Summary
It’s fair to say that Rockstar has become a juggernaut of the video game industry, being the developers behind some of the most popular franchises on the planet, includingGrand Theft AutoandRed Dead Redemption. While Rockstar’s games initially stood out for their over-the-top stories and characters, there have also been a few that are a lot more serious and grounded, but before players even dive into the game, they’ll first be greeted with an opening line.
The very first line of a game is crucially important as it essentially acts as the invitation to the entire experience, establishing the tone and setting to give players a vague idea of what they are getting themselves into. As developers who have been creating games for decades by this point, Rockstar is clearly aware of the importance an opening quote can hold, as they’ve inserted plenty of memorable ones into a few of their titles as a way to hook players from the moment they start up a new game.
Grand Theft Auto 5’sstory kicks off with a bang, throwing players right into the center of achaotic bank heistthat is being prepared by a few masked individuals, one of which is the person behind this opening quote - Michael. On the one hand, this quote works as an excellent way to invoke tension and suspense in the player, as it emphasizes the high stakes of the situation, which could very well end in a few people being killed if something were to go wrong.
However, it also feeds into Michael’s character, and more specifically, how he makes attempts throughout the story to bury his past life and become a new man. As a result, seeing him being so authoritative during the opening flashback puts into perspective just how violent this guy really was before he parted ways with Trevor.
There’s always been somethingso uncannyabout theMax Payneseries. Whether it’s Sam Lake’s face being plastered onto Max, the whacky comic-style cinematics, or the bizarre dialogue, the games have always stood out for their weird nature, and while Rockstar tried to make the third entry a little more grounded, there’s still plenty of strangeness that has been carried over.
A prime example of this is the first line said by Max upon reaching his new apartment in Sau Paulo which he claims to be “great” and even pretty “comfortable,” despite no one else being in the room for him to talk to. Considering the amount of torment and pain Max had been through up until this point, it makes this piece of dialogue sound almost eerie with how upbeat and happy it sounds, making for a memorable opening for Rockstar’s debut in theMax Payneseries.
At the very beginning of the firstRed Dead Redemption,John Marstoncan be seen taking a casual stroll with two men by his side after hopping off a ferry, but along their walk, they are interrupted by a young paper boy who is lucky enough to have the first line in the entire series. As a way to pull players into the game’s setting, Rockstar decided to open up the story with a line that seems ridiculous by today’s standards, reminding players just how different the world was a little over a century ago.
It’s a clever way to get players immersed from the very first cutscene by catching them off guard with an outlandish quote that emphasizes not only the weirdness of the time but also how much progress has been made since then when it comes to general health and science.
When said out of context, this might seem like a quote that someone would say when a character is near death or on their last legs. In actuality, though, it is said by Jimmy’s mother at the beginning ofBullyas an attempt to get her son to share his feelings after being moved to a new school. With a single line, players immediately get a good idea of the silent and moody persona of Jimmy, alongside his rocky relationship with his mother.
As soon as Jimmy’s mom asks him the question, the title card for the game then pops up on the screen, giving players a brief intro to get them interested in the protagonist before kicking off the game for real. Jimmy continues to remain silent for this intro segment until his stepfather calls him “James,” which is the last straw for the rebellious youngster until he fires back with a few of his own crude words.
That part of the quote specifically plays into the game’s narrative and the notion that, despite Los Angeles being a beautiful place to live, the constant crimes and murders keep it from ever becoming truly great.L.A. Noireis a game that oozes style, and it certainly starts off in a flashy fashion with this symbolic line about the current state of the city.
It’s amazing just how much can be revealed about a character from a single line, as is proven by the opening quote toSan Andreas, which is uttered by none other thanCJ, the star of the story. Players immediately learn that CJ has been away from home for a while, which already raises questions, but it also emphasizes how much he loves his close friends and family considering how he’s more than willing to return home rather than leaving everything behind for good.
The abruptness of this quote, and how it seemingly comes out of nowhere, only works in its favor as it encourages players to start forming an opinion on CJ as a character right off the bat. At the same time, it’s also just a fitting way to kickstart the latestGTAadventure by acting as a fitting introduction to the dazzling city of Los Santos.
Grand Theft Auto 3wastes no time getting straight into the action, with the opening cinematic showing a robbery taking place in the Liberty City bank while a group of hooligans try and escape around the back to avoid being caught. In an unexpected turn of events, Claude, the protagonist of the game, is held at gunpoint by a mysterious woman who refers to him as “babe,” implying that the two at least know each other.
After then calling him “small time,” she proceeds to pull the trigger, leaving Claude for dead before it is revealed a few moments later that this woman, Catalina, was Claude’s girlfriend. This line sparks so many questions, mainly why Catalina would commit such an act, and whether her betrayal was planned all along, providing a hook that gets players intrigued from the first few moments of the story.
DespiteRed Dead Redemption 2putting players in the shoes of an outlaw, the world they are dropped into isn’t exactly the one often seen inspaghetti westerns, as is clearly explained in this introductory line that pops up at the very beginning of the game. In truth, America by this point is undergoing drastic changes, and with modernization taking over, the likes of Arthur, Dutch, John, and the rest of the gang aren’t exactly looked upon fondly by the wider population.
This notion of struggling with societal change is a very prominent theme inRed Dead Redemption 2and the main cause of friction between Arthur and the gang, so it only seems right that it would be mentioned from the get-go. It’s a line that perfectly sets the dire tone thatRed Dead 2starts and ends with, while also just being an interesting historical remark that chronicles the downfall of cowboys in modern America.
