Also, what about Blizzard's cinematics?! How can you do that during gameplay? Particularly the Warcraft 3 human intro cinematic? How could you get rid of that, and still have a great game?
Cutscenes Are Gaming's "Failure State," Says THQ Exec
- Thread starter Logan Westbrook
- Start date
I like cutscenes in and of themself, but it's true; they don't really fit with what a game is about.
Although, to be honest, I don't think half-life's method is a good example of an improvement, because in reality, it's so linear that it's just a cutscene with an interactive camera.
Which means in some ways it might even be worse than a cutscene.
You can't interact with half-life's story in any sense, because Gordon Freeman doesn't talk, and even if he did, you have no influence over what he says.
I really don't see it as much of an improvement on a cutscene.
Although, to be honest, I don't think half-life's method is a good example of an improvement, because in reality, it's so linear that it's just a cutscene with an interactive camera.
Which means in some ways it might even be worse than a cutscene.
You can't interact with half-life's story in any sense, because Gordon Freeman doesn't talk, and even if he did, you have no influence over what he says.
I really don't see it as much of an improvement on a cutscene.
I don't enjoy all cutscenes at given times, but I never really liked the Half-Life method either. In Half-Life, instead of giving me something pretty to watch, they just stick me in a room with two guys talking and yapping away and I'm walking around trying to find out what I'm supposed to do or how to get on with it. I can't interact with them because Gordon Freeman is a mute, so I don't feel connected to them nor to I care who they are. They talk to me, but I can't respond, so how can I care if the main character doesn't care?
Not saying this method of storytelling doesn't have its own strengths, but it does leave something to be desired.
There are so many things that video games could do with their stories. It's just a shame that most developers don't want to think out of the box, let alone the envelope.
Not saying this method of storytelling doesn't have its own strengths, but it does leave something to be desired.
There are so many things that video games could do with their stories. It's just a shame that most developers don't want to think out of the box, let alone the envelope.
He's absolutely right. Games should tell story through gameplay, not cutscenes. When a game tells the story through cutscenes, it is only half a game, half a movie. Games should start moving away from borrowing from other mediums like film, and start crafting their own story telling.
No Half Life is NOT a good example of this. Half Life has cutscenes, just cutscenes you can move the camera in. There are a number of examples of games that tell a story through their mechanics rather than Movies: Braid, Don't Look Back, and Gravity Bone. It is completely possible to tell a game's story without relying on other mediums to do so.
No Half Life is NOT a good example of this. Half Life has cutscenes, just cutscenes you can move the camera in. There are a number of examples of games that tell a story through their mechanics rather than Movies: Braid, Don't Look Back, and Gravity Bone. It is completely possible to tell a game's story without relying on other mediums to do so.
Funny thing about Saint's Row 2? It's made by THQ... which seems pretty ironic to me, right now.Vault101 said:
Yeah, that's really true. When a game switches to a cutscene, it's basically admitting that games are an inferior storytelling medium compared to movies. Not that this is wrong, because it isn't, but I'd rather have a simple story with great gameplay than a crappy movie with mediocre gameplay.Hitman Dread said:
Sure there is. Situations in which they need to give information to the player without giving it to the character, or any situation that needs to show you something on a scale that your character can't see (natural disasters, huge invasions, ect.) There's no reason to limit the player's perspective like that. Some games are improved through the character-only perspective; however, this won't always be the case.SturmDolch said:
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is a TERRIBLY underrated game. (Fool you there for a moment?)Qizx said:
Quite seriously, the game was quite unparalleled. Visually stunning, it had a lovely look about it. The music was unique, beautiful to listen to and very distinctive, it's been years since I played but I can still recall numerous tunes in my head now.
The only draw back was the connectivity with the Gameboy Advance, which was a mixed bag. It was a lovely idea in theory, but a bit messy to set up. And though you didn't need a GBA for single player, it would've been best if they'd let you do co-op without them as well, based on preference.
Still, all told, quite underrated. My partner and I have nothing but fond memories of hours spend playing.
yeeeeeah.....great way to make a point thereRenegadePacifist said:
story has become quite an important factor in games now..which is a good thing
anyway cutscenes are somtimes nessicary for showing the player exactally what they intnded
the thing about dragon age and other bioware games is that they are very cinematic its not quite the same as cutscenes in most cases as more the angle that the camera is at during conversations which actually makes a difference (as oposed to fallout 3) plus a cutscene can make a situation seem more dramatic and tense
id say final fantasy is an example of how NOT to make a game cinematic , Bioware games such as dragon age
or mass effect are a good example of how to do it, by maing conversations look and feel cinematic
I always feel like cutscenes in video games come across like this:
They don't need to be there, they're time I'm spending not playing the game, and they're never very good.
They don't need to be there, they're time I'm spending not playing the game, and they're never very good.
I hate the argument, "Well, if you wanna watch cutscenes, then just watch movies," or "I don't wanna pay $60 for a movie." The game is still THERE. It's just made more interesting through an actual storyline, some character development, elaborate camera angles, all of which are told through a cutscene.
What's the difference between watching a cutscene and reading in a game? If instead of a kick ass intro cutscene all we had was a page of text that said, "In a world, blah, blah, blah, this happened and this happened, and you are the hero and it's up to you," then you might as well be reading a book.
Sometimes the story is told better from a passive perspective. What if a character is talking to you, and spilling their guts with some actual emotion and good voice acting, and you have full control, so you're just running around and trying to punch the NPC, or whatever. The the impact of that speech would be completely ruined.
And cutscenes don't HAVE to be passive. Heavy Rain is how it's done. But we don't need that.
Metal Gear Solid is one of the greatest gaming franchises out there. And 15 minute cutscenes were a huge part of it, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
What's the difference between watching a cutscene and reading in a game? If instead of a kick ass intro cutscene all we had was a page of text that said, "In a world, blah, blah, blah, this happened and this happened, and you are the hero and it's up to you," then you might as well be reading a book.
Sometimes the story is told better from a passive perspective. What if a character is talking to you, and spilling their guts with some actual emotion and good voice acting, and you have full control, so you're just running around and trying to punch the NPC, or whatever. The the impact of that speech would be completely ruined.
And cutscenes don't HAVE to be passive. Heavy Rain is how it's done. But we don't need that.
Metal Gear Solid is one of the greatest gaming franchises out there. And 15 minute cutscenes were a huge part of it, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
I agree with Danny Bilson and both of you. Most cut scenes are terrible. For example, when they take you out of the normal view into some fixed camera angle to watch a scene where YOU have no control over what you will do. Terrible.baker80 said:
HL2 wasn't that great either.
MW2 did a good job of this, it used VERY short cut scenes always in the first person. And often they enhanced the story. (They did take it a little far with the astronaut scene though). You should be able to interact and move as normal, and there shouldn't be the oft boring exposition you hear EVERY time you go through that part, it could be mixed up a little. Cut scenes are just so... bland... and predictable.
By predictable I mean, at the end of the cut scene;
bossfight
someone betrays you (leading to a bossfight)
chase / forced vehicle section
New item/gun
Timed escape (essentially the same mechanic as the chase)
Protect X (could be escort or timed)
Now all of these game ideas/mechanics could be good, but there is no need to introduce them as a cut scene. It can be done in-game. From the characters natural view (not taking the experience out of body/whatever - FPS pov)
Then show a news program, or have you control a different character. Otherwise, you're not playing a game. You're playing a game with movie interruptions. Imagine if you were watching a movie, and suddenly TETRIS. Same thing, just reversed.starwarsgeek said:
Wouldn't it be much more intriguing to experience an earthquake or an alien invasion as a person on the ground, rather than just watching it happen? Or at the very least, controlling an Anti-Alien Ion Cannon? Perspectives and controlled characters can change to convey these ideas. Of course, the developers have to make it clear who you're controlling; I didn't realize I'd been controlling two characters in Black Ops till I got to the end.
The 2nd half of Don't Look Back had a profound emotional impact on me, as did the ending of Gravity Bone and Braid. Portal conveys a compelling story full of information and back story without any long winded segments where control of the situation is lifted out of my control. At any moment I am in control, and not in a false way like Half Life 2.Silent Biohazard Solid said:
There is a seed of truth in it, but in current state, I prefer cutscenes million times over what Half-Life 2 did, where even though I could move and stuff, I still felt like 'oh come on, Let me act normally, before this obviously bad thing, which will happen in a minute, will ruin the day!' (ending of Episode 2 is a prime example), so it was like the cutscene incompetence (see the point 'b' below) with frustration level one uped. MW did it better, because it didn't break the pace of the game, and at least gave enough reason for you not to prevent stuff from happening (being in a helicopter when the nuke goes off, being caught by surprise like in 'No Russian' mission, or just being badly injured like in last mission with Roach), so maybe that's the way...
About cutscenes - I like them. They are fine IMO, as long as:
a) Our protagonist isn't doing stuff we were supposed to do (like kicking ass in a fight).
b) Our protagonist isn't acting like a helpless baby, when the player could've easily get out of the bad situation (Fable 1, a scene before imprisonment comes to mind).
Also - QTE helps. Yes, I know, majority of the gaming population hates QTE's... I like them though, and it also let's me get involved in a cutscene, which is nice.
About cutscenes - I like them. They are fine IMO, as long as:
a) Our protagonist isn't doing stuff we were supposed to do (like kicking ass in a fight).
b) Our protagonist isn't acting like a helpless baby, when the player could've easily get out of the bad situation (Fable 1, a scene before imprisonment comes to mind).
Also - QTE helps. Yes, I know, majority of the gaming population hates QTE's... I like them though, and it also let's me get involved in a cutscene, which is nice.
Well, then I guess it's a matter of preference, isn't it? Quite frankly, certain games that lacked cutscenes, such as Dead Space, bored me to tears. I couldn't even finish Dead Space, because I was so bored with it.Hitman Dread said:
Some people like their storydriven games to have cutscenes. It's just one way of conveying the story. To say that it's a "Failure State" is bullcrap.
Without cutscenes, I wouldn't be playing 95% of the games in my collection.
No then they like playing a puzzle to unlike a Movie.
You can have a preference for mediums, but let's not pretend that cut scenes are a part of games any more than the album art is a part of music.
You can have a preference for mediums, but let's not pretend that cut scenes are a part of games any more than the album art is a part of music.