Since I returned to less casual gaming last year with a PS3, I think I've changed how I feel about games and the ones I enjoy. Part of it also may be due to listening to Yahtzee and his opinions on games, as well. The one thing that I've realized is just how bored I am with cutscenes.
You look at games like Half-Life 2, its episodes, Portal and other Valve games (Left 4 Dead, I assume, but haven't played it) and they incorporate its game mechanics right into the story. There's no cutscenes. There are points where they essentially lock you in a room until the characters stop talking, but you still have full control. There's even a few console games like Dead Space, where you're in control the entire time.
But I think about how there are games like, say, Dragon Age II, which hypes 30+ hours of gameplay; or the debacle known as Final Fantasy XIII; or most especially Metal Gear Solid 4. I used to be floored by cutscenes in Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy. But now? I'm bored.
Basically, a game to me is something that you play. If there's a long period where the controller is laying at my side and I'm resting my chin in my fist? That's not playing. That's watching. A game is meant to be played. There have been multiple times (especially in Metal Gear) where I'll be sitting there, watching it and thinking "Boy, this would be a fun scene to play" while the main character does all sorts of cool stuff. Devil May Cry is another example of something like that.
Uncharted and Uncharted 2, while having some cutscenes, incorporates most of the story with gameplay (especially 2). They reward your hard work through a level with a cutscene or space out the action with a puzzle or exploration.
I guess my point is: why are cutscenes even necessary anymore? Are games not detailed enough now that they can just incorporate the story into the gameplay? Character's mouths can now move while you're still in control. Speech can be placed in games at certain key points. Part of what makes Valve's game so great is that they incorporate the story and even background information into the game. They show rather than tell.
What do you guys think? Am I just becoming picky about my games or is there something to this argument?
You look at games like Half-Life 2, its episodes, Portal and other Valve games (Left 4 Dead, I assume, but haven't played it) and they incorporate its game mechanics right into the story. There's no cutscenes. There are points where they essentially lock you in a room until the characters stop talking, but you still have full control. There's even a few console games like Dead Space, where you're in control the entire time.
But I think about how there are games like, say, Dragon Age II, which hypes 30+ hours of gameplay; or the debacle known as Final Fantasy XIII; or most especially Metal Gear Solid 4. I used to be floored by cutscenes in Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy. But now? I'm bored.
Basically, a game to me is something that you play. If there's a long period where the controller is laying at my side and I'm resting my chin in my fist? That's not playing. That's watching. A game is meant to be played. There have been multiple times (especially in Metal Gear) where I'll be sitting there, watching it and thinking "Boy, this would be a fun scene to play" while the main character does all sorts of cool stuff. Devil May Cry is another example of something like that.
Uncharted and Uncharted 2, while having some cutscenes, incorporates most of the story with gameplay (especially 2). They reward your hard work through a level with a cutscene or space out the action with a puzzle or exploration.
I guess my point is: why are cutscenes even necessary anymore? Are games not detailed enough now that they can just incorporate the story into the gameplay? Character's mouths can now move while you're still in control. Speech can be placed in games at certain key points. Part of what makes Valve's game so great is that they incorporate the story and even background information into the game. They show rather than tell.
What do you guys think? Am I just becoming picky about my games or is there something to this argument?
