The introductory enemy. That first thing you come across in your journey to the bottom of the sea.That first thing you shoot before you start your quest across an irradiated wasteland. That weak, pathetic, nothing of an enemy you are able to destroy without a second glance at the start of a story. That is until you start to explore the world and discover there are much worse things than that wimp you first encountered.... The following is a list of what I think is some of the best introductory enemies in games. The list is not really in any particular order except for the very last one.
That's a lot of zombies... But they can all be killed easily so it's all good.
The generic zombie
(Left 4 Dead, Dead Rising, Dead Island, Resident Evil,
Others)
Take your pick of any zombie game. Chances are the first zombie you come across is some stupid, slow moving dolt of a zombie. Easily killed in one shot or stab or whatever method you prefer. In most games you will encounter these pests. However, the further you play into the game and progress in the story you will start to encounter insanely powerful zombie types. Take Dead Island as an example. You will encounter some weak zombie when you first start the game. Get a couple of good whacks with a boat paddle, boom down they go. Later on you will meet such things as Butchers and Suiciders, which usually take the entire team to kill. No matter the game, if it includes zombies, it will most likely have some type of increasing difficulty in the types of zombies you encounter.
There's a face even a mother would have a hard time loving.
Thuggish Splicer
(Bioshock)
One of the first things that pops into my head when I think of Bioshock is the first few minutes of gameplay. The plane crashing into the ocean. The biosphere taking you deep into the ocean and giving you your first look at Rapture. The first Splicer you come across and seeing just how twisted this thing that was once human has become. Later on in the game you will be facing all kinds of crazy enemies, including one of the most memorable the Big Daddy. But before you are able to fight them, you will have to go through Splicers en masse.
No words for this one.... No words...
the Grunt
(Halo series)
Chances are if you have ever played a game on an Xbox or a 360, you have probably played at least one of the Halo games. Millions of people were able to first experience Grunts on the very first mission in Halo Combat Evolved. As you progress in the story, you will encounter all kinds of crazy things, such as Hunters, Elites or the Flood. Even in the game they will run away from you if you encounter them alone, just proving the fact they are a great introductory enemy.
Get used to seeing these guys a lot.
Grubs/Drones
(Gears of War series)
As you begin your journey in Gears, the first things you are going to encounter are Grubs. The simple soldier for the Locust armies, sent to do most of the killing. The further you get in the story, the crazier the enemies become. From Tickers to Bloodmounts; from Theron Guards to Brumaks, the Grubs are the first thing you are going to be killing in the bloody wars that follow.
1-99 Just says it all.
Glass Joe
(Punch Out! series)
Another iconic introductory enemy would have to be Glass Joe. Coming from the Punch Out games, you start your long trek to the top of the boxing world, and you always have to start with Glass Joe. Very easy to knock the living stuffing out of him, he proves not to be very difficult. Later in the game, you will be facing insanely hard people such as Bald Bull or Great Tiger and all their crazy combos. Glass Joe is a great way to start your long career to the top and becoming the king of the ring.
And finally, the one that I think is the greatest introductory enemy ever is....
Bonus points if you guess which level this is...
The Goomba
(Mario series)
The game starts and you experience the first of many different enemies to come throughout the game. The lonely Goomba. Any Mario game you start chances are you will experience at least 1-10 Goombas in the first level. Later in the game you will encounter all kinds of things like Bullet Bills or Koopas and all sorts of fun enemies but you will always remember jumping on that first Goomba at the start of your journey to save Princess Peach. Sadly, she is in another castle.
And that is my list. Like I said,
the list is not in any order except for that last one as I think it is the best
introductory enemy thus far I have encountered.
So what are some that I might have missed? Did one of your favorites make it in
here? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks for reading!