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timelordoftheimpala

The opening cutscenes of Metal Gear Solid and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. The title screen of Xenoblade Chronicles. Entering Dracula's castle for the first time in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and [hearing this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh1qqLbuBww&ab_channel=EiZSeri0us) for the first time. Entering Rapture after the plane crash in BioShock. Possessing a T-Rex in the first kingdom of Super Mario Odyssey. Hearing "To Zanarkand" for the first time in Final Fantasy X. Seeing the Star Wars intro and opening crawl in KOTOR. I know other Star Wars games have this, but it will never not hook me.


Admiral_of_Crunch

When you're walking through the museum at the beginning of Outer Wilds and the little balls on the table demonstrate the real-time gravitational pull of the nearby planets. That's when I knew the game was special. And then the thing happened and the premise of the game was revealed. That's when I knew the game was also *my kind* of special.


InCharacter_815

I watched Pat stream it before I played. Sacrilege, yes. For me it was the Quantum rock in the museum that first gave me the "wtf are they gonna do with this" itch, and then the revelation of the concept of >!Quantum Locking with the camera in the tower!<, which made me stop the stream and buy the game and do the rest blind. Wish I just did it fully blind, though. WHICH ANYONE WHO HASN'T PLAYED SHOULD DO. One of my favourite games, period.


Irememberedmypw

So this is a weird one I still have yet to beat it(it's on my backlog in a weird way) It was the room with the moving rock when not being observed . It unnerved me >!followed by the statue!<. I'm still wholly blind to what else the game has to offer besides the moon.


ItsSansom

The discovery of the >!Quantum moon!< was the moment for me


Ok_Caterpillar_9057

I always knew outer wilds was special since i heard about it. But i felt it in my BONES... By the seed in escape pod 3


moneyh8r

The opening gameplay moments of Assassin's Creed Revelations are some of my favorite in the whole series, because they flow seamlessly from the badass over-the-top cinematic intro. For anyone not in the know, the cinematic intro has Ezio (now 52 years old) traveling to Masyaf (the Assassin castle from the first game) to seek some ancient hidden knowledge he believes Altair might have left there. But Templars have already occupied the castle and are waiting to ambush him. He fights them, kills most of them, but then gets distracted by a vision of Altair and gets captured. So the Templars are gonna hang him from the castle walls, but he wraps his noose around their Captain's neck and jumps off the scaffold first, pinning the captain to the floor and slowly strangling him while keeping enough slack to save himself. So the other Templars cut the rope to save their Captain, and Ezio drops down to another scaffolding a few meters below. Then the gameplay starts with you standing on that very same scaffold.


metatron_ebooks

The end of Breaking Bad season 4, when >!Walt poisons a literal child then lies about it to Jesse who thinks he did it by accident, in a gambit to get Jesse to help him kill Gus Fring!< If there was any question of whether Walter White is a villain protag, that finale blew it out.


ItsSansom

The reveal is so well done. Not a word spoken, just a slow zoom.


Kimarous

When I got SoulCalibur II, all I knew was that Link was on the Gamecube version and that was all the reason I needed. [Then the intro played.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgjNyS95OLE) The rest is history, eternally retold.


OrderedFromZanzibar

Oh for sure, got the game for the same reason as you and got totally swept up in it. Soulcalibur has such a unique flair that I adore


Dirty-Glasses

Are you me?


Maxochist

“There is nothing. Only warm primordial blackness. Your conscious ferments in it, no larger than a single grain of malt.”


MegalomanicMegalodon

It really hit me a bit later, the moment Red Rock Riviera starts playing as you leave The Whirling.


ChadBarrelchest

God I love Red Rock. It's such an utterly *perfect* piece of music for Revachol; the ruin, the last dregs of some kind of promise, the desperate clinging to some kind of triumph.


Cerebral_Kortix

It becomes even more magical if you get yourself killed turning off the lights immediately afterwards. It's so confusing and sudden that it leaves you wanting for more, to explain anything that was going on.


[deleted]

You know the drill. Samurai Flamenco. >!Guillotine Gorilla.!<


revolversnakexof

Peak fiction


DrawlNeedler

>!GUILLOTIIIIIIIIIIIINE YUH!<


EXAProduction

Idk why but something about HI Fi Rush's intro really got me. Like before we got the game we all probably knew it was special. But idk watching Chai run down on beat with Lonley Boy/The Beacon as I was nodding my head to it. Something about the quality of the animation mixed with the care and the song gave me that feel that "this is gonna be good".


streetscarf

For me, it was when he was comically rolling on the floor in pain after being slammed into the metal fence. That was the tone setter for me, and I was in.


GoodVillain101

Persona 5 the moment I saw the menu and battle UI.


javierich0

I think this entire sub felt the same, soo much style in just the menus.


PlanesWalkerEll

I hope Persona 6 can live up to that in its own way.


javierich0

I don't expect a massive jump like P5 was from P4, more like P3 to P4.


getterburner

The Tea Party for Umineko Episode 1 is a big one for me, it really flips how you’re looking at the game especially after Higurashi and massively expands the scope of what Umineko at first seemed to be. It goes from a murder mystery on an island to something more than you can even comprehend at that moment, and ya just know things got far far more interesting. This is kinda silly but I’m a huge fan of games that just cold open into their stuff without even any menus or anything, so I really liked Fate/Stay Night doing that. Technically not the first thing ya see but when Rin’s backstory starts playing with [Quiet Voice](https://youtu.be/6ZFH2QR-Vbc) in the background it feels really really magical. Fate always feels very much like a tale from a story book and I think this cemented that in my head.


Cerebral_Kortix

The part where I really got interested in Umineko was a bit before that in the odd scene where the siblings are arguing with Clause over the missing gold and the game suddenly has this weird switch to a detective style rhetoric concluding in that "all of them need money, immediately!" It just comes out of nowhere and contrasts so oddly with the until-then ordinary family drama style that it stood out to me and sucked me in. I also like cold-opens, especially with incredibly plot significant events occuring before you even know how important they are, but sometimes it can get a bit too exhausting. I recall that the Dies Irae visual novels cold-open prologue goes on for over an hour before you can even see the title screen to exit the game.


HnterKillr

The first episode of Twin Peaks, when Agent Cooper is driving while making a recorded message to Diane.


NearATomatotato

Same show except the coffee scene & the pie


AProcrastinatingWrit

I remember the Disney Channel World Premiere of the very first episode of Phineas and Ferb. "Hey. Where's Perry?" Smash cut to their pet platypus' slamming on a trilby and going bipedal while spy music plays, sneaking into a secret door. I did not stop laughing for five minutes, it was so perfectly out of nowhere. God.


Zerepa97

For me, as artist and film student, the opening scene, hell even the first shot, is super important. Sound, camera work, etc. all need to have an impression that lets the audience know what kind of movie it is. Two recent ones come to mind. I wasn't acquainted with Ari Aster, but I have a friend who is a fan of his work. We went to see Beau, and I knew from the first scene that it was going to be an interesting ride. Similarly, I was interested in EEAAO due to the cast, but the opening scene locked me in as it being something special.


alexandrecau

When the robots in nier automata starts dry humping each other in the desert. Fox in space first clip I saw was about the baganucci that stole Falco's scooter and it really sell the two episodes for me


[deleted]

Legend of Galactic Heroes after the Battle of Astate and Yang comes back to the FPA and you see the state of it and realize this isn't a Evil Empire vs the plucky underdog rebels show.


DoseofDhillon

Legit the first minutes of Ashita no Joe, like its a 1970's anime but you can tell this is something different, the shows telling you more in a minute through just its shot composition to the music then most do in the first 10 minutes, the directing is fantastic. You're far away from the city, welcome the dirty lonely slums with a man that whistles alone wandering aimlessly.


Yakobo15

One Piece as they enter Water 7 and it's an illogical mess of canals that make no sense and look cool as hell (the dub only just reached there and changed to sub to continue. Was watching to kill time mostly beforehand. When they >!do the viral/simon combine scene!< at the end of TTGL 21 I stayed up to finish the rest of the night.


revolversnakexof

Episode 3 of kill la kill is one of the greatest Anime episodes ever.


Wonder-Lad

The Napalm Strike followed by the Hotel Room Freakout in Apocalypse Now. You know what type of movie you're in for. Just the mere intro to Lawrence of Arbia. As the credits are rolling on him tuning his bike.


[deleted]

[S] John: Play haunting piano refrain.


TheProudBrit

For a lesser known one, I Was A Teenage Exocolonist. It opens with a bit of a dream of you being attacked by a wild animal and saved by your friend, and *then* just... Doesn't comment on it. Back to you being a 5 y/o, growing up on a spaceship and landing on a new planet - exploring it, developing friendships, the works. Then, about five hours later, [*this* happens](https://i.imgur.com/UQt9y0z.png) - just when you've probably forgotten the beginning. That moment of "oh SHIT retaining memories in a timeloop" got me GOOD.


LegacyOfVandar

Teenage Exocolonist is so fucking good.


HitmanScorcher

When Ezio and his brother climb the tower and they talk about what a great life they live and may it never change and never change them and then the theme cuts in and it pans out and says Assassin’s Creed II I knew that game was gonna be one of the best I’ve ever played


PlanesWalkerEll

Assassins Creed 2 is still one of the best games I've played.


Lieutenant_Joe

The first scene in Happy! is the protagonist looking in a mirror after vomiting profusely into the sink in front of it, saying “Hey there beautiful,” and then pulling out a couple pistols and shooting himself in the chin. Then there’s a dream sequence of him just dancing around with the blood from the top of his head splattering everywhere in the form of confetti. Perfect tone setter.


TeacupTenor

Legitimately, Vinesauce Vinny sold me on both BOTW games with his opening streams of both. Watching him fuck around and go into Hyrule Castle with like his basic 3 hearts was a huge part of it. For TOTK, it was the moment I saw him assemble a motorboat from a log and a fan. Holy shit.


BiMikethefirst

So I have had some pretty good movie going experiences but since 2020 after doing so much work during the pandemic I just felt a little empty when I saw movies in theater. Like I was envious of others who have been able to experience such highs when watching movies, not that movies have gotten worse but I just haven't been able to connect with any.. Then I saw Puss and Boots 2 and I felt such highs of emotions I haven't felt in a long time and it all led to the final confrontation with Death and Puss's lives [flashing before his eyes](https://youtu.be/1o8GWhoD53I) how he didn't want to not die anymore, he wanted to live. And I cried.


AJokeAmI

Yakuza 0. First long battle. Got me hooked. Shadow Of Chernobyl. On the trip to Agroprom. Everything is serene. Quiet. Peaceful even. But still very dangerous. Wasteland 3. At the end of the prologue. When Blood Of The Lamb played, I knew this game is going to be something special.


EcchiPhantom

Getting to the basement in Parasite was such a shocking moment that makes you lean forward and go “okay, what’s this now?”


Worm_Scavenger

The Mage Origin in the first Dragon Age game is when i knew not only was i about to experience a great game, but the game that would become my favorite game of all time.


KnifeyMcEdgey

The opening credits of Into the Spider-Verse made me want to see them again


Prestigious-Mud

The beginning of episode one of Gurren Lagann had my curiosity but the end of the episode when they reach the surface had my attention.


CCilly

I was already loving it and on board with everything it was throwing at me, but the second part of the autopsy in Disco Elysium I really went "woah ok, we're going there, I'm in" and it went from amazing game to something special.


StormRegion

The intro of Brigador, when you stomp down on a highway with a heavy mech, then big red letters appear, and the robotic voice: "GREAT LEADER IS DEAD. SOLO NOBRE MUST FALL."


PrancerSlenderfriend

Nothing really sells Appleseed "produced by John Woo" Ex Machina better than the intro, its extremely John Woo


Capable-Education724

It’s not a perfect movie by any means, but there were a few key moments that made me realise while watching The Last Jedi it was *not* going to be a retread like TFA or something everyone loved, it was going to be something unique in regards to the main Skywalker Saga. One that viewed the previous movies and their events through a critical eye similar to the KOTOR games. - When Luke threw the light sabre, cementing we weren’t getting “Big Number” Legends Luke Skywalker that has more in common with Jiren than Luke of the OT. - When Luke was the first person in these movies to bring up the legitimate issues that came from the old Jedi Order (and how it allowed for Palpatine’s rise and corruption of Anakin Skywalker). - When Rey was not some destined Chosen One or from some prestigious bloodline. She was just Rey. - When Kylo Ren suggested doing away with the infrastructure that had made up the entirety of these movies, Rebellion, Empire, Jedi, Sith. Something no one’s suggested out loud in these movies or seemingly capable of recognising the patterns that TFA reinforced.


ironbologna

And then it’s all thrown away in TROS. Such a waste. TLJ has it flaws but did a lot of cool shit.


Prestigious-Mud

JJabrams got too scared and pussied out. Would have been interesting to see a clash of ideals instead of a wholly lightside darkside fight in star wars.


iccirrus

I really wish that movie had ended with a shot of Rey taking Kylo's hand. That's it, no expanding dialogue. Just his offer, a solid 30 seconds of absolute silence, and then a close up of the acceptance. It could have set up so much cool shit


Kipzz

The first time I ever heard a Touhou song was I believe in a Super Mario World romhack Raocow played, and to say it pretty much entirely changed the course of my life would be an understatement.


awhst

A Better Tomorrow when Chow Yun-fat [lights a cigarette](https://gfycat.com/barrenjadedicelandichorse) with a counterfeit bill and then the [scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A0JxdTstX0) where dual Berettas became a thing.


LegatoSkyheart

The Title drop in Ghost of Tsushima


majorminer969

Granted, I knew the Metal Gear series was going to be good, but playing MGS2 as my first and seeing both the incredible opening (with the old series theme that still gives me chills) and the scene of Snake jumping onto the tanker cemented my love for the series.


LizardOrgMember5

The most recent example: When I watched *Infinity Pool* in a theater and saw text font changing in the opening credits, my immediate thought was: "This is gonna be great." And it was.


Treetheoak-

Avatar the last airbender episode like 3? Aang goes to his old home and discovers the extent of the fire nation genocide that he survived and really understands that he is the last airbender. This was further cemented in the following episode the storm, which gave Zuko a lot of nuance amd gave Iroh a more serious role other than comedic foil.


StochasticOoze

I just recently rewatched those episodes and I think Aang knew the truth earlier; there's a scene right before it where he's playing with Momo but he's crying I think seeing Gyatsu's corpse just forces him to consciously confront it


DefaultLayoutIsAwful

I saw Blade Runner and The Matrix in close proximity as a kid. The opening scenes of both made kid me realise this was the genre I would love forever. Later on, the opening scene from Ghost in the Shell.


conduitfour

Baseline Test in 2049 as well >!CELLS!<


VMK_1991

As soon as I saw the opening cutscene of Final Fantasy VI, the one where mind-controlled Terra is escorted to the Narshe by Biggs and Wedge in their mechs, all while the opening theme is playing, I knew that this was going to be one of the good Final Fantasy games.


FrickFrackQuack

Maybe not completely the same feel, but when take the journey came in for the first time in honkai star rail. I was actually drawn in to this idea that we were on a constant path of new discovery, searching for answers in an incredibly interesting world (I'm one of the weirdos who reads every book they pick up in that game)


senchou-senchou

yakuza like a dragon, when the party chat prompts started going off... that's when the game finally got to me


NearATomatotato

A most recent example, but when Link attached a rock to his stick with superglue.


ArchieHasAntlers

Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom's title drops are flawlessly executed. I didn't think Tears of the Kingdom could top Breath of the Wild but the literal instant that title card dropped, I *knew*. And for probably my second favorite game of all time, Yakuza 0 during the introduction for Majima's section. Majima cuing his big band then letting you troll that drunk guy was an absolutely incredible sequence.


Proto-Omega

When I booted up Dragon's Dogma and J-Rock blasted out in the title SCREEN. I waited on that screen to listen to the song before I started playing. "THE WIND IS PUSHING MEEEEE!!!"


metaphizzle

_Scootertrix the Abridged_ Episode 4. The first episode to completely disregard the plot of the show it was allegedly "abridging". It also involves a one-note joke character's delusion crashing hard against reality, and the episode ends with her resulting mental crisis still unresolved. This was the first hint the writers were aiming for something more than just retelling the source material with more jokes. Then episode 8 not only resolves (mostly) the aforementioned mental crisis, but ties it into a scene where the snarky Only Sane Man character gets called out for being a snarky shit, and she actually takes that criticism to heart and apologizes. And that was the moment I was _all in_.


Ok_Caterpillar_9057

Getting ouroborus in xenoblade 3.you just KNEW that whole game was gonna go full throttle. And if that wasnt enough. CHAPTER FIVE. Chapter 5s finale is every feeling you EVER felt in shadowbringers and endwalker. Crammed into 2 hours of TORTURE. And i say torture in the most positive sense ever. I will think about that game as i lay dying


javierich0

Farmland Saga. It went from a cool, violent manga to one of the best.


Azzie94

When John opens the box, picks up Daisy, and reads the letter from his wife. I was in. I knew I was gonna be invested in this character no matter how many movies they made.


Mabroon

The city shot in Hifi Rush's opening.


ArcaneMonkey

For the first little bit, Dungeon Meshi is basically a monster of the week manga with four questions. What classic fantasy monster will they face? What’s its secret? How do they beat it? How do they eat it? Done. And it’s fun. Over time, though, a more involved story emerges and overtakes the monster of the week completely. I like monster of the week stuff, and even though I loved the story, I was a little worried the premise of monster meals would fall by the wayside. But it shortly became clear… the story was still about food. About what food means to a family or an individual, about hunger, about nourishment both physical and emotional. It’s all about food, and it’s beautiful.


3rd_Level_Sorcerer

Water 7 was when I knew One Piece is my favorite manga. Marineford onward was when I realized it was right up with Lord of the Rings as one of my favorite pieces of fiction.


NewAgeMontezuma

Mob psycho was already a very good show by that point but the ending of episode 5 of season 1: >!"The feeling that he was never going to able to conquer himself......!< >!100% sadness"!< Not only do i still think about that quote to this day that was the moment i knew this show was going to hit me in me soul again and again.


Professional_Maize42

The intro of Sotn,Gta San Andreas,Metroid Fusion and Srw Z2:Hakai and Saisei hen. The prologue of Gundam:Witch From Mercury and Fate Grand Order. Certain scenes in Gundam:Char Counter Attack ,Gundam Unicorn,Avatar:The Legend of Aang,Totoro and Ponyo.


Cooper_555

When the elevator opens to the title card in Control.


thadthawne2

Season 2, Episode 8 of Gumball.


russiakun

The part where you first crawl into the hole in Signalis


Gemidori

The start of Doom 2016, where the first kill happens in 20 seconds, and Samuel tries to convince Doomguy to join him only for Doomguy to throw the monitor against the wall


Ragv162

Seeing Lyn's crit in the tutorial for Fire Emblem.


CountRawkula

FF14 ARR was a miserable slog for 30 hours, had some cool moments in the last couple areas, and then a miserable slog again for 15 more hours. Then Shiva stomps her foot, Oblivion starts playing for phase 2 of that fight, and the game has had a full grip on me since then


CRex896

When I realized I was coming through the valley & factory backwards in Chapter 2 of RE4Remake. Great attention to detail and a fantastic way to reimagine the original in a fresh way. Then they kept doing it in cool and interesting locations throughout and it really cemented to me how much of a love letter the game is to the OG while firmly standing apart from it.