Ultimately, games should be judged by the overall adventure they offer. However, this is not always how it goes. You can't help but form ideas within hours of playing the game.
Some people even skip the title and uninstall it if it doesn't grab their attention quickly. This is understandable, but it means that you risk missing out on some great games. Here are some examples of great titles despite weak openings.
Wolfenstein: The New Order
The early stages of Wolfenstein: The New Order are set in the middle of World War 2, as you fight in the trenches against the Nazis. As countless FPS games are set in WW2, this section of the game feels a bit casual.
Things don't really start to pick up until you're back in time and you're in the 1960s. Even then, the game is still okay until you get the resistance together and start learning that the characters are deeper than they initially appear, especially the protagonist BJ Blazkowicz.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 is widely regarded as one of the best games of its generation. But it's fair to say that it takes some time to get going. Before you're free to explore the Wild West, you're stuck in a snowy mountain, doing very rudimentary missions with a group of people you don't even know yet.
So, the sequence can be a bit of a slog, and it has turned people off the game. Once you power through it, you'll start doing more exciting missions and learn more about the characters. Interestingly, on the second playthrough, the prologue is actually okay because the interactions between the characters are more fascinating once you already know who they are.
Assassin's Creed 3
Assassin's Creed 3 has a strange opening few hours. At first, you play as Hathem Kenway for a while, while you learn the mechanics of the game. It builds nicely until you switch to the actual main character, his son, Connor. He is just a baby, so now you have to watch him grow up. Compared to Haythem missions it feels very slow.
The sequence wouldn't actually be that bad if the game started with it. But by the end of Haythem's sequence, you are ready to open the game, not getting more linear and tutorial-heavy. It really hurts the pace of the game and will probably turn some people away.
Pokemon Sun and Moon
The Pokemon games aren't known for being quick-starters. The early hours are always spent introducing you to the concept of Pokemon in general, battle mechanics, and how to catch more Pokemon. Modern games like Sun and Moon have made things worse by including a lot more cutscenes and dialogue.
Sometimes the many cutscenes at the beginning of the game can be exciting, but Pokemon is hardly a story-focused series. So, the scenes aren't exactly riveting. Once you get past all that, though, and the many tutorials, Sun and Moon is a fun Pokemon adventure.
Specific Ops: Line
In the opening hours of Spec Ops: The Line, you'd be forgiven for believing you're playing an average third-person military shooter. So, it's forgivable if you leave at that point. However, when you play for a long time, you begin to discover that there is much more to this game than it initially appears. The shooting mechanics remain average, but the characters and story become more engaging.
The terrible events that occur in the adventure slowly begin to affect the main character's mind. As a result, the game starts messing with your brain a bit too. It's actually more effective because the game initially feels like a standard shooter, meaning you don't see the weirdness coming.
Yakuza 3
All Yakuza (aka Like A Dragon) games are great, but Yakuza 3 doesn't get off to a strong start. You play as the protagonist of the series and former yakuza member, Kiryu, who has left his previous life behind and now runs an orphanage.
Because of that, the first few hours of the game aren't very action-packed, nor are there many big story moments. Instead, you're just helping orphans by completing some fairly mundane missions. This is clearly an attempt to establish what Kiryu's life is like. However, it drags on a bit too long, and the game doesn't start getting interesting until you leave the orphanage.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The storytelling of The Witcher 3 is commonly cited as the best part of the game. Unfortunately, that doesn't really get going until you leave the prologue area known as White Orchard. While here, you go about your monster-hunting business.
That's fine, but this section of the game is why many consider The Witcher 3 an iconic RPG. Once you get out of the White Garden, you meet some of the main characters and learn about your job to find Ciri. The story really kicks into gear at this point.
heavy rain
Heavy Rain is an exciting story adventure game that revolves around a fascinating mystery. It doesn't start off in a very attractive way though. This is because before the story begins, you only control a suburban father named Ethan, who needs to fulfill his daily duties.
You brush your teeth, shave, shower, get dressed, and do various other mundane tasks. In the process, you are taught the basic mechanics of the game, but it is not exciting. It's a very dull stretch of the game that's easy to skip. The title doesn't really entertain until the mystery is revealed.
Most Metal Gear Solid games have strong and exciting propositions that set up the rest of the story. However, the story of Phantom Pain was set up in MGS5: Ground Zeroes, which is technically a separate game.
So, phantom pain starts when you wake up from a coma. So, when you actually have the ability to move, your legs aren't working properly, meaning you're falling down. After this, you crawl around in a very linear, hand-holding section as you make it through the rest of the introduction. It's too slow, and the gameplay doesn't reflect the quality of the rest of the game.
the driver
The original Driver game on the PS1 has one of the most infamous intros in gaming history. At the start, you get a list of things you need to complete: burnout, handbrake, slalom, 180°, 360°, reverse 180°, speed, brake test, and lap. You are not told how to do any of these things, but you must do them all in 60 seconds.
While there are instructions on how to do everything in the hidden menu, most people don't find it. Instead, they often fail and quit the game. Sadly for them, the game gets really good after this very disappointing sequence.
