Summary
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Not every iconic or legendary video game has an opening as bombastic as Final Fantasy 7.
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In fact, many of these games have a slow opening filled with tons of exposition, hand-holding, and linearity.
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On Reddit, gamers discussed the games that had the “worst” opening hours, including Red Dead Redemption 2, Twilight Princess, and Assassin's Creed 3.
As legendary as Okami, Nier Automata and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain are, they have some obscenely long opening hours. We're talking hour-plus sections that are a combination of being super linear, lacking in gameplay, or filled with tons of exposition. As my colleague Rhiannon pointed out, Final Fantasy 8 is another notorious member of the opening slog.
If you managed to get past that initial slog, then you've almost certainly been treated to a life-changing experience. But if you haven't, then we can't blame you for taking the plunge so early. Taking to Reddit, players discussed which games had the “worst” opening time. It's a nostalgic and sometimes painful trip down memory lane of gaming's most notorious slow starters.

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Immediately, gamers were quick to mention Red Dead Redemption 2, the 2018 prequel to the original Red Dead Redemption. That particular opening hour is packed with exposition with very limited gameplay as its many systems and story are fleshed out. Oh, and it takes place almost entirely in the snow, which makes things even slower.
“I wanted to go back and restart it, but I just don't want to play those first two hours again,” complained one user. Another chimed in, adding: “I lost my save and haven't played RDR2 for the longest time because I didn't want to restart.”
Another popular choice among gamers was Assassin's Creed 3. The title based on the American Revolution pulls a bait and switch, where the opening hours are focused on a non-protagonist character. It was a novel idea, but it ultimately led to wasting time before things really opened up.
“The first 6 hours of Assassin's Creed 3 were awful,” one user succinctly wrote.
Elsewhere, the likes of the original Kingdom Hearts, Forspoken, and Death Stranding are mentioned, alongside iconic games like Twilight Princess and Knights of the Old Republic 2. Personally, this writer agrees with many commentators that Assassin's Creed 3 was painful at times. The game was actually a Christmas present to me, complete with limited edition steelbook, and let's just say that most of my winter break was spent being bored before the game really started.
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