Best shmup intro?

[Imhotep]

Cyvern has a cool intro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88LVSeBrnrY

[dial911]

Batrider

[NAVVARR]

Gradius Gaiden -great intro- great game

[Zweihander]

Einhander (attract mode FMV)
Ikaruga (the initial SWOOSH into stage 1)
Radiant Silvergun (initial swoosh into stage 1; seamless conversion from poly to sprite, fucking brilliant)
ESPGaluda (stage 1 beginning with Tateha; Hiodoshi gets shot up, Tateha goes over 9000)
Border Down (pretty stage 1 intro is pretty)

[Mortificator]

Let's have a montage! A compilation montage!

Ditto for R-Types.

[EinhanderZwei]

Speaking of swooshes, here are my faves:
- R-Type 3
- Soldier Blade (especially synced with the music)
- Progear

[BIL]

Gun Frontier has my favourite "swoosh" (best new shooter term of 09). Dramatic and explosive - I love how the screen expands from letterbox to TATE as the ship blasts off to glorious YACK tunage.

[Enhasa]

Probably forgetting some, but (in no particular order):

every Taito game (esp RayForce and Metal Black)
every (lol) G.rev game
both Psyvariar games
Garegga, Batrider, Dimahoo, Souky
Pulstar (!)
Sol-Feace
Granada (!!)


Oh yeah, those were some awesome cool intros, there are a ton of awesome funny ones:

most cute 'em ups (I esp like Harmful Park and Captain Tomaday)
Space Bomber (!!!!!!!!)
Eco Fighters has a decent intro but best fucking game over / continue screen of all time
too lazy to think of more


This thread kinda makes me want to go look through MAME to find more.

[Kollision]

Mars Matrix - awesome and dynamic (only chempop mentioned it, what a shame )
Thunder Force IV - still gives me a chill when the ship flies through the huge THUNDER FORCE letters
Silpheed - polygons are classy!
Zero Wing (MD) - what you say!

[Battletoad]

Mars Matrix - The rendered video on the Dreamcast version is far beyond awesome! The normal intro for the Arcade version is... well too hectic for me.
Giga Wing 2 - Quite similar to Mars Matrix, but not as great.
Thunder Force IV - Simple, but kickass.

[monouchi]

Elemental Masters intro is epic.

[ROBOTRON]

MARS MATRIX DC intro destroys all. Gives me goose bumps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs5bbcatE1U

[njiska]

The intro to the SFC version of Area88 is pretty sweet.

Just the music alone makes that intro captivating.

[esreveR]

Raiden Fighters 2. The whole idea of taking down bombers bigger than ships is badass enough in itself.

The first Metal Slug game had an amazing intro, it's a shame later games didn't have that too.

The Zero Wing intro, with correct translation, is actually one of the most epic and serious ones I've seen.

Cybattler gave you free demos. That was sweet. Oh yeah, and enemy info and stuff.

[ST Dragon]

Lords of Thunder (USA Intro)(TurboGrafx-16 DUO)
The heavy metal music and the sinister enemies / Bosses shown in the intro are awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRZQCkmMYjM

Thunder Force V - Perfect System (PSX)
One of the most epic, dramatic & sad game intros. It depicts the futile war against the Guardian and his armies, culminating in the final annihilation of the human race. The part where the sword fleet bombards the cities and the nuclear fire balls that can be seen from orbit is just epic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81nwcJZg ... re=related

Sexy Parodius (Arcades) - Hilarious Intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abuT0M6eB5Y

Aero Fighters II (NEOGEO)
The part where the FS-X shoots the laser beam and the tank disintegrates is awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWFJYAYVdc4

Pustar (NEOGEO) – I remember staring at this intro at the local arcades.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7OQW7B3sXQ

Blazing Star (NEOGEO)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcKAAnTZFhA

Disposable Hero (AMIGA) – I love the title screen with the pilot and the rotating 3D ship which is perfectly synced with the music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1gID8faNPw

RayStorm (PSX)
The intro is an epic / dramatic story of battle & war, a futuristic and allegoric retelling of the Punic wars between Rome & the mighty Carthage, where both opposing sides fight to the extreme for victory. The huge fleet bombarding the earth’s surface & the R-Gray ships attacking the flagship is just so cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BQfLSVUGS4

Radiant Silvergun (Saturn)
Again very dramatic and sad intro perfectly linked to the story & gameplay.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6033gcHRXwI
Radiant Silvergun (English Dub)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbt5aXmLt7M

[Observer]

I would add R-Type Delta and Final intros respectively:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUn1g6_92DE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIeKN5lAcFs

Karous is also quite nice in its simplicity and Evangelion-eseque ripoffs/value (big kanji crammed everywhere): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT0UrGvIVMk

BUT, the best hands down is Omega Boost movie opening, with real actors and shit, people:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROPCD5Vm6b8

I know not many consider it a shooter with all the letters but, boy, when you have Shoji Kawamori doing the mech design, when you have such silly one liners, ridiculous rockish tunes and multi-language actors (¡Sistema de reserva listo!) the conclusion is:

PRESS START, OMEGA BOOST

[ST Dragon]

But of course! How could I even forget....

One of the coolest intros by far, is in Blastar for the AMIGA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdOwEcE3bk4

The game it self sucks though...


Sol Feace on the SEGA CD has an awesome Intro too. It was the 1st game FMV anime intro, with digitised speech, as well as the level cut-scenes, I had seen back in 1992 and I was jaw-dropped.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA6pxeui ... re=related

[Makoto Sei]

-Thunder Force V : Perfect System
-Thunder Force VI i Love the theme song. Personally it`s the best music of the series

[Kiken]

Silpheed - polygons are classy!

It only took a page and a half...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RTqMJYXQmo

[Sturmvogel Prime]

Arcade & Console
- Blazing Star
- Thunder Force V: Perfect System
- Pulstar
- Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced
- Zero Wing

Doujin
- Broken Thunder

[cj iwakura]

Er, old thread, copied my own response.


Shikigami 1 had a neat animated one.

[J-Manic]

RayStorm (PSX)
The intro is an epic / dramatic story of battle & war, a futuristic and allegoric retelling of the Punic wars between Rome & the mighty Carthage, where both opposing sides fight to the extreme for victory. The huge fleet bombarding the earth’s surface & the R-Gray ships attacking the flagship is just so cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BQfLSVUGS4

THIS. Love the music during this intro.