Cutscenes - still relevant?

johnny_ultimate

Remember the days when game boxes used to boast "over on hour of FMV video!". Every Final Fantasy game trying to undo the last with four discs packed with unplayable videos?

Not too much later now, but with games striding ever forward is the old cutscene at the end of the level still worthwhile? Most games usually have some sort of non-interactive moments - the notable exception of course being Half Life where you have complete control. And then you have the annoying recent trend of "interactive" cut sequences. In their worst form they become - shudder - QTEs while a number of games tend to give you limited games as the narrative is unfolding. Fable II and Assassins Creed pop to mind here - and tbh they can be fairly frustrating and I almost wish they took away control completely rather than limit you to walking slowly around a small area with a ****ty camera angle.

But cutscenes can still be fun. Well directed and fun ones like in No More Heroes, Katamari, Devil May Cry or the Force Unleashed are some of the few that don't instantly demand a quick press of the start button.

But should games keep them? Or should they try and differentiate themselves from films and let the player always have control - Half Life 2 being one of the very, very few that can truly be considered fully player controlled games. So cutscenes - yay, nay or maybay?

Tyrant^

Id like most games to have cutscenes... with a big red fart button in the bottom right corner, so I dont get bored.

rejkin

Cutscenes make the story mean something but that is only if they are done well, in final fantasy 8 they where done so well and i always watched them all for the great detail they had,they dont seem to do that anymore which is sad cause i loved those cutscenes,fallout 3 has interactive ones where you just stand there and they talk bbut i just get bored,well ff13 will have cutscenes in it so ill belooking forward to that at least

DirkVoodoo

I suppose it depends on how the narrative is arranged. Games like half life which focused on total immersion (tram ride anyone?) would not have worked if you were sucked into a prerendered cutscene now and again.

Furthermore I think graphics technology in games has reached a level whereby the game engine can render a very cinematic moment without making it look like a bad rerun of thunderbirds. I have gone back to playing mass effect there, and while not exactly a shining example, the decent graphics coupled with strong facial animation negate the need for any "traditional" cutscene.

I guess cutscenes may very well go the way of isometric views, 2D sprites and the dinosaurs.

cozmik

I hate cutscenes.

Fnz

I'm of two minds on cutscenes. I enjoy good examples but I appreciate when developers make better use of the interactive medium to let players absorb the story through their own digging/exploration. Still I'm sure there are times when developers need to get across a pointed story element that can't be done effectively without a focused cutscene.

I would suggest that, if you're going to have long cutscenes, there should be a way of pausing them so that incidents of sudden bladder rupture don't kill off the gaming audience.

ShiverinEskimo

I think the trend has moved away from cinematic cutscenes and towards maintaining the perspective of the game so that it is a seamless affair to the user - I think it improves immersion.

The flipside is that game endings have become short or non-existent (lookin at you fable 2) and that the actual 'ending' is the final level that you actually play through where you defeat the final boss etc. The cutscenes of old were generally used as reward for clearing chapters of the game.

I don't mind either route - something that's over-wrought with cutscenes can take away from a game as it removes fluidity (and that's the same reason why the random battles in FF meant I couldn't get into it) where as a game with a few short scripted sequences can work very well.

Dont forget in some cases there is as much work gone into the story as the game itself - the developers just want to make sure you don't miss the crucial elements of the plot.

Kiith

I like both ingame and fmv cutscenes, when they are done well. Mass Effect is an example of very well done cutcenes, where everything is ingame, and it looks exactly like it does when you play. Half Life is also fantastic for 'cutscenes' where you are still in control.

Zillah

I think it entirely depends on the game. Some games, usually rpgs, benefit immensely from a decent cutscene to add some cinematics. Not a good idea for most though. Especially when its the kind of cutscene where your character does something retarded and you're sitting there going "What!? NO! Don't do that, Jesus you're just gonna get..." and then whatever you knew was gonna happen happens. Or the ones where a group of three goons capture you even though you've spent the last three hours killing dozens of them.

ShiverinEskimo

Zillah wrote: »

Or the ones where a group of three goons capture you even though you've spent the last three hours killing dozens of them.

I thought the one in half life was done very well - you walk into a room and lights go out and the door shuts and then you hear "get him!"

Then you wake up in a compactor. Brilliant really.

L31mr0d

I like them, I don't think it breaks immersion at all if done correctly. A recent example is Crysis: Warhead. In the original all dialogue scenes took place with you viewing them through the eyes of your character. In Warhead they went 3rd person to show you your character.

I felt this actually added to the game as I was no longer just a floating head. I could see the emotive responses on my characters face and got to know how he reacted to different situations. It also allowed for a much more cinematic experience.

IMO, FMV's are like the reward for completeing an objective, and flesh out the story to give it depth.

dreamers75

I like when they used to reward you, chucking the gamepad on the floor as you plunge the final blow into Gannon in OOT and saying "ave it" and sitting back to enjoy your little reward.

The HL ones i would guess 99% of people are cracking Eli,Alyx etc over the head with the crowbar whilst waiting for the door to open so you can continue your one man war on the combine.

COD 5 has a good one right at the start of the game.

Overall i find if theres a story to the game they help if done well.

Retr0gamer

I think cutscenes really need to be well done to make them worth it. It's nice having a little reward at the end of a section with a well directed or totally over the top cutscene or even to get you psyched up before a boss battle by introducing the bosses in a cool way. However some games over do it. If the cutscene isn't good enough to be a reward then it can really intefer with the experience of the game.

I think Metal Gear solid 4 is possibly the worst offender when it comes to badly integrated cutscenes. They are all over long, filled with inane and poorly written dialogue and are quite frankly boring and spoil what is a decent enough game. My friend came over to have a look at the game when I got it. Of the hour he was there 50 mins of it was watching two cutscenes and 10 minutes was actual gameplay. Shocking after they got the cutscene balance perfect with MGS 3.

I also have no problem with QTE's. When handled correctly they are fantastic and really add to the game like in GoW and Resi 4. However lesser developers have been adding QTE's to games and implimenting them poorly due to thinking that they are the new flavour of the month like lens flares or coloured lighting.

However I think that the next step for videogames is providing storytelling with out cutscenes. Cutscenes are really a hangover from film but games like Half-Life, Bioshock and Shadow of the Colossus have shown that storytelling in videogames can be carried out through the gameplay effectively creating a new way of delivering storyline. I also like that most new FPS games are taking the first person perspective and using it cleverly to build immersion, for example the excellent use in Farcry 2. We'll never truly get rid of cutscenes but it will be great to see how far storytelling in game can go without the use of cutscenes. Hopefully there won't be anymore messes like MGS 4.

MooseJam

I just finished Hells Highway and it was full of cutscenes with some stupid story going on that I couldn't give a toss about, I was like shutup already and let me get back to killing jerries, couldn't believe I couldn't exit out of them

free games

MooseJam wrote: »

I just finished Hells Highway and it was full of cutscenes with some stupid story going on that I couldn't give a toss about, I was like shutup already and let me get back to killing jerries, couldn't believe I couldn't exit out of them

a lot of people love them though. I'm all with you though, I'd rather actually play the game.

DirkVoodoo

Some developers have made their name with high quality, well directed cutscenes. Blizzard springs to mind.

I remember when I first played starcraft I was blown away by the quality of them. However, it looks like starcraft 2 will integrate the cutscene storytelling into this 3D pseudo-roleplaying element for each faction. I think the encounter between Raynor and Zeratul in some of the early previews hints at this.

I agree with retrogamer about the movie link, but games have come so far now that cutscenes like "boarding the science vessel" in starcraft would have been impossible and naff looking with the 2D sprites of starcraft.

johnny_ultimate

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I think cutscenes really need to be well done to make them worth it. It's nice having a little reward at the end of a section with a well directed or totally over the top cutscene or even to get you psyched up before a boss battle by introducing the bosses in a cool way. However some games over do it. If the cutscene isn't good enough to be a reward then it can really intefer with the experience of the game.

I think Metal Gear solid 4 is possibly the worst offender when it comes to badly integrated cutscenes. They are all over long, filled with inane and poorly written dialogue and are quite frankly boring and spoil what is a decent enough game. My friend came over to have a look at the game when I got it. Of the hour he was there 50 mins of it was watching two cutscenes and 10 minutes was actual gameplay. Shocking after they got the cutscene balance perfect with MGS 3.

I think the issue with MGS4 is Kojima just really needs a good editor. Some of the cutscenes are still wonderfully directed (action scenes mainly) and there are moments of inspired interactive storytelling minus the cutscenes

(the final boss fight with on top of the base with the theme music blasting out while the game reminds you of the series so far)

. But then you cop on he can't write a line of dialogue, which is a shame because you have to sit through hours - and I mean hours - to see the occasional good scene.

But they can definitely be a reward - when the story is compelling and the scenes well made, definitely a worthwhile watch. But would like to see more games try the total immersion route - Half Life, Braid and all have shown it can be done for sure.

TomCo

I LOVE cutscenes and never ever skip them (unless its an intro I've seen a few times).

One of my favourite cutscenes, well intros, is the Dawn of War one. It really sets the mood and you can tell that a lot of effort went into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UID6LEzvRRo

The DOW2 one isnt too shabby either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0m28yz6kmg

Zillah

The DoW intro is indeed a fantastic little video. For the first few months of owning the game I watched it everytime I loaded the game to set the mood.

If there were videos of that quality interspersed with the main campaign it could only be a good thing. As it was they used the rather crude graphics engine to produce the in-game cutscenes, which was a little crappy.

While we're on the subject, isn't the Soulstorm intro massively disappointing?

DirkVoodoo

Any link to the soulstorm one?

I think my first memory of a truly great, mood-setting FMV had to be mechwarrior 2. The mechcommander one was pretty nifty too. I think that "battletech" cartoon had really whet my appetite for big robot tanks with legs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X3GD0UnBCk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MQPWE_M_EM

Man they don't look as good as I remember but they are still pretty well done!

Retr0gamer

Loved mechwarrior 2 I used to watch that intro everytime the game started up. I miss all those futuristic war simulators like Mechwarrior and Tie Fighter, for some strange reason they seem to have gone the way of the point and click adventure.

TomCo

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Any link to the soulstorm one?

Here you go, I wasnt expecting much and in that respect I wasnt disapointed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZnpxEcdFgg

DirkVoodoo

Yeah, one of my gripes with mechwarrior was that it didn't have ENOUGH simulation. I used to imagine that my little computer desk was the cockpit. Sad I know! I always wanted to be able to tweak every little setting of the mech.

I guess the spiritual successor, mechassault for the xbox is another example of how some games have had to be "dumbed down" for a wider audience.

There's no room in this world for a geek who likes giant robots

Zillah

Yeah that's the Soulstorm intro. I didn't want to link it because it really is extremely shit. It's like they ran out of money while making it and just cut to the logo with an abrupt explosion.

DirkVoodoo

Oh, just popped into my head there! Possibly the best use of FMV cutscenes outside command and conquer: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight.

Retr0gamer

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Oh, just popped into my head there! Possibly the best use of FMV cutscenes outside command and conquer: Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight.

They look awful now, really dodgy blue screen backgrounds in everyone of them.

DarkJager

I think they are still relevant, and personally am not a big fan of this move into "integrated" cutscenes. There's 3 things I love to see in games: action, story, character development. When the cutscenes are integrated, then nearly all of the time your character isn't talking (FC2, in which he doesn't speak one word), you don't get any insight into your motivations for doing what you do, and you have no idea what the bad guy is doing

When there are cutscenes, the story gets a better chance to grab you and flesh out the main players involved. When the cutscenes are just seen through your players eyes, then it feels claustrophobic. Saying that, I don't like when games overdo the cinematics, so it all comes down to getting the balance right.