10 Devastating Video Game Openings That Totally Broke You

3. Mafia III

Mafia III isn't a great game, but it has one of the best openings of any game this generation. Putting you in the shoes of Lincoln Clay, a Vietnam vet back in the States and looking to help out his family, the player is taken under the wing of the local crime boss, Sal. After a few jobs, you seem to be gaining his trust as you bring in more and more money for your brother and father, the latter of which also works for the gang.

It seems like everything is too good to be true, and that's because it is. To the surprise of nobody, Sal turns on Lincoln after questioning his loyalty, viciously killing his family and shooting him in the head. Assuming he's tied up all loose ends, he sets their house on fire, with Lincoln pulled out to safety by priest.

Even though the writing was on the wall as soon as this relationship started (seriously, you don't even have to have seen a crime film before this to know a betrayal is imminent), the devastating scene in question is so unrelentingly horrible and violent that it still packs a punch. The fact that The Rolling Stones are playing in the background during the massacre only makes it even more impactful.