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If you think Metal Gear Solid has far too many cutscenes then you probably haven´t played any David Cage game. And if you think Blur is a really good game then you obviously haven´t Split/Second either.
Also, here´s something intresting I found on wikipedia yesterday:
Ian Bogost, a video game designer and Assistant Professor of Literature Communication and Culture at the Georgia Institute of Technology, counters claims made by Quantic Dream and other gaming media that Heavy Rain qualifies as an "interactive film". Bogost notes that "film is editing", in that filmmakers put together images and scenes in a compilation to evoke certain feelings and emotions, and to convey story and plot in a limited amount of time. However, while Heavy Rain strives for this, it retains elements of a video game, and Bogost considers the game to have a "rejection of editing in favor of prolonging"; examples given are the need to have the player provide interaction for most of the characters' motion, or having to control and watch Ethan throughout his search for Jason at the crowded mall. Bogost opined that this "prolonging" may actually be beneficial to the video game medium, as several scenes from the game's third chapter, during which Ethan runs through a routine schedule of homework, dinner, and bedtime for Shaun, allow for periods where the game waits for the player to interact with it; during these periods, simply by using mise en scène images of the house and characters, invite the player to think about what the characters are experiencing, "to linger on the mundane instead of cutting to the consequential"
Also, here´s something intresting I found on wikipedia yesterday:
Ian Bogost, a video game designer and Assistant Professor of Literature Communication and Culture at the Georgia Institute of Technology, counters claims made by Quantic Dream and other gaming media that Heavy Rain qualifies as an "interactive film". Bogost notes that "film is editing", in that filmmakers put together images and scenes in a compilation to evoke certain feelings and emotions, and to convey story and plot in a limited amount of time. However, while Heavy Rain strives for this, it retains elements of a video game, and Bogost considers the game to have a "rejection of editing in favor of prolonging"; examples given are the need to have the player provide interaction for most of the characters' motion, or having to control and watch Ethan throughout his search for Jason at the crowded mall. Bogost opined that this "prolonging" may actually be beneficial to the video game medium, as several scenes from the game's third chapter, during which Ethan runs through a routine schedule of homework, dinner, and bedtime for Shaun, allow for periods where the game waits for the player to interact with it; during these periods, simply by using mise en scène images of the house and characters, invite the player to think about what the characters are experiencing, "to linger on the mundane instead of cutting to the consequential"
Can't fault this write-up. I'm of the camp where if I'm enjoying the experience, I don't give a crap what it's called.
I don't actually like it when cut scenes take me entirely out of the action. I have to say that this is one thing that Modern Warfare did extremely right. The first part of the game is really an extended cut scene, however you can move your head and look around throughout the entire time. In other parts of the game, the cut scene is so short and sudden that you wonder "hey did I do that"... you are walking, then suddenly you fall down when a ceiling crashes in... and that was a cut scene, but you instantly regain full control.
In some games, they let you actually wander around a room while the cut scenes are taking place... I like this. The information is there, the plot is being forwarded, but I am not forced to sit back and passively take it in. I can be looking around the room, peering up their noses to see if they have nostril hair, or doing anything I want while the information is presented.
I do think that "movie cutscenes" nowadays are just lazy programming. I personally don't want to watch a movie, I want to play a game... even if that means being trapped in a room while a bunch of characters give me complex plot points while I'm checking out their butts.
... if a cutscene allows me no movement and takes me out of my perspective... it better have a really, really, really good reason for doing so.
In some games, they let you actually wander around a room while the cut scenes are taking place... I like this. The information is there, the plot is being forwarded, but I am not forced to sit back and passively take it in. I can be looking around the room, peering up their noses to see if they have nostril hair, or doing anything I want while the information is presented.
I do think that "movie cutscenes" nowadays are just lazy programming. I personally don't want to watch a movie, I want to play a game... even if that means being trapped in a room while a bunch of characters give me complex plot points while I'm checking out their butts.
... if a cutscene allows me no movement and takes me out of my perspective... it better have a really, really, really good reason for doing so.
My good friend defines it best for me when he explains that some cutscenes feel as if the development team just burst into your room and slapped the controller out of your hand. But, overall, I don't loathe cutscenes. I don't think there are just two different viewpoints on the subject. I like them in some cases and others drive me absolutely insane.
I could have gone for more cutscenes in Mass Effect 2, in fact, and was rapt with attention and excitement. As the pre-rendered action wound down, I was desperate to get back to the controls, not because of frustration at being sidelined for a cinematic, but because it had properly amped me up to move on. It delivered context that I don't think could have been done in the first-person perspective. There were cutscenes in most of the Halo games, for instance, where I found myself checking my phone during cutscenes. It's a case by case basis.
I could have gone for more cutscenes in Mass Effect 2, in fact, and was rapt with attention and excitement. As the pre-rendered action wound down, I was desperate to get back to the controls, not because of frustration at being sidelined for a cinematic, but because it had properly amped me up to move on. It delivered context that I don't think could have been done in the first-person perspective. There were cutscenes in most of the Halo games, for instance, where I found myself checking my phone during cutscenes. It's a case by case basis.
So long as it's interesting I think cutscenes are fine. My biggest problem with say Half-Life 2 was alot of the character interactions were the same thing. Gordon Freeman meets rebels, they're surprised to see him, ask to fight alongside them then back into gameplay. Perhaps it's just me but I was really jarred by how Half-Life 2 unfolded after being so used to more story based games.
I think it really comes down to a balancing act between length, writing, and direction.
If it's too long, even if it is good, there's the trouble of losing the player. If the writing is bad, even if it's short, it's destructive to the experience. If the direction is bad, even if the writing is good it's not communicated to the player well.
If I were to pick one game I felt really manages to mix all three together properly, it'd have to be Red Dead Redemption. There's a few longer scenes, but those usually don't lose the player. The writing is good. The direction is good. It just comes across as really complete, whereas some games lack in one area or another.
MGS is definitely guilty of problems with all three criteria. I love that series, but when you can beat the game faster than it takes to watch all the cutscenes... which you can, in every MGS, it's pushing the limits of what's tolerable.
Then you have some RPGs, which turn cutscenes into something the player takes an active role. Good ones give the player control over the amount of exposition they experience. Mass Effect 1/2 and Fallout 3/New Vegas are good examples of that practice in action, allowing the player to interact in conversation and exposition. It's a little disjointed having the conversation pause for a prompt from the player every ten to twenty seconds, but it doesn't turn you into a voyeur of the story in progress. Tougher to tell a story that way, though.
If it's too long, even if it is good, there's the trouble of losing the player. If the writing is bad, even if it's short, it's destructive to the experience. If the direction is bad, even if the writing is good it's not communicated to the player well.
If I were to pick one game I felt really manages to mix all three together properly, it'd have to be Red Dead Redemption. There's a few longer scenes, but those usually don't lose the player. The writing is good. The direction is good. It just comes across as really complete, whereas some games lack in one area or another.
MGS is definitely guilty of problems with all three criteria. I love that series, but when you can beat the game faster than it takes to watch all the cutscenes... which you can, in every MGS, it's pushing the limits of what's tolerable.
Then you have some RPGs, which turn cutscenes into something the player takes an active role. Good ones give the player control over the amount of exposition they experience. Mass Effect 1/2 and Fallout 3/New Vegas are good examples of that practice in action, allowing the player to interact in conversation and exposition. It's a little disjointed having the conversation pause for a prompt from the player every ten to twenty seconds, but it doesn't turn you into a voyeur of the story in progress. Tougher to tell a story that way, though.
I like cut scenes I don't mind sitting idle for long periods of time so long as the cut scenes are interesting. In fact many times I look forward more to the cut scenes. For instance Kingdom Hearts was just a simple button masher the game could get really boring sometimes (especially it's sequels that repeated locations) for the most part I just button mashed my way through the game in anticipation of the next cut scene.
Also in your "about me" section the mental image of you fondling a NES is as hilarious as it is disturbing
Also in your "about me" section the mental image of you fondling a NES is as hilarious as it is disturbing
I really like the title of this blog post, haha.
Regarding cutscenes, I don't really mind them as long as they don't run too long and there aren't too many of them. Sometimes I feel like they can be necessary for highlighting important plot points. I don't think I've ever played a game where I thought the cutscenes were ruining the experience for me, although I have played some games where I thought the cutscenes weren't exactly necessary. I can understand why some people wouldn't enjoy them so much.
Regarding cutscenes, I don't really mind them as long as they don't run too long and there aren't too many of them. Sometimes I feel like they can be necessary for highlighting important plot points. I don't think I've ever played a game where I thought the cutscenes were ruining the experience for me, although I have played some games where I thought the cutscenes weren't exactly necessary. I can understand why some people wouldn't enjoy them so much.
At the end of the day, a well made cutscene is a joy to watch. If it's done correctly, I don't even mind or notice that control has been taken away from me because I just want to see what happens. Examples: Mass Effect and Gears of War.
Games that keep me in control the entire time are even better. Half Life 2 doesn't even have any cutscenes - stuff just happens in front of you. In a way, that's less cinematic but it's far more believable. Looking up to see a towering alien walker coming at you and deciding whether to run or hide is a lot different than a cutscene unfolding and forcing your character to run away for you.
As far as MGS is concerned, fuck that series. I enjoy the gameplay enough but the cutscenes completely sour the entire experience. I skipped my way through MGS4 just so I could stand it.
Games that keep me in control the entire time are even better. Half Life 2 doesn't even have any cutscenes - stuff just happens in front of you. In a way, that's less cinematic but it's far more believable. Looking up to see a towering alien walker coming at you and deciding whether to run or hide is a lot different than a cutscene unfolding and forcing your character to run away for you.
As far as MGS is concerned, fuck that series. I enjoy the gameplay enough but the cutscenes completely sour the entire experience. I skipped my way through MGS4 just so I could stand it.
Did you ever play Xenosaga on PS2? the reason I stopped playing that was cause the power went out during 20+min cutscene and yeah... didn't want to sit through it again. I was a fool for not taking the opportunity they offered to save midcutscene
@Wolfy-Boey: I have played Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain, but I purposely left them out of this blog because their section would have been a whole other clusterfucking can of worms. I do enjoy them for what they are, though.
And I've played Split/Second. Blur is better, in my opinion. ;P
@Elsa: I'd argue that good cinematography is a little more involved than just letting the player's face cam dither about the room. But both styles have their place.
@Scissors: I'm in your house, touching your consoles in the bad place.
@Knivy: You chose... poorly.
And I've played Split/Second. Blur is better, in my opinion. ;P
@Elsa: I'd argue that good cinematography is a little more involved than just letting the player's face cam dither about the room. But both styles have their place.
@Scissors: I'm in your house, touching your consoles in the bad place.
@Knivy: You chose... poorly.
There was a time when cutscenes were "cool", like the FMV sequences in Final Fantasy VII where you got to see the planet explode and Tifa's chest react accordingly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEuY0fGvtvs&feature=related Back in the day shit was so cash!
I would also say that, though I agree that theres a whole lot of talking in the Metal Gear games, Kojima has always been one for interactive pulp adventures. Just look at Snatcher/Policenauts. The fact that MGS blew up so big was a testament to how much we wanted our games to seem like movies.
Anyways, I believe that what works depends on what game your playing, though being able to skip a bad cutscene is always a plus. If youre playing a Metal Gear Game for the action youre only doing it half right- sort of like skipping to the lightsaber fights in the Star Wars movies. I mean, yeah, theyre great, but its the context that sets the mood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEuY0fGvtvs&feature=related Back in the day shit was so cash!
I would also say that, though I agree that theres a whole lot of talking in the Metal Gear games, Kojima has always been one for interactive pulp adventures. Just look at Snatcher/Policenauts. The fact that MGS blew up so big was a testament to how much we wanted our games to seem like movies.
Anyways, I believe that what works depends on what game your playing, though being able to skip a bad cutscene is always a plus. If youre playing a Metal Gear Game for the action youre only doing it half right- sort of like skipping to the lightsaber fights in the Star Wars movies. I mean, yeah, theyre great, but its the context that sets the mood.
As long as a cutscene is skippable, I'm fine with it.
FPP (First Person Perspective) cutscenes do work if handled correctly, but it requires skill and a lot of effort.
To me, the real value of the cutscene is for immersion experiences - where you are being forced to play a certain character. You can`t make Old Snake into a spastic running monkey who swipes coffee cups during cutscenes - he`s a specific character who interacts in specific ways to the story. It only makes sense to have him interact in a specific way. Whereas if I`m a silent protagonist, then yes, I may spend my time shooting you in the knee while you`re telling me what to do.
I agree - the benefit or failure of cutscenes are due to their implementation, not inherently to the medium.
FPP (First Person Perspective) cutscenes do work if handled correctly, but it requires skill and a lot of effort.
To me, the real value of the cutscene is for immersion experiences - where you are being forced to play a certain character. You can`t make Old Snake into a spastic running monkey who swipes coffee cups during cutscenes - he`s a specific character who interacts in specific ways to the story. It only makes sense to have him interact in a specific way. Whereas if I`m a silent protagonist, then yes, I may spend my time shooting you in the knee while you`re telling me what to do.
I agree - the benefit or failure of cutscenes are due to their implementation, not inherently to the medium.
I agree with Turtle -- I think if a cutscene makes sense, is awesome, and generally not too long then I'm all for it. It also helps to enable skipping (although I really can't think of a cutscene from a recent game that you aren't able to skip). Great blog by the way!
@Zwuh
yeah, I was just all "no, i don't want to save i just want this cutscene to be over!!". I was tried to find how long that cutscene was online, and from what i read 20+mins cutscenes weren't that uncommon in xenosaga, with the last one being like 45mins long
yeah, I was just all "no, i don't want to save i just want this cutscene to be over!!". I was tried to find how long that cutscene was online, and from what i read 20+mins cutscenes weren't that uncommon in xenosaga, with the last one being like 45mins long
Yes, the Half-Life series is the epitome of story-telling, but the problem with story is that it needs to be structured for in the level design as well as the mechanics. Some games would need to undergo radical changes to be viable, but I think it's both possible and necessary.
Nice read, your writing style is definitely entertaining.
That said, I really don't see the problem here. I'm one of those freaks of nature who plays a ton of games, and yet doesn't feel any need to distance myself from movies. In other words, I'm a gamer who is not lying to myself. I like movies. I like cutscenes. I have an attention span, and patience. I liked MGS4, and Xenosaga.
I think this is a case where we are stuck with a solution here, searching for a problem. The obvious answer is that people enjoy all kinds of different approaches to cutscenes, and the market is big enough that people can pick and choose which styles they enjoy, and avoid styles they don't. Do we really need Metal Gear to abandon cutscenes and try to mimic Half Life? No. It's clearly a popular series, and people must know by now that it contains cutscenes.
The options are there. Pick what you want to play, basically. Playing everything in first person with no direction or story emphasis sounds awful to me. It sounds great to others.
That said, I really don't see the problem here. I'm one of those freaks of nature who plays a ton of games, and yet doesn't feel any need to distance myself from movies. In other words, I'm a gamer who is not lying to myself. I like movies. I like cutscenes. I have an attention span, and patience. I liked MGS4, and Xenosaga.
I think this is a case where we are stuck with a solution here, searching for a problem. The obvious answer is that people enjoy all kinds of different approaches to cutscenes, and the market is big enough that people can pick and choose which styles they enjoy, and avoid styles they don't. Do we really need Metal Gear to abandon cutscenes and try to mimic Half Life? No. It's clearly a popular series, and people must know by now that it contains cutscenes.
The options are there. Pick what you want to play, basically. Playing everything in first person with no direction or story emphasis sounds awful to me. It sounds great to others.
I don't really mind long cutscenes as long the overall experience is enjoyable and cutscenes I've already seen can be easily bypassed.
In the specific case of Metal Gear, I've only played part the first MGS and am currently playing through the second, but the long cutscenes haven't bothered me at all. I'm of the firm opinion that a game can be accused of being a movie and have this not be a bad thing as long as it has strong writing and smashing presentation. For me, despite its arguably silly nature upon deeper analysis, MG delivers a very compelling and emotionally charged experience.
In the specific case of Metal Gear, I've only played part the first MGS and am currently playing through the second, but the long cutscenes haven't bothered me at all. I'm of the firm opinion that a game can be accused of being a movie and have this not be a bad thing as long as it has strong writing and smashing presentation. For me, despite its arguably silly nature upon deeper analysis, MG delivers a very compelling and emotionally charged experience.
Yay! I read this a few days back, and I was really hoping it would get frong paged. Congratulations! :)
lol what? i wasn't bothered with the long cutscenes of the MGS series. in fact i enjoy them the most, since i pay attention for the small details not to mention i was actually engage with the universe and characters. also tons of easter eggs and the information given to is huge, what is this nanomachines? why is snake getting old? who are these people? what relationship do they have to snake or any comrades?
"half the so-called scenes are actually just spent staring at the screen of your spy phone while people talk... and talk. AND TALK. "
i don't understand this? if you pay close attention, solidus is explaining why he did and what cause, also the codecs imply you about the S3 plan on why the colonel is acting weird. if you fought solidus in a hurry you wouldn't know the reason behind his rebellion. it would feel like "oh he's just a bad guy"
i think one of the many reasons why people hate(for example) MGS is because they don't bother watching the cutscenes and codec transmission. you see people complaining how convoluted the story is yet they don't even try to engage in the story because it takes too much time for them and not enough "actionzzz"
i do agree that MGS4 had significant amount of cutscenes. would have love if kojima balance it by putting other information in the codec transmission. so if a player what's to know something, they are free to talk about it anytime in the game.
@Shinta
agree, Xenosaga had long cutscenes yet i didn't feel annoyed or time wasting. i was hook all the time and it's definitely a refreshing series(despite Ep II and Ep III taking a different direction. still loved it, but would also like to see Soraya Saga's Version)
yeah, i think there's a market for those who enjoy these kind approaches. i mean does every game have to be COD? or Half Life? or maybe Heavy rain? there's a reason why different people enjoy different styles of games.
"half the so-called scenes are actually just spent staring at the screen of your spy phone while people talk... and talk. AND TALK. "
i don't understand this? if you pay close attention, solidus is explaining why he did and what cause, also the codecs imply you about the S3 plan on why the colonel is acting weird. if you fought solidus in a hurry you wouldn't know the reason behind his rebellion. it would feel like "oh he's just a bad guy"
i think one of the many reasons why people hate(for example) MGS is because they don't bother watching the cutscenes and codec transmission. you see people complaining how convoluted the story is yet they don't even try to engage in the story because it takes too much time for them and not enough "actionzzz"
i do agree that MGS4 had significant amount of cutscenes. would have love if kojima balance it by putting other information in the codec transmission. so if a player what's to know something, they are free to talk about it anytime in the game.
@Shinta
agree, Xenosaga had long cutscenes yet i didn't feel annoyed or time wasting. i was hook all the time and it's definitely a refreshing series(despite Ep II and Ep III taking a different direction. still loved it, but would also like to see Soraya Saga's Version)
yeah, i think there's a market for those who enjoy these kind approaches. i mean does every game have to be COD? or Half Life? or maybe Heavy rain? there's a reason why different people enjoy different styles of games.
Half-Life 2's storytelling is a masterpiece. The problem, which you didn't mention, is that it's not very flexible. Remember: everything is from the perspective of the player. So you can no longer have cutscenes outside of the player's view. There's no: "Watch this scene where Darth Vader talks with the Emperor, which is happening like a bizillion light years away from you". I will agree that sometimes cutscenes may overstate their welcome, but MGS wasn't a movie with intereactive scenes. The gameplay and the cutscenes in the first game were roughly the same lenght, and while the second game had a shit ton of cutscenes, a lot more than gameplay sections, the third game featured a lot more gameplay than cutscenes. The forth game was a mixed bag, but I would say that yes, there are more cutscenes than gameplay sections.
I love cutscenes. The best part of Alan Wake was the cutscenes and that's saying something cause every part of that game was amazing.
Nice write up, as for me personally, I like cutscenes, but the game better have a dam good story, and better keep me interested, I don't like cutscenes for the sake of cutscenes, I believe FF XIII is really guilty of this. As for the MGS series, well even though the cutscenes can get pretty long, for some reason they don't seem long to me, mostly because the games always keep my attention because I love the narrative, all be it a over the top one, MGS 3 was perfection in my eyes when it came to mixing cutscenes with gameplay, toward the end of the game they get long, but for most of the game I felt the cutscenes were fairly reasonable.
I can understand why people like the way the narrative was delivered in Half life 2, but I personally don't like that method, mostly because I like to explore, so I usually always wander off and forget about the talking, I NEED to be limited (which is why I like cutscenes), or else I won't get important information, a better example of this for me is Bioshock, one of the reasons the game was acclaimed was for it's narrative, which many liked, I came away, thinking what the hell was so good about the story, this was because whenever I would get a tape, within a matter of few seconds, I completely forgot I was hearing something, I think i have ADHD :(
I can understand why people like the way the narrative was delivered in Half life 2, but I personally don't like that method, mostly because I like to explore, so I usually always wander off and forget about the talking, I NEED to be limited (which is why I like cutscenes), or else I won't get important information, a better example of this for me is Bioshock, one of the reasons the game was acclaimed was for it's narrative, which many liked, I came away, thinking what the hell was so good about the story, this was because whenever I would get a tape, within a matter of few seconds, I completely forgot I was hearing something, I think i have ADHD :(
Sometimes you just need to sit back and watch. All bits of narrative in every form don't have constant action all throughout it, video games aren't any different just because there is gameplay. So I'm fine with cut scenes, as long as it's not like that FFVII Vincent game.
I would just like to point out, that I hate the "cut scenes" in Half Life. They are interactive cut scenes that are completely unskipable and the fact that I can wander around a small room instead of sitting back watching does nothing for me. I would much rather have a real cut scene where they could do something awesome than to be "kept in the character."
This is the first community post I've ever posted on! Just wanted to say it was a cool read! I even laughed af few times. : )
Cut-scenes do nothing but force me to watch some B movie with a bunch of uncanny valley mixed in. Some people feel like they need some motive for playing a game other than the fun of actually playing the game. Like they somehow waste less time if they sit and watch a story unfold instead of "This is your objective, go to it".
I guess I should point out that I'm not a huge movie person. I personally have nothing against people who like cut-scenes. Hell one of my best friends adores MGS while I think it's pretty damn stupid. To each his own. There is more than enough room for games with cut-scenes in them. But it shouldn't be the go to source for any kind of story element.
If your story really sucks then keep it to a minimum. Some of us don't care about motivation and character development, and we don't care about pulling some "deeper" meaning out of the experience. If that somehow makes us dumber then so be it. Put a challenge in front and make it fun. It's all a game needs to be.
I guess I should point out that I'm not a huge movie person. I personally have nothing against people who like cut-scenes. Hell one of my best friends adores MGS while I think it's pretty damn stupid. To each his own. There is more than enough room for games with cut-scenes in them. But it shouldn't be the go to source for any kind of story element.
If your story really sucks then keep it to a minimum. Some of us don't care about motivation and character development, and we don't care about pulling some "deeper" meaning out of the experience. If that somehow makes us dumber then so be it. Put a challenge in front and make it fun. It's all a game needs to be.
Since I think 100% of all the games I own have some form of cutscenes, whether long or short, in them, I can't say I hate them outright.
That said, I do generally dislike at least the talk coming out of some developers about wanting games to be more like movies. Cutscenes can be fantastic if they convey story well, but overuse and total reliance on them (or reliance on cutscenes and quicktime events) like some games these days really turns me off towards many games.
That said, I do generally dislike at least the talk coming out of some developers about wanting games to be more like movies. Cutscenes can be fantastic if they convey story well, but overuse and total reliance on them (or reliance on cutscenes and quicktime events) like some games these days really turns me off towards many games.
I'm kind of indifferent to cutscenes in games. I don't mind them at all, because it's interesting to me to see how developers do them differently. MGS, for example, is infamous for its talky cutscenes, but I always enjoyed watching them. It also helps that everything Snake does in cutscenes is completely in-character. Not like a guy randomly killing his best friend when you, the player, have no say in the matter. So for me, they're all about the writing and cinematography. Kojima's great at the writing, Team Ico's great at the cinematography.
honestly, i get tired of really long gameplay sections quicker than i do long cutscenes. i absolutely loved the gameplay in ffxiii but i remember one section, the fifth ark i think, that went on forever and, as much as i enjoyed the battle system and as much i as loved the music for that part, i had to intentionally skip battles because the area had become such a drag due to lack of story progression.
my biggest annoyance in video games is at the end of rpgs, when the story begins to climax and your interest in the story is through the roof, they throw in the biggest, longest, hardest (insertpenisjokehere) dungeon in the game for you to trudge through when all you want to do is see what happens in the story. that shit drives me bonkertits EVERY TIME.
as long as you're telling me a good story, i don't care HOW you tell it to me, but pacing is what's important in story-driven games.
my biggest annoyance in video games is at the end of rpgs, when the story begins to climax and your interest in the story is through the roof, they throw in the biggest, longest, hardest (insertpenisjokehere) dungeon in the game for you to trudge through when all you want to do is see what happens in the story. that shit drives me bonkertits EVERY TIME.
as long as you're telling me a good story, i don't care HOW you tell it to me, but pacing is what's important in story-driven games.
Cutscenes, no cutscenes, cutscene videos, controlleable cutscenes, I don't care.
Good game is good.
I nearly cried during the hour odd cutscene at the end of MGS4, but the "press X to skip" thing totally ruined the what would have been awesome cutscenes in Homefront.
Intersting and entertaining read, thanks.
Good game is good.
I nearly cried during the hour odd cutscene at the end of MGS4, but the "press X to skip" thing totally ruined the what would have been awesome cutscenes in Homefront.
Intersting and entertaining read, thanks.
really good write up! It's nice to see others opinion on this topic. I personally don't mind cutscenes (i always used to see them as a flashy way of showing off a games graphical capabilities) but i can understand how they can interrupt the flow of a game. like you and others have said, its a balancing act.
A cutscene is good if it ties with the gameplay well for me. If you see a nice cutscene and then go to actual gameplay which is just generic bullshit it just cuts the immersion. A good example imo is devil may cry 3 which had some awesome cutscenes for dante and his enemies and then you used your arsenal of moves to beat them.
Give me a cutscene over an interaction any day of the week. Well, at the end of the day, you're a participant, not an actor. You've turned up without knowing your marks and everybody else with their lines committed to memory.
Valve do a great job of interactive narrative, but it's not perfect. How many times have you stood in the wrong place in Half Life 2 and Alyx has had to moonwalk into you to reach her mark? Left 4 Dead does a better job because all four participants are acting without NPC input.
Actually, Ghostbusters did a brilliant job of subtly telling you where you should stand with huge spaces between characters. It also allowed you to just naively wander around because that's how The Rookie is portrayed in the non-interactive parts.
The thing is, cutscenes are primarily there to inform the player of the specifics (like directions) and everything else is written around that. Perfect example of that is the intro to Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. I love entertaining cutscenes and I'm all for the emulation of cinema, providing that developers fully understand the ideas behind the scenes they've been influenced by.
Cutscenes do a great job of showing you how different and post-modern interactive media is to cinema. Post-modernism is its greatest strength. Sadly, some do go overboard like with MGS and Heavy Rain, thus losing what fundamentally makes a videogame enjoyable. Still, there's enough games like Deadly Premonition to show you how post-modernism in cutscenes can treat a player like an actor without messing up the immersion.
Valve do a great job of interactive narrative, but it's not perfect. How many times have you stood in the wrong place in Half Life 2 and Alyx has had to moonwalk into you to reach her mark? Left 4 Dead does a better job because all four participants are acting without NPC input.
Actually, Ghostbusters did a brilliant job of subtly telling you where you should stand with huge spaces between characters. It also allowed you to just naively wander around because that's how The Rookie is portrayed in the non-interactive parts.
The thing is, cutscenes are primarily there to inform the player of the specifics (like directions) and everything else is written around that. Perfect example of that is the intro to Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. I love entertaining cutscenes and I'm all for the emulation of cinema, providing that developers fully understand the ideas behind the scenes they've been influenced by.
Cutscenes do a great job of showing you how different and post-modern interactive media is to cinema. Post-modernism is its greatest strength. Sadly, some do go overboard like with MGS and Heavy Rain, thus losing what fundamentally makes a videogame enjoyable. Still, there's enough games like Deadly Premonition to show you how post-modernism in cutscenes can treat a player like an actor without messing up the immersion.
I'm pretty sure Half-Life has "cutscenes" in the very broadest sense, because I'm fairly certain (I know it's true of one of the Portal games at least) that there are very occasionally moments where they need to highlight your attention to something happening and force you to look at it. At this point you have no control over movement or where you're looking, so for all intents and purposes it's a cutscene (just one that doesn't take you out of the first person perspective).
Half-Life isn't really a great example anyway though because some of the most effective uses of cutscenes revolve around specific the main character's interactions with other people/things and Gordon Freeman is pretty much an inconsequential empty shell of a mute man. The story is designed such that he has no personality and never interacts with the other characters (in any complex way at least) and so it completely avoids some of the biggest problems that proper cutscenes actually solve. Another great use of them is to inform the player (but not the characters) of events/plot happening elsewhere, something which Half-Life again doesn't ever need to address.
Half-Life isn't really a great example anyway though because some of the most effective uses of cutscenes revolve around specific the main character's interactions with other people/things and Gordon Freeman is pretty much an inconsequential empty shell of a mute man. The story is designed such that he has no personality and never interacts with the other characters (in any complex way at least) and so it completely avoids some of the biggest problems that proper cutscenes actually solve. Another great use of them is to inform the player (but not the characters) of events/plot happening elsewhere, something which Half-Life again doesn't ever need to address.
Nice article, nice article indeed!
The JRPG genre is pretty much my favorite so I have to deal with a lot of dialog, and I'm fine with that. I can't recall many actual cutscenes right now though, the ones I can remember end up being pretty short usually. With straight up text you can usually skip through it anyways, whether through mashing buttons rapidly or simply pressing a single one to skip it all. Though text may be boring to some, you can go at your own pace usually which gives you a decent amount of control.
When it comes to actual cutscenes the first game that comes to mind is Enslaved, that game was full of 'em. I'd also say the game had a decent case of "movie game syndrome" because of that. The story focused a lot on building the relationship between characters through cutscenes as well as gameplay. In battle Monkey relied on Trip and Pigsy a lot of the time, the voice overs during actual gameplay gave the game a bit more substance. That aside, I didn't care for the gameplay much and to me Enslaved was still a mediocre game with a slight case of movie syndrome (but not as much as more popular examples like Metal Gear Solid 4 or Heavy Rain). Being a good game is what matters most, and Enslaved was pretty mediocre in my eyes. I don't care about the cutscenes as long as the overall package satisfies me.
The JRPG genre is pretty much my favorite so I have to deal with a lot of dialog, and I'm fine with that. I can't recall many actual cutscenes right now though, the ones I can remember end up being pretty short usually. With straight up text you can usually skip through it anyways, whether through mashing buttons rapidly or simply pressing a single one to skip it all. Though text may be boring to some, you can go at your own pace usually which gives you a decent amount of control.
When it comes to actual cutscenes the first game that comes to mind is Enslaved, that game was full of 'em. I'd also say the game had a decent case of "movie game syndrome" because of that. The story focused a lot on building the relationship between characters through cutscenes as well as gameplay. In battle Monkey relied on Trip and Pigsy a lot of the time, the voice overs during actual gameplay gave the game a bit more substance. That aside, I didn't care for the gameplay much and to me Enslaved was still a mediocre game with a slight case of movie syndrome (but not as much as more popular examples like Metal Gear Solid 4 or Heavy Rain). Being a good game is what matters most, and Enslaved was pretty mediocre in my eyes. I don't care about the cutscenes as long as the overall package satisfies me.
Good post. I'm always excited to hear someone else point out how idiotic the Metal Gear franchise has become. I agree with some other comments that Heavy Rain is certainly worse than MGS since the ENTIRE game is one long cutscene as opposed to 8/10 of the game being a cutscene. I'll go one step further, though, and say that the feeling I get when playing a game like HR or MGS is like I'm watching Cage or Hideo blow themselves for hours on end. In other words, they might be having a good time but I feel short-changed. It's like they are making these games for themselves more than we the actual gamers.
Bottom line is that if the story sucks, the cutscenes will be unbearable. It's why I want to slash my wrists while playing MGS yet love engaging in character conversations in Mass Effect. Plot progression, good dialogue, character development, and a sense of coherence; you kinda need that stuff.
Oh and don't forget to add Final Fantasy XIII to the list of games with pointless, shitty cutscenes.
Bottom line is that if the story sucks, the cutscenes will be unbearable. It's why I want to slash my wrists while playing MGS yet love engaging in character conversations in Mass Effect. Plot progression, good dialogue, character development, and a sense of coherence; you kinda need that stuff.
Oh and don't forget to add Final Fantasy XIII to the list of games with pointless, shitty cutscenes.
Everytime one of these types of discucciosn come up, The Darkness is always overlookied. The way that story was tols, using the game mechanics was awesome.
(SPOILER)
The level at the abandoned orphanage was the most engaging stage I've ever played. The little hints of the childhood Jackie leaves behind are heartbreaking considering where he's at, & the whole reason he's there. The buildup of it, until that secene where the darkness physicially restrains you & makes you watch Jenny get killed. Well, that was just awesome storytelling. I felt it. A was the slaughter scene in the last level.
(SPOILER)
The level at the abandoned orphanage was the most engaging stage I've ever played. The little hints of the childhood Jackie leaves behind are heartbreaking considering where he's at, & the whole reason he's there. The buildup of it, until that secene where the darkness physicially restrains you & makes you watch Jenny get killed. Well, that was just awesome storytelling. I felt it. A was the slaughter scene in the last level.
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