10 Video Game Openings That Pissed Everyone Off

Just let me play the damn game already!

By Psy White /

First impressions are everything and if you have zero expectations and are open-minded, developers need to do everything in their power to draw you in and get you invested in their game.

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If you're already truly hyped for a release, a fall from grace can be devastating. Getting started on a game you've looked forward to and being met with a severely terrible opening can drive players away before they even have a chance to see the true potential.

Whether a game is good or bad in the end, it needs to not immediately put you off by it's prologue and tutorial. Sounds simple, but many things can go awry in just the first 60 minutes.

It can be serious pacing issues or disappointing gaming sections that crush our expectations. It can be downright bad opening cutscenes or in fact more likely an endless supply of them, feeling like we're watching a movie more than playing a game. There's plenty of ways to kill the hype off before things get started.

The games in this list pissed players off one way or another, leaving a bad taste in the mouth that the rest of the title had to do its best to undo.

10. Imperial Prison - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

When it comes to epic games with incredible openings, you don’t get more memorable than Skyrim. An execution that goes wrong at the claws and fiery breath of a dragon; it was an exciting setting of the stage that hurried players into the game.

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This may well have been a response to its predecessor, which had a less than exciting beginning.

Elder Scrolls titles come along so infrequently that, when it does come, a new entry is sure to feel like a massive upgrade over the last. Following Morrowind, fans were excited to see what a brand new Elder Scrolls would look like.

How much bigger and bolder in scope could the Xbox 360 and PS3 take the series? The opening cinematic of Oblivion that swooped over Cyrodiil got our hearts pounding with anticipation.

Not a great start then when the game begins with a pretty generic prison dungeon to kick things off. Sure, the graphical leap was definitely noticeable but even a beautiful dark and dank dungeon is a dark and dank dungeon. A long, slow and linear jaunt betrayed our excitement of picking a direction and setting off into the world.

When you finally see that beautiful blue sky is when Oblivion truly begins, but this 45 minute prologue isn’t exactly the one giant leap players were holding their breath for.

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