10 Best Campaign Moments From The Gears Of War Trilogy

2. RAAM Kills Lieutenant Kim (Gears Of War)

Everyone loves a villain. Especially a villain who makes one hell of an entrance. In one of Gears of War's most memorable, most powerful cinematics, the game introduces General RAAM, the main villain of the first game. When Delta Squad are ambushed by a Locust battalion, Lieutenant Kim is cut off from the main group. In a fantastically shot sequence, everything looks like it might be alright as the heroes fend off their Locust attackers - until you realise Kim is being stalked by a hulking, terrifying figure.

General RAAM approaches Kim almost silently from behind, towering over him. As he walks, a haunting voice over of the as-of-yet unknown Locust Queen plays, dictating their plan to destroy the Gears. RAAM overpowers Kim without so much as a sweat, smacking him across the face before lifting him off his feet and ramming a blade in his gut. Just like that, in the game's very first act, one of the supposedly main characters is killed. Marcus witnesses everything and, as RAAM stares Kim dead in the eyes, the Locust leader simply tosses him aside.

It sets up the inevitable showdown with RAAM perfectly and also gets the message across that no one is safe. The Locust mystery deepens with the arrival of a leader and the mysterious voice over. While the remastered version of the game took some of the charm out of this scene, RAAM is often remembered as being the franchise's greatest villain and a lot of that is thanks to this moment.