I have a soft spot for narratives that throw you right into the thick of things, no matter the medium. I think it's a lot more gripping and compelling. It doesn't bother me at all that I have no idea what's going on and things will have to be explained way later. I love the intrigue. And FF7 just plain nailed this one. FFVI's opening was powerful, but it immediately got slow. And like said, every other JRPG starts just plain slow as well. It was a hugely welcome breath of fresh air. Granted, not everyone can pull off a "throw you in the thick of it" intro. But fortunately they did. I think this is probably hands-down FFVII's win. At least for my money