Top Ten Video Game Intros

It says Video Games but I am only including Home Console Video Game Intros. I really like watching intros of games over and over again because they are just awesome. Even though most of the time, it shows something truly spectacular and cannot be done within the game, its just still very cool to watch. A lot of the times, the intro is used in game trailers to entice ppl to buy/play them and often it works even if it isn't in-game graphics!

10. History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi: Gekitō! Ragnarok Hachikengō (PS2) - Capcom
『史上最強の弟子ケンイチ 激闘!ラグナレク八拳豪』
Lets kick it off with an Anime game. One thing I love about this intro is that its better than the two proper Anime intros :p We got Kenichi fighting Hermit! Something I wished was extended and fleshed out in the Anime series but sadly wasn't. Also the music is freakin' awesome, give it a go guys.
Song 「勇気のチカラ」 by Aiko Kayo


9. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PS2) - Dimps/Atari
『ドラゴンボールZ3』
It was a tough choice to pick this over the following Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi but I think I made the right choice. Getting the Dragon Ball GT guys to make the intro and also getting Hironobu Kageyama to perform a NEW intro really brings a tear to my eyes... Since previous games reused CHA-LA HEAD CHA-LA to pieces, its nice to see Bandai bringing DBZ back to its roots.
Song 「俺はとことん止まらない!!」 by Hironobu Kageyama


8. Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (PS2) - Konami
『ANUBIS - ZONE OF THE ENDERS』
I'm sure close to no one will know about this game (besides Ren and Lebo) and the intro is one very very long trailer pretty much. However it does introduce the game and showing you what happened in the previous game. The music is trippy but its suits the ANUBIS style if you will :p
Song 「Beyond the Bounds」 by Maki Kimura


7. Kingdom Hearts (PS2) - Squaresoft
『キングダムハーツ』
Squaresoft... why you guys keep making awesome intros to games huh? Bringing in the ever graceful Utada Hikaru to perform the intro song was one of the smartest moves ever. This introduced Utada to the Western world and she has been popular ever since! While it was a tough choice to pick between this and the sequel's intro, this one doesn't require you to know anything while the sequel kinda confuses you on what happened in between which is where Chains of Memories took place but that game was crap but they expect you to know what have happened... So the original wins and owns!
Song 「Simple and Clean -PLANITb REMIX-」 by Utada Hikaru


6. Soul Blade (PSone) - Namco
『ソウルブレード』
Before the time of scantily dressed women in fighting video games, there was:
~I gotta get to the Edge of Soul
To carry on what I believed
In from the very start
I gotta get to the Edge of Soul
To carry on deep in my heart~
Corny lyrics but it was awesome then. Disappointed with following sequels where the music are all symphonic and not energetic as this original was.
Song 「The Edge of Soul」 by KHAN


5. Chrono Cross (PSone) - Squaresoft
『クロノ・クロス』
3D Anime CGs usually look good and Squaresoft did it again in this awesome CG piece with music to my ears. I still put the disc in my PS2 just to play the intro over and over again... its that good.
Song 「Chrono Cross ~Scars of Time~」 by Yasunori Mitsuda


4. Final Fantasy VIII (PSone, PC) - Squaresoft
『ファイナルファンタジーVIII』
Come on, its Final Fantasy and at least one of them would get in this list. Well, this probably was the first realistic looking CG FMV to grace a video game and where better to begin it: the PlayStation CD. Four discs full of FMVs but the intro takes the cake.
Sony 「Liberi Fatali」 by Shiro Hamaguchi


3. Onimusha 3: Demon Siege (PS2, PC) - Capcom
『鬼武者3』
Hong Kong film Martial Arts Expert Donnie Yen choreographed and motioned captured himself for this exciting intro scene. Kinda funny that also-Hong Kong film star Takeshi Kaneshiro didn't do it himself but then it wouldn't look as freakin' awesome! Its a long one but it certainly made me stand outside a Malaysian gaming shop to watch it twice!
Song 「Onimusha 3 Opening」 by Masamichi Amano


2. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2) - Konami
『メタルギアソリッド2 サンズ オブ リバティー』
Seeing as it was the first PlayStation 2 game boasted to show off the capabilities of the console and push it to its limits, Hideo Kojima had to live up to the hype and he did it with style! Rain, Smoke, Fog, Lightning... omg and all done in-game! No CG, just the power of the PS2 and it was truly awesome, check it out folks.
Song 「Metal Gear Solid 2 Main Theme」 by Harry Gregson-Williams


1. Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (PS2, PC) - Konami
『ワールドサッカーウイニングイレブン7 インターナショナル』
So why does a soccer game intro take first place? It doesn't have the flashiness of soccer celebrities playing with a soccer ball as in the FIFA games nor any big names. Well I picked it because of one line:

"It Captures the Game"

Music Composer: Norikazu Miura


I really really wanted to add more and a lot of the games comes from the same series so I had to rationalise. I know some Nintendo fans gonna kill me for not including Melee! But that wasn't anything fancy, just seeing your Nintendo characters in CG 3D with orchestrated music for once wasn't all that remarkable compared to these. Maybe it could've been tenth but yeah... haha