10 Epic Video Game Cutscenes That Blew Our Minds
Nothing sets the stage for video game action like a great cutscene.
Cutscenes add interest, make `us more invested in the characters of our favorite games, and
help fill in the gaps when regular gameplay can't tell the whole story.
They can be rewards for defeating difficult bosses, thank yous for playing the game, or
just about anything else in between, and the best of them stick with us long after we've
finished the rest of the game.
Here are ten epic video game cutscenes that blew our minds.
Welcome to Midgar � Final Fantasy 7
It can be hard to remember now, when in-game graphics have gotten so good that there's
almost no need anymore for CGI cutscenes to add extra life to characters and situations,
but there was a time, about 20 years ago, when they were revolutionary.
The first fully-CG cutscene that many console gamers ever saw was the opening cinematic
to Squaresoft's magnum opus, Final Fantasy 7.
It wasn't just the smooth, detailed graphics that blew gamers away; it was the excellent
framing and pacing of the clip, which starts with a view of stars in the night sky, and
zooms seamlessly in and out of close character shots and industrial cityscapes, giving players
an instant feel for the game's setting and aesthetic.
Even decades later, the care and attention that went into this early CGI masterpiece
help it stand the test of time.
Reapers invade Earth � Mass Effect 3
Though not everyone can agree about Mass Effect 3's ending, it's hard not to appreciate the
many amazing cutscenes in the rest of the game.
One of the finest comes early on.
Players have guided Commander Shepard through two full games of trying to stave off the
invasion of the deadly Reapers, sentient machines who appear every 50,000 years and wipe out
all sentient organic life in the Milky Way.
Finally, at the outset of Mass Effect 3, we see all of Shepard's efforts come to naught,
as a horde of Reaper ships descends upon Earth and overruns it.
The scene goes from pedestrian to bone-chilling in a heartbeat, as the invasion comes without
any advance warning, and Shepard steps outside to see it already in full swing.
It sets the tone for the game that follows � a desperate race against time to gather
allies and find some way to prevail against overwhelming odds.
War Never Changes � Fallout
Possibly the most famous three words in PC gaming history come from the opening cinematic
of Bethesda's beloved post-apocalyptic action-RPG, Fallout.
Voiced by Ron Perlman, the narrative is as simple as it is frightening: the world had
nuclear weapons, and then some fool went and started using them.
The hallmark style of the series � wholesome mid-century pop culture frozen in time, juxtaposed
against a desperate fight for survival in the post-nuclear world � is deftly introduced
to players through a series of shocking and compelling images.
Every main line game in the series that followed has reused the phrase �war never changes,�
but it's the original version that gets our vote, for changing our perceptions of what
a game world could be.
The Second Wave � Tom Clancy's The Division
As a multiplayer online game, The Division doesn't have a lot of the usual cutscenes
you'd expect to find in a more linear game, but the scenes the smash hit military action
thriller does have are no less impressive.
The introduction to the battlefield is our favorite.
Right away, gamers get a sense of how high the stakes are when their commander's helicopter
blows up just after landing right in front of them.
A second chopper descends to airlift survivors out and get them patched up.
The player's character flashes in and out of consciousness before being roused to wakefulness
by a fellow soldier hurt in the blast.
As it turns out, the situation is so dire � with New York City being ravaged by anarchy
following a deadly pandemic � that even injured fighters can't be spared from the
front lines.
Players learn that the entire first wave of soldiers is either dead or missing, so it's
do-or-die time.
The helicopter lands in a small, secure area, but right from the start it's clear that safe
places in this game will be few and far between.
Arthas' Betrayal � Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
With a rabidly loyal fan community and a much-loved mythos, the Warcraft series of real-time strategy
games was one of the most widely-enjoyed of the 1990s.
Warcraft fans loved the games, not just for their refined gameplay, but for their vibrant
setting.
With each successive title in the series, the game's world became more complex and fully
realized.
Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne represented the apex of this development, with an epic
betrayal that's gone down as one of gaming's most affecting moments.
The famous scene, in which the once-noble prince Arthas, corrupted by evil, murders
his father in the throne room of Lordaeron, was the setup to his becoming the powerful
arch-villain known as the Lich King.
It is widely regarded as one of the most memorable and emotionally powerful cutscenes in video
game history.
�I don't know you� - GTA IV
With their emphasis on action, the Grand Theft Auto games aren't particularly known for their
cutscenes, but hidden among all the bank robberies, police chases, and crooked real estate dealings,
there have been several noteworthy ones.
Our pick for the most mind-blowing of them all comes from GTA 4.
Serbian immigrant Niko Bellic has been building his new life as an American criminal mastermind
for some time, when a lead puts him on the trail of Darko, a fellow ex-soldier who betrayed
Bellic's unit, leading to the deaths of everyone in it except Niko.
The scene is harrowing, as it touches on the shades of gray that surround many wartime
actions.
At first, Darko insists he doesn't know Niko, but Niko explains exactly who he is � the
only one who survived.
Unrepentant, the man then explains that he let the squad die in retaliation for their
having previously killed his neighbors before their shared military service.
It's a surprisingly complex moment of war crime retrospection, especially for the GTA
series.
Mad World � Gears of War 3
At its heart, the Gears of War series is basically about a bunch of hardasses blasting their
way through endless waves of monstrous foes.
Nevertheless, players got attached to the characters and their stories, which made this
unexpected death scene surprisingly poignant.
Dominic �Dom� Santiago, one of the iconic Delta One soldiers of the series, finds himself
with his fellow troops in a do-or-die situation on the Mission to Mercy, trapped by swarms
of enemies.
The only way to give the Deltas a fighting chance is to destroy a nearby fuel tanker,
taking out most of the Locust and Lambent forces that have them pinned down.
Dom makes a heroic sacrifice to blow up the tanker, saving the squad, but losing his own
life.
The instrumental version of series-favorite song �Mad World� played over the scene
made it even more effective and unforgettable.
A Survivor is Born � Tomb Raider (2013)
Gamers already know Tomb Raider heroine Lara Croft.
This meant that Crystal Dynamics's 2013 reboot of the franchise had its work cut out: the
game needed to retell the story of Lara Croft to show how she became the butt-kicking action
star we all know and love, which meant showing her to us before she was that person � without
making her seem like someone completely different.
The creative team pulled this off brilliantly with the opening cutscenes of the game, which
see Croft's research vessel wrecked on a mysterious island, and Croft herself kidnapped almost
immediately after washing ashore.
The way she survives these obstacles sets the tone for the whole game, nicely illustrating
how the young woman will grow into the steely adventurer of her later life.
The whole sequence blends and balances our preconceptions of Lara Croft with a new take
on the character, and makes the result both likable and believable.
Return To Sender � Halo 2
Many fans of the Halo series regard the second entry as the best.
It expanded considerably on the setting of the first game, added better graphics, and
introduced interesting new gameplay concepts, while still retaining all the fun and charm
of the original.
Halo 2 contains arguably the best cutscene in the whole series, as well.
Near the end of chapter 3, protagonist Master Chief clears out a room of elite Covenant
soldiers and disarms a dangerous bomb, with a little help from Cortana.
Seeing that the situation on Earth is still perilous, Chief switches into full badass
mode.
He requests permission to leave the station, �to give the Covenant back their bomb,�
and then free-falls with it, guiding the weapon down over Africa, into the interior of an
enormous Covenant carrier ship, detonating it and destroying the craft.
It's as ridiculous as it is awesome.
The Killing Joke � Batman: Arkham City
Of course, Batman just isn't the same without the Joker.
But that's only one of the reasons why Mr. J's big reveal in Batman: Arkham City blows
our minds.
First of all, this isn't just any Joker � it's Mark Hamill's Joker, arguably the all-time
fan favorite.
The Joker, as it turns out, is suffering from a fatal blood disease; in true lunatic fashion,
he's transfused some of his diseased blood into Batman, who sits helplessly bound in
the Joker's wheelchair.
He even manages to slip a double entendre into his taunts, suggesting that �a little
bit of me inside you� is what the Batman has �always wanted.� Worst of all, the
Joker has also sent bags of his infected blood to hospitals all over Gotham City.
He tells Bats all this to compel him to work in helping track down a cure that Mister Freeze
had been developing in secret.
It's classic Batman, from beginning to end.
The set pieces, the character motivations, and the diabolical plot are all true to the
comics, making it an exciting treat for any fan of the Caped Crusader.
Have a favorite cutscene we missed?
Tell us about it in the comments below.
What do you think of video game cutscenes?
Do you have a favorite style?
We'd love to read about it.
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