Cutscenes Are Gaming's "Failure State," Says THQ Exec

[leady129]

I'm going to have to agree with a few people here when I say I actually quite enjoy hitting a well directed cut scene within a game.
The best form of story telling for me is when a game uses equal parts of both methods. To use Uncharted 2 as an example, a great deal of the story is told within the action without necessarily taking (to much) control from the player. Then, the cinematic's cut in for the major plot points. It's also a useful tool for hiding the transition between levels.

 

[Therumancer]

Well, I think the problem with cut scenes is that typically they advance the plotline in ways that don't match your perspective of what should be happening, or what you'd have the character(s) do. Sometimes they can be entertaining, other times they break immersion and point out how the story and the gameplay are really in seperate worlds from each other.

That said, I personally do not think voicing protaganists is a good idea either. The reason is that I think it breaks immersion, especially if the character doesn't sound like I'd expect them to, or says things that don't fit my own take on what's going on.

Even when dealing with a "named" pre-determined character your controlling, I think voices tend to ruin the whole "you are this person" or "your having this adventure" aspect of things, with the voice adding another layer of seperation between you and the game.

This is even a problem with games like "Saint's Row 2" where you can select your character's voice, as they had multiple actors read the script... though admittedly selecting a voice DOES help a bit. Right now I see no excuse for games to only have one voice for a protaganist. There is no reason at all why with the voice team employed for something like "Dragon Age 2" they shouldn't have had at least half a dozen potential voices for Hawke under each gender incarnation.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Spoiler

I mean, I see no reason why Dormin couldn't have just killed the girl. And she doesn't even revive until after Dormin is sealed away, so who's to say he even was the one to resurrect her and not, say, the act of him being purified? Maybe he indirectly caused her death somehow (although that seems unlikely.)

I think the thing is, you're taking your assumptions about what Dormin is based purely on what he looks like, which is kinda what the game is about not doing.

Spoiler

After all, Dormin never lies to Wander, never tries to decieve him, and only doesn't elaborate because Wander clearly doesn't care what the consequences of his quest are. Dormin's a big black scary thingy, but he's never a bad big black scary thingy, and the only person he seems to have it in for is Eamon, which probably has something to do with the whole part where he was left to watch his body wandering mindlessly around in pieces for thousands of years; that'd make anyone cranky.

Like assuming the game wanted you to slay monsters and rescue the princess, I think assuming Dormin is some sort of devil is over-simplifying a complex situation; he has every right to be angry for what was done to him, and we don't know what he would have done after he'd killed Eamon; take revenge on the world, or just try to re-make the civilisation that obviously once existed in the forbidden valley; he can bring the dead back to life, after all. And even in death he kept his word to Wander. Sure, his essence alters Wander's body, but I didn't see it as corruption, more the inevitable result of trying to put 50 gallons of God into a 5 fluid ounce mortal.

Actually, my assumptions about Dormin's nature stem more from a few factors:

Spoiler

Colossi tend to get more vicious and powerful as you progress through the "chain," with the toughest being fairly obviously malevolent or at least totally invested in Wander's destruction. I see this as later colossi having more of his essence in them. The Colossi don't seem to have intelligence beyond an average animal, so I doubt all but perhaps the final one would have figured out what Wander was doing. Since I don't think they eat animals (there's nothing big enough for them to hunt-they're not blue whales), I assume Colossi that are trying to murder Wander before he even does anything are doing so because they want him dead... So maybe they are evil?

Second, a bunch of the village turn up and try to seal Dormin away. Also, I believe Dormin is hurt by the same sword Wander uses to kill Colossi. These are indicators that either Wander's village is full of evil/deceived people, or Dormin is at the very least not "good" in the traditional sense of the word. The sword hurting Dormin... I can't remember whether that's because the game claims the sword was made to do so or not. If so, fine, if not, it could be an indicator that anything Dormin touches is corrupted and that's why Wander's sword can hurt both Dormin and the Colossi. The seal you locate on each Colossus could be the greatest concentration of Dormin's power.

Third, Dormin's kind of a jerk. He's one of those guys who sells you a car without letting you know the transmission is totally shot. Yeah, it's your fault to not ask about every individual part of the car and how it works, but he's a jerk not to bring up an obvious downside of doing business. Also, I know for a fact he sits around the temple just waiting for me to get into position to kill a Colossi, then RIGHT as I'm stabbing it in the face he tells me "thou must look for the place to stab Colossi dead." Or better yet, he'll wait until after a giant throws me 30 feet to the ground and just as I realize I have to do all that climbing again, the "hint" pops up. So he's evil in the same way Navi is.

 

[ProjectTrinity]

For everyone wearing tighties about the whole cutscene thing. Two lovely things:

1)You're being very narrow-minded in terms of preferences and the advancements to technology. Why should anyone listen to you if their insight covers both sides to your very limited one?

2)Skip cutscene?

 

[(name here)]

I find it incredibly hypocritical for THQ to talk about how cutscenes are a lazy shortcut after putting both normal cutscenes and galaxy map conversations that are worse on account of me spending most of them saying, "I have functioning ears. Get the dialogue boxes OUT OF MY WAY so I can do my minor bookkeeping already!" in Retribution. Admittedly, they actually have decent cutscenes in that game, which makes this even more annoying.

Cutscenes can be good or bad, depending on quality. Just let people skip them, and we're good. It's nice to have in-game storytelling, but it's got downsides and is never as shiny.

 

[mikespoff]

I have no problem with cutscenes per-se - when they're done well they can be awesome.

Case in point - the Mass Effect series does them superbly. Particularly awesome is the way that your specific avatar is in all the cutscenes, not just a pre-recorded movie.

What I do have an issue with is havign to watch a cutscene multiple times because they put the checkpoint before a pre-boss battle cutscene...

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

Then why do THQ keep putting cutscenes in their games then?

 

[K_Dub]

Bilson does bring up a good point. A game should be able to tell a story without having to resort to a number of cutscenes. It's always a positive step forward whenever a game can successfully incorporate a grand story telling experience into its gameplay.

That being said, I highly doubt that cutscenes will be eliminated from games entirely. First off, they serve the practical purpose of really awesome loading screens to look at. Second, at this point in time, games have practically become interactive films. And yes, they'd probably work better as interactive movies if the story was incorporated into gameplay, but people like to watch cutscenes. They're a chance for the player to set the controller down, and soak in all that's happened in the past few minutes, with a cutscene tying it all together.

Personally, I don't mind cutscenes. In fact, I like them alot! They're very pretty to look at. However, I also really enjoy a game that can tell me a story without having to stop for a bathroom break every twenty or so minutes.

 

[Kermi]

Uh, no. Half Life does NOT do a good job of getting aorund a cutscene playing out. Half Life does two things:

1) locks you into a series of movements where you might as well be in a cutscene because you're watching a set piece unfold from first-person view with little to no camera control, or;

2) Locks you in a room where you can move freely, but there's nothing to do and only one thing to look at - like watching people talk or something.

Both methods massively slow down the pace of the game, and things would unfold faster and more smoothly if they just used a cutscene. They DON'T because everything has to be from Gordon's POV. It's Valve's lack of insight in their design that has become so memetic as a Half Life trademark that they can't break away from it.

So no, don't give props to Half Life for a boring mechanic just because the Modern Warfare games copied it and made it kind of work (hell, even the bar scene at the beginning of Black Ops was kind of alright and I hated that stupid game).

interactive set pieces only work if they're as exciting as the cutscene I would otherwise be watching. Don't make me sit around and watch people talk about bullshit. If you're going to let me walk around, give me something to do while voices drone on in the background. Otherwise, find another way to present the exposition to me.

Saint's Row 2 for instance had exciting cutscenes, and while some of them did leave me feeling frustrated at the clumsy, stupid actions my player avatar was performing while control was stripped from me, at least it was still fun to watch and compelled me to continue on with the story.

 

[captain underpants]

HOWEVER All of the Half-Life 2 games have moments where you're expected to look at a screen or listen to a person without any relevant gameplay while other characters deliver expository information. This is nothing more than a crudely concealed cutscene and it has the potential of damaging the tone of the game. Do I listen to this person without fidgiting, or do I crowbar everything in the room and wonder why nobody ever calls me a vandal?

The difference in Half-Life's approach is not that they don't do cutscenes, it's that they never take you out of the first person perspective when they show them. It's all about maintaining immersion.

 

[dragongit]

I don't mind Cutscenes. IN fact I'm probably one of the few who enjoyed playing through Metal Gear Solid 1-4. For all they were worth. Sometimes I enjoy just setting down the controller and just allowing the story to unfold.

 

[Vrach]

Definitely agree, but isn't this something we were already aware of? I suppose extra exposure to the fact would be good, but he should be yelling this off the floor of GDC or something, could be a lot more effective

Anyway, yeah, cutscenes are a last resort for sure. They're not bad in that respect, but should be avoided whenever possible if we're to tell a story through a game (compromise doesn't instantly mean the game is a failure though). But a similar thing can be said about conversation and dialogue in games as well. Half Life's "spectator" mode is an interesting angle, but I'd say it's actually a failure in it's own right. Games are about interactivity, having the story unveil around you while you just smash and shoot things is NOT the answer, not a good one anyway.

I felt Alpha Protocol did the best work here to date (I'm limited to PC titles though, I'm working on getting my hands on a PS3 to see how Heavy Rain is designed). The dialogue was truly engaging, made a difference, got the player involved and was a really integral part of the game, not to mention a fantastic "game" in it's own right.

edit: That's not to say cutscenes have no place whatsoever in gaming. Intros do really well with a cutscene (sometimes), to give you a little background on the world. Epilogues a-la Fallout 3 are cool too. Even midgame they can be put to use in some cases - I felt Modern Warfare did this really well with it's "Satellite image mission intro" 'loading screens'. But they shouldn't be the primary way to tell a story. We can do better than that, we have interactivity at our disposal

 

[Kekon3]

Don't know what crack these guys are smoking but I loved Call of Duty 3 for its use of cutscenes.

 

[ultratog1028]

I agree with THQ here. Cutscenes break the action. You don't feel as "in" the game if the game is going "here let me take away your control to show you this movie".

Now, I'm not against cutscenes, sometimes they are needed. In the first Halo, on the second mission, there is an objective "get across the chasm". You press a button and the game takes control of the camera and shows you a bridge activating. This is short, but done to convey game information. It show's you activating a bridge, and exactly where the bridge is from you current location. These kinds of cutscenes are alright. Cutscenes at the beginning and end of missions are "meh"; they are not necessary, but they clearly show a break in the action, changing of levels.

What I don't like is cutscenes in which it interrupts the flow of the game to show you interaction between characters. There's no reason, in the middle of a level that I don't have control over my guy, or even see it from his view. Especially in fight scenes or something. If you are going to have an Awesome fight scene, why not have the player do it? (Note: This does not mean quick time events). Instead of showing my character running for a door while the ceiling is collapsing, have me do it. And for the love of Gaea, don't do a cutscene of me barely escaping. Just, no cutscene is necessary there.

Bioshock, Half Life 2, and Cod 4 did awesome jobs at this and are considered some of the best games of the last decade.

Obviously this is limited to First/Third person games, as it is hard to do RPG or RTS wise...

 

[Okysho]

Didn't Assassin's creed 1 try this? Shit is basically happening in front of you and walk walk around boringly until they're done talking before you can do anything. How else are you going to get an important story element incorporated into the game when it doesn't fit into the control scheme? Make up a new control scheme strictly for "storytime mode" or something? Not my cup of tea. Cutscenes are a break from the action, and allow the player to muse on the story itself, rather than play it through. If they were to play a cutscene through, it'd either be really boring(like Asscreed) or the action will be so packed that you miss important story elements.

 

[SimpleJack]

I feel like Bioware has pulled off cutscenes pretty well, Mass Effect sort of gave you a way to control the cutscene and develop your character further...
Also, I dont remember THQ making an incredible amount of games.
The last one I remember was the game based on the Spongebob movie...yeah, exactly...

Oh I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of the many games THQ published, and the Spongebob movie game is quite good thank you.

I guess I agree with the general statement that devs should work harder to not use cutscenes instead use their biggest advantage of control.

Ok, first of all, a large amount of games doesn't make a sound, unless they're piled on top of each other and they fall into water or something.
Secondly, I also liked the sponebob movie game, so yeah, i just havent really seen a lot of games that theyve made since then... you got a short list...?

 

[SelectivelyEvil13]

How else are you going to get an important story element incorporated into the game when it doesn't fit into the control scheme? Make up a new control scheme strictly for "storytime mode" or something? Not my cup of tea.

Yeah, a lot of games would mandate a new control method and everything just to incorporate a plot moving device, and even then, the player would lose out on viewing different scenes that use dynamic camera angles, effects, and so much more. If done right, a great cutscene won't take the player out but wow them or compel them to follow closer to the story unfolding. It is when "story" moments bore the player to death, as you mentioned in AssCreed, that the "player in the moment" direction comes off as lazy more than anything else.

 

[Noctis_XZ]

Undoubtedly video games need to strive to find ways to convey all elements of the story without taking control away from the player or breaking the flow of things.. but that is a lot to pull off.

Currently there really isn't an effective method to accomplish such a feat.. please spare me the argument that there is and to look at games like Half-Life, which people seem to be bringing up a lot, or Bioshock.. etc.

Games such as the ones people keep bringing up that forgo cutscenes give you the illusion of freedom. More often than not you are literally confined to a small area while the "cutscene" is played out or worse.. they let you wonder off and completely miss elements of the story.

Simply because of that I'd rather have a cutscene WHEN NEEDED over those kinds of situations. If my freedom is going to be restricted to begin with I'd much rather have a tradional cutscene for the simple fact that most of the time they can convey certain things better.. like action scenes.

Cutscenes are not bad.

 

[Nouw]

I feel like Bioware has pulled off cutscenes pretty well, Mass Effect sort of gave you a way to control the cutscene and develop your character further...
Also, I dont remember THQ making an incredible amount of games.
The last one I remember was the game based on the Spongebob movie...yeah, exactly...

Oh I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of the many games THQ published, and the Spongebob movie game is quite good thank you.

I guess I agree with the general statement that devs should work harder to not use cutscenes instead use their biggest advantage of control.

Ok, first of all, a large amount of games doesn't make a sound, unless they're piled on top of each other and they fall into water or something.
Secondly, I also liked the sponebob movie game, so yeah, i just havent really seen a lot of games that theyve made since then... you got a short list...?

Your wish is my command. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_THQ_games]