2008's Top 10 Intro Sequences Feature

It wouldn't be a top 10 list of introductory game sequences without a JRPG somewhere in the mix and Hironobu Sakaguchi's Lost Odyssey is our pick of the bunch in 2008. Lavish CG sequences depict a steam fiction style battle between Uhran and Khent forces. The imagination behind the sort of soldiers and military armaments on show is staggering, while the battle itself is as epic as Helm's Deep in The Lord of the Rings. Once the cut-scene plays through and the gameplay kicks in, you're transported into the heart of battle as the game's hero, Kaim, to fight in this savage ballet. The transition is seamless, making the gameplay thoroughly immersive from the get go.

4. Naruto: Broken Bond

What could possibly throw gamers into the deep-end more than a fight between the ultimate good guy and most nefarious villain in the opening sequence? This is the intro for Ubisoft Montreal's second Naruto game, which pits the Third Hokage against Orochimaru and his henchmen atop the Hidden Leaf Village. Orochimaru uses his powerful Jutsu to send a fleet of huge snakes into the village, destroying its idyllic surroundings in the process. A fight tutorial then commences, spliced up between further cinematic and interactive cut-scenes punctuating the Third Hokage's fight against the First and Second Hokages (which have been resurrected by Orochimaru), in order to stop the serpentine evildoer from bringing his plans to fruition.

3. Wrath of the Lich King

Wrath of the Lich King's opening cut-scene differs from any of the other ones in this list simply because it's delivered more like a cinematic trailer than a game intro, teasing gamers to quest into the freezing lands of Northrend and dangling the seductive power of Arthas Menethil in front of them. The production values are staggering as well, delivering a level of quality in computer generated animation that puts it more in the league of CGI film effects than a videogame intro.

2. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Technically, this next cut-scene doesn't form part of the games intro sequence as it's at the end of the first level, although it does introduce the game's protagonist, Starkiller, so we're going to allow it. Having subdued a rogue Jedi on the Wookie home world of Kashyyyk, Lord Vader holds him in a choak hold, announcing "I sense someone far more powerful nearby. Where is your master?"

"The Darkside has clouded your mind," Jedi Kento protests. "You killed my master years ago." What follows is by far the most surprising twist we encountered in an introductory cut-scene this year. Check it out above to find out why...

1. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

Ironically enough, arguably the weakest game on this list also has an introductory cut-scene that caught our imaginations more than any other in 2008. It presents a darker Spider-Man than we've become used to in previous games - an apparent move away from the wise cracking smart-arse of yesteryear. Peter Parker is playing a dangerous game with his symbiote suit, a point that's well summed up by words of warning from the game's main characters, while the backing track of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is a nigh-on inspired touch. It certainly beats the third Spider-Man movie, that's for sure.