For everyone not familiar with this term, in medias res is a narrative tool that avoids a slow start with exposition and throws you right into the action while filling in the blanks at a later time. Here is a nice video about that topic

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Example of this are a military shooter that starts with you in a firefight without you knowing what's actually going on or an RPG that starts with you fighting some bad guy with all your advanced abilities as to give you a look at what gameplay in the end will be like.

I for one don't like it. I couldn't care less if I had to work first to get to the action. I want my 3 arc story. I want to see the progress step for step. I feel absolutely spoiled and cheated when the game shows me all my cool abilities instead of letting me deiscover them for my own.

But it seems to have some appeal to some people, or else developers wouldn't use it as much.

I'm definitely a fan for staying away from this. I like to start at the beginning and progress. I don't like to start midway, go back to the beginning, and then progress. I don't like it in shows. I don't like it in games.

I mind it if it serves as a major spoiler and deflates all tension in a story like a lazily written "dream/vision of future event" that (shocking!) comes to past later in the game.

Of course, I tend to dislike use of dreams or visions in story telling period.

I love the game Final Fantasy X. The beginning of the game starts with them halfway through the game. Then it goes back to the beginning of the game. That was something that always bothered me about the game.

I do like it.

vivster, I think you'd appreciate Alpha Protocol in media res; that's one handed very well.

Loved it in saving private ryan but generally dont like it in games.. It all comes down to execution though.