I was replaying Bioshock Infinite earlier and realised it has my favourite opening hour (or so) to any videogame I've played. I don't think any game world is better established so quickly.

The very beginning with the lighthouse and the recalls to the past games, the hints from the Lutrece's that make sense on a second playthrough, the ascension from the lighthouse up to Columbia (Hallelujah)

Then in the church, with all the cool imagery and great music

then into Columbia itself, which is very impressively designed, with the barbershop quartets and then the fair ground, where you can earn a bit of early money by taking part in a few games and listening in on different conversations to get a feel of the place

Then of course the raffle at the end.

To people who like to get straight into the action and want gameplay immediately I can imagine it would be very boring, but for me I think it is a great set-up for the rest of the game, and beats the first opening hour of the first Bioshock to be my favourite opening

What is yours?

Definitely Skyrim, Escaping a dragon and then a great dungeon.

yeah Elder Scrolls have a few good openings, Oblivion is good too when you escape the sewers

Bioshock 3 was amazing indeed.

I think I would choose Portal 2, that game blew my mind from the beginning.

I may be a bit biased, but I'm very nostalgic for the beginning of Final Fantasy X. I just love the part where Tidus is walking, his theme playing, and the commentator talking about the upcoming game. I'm getting emotional right now just thinking about it.

Bioshock Infinite is up there for me too, (the descent into the church with the choir music and the light shining through the words of Comstock's prophecy still gives me chills) but I think my all time favourite would have to be Metroid Prime. 

The opening sequence about the frigate Orpheon is absolutely masterful. The further you venture inside, the more apparent it becomes that something truly horrific has gone down. The Pirate corpses you encounter have the details of their death describes in vivid clinical detail by your scan visor, while those still alive but wounded try feebly to fight you off, their legs broken so they can't move or their brains damaged so they can't aim straight. This and the dilapidated state of the ship eases the player organically into gameplay systems like traversal and combat while also creating a palpable atmosphere of dread. The climactic escape as the frigate explodes, with its alarm system merging into the electronic score, is the icing on the cake.

This, along with Metal gear solid V. Waking up from a coma and escaping the hospital was epic.

yeah that is a good opening too, especially when Sin shows up

Came her to say metroid prime and I couldn't have said it better

A Link to the Past, easily. The gray atmosphere, your uncle dying, and going through the best dungeon-tutorial ever.