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"all the passivity of a cutscene with the sudden, blinding pain of a sucker-punch
Nice turn of phrase and so very true.
Nice turn of phrase and so very true.
good write up. I totally agree with your hatred. QTEs are the bane of my gameplay. The only game I can think that it worked is Prince of Persia - the one with the "quick kills". Indigo Prophecy is the worst offender IMO. That whole scene where the ENTIRE apartment comes flying at you... book by book. Effing lame.
@ Ryu89: No, I'm going to insert it here:
IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/MrMxyzptlk123/motivator735071.jpg[/IMG]
IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g108/MrMxyzptlk123/motivator735071.jpg[/IMG]
I like QTEs :(
Well, I did in the god of war games. I felt really motivated to get it right; even though in GoW there weren't many consequences for failing it (just do it again) I still felt the need to do it perfectly.
Well, I did in the god of war games. I felt really motivated to get it right; even though in GoW there weren't many consequences for failing it (just do it again) I still felt the need to do it perfectly.
Great article. I don't hate them as much as you do, and I think if they are done right they can be good.
You can't have complex moves that look as good without scripting, and QTE's at least may provide some sort of interactivity.
Question I'd pose would you rather have them or not? Have the sequence play out with no interaction or have you be included in it. If they are in there people complain about the QTE, not in there they complain about it not being interactive. I for one don't think they are necessary as you said I'm waiting for the next button push to come up and not watching the epic goodness on the screen. I like how Metal Gear 4 did it with pushing a button to bring up a flashback during the cutscene. Personally I'd rather watch some cool ass sequence and have a "holy shit" moment than missing most of it waiting for my next button push.
I was actually going to name Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit as a game that did it wrong, because the entire goddamn game was QTEs (aside from the point-and-click adventure parts). But you say it did it right? How so?
they can be bothersome during cut scenes, but i don't mind them at all if its to shake off a monster that just jumped on you, or to execute a generic grunt kneeling in front of you.
QTE is here to stay, just like the the health regen system that every fps out there has now.
QTE is here to stay, just like the the health regen system that every fps out there has now.
Just like with most things (save radiation exposure and bear attacks) QTEs were alright in moderation. The way I see it is that they are kind of a stop-gap, a band-aid to attempt to cover the gaping flesh wound that is boring long cinematics. Sure, it made things eventful, but they they became either too frequent, irrelevant, or just unreasonable when the came out of nowhere.
I think people are starting to realize that the true culprit here is long, non-interactive segments in games used to further the plot, instead of pushing it along within the game play itself (aka, Bioshock or Half Life).
And, if you want a great example of truly excessive QTEs, I give you The Bourne Conspiracy.
I think people are starting to realize that the true culprit here is long, non-interactive segments in games used to further the plot, instead of pushing it along within the game play itself (aka, Bioshock or Half Life).
And, if you want a great example of truly excessive QTEs, I give you The Bourne Conspiracy.
Yakuza 2 does it pretty well - if you hit it, you have an advantage in damage/special moves/health/weapons/combat, if not, no problem. Not to mention, it almost always just occurs in the heat of battle anyways.
I like them. I hated your article. I shouldn't have read it.
Kidding.
I guess after reading your write up I can see YOUR point of view, but its not mine. I like most QTEs. Like in the last couple Tomb Raider games, Resident Evil 4, God of War 1 and 2, Star Wars Force Unleashed.. cool stuff meTinks.
Kidding.
I guess after reading your write up I can see YOUR point of view, but its not mine. I like most QTEs. Like in the last couple Tomb Raider games, Resident Evil 4, God of War 1 and 2, Star Wars Force Unleashed.. cool stuff meTinks.
high five unangbangkay! I to feel that QTE's have potential in gaming, but aren't being executed correctly.
I have to agree with you.
The QTEs in The Force Unleashed don't help the game much, it's more of a distraction for me because I'm watching for my next button press instead of watching how badass Starkiller is.
The QTEs in The Force Unleashed don't help the game much, it's more of a distraction for me because I'm watching for my next button press instead of watching how badass Starkiller is.
THANK YOU! I'm glad I'm not the only one that's noticed that QTE's are starting to get overkilled.
Every single time you jack a tank or helicopter in Mercs 2 requires a QTE, and it gets old, fast.
Every single time you jack a tank or helicopter in Mercs 2 requires a QTE, and it gets old, fast.
First off, a correction: QTE stands for Quick Timer Event, not Quick Time Event.
Secondly, QTE's are just overused now. Certain games really did them right, namely Shenmue and Dynamite Cop, but there are a lot of games that simply don't need them. They're okay if they don't detract from game play, but QTE's are difficult to implement in really action-packed games without making them feel boring in comparison to the normal action.
Secondly, QTE's are just overused now. Certain games really did them right, namely Shenmue and Dynamite Cop, but there are a lot of games that simply don't need them. They're okay if they don't detract from game play, but QTE's are difficult to implement in really action-packed games without making them feel boring in comparison to the normal action.
Dexter345: In my opinion Farenheit did it right for two reasons. The first is that as you say most of the game is QTEs so you kind of expect them and don't get surprised by them (which I hated in games like Resident Evil 4). A second reason is that the QTEs weren't very punishing. You could miss a couple buttons without dying. Also when you miss too many and get hit by something you don't die immediately, you just lose a life and continue the sequence.
QTEs, next to Random Encounters, are the very essence of gaming fail. I agree with you here.
Farenheit (Indigo Prophecy) was a great game as far as character interaction went, but the QTE battles were horrible.
I remember trying to foist the pad off to my friends so I could just watch the QTE scenes without having to actually do them. Not only were they repetitive and boring, they actually force you to concentrate on the flashing icons rather than what is actually going on in the scene.
Farenheit (Indigo Prophecy) was a great game as far as character interaction went, but the QTE battles were horrible.
I remember trying to foist the pad off to my friends so I could just watch the QTE scenes without having to actually do them. Not only were they repetitive and boring, they actually force you to concentrate on the flashing icons rather than what is actually going on in the scene.
QTEs have become a crutch people lean on for creating action where there otherwise would be none. I'm looking at you, Resident Evil.
@sourgr8pes seriously! I appreciate the effort that went into making the hijacking animation sequences, but stealing a helicopter should either be more involved than memorizing which buttons to press, or less involved and maybe skippable.
QTE's are a copout. The dev wants the player to do something, but can't have the controls to just let them do it.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind QTEs as much if they were more intuitive and less random buttons flashing up on the screen. Like if a QTE requires me to jump, instead of showing a button on-screen, have some kind of more subtle indicator that I should be jumping.
Honestly, I wouldn't mind QTEs as much if they were more intuitive and less random buttons flashing up on the screen. Like if a QTE requires me to jump, instead of showing a button on-screen, have some kind of more subtle indicator that I should be jumping.
@Dexter345
I mentioned how Indigo Prophecy did it right because the QTEs were strongly integrated into its gameplay, each movement having a real connection to actions on screen. There were still issues, mainly with the prompts distracting from the scenes, and of course those terrible fights at the end, but the QTEs were solid and didn't end in failure if you missed (for the most part).
In fact I'm quite excited about Heavy Rain, which according to the trailers is raining QTEs. That might normally be a terrible thing, but if you notice the button cues are unobtrusive, largely visible without you needing to watch just a single sector of the screen. The prompts pop up right where you should be looking to connect to the action, and the scenes' flow naturally, be it hit or miss. If anything, from what it looks like Heavy Rain may well be the most refined use of the QTE yet. And if they can make it work, I'll be a less sad panda.
I mentioned how Indigo Prophecy did it right because the QTEs were strongly integrated into its gameplay, each movement having a real connection to actions on screen. There were still issues, mainly with the prompts distracting from the scenes, and of course those terrible fights at the end, but the QTEs were solid and didn't end in failure if you missed (for the most part).
In fact I'm quite excited about Heavy Rain, which according to the trailers is raining QTEs. That might normally be a terrible thing, but if you notice the button cues are unobtrusive, largely visible without you needing to watch just a single sector of the screen. The prompts pop up right where you should be looking to connect to the action, and the scenes' flow naturally, be it hit or miss. If anything, from what it looks like Heavy Rain may well be the most refined use of the QTE yet. And if they can make it work, I'll be a less sad panda.
Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy did them perfectly. They were made an important part of gameplay and were fun to do. They dont just throw QTEs in for no random reason like in some of Resi 4's cutscenes for example.
Color me weird or whatever, but I actually don't mind QTEs. Maybe my brain is multifuncional (see "numbed") to a point where I can fully enjoy a cut scene and get the button on time most of the time.
[i]all the passivity of a cutscene with the sudden, blinding pain of a sucker-punch[i/]
rarely heard a truer description of QTE's :-)
brilliant article!
rarely heard a truer description of QTE's :-)
brilliant article!
YES! This nails it right on the head. QTE's turn good games into something else entirely. I hate em, but damn do I love the carnage they can bring in God of War 2. But those were done well.
The worst I can remember was Conan for PS3. Their is literally no pause or indication that a QTE is about to happen during a boss fight at the end of the game. You'll be frantically bashing combos trying to kill this boss and then out of no where the QTE happens and you almost instantly fail because you were in the middle of a fucking combo attack to kill him. I was absolutely shocked by how awful it was. Didn't anyone play test this shit?
The worst I can remember was Conan for PS3. Their is literally no pause or indication that a QTE is about to happen during a boss fight at the end of the game. You'll be frantically bashing combos trying to kill this boss and then out of no where the QTE happens and you almost instantly fail because you were in the middle of a fucking combo attack to kill him. I was absolutely shocked by how awful it was. Didn't anyone play test this shit?
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