Gotta catch ’em all”… except with cars.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

There\u2019s always an upgrade for you to work towards, or a car for you to add to your ever-growing collection so that you can win the next batch of races.\u00a0 Because of this, every Gran Turismo<\/em> game essentially plays like it\u2019s the \u201cbeginning\u201d the whole way through, from start to finish.\u00a0 You start with almost nothing, and end up with everything.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re six and soon-to-be seven games into the series, and it still feels that way\u2026 I love it.<\/p>\n


\nStar Wars: Shadows of the Empire<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When Shadows of the Empire<\/em> came out in late ’96, 3D games were just starting to hit their stride.\u00a0 Things have obviously come a long way since then, so if you play the game’s introductory snowspeeder level on Hoth for the first time now, you might not appreciate just how spectacular it was to experience back in the day.<\/p>\n

There was John Williams’ score being played in the background – not some MIDI recreated for the game, but the *actual* recorded music – as well as the trademark radio transmission played by the Imperial Probe Droids in Empire Strikes Back<\/em>. \u00a0There was the intensity of flying towards an AT-ST with guns blazing, always teasing you with the possibility of\u00a0destroying it before having to peel off to make another run at it. \u00a0 \u00a0There was the convenient camera angle it switched to when roping an AT-AT (which you would think would be terrible, but actually works way better than having the static view from behind the speeder). \u00a0It all came together so perfectly.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n