We are back, after a nice little break to let everyone discuss the previous top 8 game intros. There's been some heated debate even some, dare I say it?, Nay Saying.

Our number 2, Best Damn Game Intro Ever is a NES classic. This intro is not only cinematic, but a technical masterpiece. I'm talking about Tecmo's

Ninja Gaiden 2

This intro uses some impressive parallax scrolling to achieve a look never really seen on a game system before. Sure it wasn't the first game to scroll. But the way they used it, the motion of the characters, the sky and clouds, it all comes together in a way that makes you say "A Nintendo can do that?"

Combine this with the both very movie like introduction of the main characters and the extensive dialogue (which you'll notice actually flows like it's being spoken) and you have an intro that wouldn't be matched for years.

Marvel in this greatness, and also pay respect to the music. This is devotion.

Closer and closer to #1. Dare I give a hint? Oh it's just too juicy, you'll have to wait!

Number 3 - Full Throttle
Number 4 - Dawn of War
Number 5 - Out of this World
Number 6 - Devil May Cry 3
Number 7 - Final Fantasy VII / Carmageddon
Number 8 - Quake 2
Number 9 - Red Alert 2
Number 10 - Nightmare Creatures 2

↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A Start
Also this week the ESRB may have to actually start playing games, a culturally insensitive look into japanese game development, and shocking new contest developments!

Judgement: Final Fantasy VI (GBA)
Jank: Serious Sam 2 for $7.99 @ Gamespot, Valentines Candy Galore
Quote: "So now you have to play this, or else I'll have wasted five cups of rice"

If you have any feedback, you can shoot us an email here, call our voicemail at 845-BATTLE-9, or leave your thoughts in our forums here.

We've got a brand now show format to minimize the rehash and maximize discussion and the funny! And by the funny, I mean fart jokes. This week we've got the Metal Gear Movie (hopefully starring Kurt Russel), Xbox Gamerscore points now get you more than just respect from your co-workers at Gamestop, and GoD games becomes Gamecock (insert penis joke here). We also discuss our favorite game bosses, read your feedback, and what's this? A brand new contest?

Judgement: Sid Meier's Pirates (PSP)
Jank: Sid Meier's Pirates (PSP), Freedom Fighters (PS2, Xbox, GCN)
Quote: "Dude, Snake is not manly enough to be played by Kurt Russel"

If you have any feedback, you can shoot us an email here, call our voicemail at 845-BATTLE-9, or leave your thoughts in our forums here.

So I'm checking my Savannah College of Art and Design email the other day, and noticed that Apple will be conducting interviews for game design positions, including 3D animators and modelers to work at the Apple campus in Cupertino. Now, you don't really need a team of 3D artists to make iPod games. Could this mean Apple is working on first party game titles? Blake Buck says no. William Miller says yes.

Needless to say, I've dropped my resume bomb in that box upstairs. We'll see if anything happens. Stay tuned!

"Whenever I smell asphalt..." That's the opener, spoken in a low gruff voice. The kind of voice that says "I just got out of prison for stabbing a guy." It's a voice belonging to the leader of the Polecats. So, ranking in at Number 3, of the Best Damn Intros of all time...

Full Throttle

Lucas Arts and Tim Schafer at their finest. It's the story of Ben Throttle a biker gang leader in a future world were bikers are being phased out. The intro digs into the carefree nature of these bikers. Bonus points, as the game plays like an interactive cartoon, with voice talent and graphics to match. You have no soul if you don't just love every moment of this intro.

We are getting close to #1, just some parallax scrolling in between...

Number 4 - Dawn of War
Number 5 - Out of this World
Number 6 - Devil May Cry 3
Number 7 - Final Fantasy VII / Carmageddon
Number 8 - Quake 2
Number 9 - Red Alert 2
Number 10 - Nightmare Creatures 2

When it comes to game intros, there's one name that should be on everyone's mind: Blur.

Blur? Who are they? Blur is the finest CGI studio in existence, EVER! Well, they got together with THQ to do the intro of a damned fine game, you might know it as:

Dawn of War

Based on some Warhammer thing I don't care about, Dawn of War is a honest to god, faithful RTS that picks up where Star Craft left off. The game it's self is one of the finest ever crafted, but lets focus on the intro.

Right away, we have Guns with Chain-saws*

*Note from editor: I'm not making any Cliffy B or Gears jokes/references/call-em-outs.

Orks in space, mechs, and cigar smoking flame-thrower dudes. Add to this amazing CGI and and a gory epic blood soaked intro, and you have a damned fine cinematic. Really what can I type at this point? Just watch, enjoy, and watch again, then enjoy again.

It's only getting even more-betterest from here on out kids.

Next time, and the 3rd best game intro of all time, I smell asphalt.

Number 5 - Out of this World
Number 6 - Devil May Cry 3
Number 7 - Final Fantasy VII / Carmageddon
Number 8 - Quake 2
Number 9 - Red Alert 2
Number 10 - Nightmare Creatures 2

On this week's show we've got eBay delisting my +10 bracers of critical strike, Girls = austrailian for gaming, and Jack Thompson rides the headlines into a firey pit of dispair. We also discuss multiplayer gaming, and pick some of our favorite multiplayer games (including meta games, like drunken Contra).

Judgement: Alien Homonid HD
Jank: Lumines Live? & $1 SNEEK KEENG
Quote: "If you play Contra, and you can't keep up with the other guy, you are not a man"

If you have any feedback, you can shoot us an email here, call our voicemail at 845-BATTLE-9, or leave your thoughts in our forums here.

Science. It's the stuff games are made. Need some plot? How about Science? All too often some scientist dawns a power suit and saves the world. This time, lets let the scientist kick ass on his terms.

Out of this World

or

Another World

Same game, two names!

That's right Gordon Freeman doesn't have crap on Lester Knight Chaykin, action scientist.

So why is this game intro so rocking? First of all, it was done in engine, in 1991, and was a stunning use of vector animation. The facial expressions and movement were just top notch. Plus the art style is so beautiful. If you don't get chills from this, then you should check for a pulse. Seriously, this into sets the mood and pace for what is about to be a gripping adventure into an alternate reality. Now, enjoy some science:

Next time on BDPE, ORK ORK ORK ORK!

Number 6 - Devil May Cry 3
Number 7 - Final Fantasy VII / Carmageddon
Number 8 - Quake 2
Number 9 - Red Alert 2
Number 10 - Nightmare Creatures 2

The video I have for you all this week is not even game-related at all. It's an ad for a tax company that I saw on local TV in Oxford, MS called Mo' Money Taxes who apparently opperates in the south-eastern United States.

However, after seeing it, I immediately replayed it 5 times on my Tivo, laughing harder each time. The ad is some sort of half-baked Dukes of Hazzard parody, but is so completely ridiculous, it get's funnier every time you watch it.

Why is he eating chips? What is he saying? Why are there so many clock's in Boss' office set to different times? Why can't the cops keep their belts on? How can you say dipshit on television? Why does the video have crazy lines in it and alternate between black and white and full color? Why do they refer to the repair man as "Sugar Man", then a few seconds later in the same sentence call him "Dog Pound"? Why does the attractive lady make the cop drive off the road? Why are there so many boxes stacked up? What the hell is guy in the back of the car doing after they crash? What is this mytical 30 second deal?

I've seen this video at least 30 times, and I'm still finding stuff I love about it. Tell us what you think in our Mo' Money Forum Thread

This game into can't really be put into words. I can try, but nothing describes the pure perfection of this intro like watching it. I promised Pizza, I promised Bullet Time and I promised surfing (well corpse surfing) and I will deliver:

Devil May Cry 3

Lets review the history of DMC. DMC was Capcom's new series for the Playstation 2. It was being compared to Resident Evil at the time, but featured some kind of demon sword guy with guns.

Well, thats what you get, a Half-Demon sword guy with guns... and more guns... and bigger badder guns... DMC 1 was fantastic.

DMC 2 sucked.

Then, Capcom said "WTF? How about we stop sucking?" And they did. They went back to what works, GUNS and MORE GUNS.

So here in it's glory, the opening scene in Devil May Cry 3: MORE GUNS.

P.S. More GUNS!

Next up, a scientist opens a portal to another world, but he don't got a crowbar...

Number 7 - Final Fantasy VII / Carmageddon
Number 8 - Quake 2
Number 9 - Red Alert 2
Number 10 - Nightmare Creatures 2

Witty description!

Judgement: Crackdown Demo
Jank: Rallisport Challenge @ Gamestop (http://www.gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=950515)
Quote: "Most of the time it stays in the closet just fine, like a furry suit"

If you have any feedback, you can shoot us an email here, call our voicemail at 845-BATTLE-9, or leave your thoughts in our forums here.

This is the intro movie that took made "Square Soft" (now SquareEnix) a household name. Yes,

Final Fantasy VII

Now I must confess, I've never played this game, so I'm not all "Oh my goodness Final Fantasy!" I was a Nintendo fanboy, what can I say. So when looking at this game, I had to ask my good friend Steve Tzé why it was so damned cool.

Steve told me "It was the first 3D Final Fantasy game with good character design, the story was sort of interesting and someone dies. Oh yeah the world was cool too."

Granted he told me this while in a bar in D.C. But the truth remains.

Having never played the game I must take him at his word. I will say the CGI in this intro is quite moving. Square has historically done pretty darn good games, and this is no exception.

Except... Except I never played this game. So no way in hell does it get the number seven spot by it's self.

Carmageddon

Hells yeah, now we are talking. That's right the number seven spot will be shared by both Final Fantasy 7 and Carmageddon. By the time this game came out, we'd all seen vehicular combat done right. Twisted Metal 2 was possibly the greatest game to grace the Playstation.

So along comes this other car game. This time on computer, ok I'll bite. I downloaded the demo (off of Happy Puppy.com the best demo download site in the world at that time) and gave it a shot.

This was more than a game, it was a breakthrough. So to honor it, it's intro video stands along side Final Fantasy VII.

"Those who are about to die, we salute you."

That line is all you need to know about this movie.

Next time, a video featuring pizza, bullet time and surfing.

Number 8 - Quake 2
Number 9 - Red Alert 2
Number 10 - Nightmare Creatures 2

The Strogg attack, and we fight back. Yes I am talking about the id classic.

Quake 2

I'm sure you remember this from it's 3D, colored lighting Strogg murder fest, but what some people don't remember is the kick ass intro movie.

There are a few key points about the intro movie. First is the audio, it is the movies strongest point. Turn up your speakers on this one, as I think the first radio transmissions are the most important. These bits of audio seem to ground Quake 2 in reality with the press quoting SETI and other real world organizations.

Then once we see the glory of the Quake 2 logo, it's time for the real heat. I can only hope all intergalactic wars are fought in Quake 2 style. This pimp gun ship with like 400 troops in torpedos are sent out infantry style. You get clipped (and this was the first time I can remember hearing the word "shit" uttered in a game) and thanks to this you land safely (well kind of).

The audio tells the entire story, but it does not spell it out for you, this is an active video, you have to pay attention. Oh yeah, and the Sonic Mayhem music just pumps adrenaline into you.

Next time, the most hated game ever...

Number 9 - Red Alert 2
Number 10 - Nightmare Creatures 2