Cutscenes - No Longer Necessary?

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Dubyamn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yACjCmT313g

Cutscenes have their purpose. I mean if they tried something like this with any of the RTS engines it wouldn't have at all the same impact. I definately don't think something like this would have at all the same impact no mater what kind of engine or gameplay there was. The scene at the end of episode 2 was amazing but in most cases I think it would be absolute BS for your character to be frozen for the cutscene.

Course all this has inspired me to fire up my Orange Box and crank out episodes 1 and 2
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Biannoshufu said:
Dude, TNG, why on earth would you play FFXIII if you hated cutscenes? I had to lol. It's not like the Final Fantasy series format (interactive movie) is a sudden surprise or anything. It's pretty much been the standard story telling element for 14 games now. That's like walking into a waterbed store expecting to buy hammocks. You call that a debacle, I call that a bad purchasing decision.

Read reviews before you commit, maybe?
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XIII was ridiculously bad for that, though. Admittedly, I rented it from work, so didn't have to pay for it. But as a long-time FF fan (of the earlier ones, pretty much up to VI), I felt I should at least give it an honest chance.

But I was literally holding the controller with one hand, moving my character around. If there was a battle, I'd just hit X over and over (pretty much). My chin was rested on my fist for ridiculously longer times than I was holding the controller.

And as I've said, I have to partly agree that Dragon Age (and I would assume Mass Effect) are good examples of the ratio between cutscenes and action. But then you look at, say, Fallout 3, where you're in control the whole time (I think; I didn't get far when I had to return it).

I think a smarter designer can incorporate the story into their game without needing cutscenes. Look at Bioshock, for example. It had a short cutscene and then boom, you're there.

I'm all for short cutscenes, say, at the end of a level, especially the tough ones. As I said with Uncharted 1 & 2, I felt rewarded with a cutscene when I reached the end.
 
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Biannoshufu

Frankie Williamson said:
No.
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Added at: 15:55
ThatNickGuy said:
XIII was ridiculously bad for that, though. Admittedly, I rented it from work, so didn't have to pay for it. But as a long-time FF fan (of the earlier ones, pretty much up to VI), I felt I should at least give it an honest chance.
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Whose fault is this? 7,8,9,10-12,12x2 were all pretty much in the format 13 was. It's not like reviews were scarce or anything. But here, to save you some time, don't play 13x2 or 15 when it comes out, because it will contain moar cutscenes.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Oh, I'm sure they will. Which is why I honestly haven't cared about the FF series since about 10.
Added at: 18:04
Anyway, my point (like First Lady said, in a way), is that it's a game, first. You incorporate the story into the game. If I have to ask "Am I playing this?" and the answer is no? Then it's a problem.

I should restate my argument, though. EXCESSIVE cutscenes should be done away with, like FF13 and MGS4.
 
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Biannoshufu

Or you know, not, for the audience that likes them. (ie: Japan and Japanese RPG gamers, and not you) That's my point. There's a wide variety of games out there that suit many tastes, go find ones you like, and play them, instead of demanding he waterbed store sell hammocks. You'll do more to influence game trends by spending $ playing games you do like than complaining about games you hate.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
My favorite games are the ones that tell stories. Scratch that. The ones that tell stories AND have good gameplay. The best games are the ones where the gameplay IS part of the story. In fact, there are so many games where the story and the gameplay are in direct contradiction. Let me give you an example. I just played Bioshock. The story was the chief selling point of that game, but the gameplay was folded into the story. The city was crumbling because of the very plasmids that you use in the gameplay. Then again, you get direct contradictions, too. At least three different audio diaries say that the Little Sisters are essentially immortal because any damage is immediately repaired. Except of course when you have to protect one. Then, magically, that doesn't work. That was one of the few games that could stand as a story on its own, too. Partly because of the effort in developing the audio diaries. That and the complete lack of infodumping.
 
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Raemon777

I like games with stories for completely different reasons than I like games without stories, and both are valid.

My general take is that if I am playing a game where I have one particular avatar, I prefer to remain in control of that avatar during cutscenes that are mostly about that avatar doing something. Why would want to watch myself do something when I could be actually doing it? Bioshock is the single greatest example of this, with an intro that is incredibly cinematic but all the more heart pounding because you're in control.

But I was raised on Blizzard games, so I also have appreciation for cutscenes that are extremely splashy "rewards" for having completed a section of the game.

Having said all that, I agree with the general sentiment that if you bought a Final Fantasy and are upset that you had to watch cutscenes, that's your fault, not Final Fantasy's.
 
Gusto

Gusto

Fair enough. I'm not great at video games, so while I enjoy gameplay, the story is ultimately why I play one game over another. Story through gameplay is still my golden ideal (ie. the Mass Effect and Half Life series').
 
Terrik

Terrik

I'm playing through FF XIII now and I love the cutscenes. That's what I fully expected and wanted when I purchased the game.

Also, I agree with the notion about importance of story in a game. I play a game or continue playing a game because of story. I want to see what happens next. If that isn't that, I lose interest. Sure in FF XIII only the harder battles really require my full attention, but that's not why I'm playing. I like the characters and the story and I'm gonna finish it to the end.

I'm not looking forward to Dragon Age 2 or ME 3 because of gameplay either. Although the gameplay is good and gameplay enchances an experience---I'm not interested in seeing the Paragon/Renegade choices, interactions with crewmates, and whether or not there's going to be any more gay elfs for some reason.
 
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