Poll: To Skip or To Pause

[AndrewF022]

Every game at the very least needs the option to skip cutscenes. Both is ideal, but skipping is far more important (at least in my eyes). Since video games are primarily about the actual gameplay (go figure), many people don't play games to watch cutscenes, so they should not be subjected to them if they choose not to. You generally don't play a game to watch cutscenes, just like you don't watch movies to read screens of text. It's just the sacrifice game designers should have to make... unless of course the cutscenes have required interaction (aka QTE's/Conversation options).

Luckily most games give you think option, pausing is important to, for games with long cutscenes that people might want to watch, Metal Gear Solid springs to mind.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

I put skip, because MGS4.

No really, I put skip mainly because I like to replay my games and skipping is invaluable for that, considering every second is a second you'll never get back. What's more, for long cutscenes, neither allows you to turn off your system and resume the cutscene later (which was my particular predicament at the end of MGS4, the game I finished at about 11 at night, I think it was 3 or something before I finally got to go to sleep, the whole time trying to explain to my mother that if I skipped it I'd have to watch it again). Whereas with pausing, you still have to watch the cutscene every time. With skipping you can watch it once, then not worry about it. With pausing, you have to waste your time every time.

 

[bushwhacker2k]

It can't be that difficult to have pausing the cutscene set to the Start button and have something like the Select or Back button set to skipping the cutscene, surely not?

I have no idea what this picture is from but it answers it so completely.

Sometimes I want to watch a cutscene, but there is a distraction; sometimes I've seen a cutscene before and thus don't really want to again.

There, problem solved, now because humans are logical beings of progression we should never have this problem again, right?

...

 

[maninahat]

I have a huge fucking problem with cutscenes that skip too easily. I try to play LA Noire, which is very cut scene heavy, and I accidentally skip a cutscene the instant it starts, just because I happened to be bashing whatever button also happens to function as the skip. Only one button you don't normally press should be assigned to the job. DON'T MAKE THE FIRE OR JUMP BUTTON, THE SKIP BUTTON.

I don't recall Noire having a pause button either - another big problem in a game in which you have to pay attention to what is being said. What happens when I have to answer the phone?

 

[Delock]

I have a huge fucking problem with cutscenes that skip too easily. I try to play LA Noire, which is very cut scene heavy, and I accidentally skip a cutscene the instant it starts, just because I happened to be bashing whatever button also happens to function as the skip. Only one button you don't normally press should be assigned to the job. DON'T MAKE THE FIRE OR JUMP BUTTON, THE SKIP BUTTON.

I don't recall Noire having a pause button either - another big problem in a game in which you have to pay attention to what is being said. What happens when I have to answer the phone?

That's actually something that's gotten on my nerves too with a few games, to the point that unless there are QTEs in the game, I've gotten paranoid enough to basically rest the controller on my legs to not press a thing during cutscenes.

I remember there's a game where the button to skip was one of the face buttons but you had to press it twice to get it to skip.

Also, just thought about this: While I say I value the ability to pause over skipping, I absolutely need the ability to skip end credits. For all the good Rayman Origins did, the credits go on way too long (especially the first time).

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

I like having both options. Like it`s already stated skipping for the replay, pausing if a break is needed.

If I have to leave the room and miss a cutscene I can just load a save.

Sadly this isn`t an option for most console games, at least not without replaying the whole section or level.

 

[TheCaptain]

I'd like to have both and was really happy that Arkham City did it. While it's good to be able to skip cutscenes on the third or fourth playthrough when you're playing for shits and giggles anyway, I also absolutely hate when I get a call during a cutscene and I end up not paying full attention to either the conversation OR the cutscene.

 

[CyanideSandwich]

Pause them, definitely. I hardly ever skip cutscenes because I like knowing the story of a game. When I do, it's only because I've already seen it on a previous playthrough and it was nothing special. The amount of times I've used the Xbox guide button to pause a cutscene because I needed to leave the room for whatever reason is enough for me to want a pause feature for all games. I don't want to miss anything.

 

[I.N.producer]

Both because more options is almost never a bad thing. Nobody in their right mind should ever be mad that they are able to pause or skip a scene. The only exception is if they are forced to skip or pause, which would be absurd in either case.

Basically, options are good.