10 Powerful Video Game Intros That Gave You Chills

Storytelling in video games has come along way from the days of chucking coins into arcade cabinets, with games garnering favourable comparisons to movies and novels.

But what sucks us in? What gets us on the edge of our seats, or at least comfortable in them for the next however many hours we're about to commit to a masterpiece?

Endings are usually picked apart for analysis, but what about the beginnings?

What about the explosive introductions that come out of nowhere? Your ship being attacked and the chaos that ensues, or the inadvertent discovery of a zombie apocalyspe?

Maybe it doesn't have to be as loud, as even the sombre openings can set the hairs on the back of your neck on end. Grieving families, or being pulled back into action from whoever knows where sets that anticipation running through you.

Granted, most of the games on this list are sequels. It's not that the first games are bad, it's just that this sets up a sequel to improve on them in all aspects, including those chill-inducing openings that we all love.

So brace yourselves. Prepare to experience all of the feels again, as we look at some genuinely chilling introductions, for better or worse, from some of the greatest games...

You know what's better than a game giving you a spine-tingling introduction? That's right, two spine-tingling introductions in the same game.

Resident Evil 2 brought Leon and Claire together through vastly different reasons. The former starting his first day at RCPD, the latter looking for her brother. But it's how we were introduced to them that had us all tensed up.

Seeing Leon pull up in his jeep before inspecting a supposedly dead body had me on edge, thinking, "Don't do it, it's a zombie!". Similarly, Claire entering Emmy's diner and making a startling discovery was just as nerve-wracking.

And you'd think that was it, plucky heroes have banded together, etc.

Alas no, as that surprise backseat zombie scared the life out of me. But Resident Evil doesn't hold back, as the now zombified truck driver comes barreling down the street at them!

It was Capcom's way of saying, "Yeah, this is how we're starting this fight for survival" and boy, was it effective. Raising the stakes from the sequel, Resident Evil 2's introduction was akin to an ice cube down the collar.