History EstablishingCharacterMoment / VideoGames

* KOS-MOS of ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' got herself an incredible entrance by blowing out an enormous metal door and kicking the asses of all the Gnosis that were previously making mincemeat of the people on the Woglinde. In other words, she was basically a DeusEstMachina.

** Not to mention that the whole Nibelheim Incident flashback was one big coolness-establishing moment for Sephiroth. Everything in it...even the way Sephiroth always walked when others ran in cutscenes, even though the running was just a convenience to get movement from place to place over more quickly and we probably weren't expected to really think that most characters were in the habit of running around like hyperactive chipmunks all the time.

** All of the Mega Men in ''[[VideoGame/MegaManZX Advent]]'' have nice moments as well. They only consist of standing there and talking, but they pretty much explain who they are, what they want, how they are going to get it and why they really do not like you.
* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'': You know the Cole Train means business when his first appearance is taking on about 10 Locust on his own, not even bothering to take cover. In the second game, he first appears coming to your rescue - ''while making an entire squad of Locust about to kill you run away scared.''

* In ''KingdomHearts'', [[TheChick Kairi]] is introduced (after the opening) pretty much with a detailed close-up of her teasing Sora and giggling, seeing her up as the girl Sora has a crush on, and [[TheRival Riku]] is introduced confidently tossing logs around and being the responsible, hardworking one, setting him up as the guy Sora wants to be.

** A more accurate moment probably comes from his treatment of the hydra. It swallows a man with a key he needs. After killing the beast in badass fashion, Kratos stalks into its mouth to retrieve the key. The key is around the neck of the ship captain, who thanks him for coming back. Kratos' reply? "I didn't come back for ''you''." He then proceeds to rip the key off him, then send him down the hydra's throat for no reason whatsoever. Kratos: Mighty warrior, and complete and total asshole.

** Sho's first scene involves him showing up late to a meeting, using "affectionate" nicknames on Kitaniji and Konishi, then walking out as soon as he's lost his interest, effectively setting him up as the maverick among the Reapers [[spoiler:not to mention TheStarscream]].
* Pretty much all of the main characters in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' get introductory animations:

* Wes of ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' has pretty much the best introduction of any character in the series, handheld or not--he ''blows up a criminal hideout with dynamite''. As the only non-KidHero playable, he already stood out, but it was that moment that marked him as one of the best human {{badass}}es in the series.

* Just about every ''MetalGear'' boss (starting about at ''Metal Gear Solid'') gets one of these. Sometimes it's as late as right before you fight them. Sometimes, [[SubvertedTrope they get another one after you win]].
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' loves to not outrightly reveal the major characters, but rather all you are given is a name and a very vague description of the characters skill or occupation. As you are on your way to find them, you will have several encounters with people who will give you a few more pieces of information about the person you seek, and each time the mental image you get becomes more and more outrageous and even horrifying. And then comes the BigEntrance, which usually even much more badass than anything you would have imagined.

** Though she appears a twice beforehand and is heard over loudspeaker and in a few video clips, Miranda's first real introduction is when Wilson opens the door to the room she's been hiding in, [[spoiler:promptly shooting him with a sarcastic quip, insisting that he's a traitor, and ignoring all of Shepard's counterarguments and stating "I'm always right."]] Quickly establishing pretty much everything you need to know about her. [[HiddenDepths Or not,]] depending on your point of view. It certainly tells you everything you need to know about [[WellIntentionedExtremist Cer]][[CompleteMonster berus]], [[ContinuityLockout if you haven't played the first game.]]
*** Side note: if you read the Shadow Broker dossiers you acquire after completing ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'', [[spoiler:it confirms Wilson really was a traitor and Miranda was right.]]

* ''VideoGame/DragonAge: Origins'' does this with...well, pretty much everyone. Aside from those characters who are more than they appear to be in their first seen, what you see is what you get.

** And, of course, your own character gets several choices for dialogue (and actions) in the Origins that can set up how you want to play them, from killing the humans in your territory to politely doing as your father tells you to do to flirting with your cousin to snarking with [[BottleFairy your cousin that she doesn't care what's going on, she just wants the excuse to drink]].

** Granted, Ike had his time during his own ''Fire Emblem'' games, he pretty much earns himself another one in his first appearance in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. Brawl'''s Subspace Emissary. You've just seen Marth and Meta Knight fail to stop the Ancient Minister and his bomb. He flies off, thinking he's won. Suddenly from behind you see a BFS slowly rise from behind him as epic music starts to play. Ike then jumps up to catch it for his signature move Aether (he yells "Great Aether" just because it's cooler that way) and easily slices down the bomb the Ancient Minister was carrying, disarming it (becoming the only character ever to do so) and he strikes a pose as the Ancient Minister flies off into the distance.

*** Karis and Tyrell are established at the beginning of ''Dark Dawn'' with their actions - Karis yelling at Tyrell to get off the roof before he breaks the soarwing, and Tyrell flying off of said roof thinking he could just use it despite being an inexperienced Mars Adept. His reasoning for flying off basically amounts to "what's the worst that could happen?", [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor and he finds out real quick]].

*** Sveta, being the SpotlightStealingSquad, got ''three'', before you even learned her name. In Te Rya, you catch a few glimpses of a girl who flees when she realizes she's been spotted. Later, you spot her a few more times, leading you through the Teppe Ruins (and even leaving some of her climbing gear about for you to follow her). When she finally does start speaking, she's just as [[{{Moe}} shy and kind]] as the previous scenes showed her to be, but you also find out that she's a [[BadassAdorable kung-fu werewolf Adept]]. ''Then'' she introduces herself formally...

*** And, of course, Nick sums up every survivor in the ''Left4Dead'' franchise:

** Vladimir Makarov in the second game has an ''entire mission'' serve as his establishing character moment. It starts with him and his cronies machinegunning an entire airport (and you have to follow and help him). It ends with Makarov casually turning and shooting you in the head, revealing he knew you were a spy the whole time.

* Very early into ''Videogame/{{Prototype 2}}'', when James Heller first catches sight of Alex Mercer, he slits the latter's throat. [[HealingFactor It doesn't take, of course,]] but it and the subsequent dogged pursuit firmly show that if anyone can take Alex down, it'll be James and his depleted uranium balls.

** In ''{{VideoGame/PokemonRanger}}'', we have Purple Eyes, who, ''before we even know he exists'', has beaten the crap out of Rand, of all people, and kidnapped his wife and daughter, Leanne and Nema. But when we meet him, [[spoiler:you can tell he's bad news. Just look at his Ranger pose. That 'the world is mine' one...it's quite creepy. But then again, he is a CompleteMonster...]]

* [[TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]]. In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', his first appearance is in a dream and his second is faking loyalty to the king. However, in his third appearance, he knocks Link to the ground with a single attack and says, "I am Ganondorf! And soon, I will rule the world!"

* In ''KidIcarusUprising'', moments after Dark Pit's creation, Pandora introduces him as her newest minion. He responds with an OffhandBackhand, and joins you in the second half of her boss fight. Meet the WildCard.

** Though she appears a twice beforehand and is heard over loudspeaker and in a few video clips, Miranda's first real introduction is when Wilson opens the door to the room she's been hiding in, [[spoiler:promptly shooting him with a sarcastic quip, insisting that he's a traitor, and ignoring all of Shepard's counterarguments and stating "I'm always right."]] Quickly establishing pretty much everything you need to know about her. [[HiddenDepths Or not,]] [[{{YMMV}} depending on your point of view.]] It certainly tells you everything you need to know about [[WellIntentionedExtremist Cer]][[CompleteMonster berus]], [[ContinuityLockout if you haven't played the first game.]]

* [[AsurasWrath COME ON!!!]]

* [[Asura'sWrath COME ON!!!]]

** [[TheDragon Sukuna]]-[[PuppeteerParasite Hikona]]? "[[HighOctaneNightmareFuel The one called Munakata no longer exists]]..."

* Mia's first scene in ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' shows her using [[HealingHands her powers]] to help a sickly old man. This being ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', [[FlatCharacter there's not much else to know]].
** Before her, we have Ivan, whose establishing moment is [[MindReading violating the mental privacy]] of two total strangers. Who then [[MindOverManners call him on it]], [[AmbiguousInnocence much to his surprise]].
** Felix, at Level 5, ''calls out the endbosses'' over kidnapping Sheba, and later ''jumps off Venus Lighthouse'' to rescue her when she falls. AlwaysSaveTheGirl much, Felix?
** Piers's introductory scene in ''The Lost Age'' has him locked in a prison in the aftermath of a pirate attack he had nothing to do with. Nonetheless, he waits for the mayor to find evidence to set him free rather than try and break out or explain his origins, knowing that it would prove his disassociation with the pirates, but [[{{Atlantis}} raise even more questions]]. This establishes perfectly that he's secretive, but a kind, patient, and very law-abiding person.
** In the same game, Karst's first appearance is standing in the middle of a busy city, asking everyone she sees if they've seen her CoolBigSis. Whom you have to inform her was killed by the first game's heroes. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Things go badly.]]
** Agatio's establishing moment is telling Alex ''he knows'' he's being made to play the DumbMuscle role, and [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy is only playing along because it furthers his goals as well]]. Surprisingly, [[IdiotBall even Nintendo missed that]] when they billed him as DumbMuscle in the official strategy guide.
** A rather surprising one for ''Issac'' comes late in ''The Lost Age''. Being a HeroicMime in the first game, players were free to imagine what his personality was like. In ''The Lost Age'', [[SuddenlyVoiced he starts speaking for himself]], and the first time we encounter him is after Garret and Mia have been caught in a trap set by Agatio and Karst. One the first things out of his mouth is a rather curt "If you're not going to help us, then get out of our way", then displays very little hesitation in drawing his blade when it becomes clear the two are there for a fight. The whole scene shows us that A) He's under a lot of stress, and B) He's quite willing to be confrontational.
** In ''Dark Dawn'', Nowell's [[OneSceneWonder only on-screen appearance]] has her [[DontTouchItYouIdiot yelling at her brother]] for getting too close to a Psynergy Vortex, yelling at Kraden for [[WhatTheHellHero being a bad guardian]], and yelling at the bad guys for [[ItsPersonal kidnapping her brother]]. This [[TheScrappy left an impression]] on the fandom.
*** Also, Karis and Tyrell are established at the beginning of the game with their actions - Karis yelling at Tyrell to get off the roof before he breaks the soarwing, and Tyrell flying off of said roof thinking he could just use it despite being an inexperienced Mars Adept. His reasoning for flying off basically amounts to "what's the worst that could happen?", [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor and he finds out real quick]].

** Hawke's various personalities gets introduced during Varric's prologue depending on dialogue choices. Paragon!Hawke quickly establishes themselves as [[TheMessiah a born leader]], Aggresive!Hawke takes the role of a vicious BloodKnight, while the middle choice, Snarky!Hawke shows themselves to be a charismatic DeadpanSnarker.

*** In the second game, you join an alliance of three badass mercenary bands who try to take out Archangel, a LoneWolf vigilante who has been cornered in a building and killed dozens of mercenaries who had tried to get at him for the last few days, to the point where the mercenaries bring in battle robots the size of small mechs and a heavily armored gunship.

* The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39gX7GpYf0Q infamously chilling close-up of SA-X's face]] in ''[[{{VideoGame/Metroid}} Metroid Fusion]]'' does well to convince the player that they should steer clear of this foe.

** [[DefrostingIceQueen Bastila]] breaks herself out of her cage before she can be rescued, makes a typically self-righteous boast about being a Jedi, and helps you take down a major mob boss. Then proceeds to argue with your character on who was doing the actual rescuing. [[spoiler: TheReveal makes this scene much more funny in hindsight.]]

** [[DefrostingIceQueen Bastila]] breaks herself out of her cage before she can be rescued, makes a typically self-righteous boast about being a Jedi, and helps you take down a major mob boss. Then proceeds to berate you on doing a sloppy job.

* ''{{Crysis}} 2'''s {{Troperiffic}} [[BatmanColdOpen opening cinematic]], "Second Chance," opens with a SuperSoldier flinging himself out of a skyscraper [[DodgeTheBullet just ahead of an incoming rocket]] and [[ThreePointLanding landing]] [[MadeOfIron unscathed]]. He then ambushes an enemy soldier, takes his rifle, shoots another soldier with it before he can react, [[SuperSpeed evades]] an A-10 [[DeathFromAbove napalm airstrike]], turns [[InvisibilityCloak invisible]], {{neck lift}}s a third soldier, [[DestinationDefenestration hurls him out a window]], follows him down, and uses his Mk.60 to disable an AwesomePersonnelCarrier while [[ImmuneToBullets shrugging off]] its machine gun fire. His next step is to [[InASingleBound fling]] himself in SlowMotion onto the APC, trigger his SuperStrength, and [[RemovableTurretGun rip]] its .50 caliber machine gun right off its mount. By the time he's used it to [[ShortLivedAerialEscape shoot down]] the helicopter that shot that first rocket at him, it's abundantly clear that a well-used [[PowerArmor Nanosuit 2]] is a force to be reckoned with. This entire sequence takes two minutes, with HansZimmer's [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome "Insertion"]] blaring in the background the whole time.

* In ''AlanWake'', [[KnightTemplar Agent Nightingale]] in his first appearance tries to shoot Alan Wake, completely ignoring the risk of hitting the innocent bystander who stands right next to Alan.

* In AlanWake, [[KnightTemplar Agent Nightingale]] in his first appearance tries to shoot Alan Wake, completely ignoring the risk of hitting the innocent bystander who stands right next to Alan.

** In [[JerkAss Jigoro]]'s first scene, after introductions, he starts insulting the Yamaku student council for being lazy compared to the student councils of his childhood, and reacts to Hisao's politely asking what he does for a living by asking "Are you some kinda tax man, boy?". Things go downhill from there.

** Vladimir Makarov in the second game has an ''entire mission'' serve as his establishing character moment. It starts with him and his cronies machinegunning an entire airport (and you have to follow and help him). It ends with Makarov casually turning and shooting you in the head, revealing he knew you were a spy the whole time.