Poll: Are cutscenes still necessary?

[michael87cn]

It's a simple question, should video games rely on cutscenes to tell their stories, or should they try to keep the player in control of the story themselves?

Often times I'll be playing a game, and a cutscene will occur where the character I'm playing will say or do something contrary to what I would have. This (for me) breaks immersion and makes me lose interest in the character and for that matter the game. Now I'm not saying I stop playing at this point, but it takes some of the fun away from the game.

Personally, I don't think they are needed anymore, we have the technology now to stop depending on them. Another thing is, I personally believe video games should be different from television, not similar. They should always strive to be interactive entertainment.

I'm curious, what do you think?

 

[Nimcha]

Often times I'll be playing a game, and a cutscene will occur where the character I'm playing will say or do something contrary to what I would have. This (for me) breaks immersion and makes me lose interest in the character and for that matter the game.

That's a bit odd. Why would a character have to act exactly as you would?

 

[JoJo]

I quite like them personally, I feel it adds to the experience by improving the visuals and camera angles at particular points, although I don't like it when you're character does something like attack or finish off a boss with cutscene as sometimes it can feel like your being cheated out of the gameplay (Red Steel 2, I'm looking at you right now!)

 

[lordlillen]

metal gear solid 4 enough said

 

[Souplex]

Let's consider the other possible extreme: Valveing. We really don't want that.

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

It really depends on the game. For example, I'm glad that Read Dead Redemption had cutscenes, but I would hate it if Portal had cutscenes.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Well, we really do not have many other options besides cutscenes. Yes, cutscenc-less games like Half Life 2 can work, but some games like Persona 4 still need cutscenes in order to effectively tell their story. It really just depends on the game.

 

[Tonjac]

To me it really depends on how cutscenes are done.
The gentleman higher up mentioned MGS4, and i have to agree, that was overdoing it, but then again, going into a metal gear game you pretty much know your going to get more movie than game, so i enjoyed that one too.
The best examble i can propably give of great cutscene use is the assassins creed games, since i find them changing nicely between cinematic quick cutscenes and gameplay.

Long story short, i voted yes to cutscenes.

 

[madeleinehatter]

Cutscenes are useful if they're done well. Sometimes with a really intense game, it's nice to have a break in between action sequences where you can kinda mentally prep yourself for the next thing that's coming without having to interact.

But if you start to forget that you're holding a controller, not a TV remote, that's a problem...

 

[Wharrgarble]

I look at it this way... My character is going to say things I wouldn't ALL the time. The reason? Because unless it's an RPG, generally the protagonist is not even close to someone I'd ever be. I'm a 5'8" female, Marcus Fenix I am not.

And yet I still love his character so I enjoy watching the story unfold through his eyes. To me, it's not unlike reading a book, except I get a gun with a chainsaw on it. Cutscenes set up exposition, which I find necessary for plot, and they can help explain the motivations behind characters.

 

[Fidelias]

I like cutscenes. Games that don't use them to tell the story just make the story and characters feel forced. I usually have trouble getting into games like Assassins Creed because of this.(Yes, Assassins Creed has cutscenes, but most of their story aspects are you controlling your character while he talks to someone)

Besides, cutscenes give you a break in the action that is needed to keep a game going. One of my problems with COD is that it's al ACTIONACTIONACTION, so there's no change in the game. It just seems so repetetive.

But anyway, I'm rambling. This is just my opinion, make of it what you will.

 

[JoshGod]

I like cutscenes, what angers me is when they are unskippable, as i don't usually care for them the second time round.

 

[hazabaza1]

Fable 2 failed miserably at making us a part of the cutscenes, as did Half Life 2.
So I say yes, we do.

 

[Palademon]

Some games are interesting in that they don't have them, but would I dare want a game like, for example, Bayonetta, to lack cut scenes?

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

Let me make this abundantly clear: Call of Duty does not need cutscenes!!! Nor do most military FPS games. Halo uses them perfectly. Bad Company made them work. Medal of Honor did not need them. Call of Duty definitely does not.

More generally, most first person games do not need them. Whenever the camera rips away from your face and looks at something else, all immersion is lost.

 

[vrbtny]

Didn't Half-Life prove yes?

 

[Wharrgarble]

I like cutscenes, what angers me is when they are unskippable, as i don't usually care for them the second time round.

I completely agree with this. Whenever I start a new game of Mass Effect 2, players to watch that entire cut scene at the start... It's unskippable, and it takes FOREVER. I feel your pain.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Really depends on the game, I like them to set up the scene, but if they pull me out in the middle of something that pisses me off immensely.
I also love HL2 style ingame cutscene, if you don't care about what is going on you can simply go dick around the lab, I usually do that when I'm replaying it.

But MGS4... that was f*cking horrid, I had to go play something on my PC until the hour long movies ended and I got to the game, after a while I just gave up, they should put something like a tetris minigame into their cutscenes.

Oh and I cannot emphasise this enough ALL cutscenes must be skippable!

 

[The Heik]

It's a simple question, should video games rely on cutscenes to tell their stories, or should they try to keep the player in control of the story themselves?

Often times I'll be playing a game, and a cutscene will occur where the character I'm playing will say or do something contrary to what I would have. This (for me) breaks immersion and makes me lose interest in the character and for that matter the game. Now I'm not saying I stop playing at this point, but it takes some of the fun away from the game.

Personally, I don't think they are needed anymore, we have the technology now to stop depending on them. Another thing is, I personally believe video games should be different from television, not similar. They should always strive to be interactive entertainment.

I'm curious, what do you think?

Ironically my class was just having this discussion yesterday. The consensus we came to was that it often depended on the character you were playing. For blank slate characters you really didn't need to put them in cutscenes because there wasn't much in the way of character development. It's easier and simpler to just use hints in game to expand the story.

However, if you're playing a character/party with roles or full personalities, it's harder to develop them mid play because of the sheer mass of things you'd need include. It would be a level designer's nightmare come true. Cutscenes are one of the few ways you can easily expand their traits without horrifying one or more sections of the design staff.