History EstablishingCharacterMoment / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'': Nico establishes herself as one hell of a BadassDriver during the opening sequence when demons are attacking the city by using her van as a weapon to ram them. When a demon tries to crawl through the driver-side window, Nico doesn't even turn her head and puts her cigarette out on its face in the [[https://youtu.be/BxJl9YTOn90?t=14m26s intro sequence]]. Later on, after Nico deliberately sends the van flipping through the air after crashing into several cars and demons, she [[https://youtu.be/BxJl9YTOn90?t=15m23s calmly moves her head]] enough to catch a cigarette with just her mouth while Nero's outside shooting demons.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'': When a demon tries to crawl through the driver-side window, Nico doesn't even turn her head and puts her cigarette out on its face in the [[https://youtu.be/BxJl9YTOn90?t=14m26s intro sequence]]. Later on, after Nico deliberately sends the van flipping through the air after crashing into several cars and demons, she [[https://youtu.be/BxJl9YTOn90?t=15m23s calmly moves her head]] enough to catch a cigarette with just her mouth while Nero's outside shooting demons.

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

*** An early quest establishes just how much of an asshole and a sociopath Jack is when he hijacks a train full of refugees, casually makes jokes about their leader's face, then feigns remorse after she explains her backstory, kills her, and laughs about how BloodyHilarious her death was, just before ordering his [[TheDragon Dragon]] Wilhelm to kill everyone.

*** An early quest establishes just how much of an asshole and a sociopath Jack is when he hijacks a train full of refugees, casually makes jokes about their leader's face, then feigns remorse after she explains her backstory, kills her, and laughs about how BloodyHilarious her death was.

* The main enemy bots of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysSecurityBreach'' get a scene unsubtly showcasing their main personality trait: Roxy is [[{{Pride}} reciting compliments to herself in front of a mirror]], Monty is [[HairTriggerTemper wrecking his room while roaring]], and Glamrock Chica is [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers playing a guitar solo]]... but is also found [[VillainousGlutton eating pizza from a pile of trash]] shortly after.

*** When the Death Knight is introduced in Chapter 4, he refuses to obey his allies' orders to fight the intruders(but will attack anyone who steps into his movement range on [[HarderThanHard Maddening]]). While usually stoic, he will express surprise if he goes into battle with Mercedes, [[spoiler:hinting at her identity as his older sister]].

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'':

* Noah of ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' is introduced giving an introductory {{Infodump}} on the CrapsackWorld that is Aionios. After taking part in a brutal battle against an enemy Colony, Noah stays behind to [[DueToTheDead send off]] all the dead on both sides, staying long after the last transport ship back home has left. This establishes just how much Noah treasures life, even those of his enemies, and how he hates how the world encourages trampling upon it.

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', Ganondorf's 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!"
*** Also, the first time you hear of Ganondorf's actions, you find out that he was the one who put the death curse on the Deku Tree for not giving him what he wanted.
*** Princess Zelda also gets one when you first meet her in her courtyard - though she's surprised that you got past the guards, she doesn't have you thrown out and, after Link confirms the Deku Tree gave him the Kokiri Emerald, she tells Link of her [[TheSeer dream]] and. shows him Ganondorf through the window. She then says that, though he has pledged allegiance to her father, [[ProperlyParanoid she doesn't trust him]], indicating she's a ''far'' better judge of character than most of the adults in Hyrule.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' also has a few notable introductions. Primarily, Midna's mysterious and sudden appearance showcases her mocking and less than serious nature, along with some of her [[JerkAss impertinent]] and [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] aspects.

*** [[GentleGiant Jorge]] takes his helmet off to make a civilian feel more secure and comfortable, which sets off Emile's moment where he shows [[WhatMeasureIsANonBadass his contempt toward civilians]].

*** Corrin's decision to risk his/her life to protect her own enemies from being killed establishes him/her as someone who's determined to risk everything to do what s/he believes is right.

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', the player first meets Prince Alcryst of Brodia when crossing from Firene to Brodia. Suspicious of [[PlayerCharacter Alear]] and Alfred, he shoots a warning shot just past the latter's head and promises he won't miss next time, until Alear reveals their identity as the Divine Dragon and Alfred's identity as the crown prince of Firene. Alcryst then leaps into the air... and enters a PoseOfSupplication begging for forgiveness.

* ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrange'': The bathroom scene in the first episode serves as a nice one for Max and Chloe, as well as Nathan (who serves as TheHeavy).
** Max gets stressed from class, makes her way to the bathroom while wearing her headphones to avoid interacting with anyone to try to collect herself alone in the bathroom, then sees something cool and photographs it. After developing her powers, and despite not having a clue what's going on, [[ChronicHeroSyndrome she endeavours to rescue the (apparent) stranger who just got shot]].
** Nathan aggressively barges in with barely any awareness. He also gives himself a pep talk while looking in the mirror, but which quickly turns into a rant about how he could blow up the school. After Chloe pushes his buttons (by bringing the possibility of angering his father), he draws a gun to threaten her and accidentally kills her.
** Chloe enters confidentially, sneaks in a complaint about her stepfather David, methodically (but quickly) makes sure there's nobody in the stalls, and then immediately starts trying to blackmail Nathan. When her browbeating accidentally sets Nathan off, she lets her mask slip enough to look scared while trying to threaten him into backing down, and when Max sets off the fire alarm as a distraction she knees him in the crotch before slinking off.
*** Chloe has another moment at the beginning of ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', with her standing on train tracks, facing down an oncoming train, before jumping away at the VERY last second.

* ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'' Starts off essentially fifteen seconds before a slasher scene on a train, with said slasher politely standing aside for a little old lady before heading to the next cabin and turning the guards to a fine red paste. Within the first minute our damsel is kid-napped, our hero goes from quiet observer to action hero, and our villain has a body count in the double digits yet with a kindly smile never leaving his face, save when his little murder minion get crushed in the palm of our hero. Even with A LOT of details and twists about all three throughout the game, chances are just from this opening screen-play you can correctly surmise what all of them are going to be to the plot.

* ''VideoGame/killer7'': Curtis Blackburn is introduced to the player through a cutscene, where he loads his gun while sitting across from a prostitute in his car... before shooting her in the head. All while classical music plays. He then strolls out of the car and into an office building, whereupon the player witnesses him (from his first-person perspective) casually making his way into a waiting room and killing everyone in there, before cornering a terrified young woman. Even before we learn [[PaedoHunt much worse]] [[WouldHurtAChild things about]] [[OrganTheft Curtis Blackburn]], the cutscene makes it clear [[KnightOfCerebus there is nothing funny about this man]].

** [[TheHear Kairi]] is introduced (after the opening) with a detailed close-up of her teasing Sora and giggling, clearly 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.

* In ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'', Isaac Carver is quickly established as a non-action engineer who's only on the Ishimura mission to find his girlfriend. His ActionSurvivor tendencies don't get established until later on.

** The mission ''444'', is an establishing character moment for the ''entire Spare Squadron''. It starts off with Champ forcing a take-off after cutting of Tabloid and telling the Air Traffic Control to ‘Go to hell’ after they called him out on it. Count tries to assume command of the squadron, but nobody listens to him, High Roller sets up a betting pool on who's going to live and who's going to die, Full Band SpeakIllOfTheDead when mentioning how Trigger got transferred over to the Spare Squadron by shooting a missile in between old [[spoiler:Harling’s]] eyes, and last but not least, AWACS Bandog sends out a warning to the squadron, ‘This is the penal unit. [[ImpliedDeathThreat I decide when you die]].’ When the mission is over, [[TheNeidermeyer Colonel [=McKinsey=]]] throws everyone into solitary for disobeying his orders to ''not'' fire on the enemy bombers until he gave the go-ahead. It all goes to show how dysfunctional the Spare Squadron is.

*** Seteth, the NumberTwo to Archbishop Rhea of the Church of Seiros, gets this in his second scene. He protests her decision to allow [[PlayerCharacter Byleth]] to teach at the Garreg Mach monastery's Officers' Academy, citing that his sister Flayn is staying there now, but reluctantly accepts Rhea's decision. This establishes his three most important relationships- he's protective of Flayn, is loyal to Rhea even if he doesn't always agree with her, and is suspicious of Byleth.

** Ada's introduction in the ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake'' has her shooting the [[RaisingTheSteaks zombified dog]] that was attacking Leon, refusing to explain anything about the situation in Raccoon or why she was there, and then leaving. This marks the beginning of Ada's tendency of protecting and saving Leon (or [[PassiveRescue giving him the means to save himself]]) and is the signal to the player that there is [[MysteriousWoman more to her than meets the eye]] and that she [[CrypticallyUnhelpfulAnswer isn't very forthcoming]].

** Trevor's introduction (where he is found rutting with a fellow meth user in a filth-encrusted trailer) has him realise that Michael is still alive. This revelation tips him over the edge, causing him to [[CurbStompBattle brutally curb stomp]] the meth head's biker boyfriend for daring to confront him. Without another second's hesitation, Trevor decides the most pragmatic thing to do is to completely wipe out his fellow bikers ''immediately'' before they can retaliate and, just for good measure, wipe out a local Latino gang as well, giving him control of all the drugs and guns in the area. [[EvilGenius Trevor: insane, remorseless and violent, but also intelligent enough to do speed chess gambits and come up with audacious solutions to his own nutsoid problems]].

** [[TheChick Kairi]] is introduced (after the opening) with a detailed close-up of her teasing Sora and giggling, clearly 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.

*** ''VideoGame/ADanceWithRogues'' introduces Vico with a rape scene, typical of [[TokenEvilTeammate his character]], but gives him a PetTheDog moment right afterwards to show that he isn't that far gone. [[TheChick Anden]] is introduced when you break him out of a cell in the middle of a forest, establishing his role as the DamselInDistress. [[ThePollyanna Pia]] is introduced when she has to use the Princess as part of a test, then feels really bad about it afterwards. [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Gemli]] challenges you to a drinking contest.

** Arbiter Thel 'Vadam gets one in ''VideoGame/Halo2''. When we first see him, he's on trial for failing to protect Halo from destruction. First, we learn that he's a super-competent fighter (being a Zealot Fleetmaster (admiral) in a society where AsskickingEqualsAuthority and being a zealot alone means you've killed thousands). Second, we learn that he's also willing to ignore the HonorBeforeReason mentality of his species for the good of his forces and the galaxy at large by focusing on the [[TheVirus Flood]], possibly saving the galaxy but sacrificing the Halo. Then, when he is to be tortured for his failure, he makes good on his promise not to beg for the crowd's entertainment by not making a sound even as he's being electrocuted to the point of ''smoldering''. It takes a red-hot brand to the chest to get him to make a sound.