Your favourite game cutscenes/FMVs

[Agiel]

With the obsession of rendering cinematics with the game engines in this day and age, pre-rendered cutscenes have nearly turned into a lost art. So I decided to create a thread to celebrate those moments that evoke such pathos:

 

1.

 

 

A prime example of why Relic is my favourite game developer of all time. That they are one of the great underdogs of game design and can so consistently knock it out of the park in visual and audio design is a testament to the talent and dedication at their studio. As this is the end of the game, there are spoilers, natch.

 

2.

 

 

Casually walking down the flightline wearing Ray Bans and a flightsuit, great mustaches, the mighty Mudhen soaring in the Wild Blue Yonder, rocking guitar solos, and the American Flag. I dare anyone to watch this and say they didn't even consider signing up for the Air Force to become a fighter jock.

 

3. 

 

 

A relatively new one, but quite possibly the best completely CGI thing I've ever seen. For those curious about the game itself it's made by From Software, the guys behind Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, and true to their design philosophy, it is brutally hard and unforgiving online or off.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Agiel

[Malcador]

 

Watching the Bastion once again give it all to stop the Shivans was a special moment when I first played FS2.  A lot of the FS2 cutscenes are good, with Bosch's monologues. 

 

 

Even if they are disgusting Inner Sphere savages, this briefing cutscene I always enjoyed for it being realistic in terms of the delivery.

[Walsingham]

Homeworld's return to Karak. Don't want to spoiler.

[Gromnir]

maybe not the bestest or our current fave, but our #1 for longest time was:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z7PoVMNyfI

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Hurlshort]

I always preferred the Diablo cutscenes to the actual gameplay.  That being said, my favorite cutscene of all time is from Privateer.

 

http://youtu.be/FGg706GHCSk

[LadyCrimson]

I barely remember most story animated cutscenes. Always liked the Tombraider1, Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 ones however, and the little convo-scene bits in Kotor 2 were fun.

 

Game intro for Dungeon Keeper 1 still my fave, although mostly for the music (music is often why I remember such things) ... but it might explain my disdain for Knights/Paladins.

 

Myst 1 intro, for the time, was great because it was quite intriguing, with that opening bit and then voice narration.

 

And then of course there's the end of Doom 1.

[Raithe]

Clive Owen, Christopher Walken, and David Warner in one piece of cheesy, classic 90's game play..

 

http://youtu.be/ET6UEXAmc68

[Blarghagh]

Game intro for Dungeon Keeper 1 still my fave, although mostly for the music (music is often why I remember such things) ... but it might explain my disdain for Knights/Paladins.

 

By far my favourite as well.

[HoonDing]

[BLnoT]

These are intro's not cutscenes, so hopefully they still apply.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMddvzVtpaI

 

I up you to Dunegeon Keeper 2's intro TrueNeutral.  I also enjoy its cutscenes.

 

 

Septerra Core is i think my second choice

 

 

No Competition for the greatest Intro since 98. I don't think any intro will ever be as good as

Fallout 2 for me.

 

[Nonek]

Ultima, there's a certain enchantment to it.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiGiiL3BOwI

 

Revenant, lovely combat system but sadly didn't live up to its potential.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d9i398aTs4

[melkathi]

I love Runner running in the Septerra Core video

 

Own list:

 

Absolute favourite intro cinematic:

Anarchy Online

"My father taught me to use a gun. Sometimes, late at night, I wonder if I'll ever be able to put it down."

 

Runner Up:

Omikron: Nomad Soul

"Are you sad and lonely? As if life is just not worth living anymore? Drink Quanta Cola!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-SM8VobyEw

 

 

Other videos:

 

Auto Assault Movie Trailer:

 

Tablua Rasa Intro:

 

Alien Nations:

 

Blaze & Blade:

 

 

Honorary Mention:

 

Dune 2:

[Malcador]

Oh forgot the C&C 1 intro.  "At least your mother tipped well"

[AwesomeOcelot]

Red Alert (not just the live action, there's great prerendered stuff), Fallout (those death scenes, and my favourites the walk into the desert and the assault on Vault 13), Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Tomb Raider (1996. especially the opening scene) have some of my favourites. While these games have some of my favourite cutscenes I prefer in engine cutscenes, for the consistancy with the rest of the game (doesn't matter so much with RTS and isometric RPG) and resource savings, they take a lot of time and imagine keeping up with technology with prerendered cutscenes, Hellgate London and Dawn of War 2 prerendered cutscenes must have cost a ****load.

Edited January 25, 2014 by AwesomeOcelot

[Humanoid]

As inevitably already posted, Privateer's intro is the one standout in my mind, the wonderfully insane machismo setting up the player character perfectly. I'll contrast it to Strike Commander intro, same devs, same cutscene tech, same production values. But instead of setting up the cynical Brownhair, it only serves to set up the much more typical heroic protagonist Redhair, and so has nowhere near the same impact.

 

In general though, it's hard to differentiate between nominations for lists like these - whether an entry is there on its own merits, or because of the game that it backs up. That said:

 

- It would be hard to argue against Privateer 2's ensemble cast being the finest ever assembled, and the finest that ever will be assembled. Shame about the game itself though.

- Interstate 76's lo-fi 70s schtick, with the intro's pretensions of being that for a classic TV show. The awesome music gives it an unfair advantage however.

- Civilization's iconic "In the beginning..." sequence still warms the heart like no other. But again, being *the* game that made me the gamer I am today, it's hard to be objective about it.

- Wing Commander 4's excesses has brought about mixed reactions, but at the time I had never seen anything like it, not least in terms of length. Three distinct scenes segueing into the first gameplay sequence... I'm a critic of the excessively 'cinematic' gameplay of today, but I loved that sequence.

- Before I forget: Wing Commander 2. Sound Blaster. Voice pack. Yeah.

[HoonDing]

 

So grimdark.

[Zoraptor]

Fallout (1)'s intro. Perfectly set up the game. Fallout 2's intro was excellent too, but not quite as good.

 

L-L-Look at you Hacker... Again, perfectly set up the game.

 

The Andrew Ryan cutscene (albeit in engine) from Bioshock. Sad that it ultimately meant 2/3 of not much at all though.

 

That cutscene from Thief. If you've played it, you know it.

 

3/4 are from Ken Levine games, strangely enough.

 

I also have a particular soft spot for the end video of Stalker though I don't think it is objectively great, it's mainly that finishing that game felt like an actual achievement.

Edited January 25, 2014 by Zoraptor

[BLnoT]

Omikron: Nomad Soul

"Are you sad and lonely? As if life is just not worth living anymore? Drink Quanta Cola!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-SM8VobyEw

 

I had thought about omikron as soon as i had posted. To be honest i dont know anyone who remembers that game bar me.

 

 

A small intro, but i had always loved the dialog/ voice acting.

 

 

Not really a great intro, i just wanted an excuse to insert my most enjoyable extremity removal game.

[Walsingham]

I've checked, and this beauty predates The Matrix.

 

[Sarex]

Has to be Warcraft 3 and PoP cut scenes. They where so jaw dropping at the time, that I couldn't wait to get to them.

[Tagaziel]

With the obsession of rendering cinematics with the game engines in this day and age, pre-rendered cutscenes have nearly turned into a lost art. So I decided to create a thread to celebrate those moments that evoke such pathos:

 

1.

 

 

A prime example of why Relic is my favourite game developer of all time. That they are one of the great underdogs of game design and can so consistently knock it out of the park in visual and audio design is a testament to the talent and dedication at their studio. As this is the end of the game, there are spoilers, natch.

This is one of the few games where I cried at the end. It was amazing.

[babaganoosh13]

Of all the mid-game cutscenes in games I've ever played in my lifetime, this is the first one that popped into my head, and stayed in my head.

 

 

It's just the most memorable one for me. I like say, the cut scenes in Dust: An Elysian Tale better because they made me laugh, but I really only remember the tone of them and some brief contexts. About 15 years later since I first played FF7, and probably about 10 years since I've really played it last: That's what really stuck with me. Also, the Nibelheim mako reactor cutscenes..

[Blarghagh]

 

Also a classic, Z by the Bitmap Brothers.

[pmp10]

Best part of the whole game.

[Mamoulian War]

Of all the mid-game cutscenes in games I've ever played in my lifetime, this is the first one that popped into my head, and stayed in my head.

 

 

It's just the most memorable one for me. I like say, the cut scenes in Dust: An Elysian Tale better because they made me laugh, but I really only remember the tone of them and some brief contexts. About 15 years later since I first played FF7, and probably about 10 years since I've really played it last: That's what really stuck with me. Also, the Nibelheim mako reactor cutscenes..

 

Youtube is currently blocked where I am now, but if I am correct, you must be linking to the one of the most memorable gaming cut-scenes ever created, featuring Sephiroth and Aerith. For me it was shock, because that lady was really among my favourite characters in FF7... Not again I was able to be affected so much by a single plot-twist in an entertainment media...

 

2nd closest was the ending of FFX. I must confess it was partially expected, but it made me so sad, that it brought tears to my eyes...

 

To bad not many games nor movies in last few years can make such a deep emotional impact...