The Tram Ride – Half-Life
Half-Life is both legendary and notorious for its opening. It sees Gordon Freeman riding the tram into Black Mesa. Back in the day, when most first-person shooters couldn’t wait to throw you into the action, story be darned, Half-Life took its time setting the atmosphere. It immersed you, making Black Mesa feel like a lived-in world in its own right.
Not only that, but it provided a quick peek at some of the environments that Gordon would traverse as he fought his way out. Truly one of the best intro sequences of all time. However, it takes about eight minutes before you can step off and follow a semi-guided path to your first objective. Revisiting this every few years is fine, but having to go through the tram ride again, even after clearing the game so many times, can get tedious.
