Poll: Ugh, Quick-Time Events

[BloodSquirrel]

The only real problem that I have with quick time events is that it can be really immersion breaking when a glowing symbol pops up in the middle of the screen telling you what button to hit.

The problem is that they break normal gameplay flow. You spend the entire game mapping control of your character to a game controller. It sinks in and become subconscious, ideally to the point where you don't think about the controller or what buttons you're pressing anymore, and just think in terms of what you want the character to do.

Then that gets thrown in a rubbish bin and it's "hit X button on the controller that you're holding in your hands and playing the game with"

 

[BaldursBananaSoap]

When the QTEs are forgiving, don't drag on and are extremely cool I like them. Like this

 

[Zacharine]

I'm glad PC games don't suffer from this problem.

But from the few console games I've played, quick-time events should be banned from existance.

Or at the very least if an interactive movie-clip scene is seen as necessary, the consequences of failing that quick-time event should not result in a worse situation than before the quick-time event. At the worst, the status-quo should be restored (as in the enemy is still on the ground, writhing in agony, slowly getting up. Or the enemy tank is still suffering from main cannon problems etc.) or, the best option, gradual progression is made with every push. First X-push takes out the enemy main weapon, second removes their side armor and the final Y shows you going in and ripping it to pieces. Failing to press the Y would still result in an enemy without side armor and without a main gun.

EDIT: Oh and for the love of god, if the QTEs are going to be repeated often during the game, make them last at most a second or three. If I wanted to watch a movie, I'd be watching one instead of playing a game.

 

[Akai Shizuku]

As Yahtzee said, if you're going to put quick-time events into a game, make them a common element of it, don't just throw them in randomly. That way they can actually be something approaching fun.

 

[Space Spoons]

I don't have a problem with QTEs that actually make sense. Like, the kind where you're watching a cutscene, and suddenly a boulder comes rolling down the hill at you and you've got half a second to hit a button and dodge. I've always thought that kind of thing really cemented you into your character's shoes. So what if it's a cutscene? You're playing as this guy, aren't you? You gotta be ready to dodge at a moment's notice!

The ones I don't like are the kind like you find in The Force Unleashed. The kind where you hit a single button, and your character launches into a complex series of moves that, for some reason, you can't pull off in-game. For those, the QTE command stops being a gameplay element and becomes more like a "Press 'A' to go to the next scene" button on a movie. Not that I've got a problem with movies... But I'd kinda like to kill Darth Vader myself, you know? It is a videogame. Let me play.

Also, I really, really hate those ones all over Batman: Arkham Asylum that make you smash one button repeatedly to do something. Wanna open a grate? Press 'A' as fast as you can! Wanna pull down that wall? Press 'A' as fast as you can! Need to open a door? Press 'A' as fast as you can!

 

[thiosk]

I will repeat my post from the "Ban velcro shoes" thread.

What??
And what punishment suits transgressors of this ban?
Concentration camps maybe?

 

[ssgt splatter]

Only when they get overused is when QTE are a pain in the ass. FYI, in Mercs 2 it's the same QTE button combo each time you hijack a vehicle. Depending on which vehicle you want(car, tank, helicopter) and how heavy the vehicle is(light, scout, attack) the Button combo is the same each time; even if you fail the first time and try it again it'll be the same combo.

 

[Vargas19]

As Yahtzee said, if you're going to put quick-time events into a game, make them a common element of it, don't just throw them in randomly. That way they can actually be something approaching fun.

He said that in his Uncharted review, right?
Well, I played this game recently and I can agree that its QTEs are pretty lame and pointless.

But overall, I have no problems with QTEs. In RE4 for instance, I think that QTE fight with Krauser was pretty fun.

 

[lolmynamewastaken]

used responisbly, they're quite good really. its just when they're thrown in half way through a game and you have no idea that the game even has them that they're bad. or when your left button mashing for about 5 minutes.
i liked the ones in the bourne conspiracy like, even if they were just cheap replacements for a jump mechanic

 

[Emphraim]

The only real problem that I have with quick time events is that it can be really immersion breaking when a glowing symbol pops up in the middle of the screen telling you what button to hit.

The problem is that they break normal gameplay flow. You spend the entire game mapping control of your character to a game controller. It sinks in and become subconscious, ideally to the point where you don't think about the controller or what buttons you're pressing anymore, and just think in terms of what you want the character to do.

Then that gets thrown in a rubbish bin and it's "hit X button on the controller that you're holding in your hands and playing the game with"

Well, this sounds like mostly a console problem. I am mostly a PC gamer and the only quick time event I have ever done is the one in the Ganadorf boss fight in Twilight Princess on my Wii.

So I don't have much experience with this but I agree with your sentiments and can see how it would get annoying quickly.

 

[Doktor Merkwurdigliebe]

I don't know if I'm the only one who finds them a problem, but quick time events deserve to eat a 'dick pavlova' and die in a corner.

Mercs 2 pisses me off in particular becasue if you're like me then you'll know that it doesn't show you what key to spam, it only shows you its symbol and at no point in the game do you get told what symbol is what (on the 360 and PS3 it WILL show you which button), plus towards the end of the game the vehicles get REALLY hard to jack.

I agree on this one, but I think that the point was to let the vehicles BE hard to jack, especially the more powerful ones. What's the fun of stealing a Hind with a few presses of a single button? The easier vehicles were especially easy once you understood what were these symbols supposed to mean.
FEAR 2 had very simple QTE(at least on PC), I don't understand the problem.
In CoD4 dogs were hard for a reason - the entire level was designed so that for the first time in the series player had to rely on stealth, not trigger-happy behaviour, and dogs existed as instant punishment for breaking the rule. I hope you are aware that you could play the first level without even being attacked by the dogs, and the second one without letting them close? Of course I might forgotten about other cases of dogs in CoD4.

 

[Triforceformer]

Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Many Developers just don't understand the 2nd part of my philosophy on QTEs.

 

[Lord George]

I loved the ones in Resident Evil 4, it kept me tense even in the cut scenes, just like Leon would be, edgy, paranoid and ready to burst into action at any time. Though some mindless and repetitive quick time events just bore me if you have to repeat them more then twice.

 

[PhantomCritic]

The only time they are bad is when they are over-used, -cough-kingdomhearts2-cough-
or when they are the really fast ones that NO one can get past until the first 10 tries.

 

[oppp7]

They ruined the cutscene of Kraser vs Leon in RE4.

 

[ErGo]

I don't see whats the big deal is with quick time events, extra challenge I say, well I got to admit I don't like them that much either but I don't whine myself retarded if I see one.

 

[Arrers]

I personally have no problem with quick time events. I don't get why they get so much hate to be honest

This is the sort of time when I'd be tempted to make a joke about the reason people hate it is because Yahtzee does, but I think it mostly because they are often used pretty poorly. like if the prompt for them. is too small or you get barley any margin for error. that can be annoing if fail it a lot. That said, it still doesn't warrant the amout of hate they get. QTE's have be done very well in the past. Resident Evil 4 did a good job of them.

 

[Ghostkai]

Yahtzee of course.

The same reason we always have the words 'generic', 'mediocre' and 'JRPG's suck' thrown around on a weekly basis.

Beat me to it
So bloody true.

 

[Spleenbag]

I honestly don't give a shit about quick-time events as long as they're not used for everything. I think Prototype got it more or less right: a second or two of button-mashing to do an optional thing (steal a tank or helicopter) should be the extent of QTEs in games.

 

[TheOrangeSocks]

I really like QTE actually and on the contrary to it making the game less immersive, I find it makes you connect better with the character - you have to struggle when he is struggling, instead of just hitting a single button to stop fucking bleeding and get the hell up.

The QTE were the best parts of the Dragonball games.. Brilliant fast-paced fighting with loads of quick time sequences - and they all slipped in seamlessly.. Just goes to show that when QTE's are well done they can add an awful lot to a game..