The Best Opening Theme

[Wolf Kanno]

You always have to start with a great first impression, and while visual effects are nice and all, for many people' it's those opening notes that get you the most excited. So which RPGs do you feel have some of the best opening themes in the genre?

[Karifean]

This is the kind of thing where my answer changes on a weekly basis. So have a few of them at least.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (https://youtu.be/8iWxf5IruMQ)

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA (https://youtu.be/NU4am8acLR0)

Dragon Marked For Death (https://youtu.be/I9e5p5JZCTA)

Final Fantasy VII (https://youtu.be/S8NGDsnv34M)

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (https://youtu.be/XxNAwZ-A88w)

Trials of Mana (https://youtu.be/zXaz8gMMlDA)

I guess worthy of note is that hearing FF7's for the first time is significantly longer ago for me than the rest of these. So max points for sticking around in memory for long I guess. A whole bunch of the FFs have great opening themes though.

[WarZidane]

There are so many opening themes in RPGs, i'm not sure where to even start while limiting myself to just a few :p

Nonetheless, I'll do my best with some shout-outs.

Xenoblade X (https://youtu.be/6QGK6i51zIU)

Ar Tonelico (https://youtu.be/hpdANogfmVE)

Tales of the Abyss (https://youtu.be/dGFCskRNZ-E)

Ys Origin (https://youtu.be/Ytz61uka79M)

Trails in the Sky the 3rd (https://youtu.be/YiFqaTgjBbE)

And for variety's sake some western RPG ones (AKA the Jeremy Soule section):

Morrowind (https://youtu.be/nJD-Ufi1jGk), because yes, it does deserve more credit than the Skyrim version ;)

Guild Wars: Eye of the North (https://youtu.be/4tQdvpCcQV8)

Guild Wars 2 (https://youtu.be/xqAhc2yVcbs)

[qwertysaur]

I'm a sucker for the kingdom hearts openings.

[Vasher]

Not an RPG, but the opening theme/intro vid that still “grabs”
me to this day is “Soul Reaver”.

All time favorite RPG intro/theme tune is FFI. It tells you exactly what you are in for. So simple, yet deep, and somehow complex. Nailed it.

[Loony BoB]

Final Fantasy VII & VIII's openings are epic. Love them to bits, especially VII.

EDIT: Also, if you count Answers as an opening theme of FFVII: A Realm Reborn, then that possibly beats even VII. Still my fave cinematic sequence ever for video gaming, possibly.

[I Don't Need A Name]

My wife would kill me if I didn't throw Wild Arms (https://youtu.be/VVOFibwVMw0) into the mix

[Wolf Kanno]

I'll second Trails of Mana and Wild Arms 1's opening themes.

Wild Arms 2nd Ignition (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JfCYgxrQ_M)

Chrono Cross (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=923fVDDwaHo)

Final Fantasy VI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKvqLZg3IQQ)

Xenogears (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxQXHi2h77o)

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdNwU1bEmy8)

Shin Megami Tensei IV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHhpFGmmUMU)

Secret of Mana (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6YAiLHXw_c)

Chrono Trigger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqTZfknDVes)

Final Fantasy Tactics (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VtX4DpzmMQ)

Breath of Fire IV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCJ8XHol-D4)

Suikoden II (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f4eGQ9MIWM)

Suikoden III (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5JnlNtx_mM)

Suikoden IV (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ulviWVd750)

Persona 2 Innocent Sin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3zgFbtDEk)

Persona 3 FES (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kttXi5v6UOQ)

[Lord Golbez]

Gotta be FFVI. Terra's theme playing over Mode 7 Magitek Armor march through the snowy landscape as opening credits roll by? Simply epic.

And yeah, Wild Arms opening cinematic and many of the other games listed here. Some of these (including Wild Arms) it sort of depends on what is meant by opening though. Are we talking an optional cinematic that you can watch or skip before starting/continuing a game or the opening of the game proper? I'm not sure Wild Arms has such a great opening theme once you select "new game," but the theme in that opening cinematic when you boot up the game is top tier. I can get confused on this stuff a bit too because some games (FFX comes to mind as a definite example, but there are probably more) have a skippable cinematic that plays each time you boot up the game, but that cinematic is also played at the start of the game when you select "new game."

[Spuuky]

When I saw this thread I immediately thought "FF6" but then I had to debate whether it meant the snowfield opening (the best opening song in a game by far, which set the tone for the whole game) or whether it meant the music that plays when you start up the game every time which is not a contender for the same title.

[Del Murder]

Definitely FFVI for the best opening sequence. For purely on opening song, I really like Chrono Cross. I wanted to borrow it for a game I was creating, back in my youth.

[infinite draws]

Enchanted arms; Final Fantasy X

Lost Odyssey and Tales of Xilla 2

Tales of Vesperia and Final Fantasy 7

Those come to mind for best opener.

[sharkythesharkdogg]

For RPGs the best opening themes that come to mind immediately.

Suikoden 3
Chrono Cross