What do you count as "a cutscene"?
- Thread starter GrizzlerBorno
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I only consider it a 'cutscene' if I lose normal control of my character.
For example, if I can move & look around I wouldn't consider it a cutscene even if I am trapped in a lift with people talking.
Too much cutscene and it feels less like a game and more like an (often bad) movie.
Too much "trapping the character while we talk / show you something" can be bad too.
For example, if I can move & look around I wouldn't consider it a cutscene even if I am trapped in a lift with people talking.
Too much cutscene and it feels less like a game and more like an (often bad) movie.
Too much "trapping the character while we talk / show you something" can be bad too.
While playing the single-player demo for Black Ops, there is a scene in which a pilot is climbing into the cockpit of...uh...I dunno what it's called...it's the jet used by The X-Men in the movies. Anyway, I consider that a cutscene since the only part of the pilot you control is his head. I had more fun wildly flailing his head, making a little commentary of my own than I did with the rest of that demo. I also consider that a cutscene.
"Cut scene" is not a word meant to be deconstructed. It has a clear meaning. Although it is not the only storytelling device available in games (see Metroid Prime's 'scanning' mechanic), it is by far the most prominent. When the action stops, control is wrested from the player and a cinematic tells part of the story or segues between one part of the game and another, you have just witnessed a cut scene.
Now, pull out your #2 pencils, it's time for a pop quiz
Now, pull out your #2 pencils, it's time for a pop quiz
Games such as Prince of Persia: The 2 Thrones have narration over the acting. This is an interesting way to tell the story. It is not, however, a cut scene.
Well, any part where control is taken away from you can be considered a cutscene. Even that burp example, technically, is possibly not a cutscene, since your actions are still affecting the game.
I used to hate cutscenes. Years ago, when cutscenes looked better than the gameplay graphics, it just broke the immersion for me when I juxtaposed the visual quality of the real-time graphics with the prerendered ones. It helps a little nowadays as things in cutscenes look the same as they do in-game, with just added dramatic camera angles and music.
Whether I like them or not depends upon the context (I'm not rascist against cutscenes, unlike you). Mass Effect was fine in that respect as most of the 'cutscenes' were conversations where you actually took part. And the rest of the more action-packed ones were short and not too intrusive, if not downright entertaining or cinematically suspenseful (especially the parts where Joker was saving himself from the Collectors and bickering with E-D at the same time).
But yes, the most powerful story-telling devices come in the form of environmental story-telling, not cutscenes. Case in point, Half Life 2. The beginning, where Breen was broadcasting his speech, didn't force you to stand there and listen to him - you did it on your own accord and got the overarching situation right at that point. A set piece became an effective tool of exposition. Or how about Ravenholm, where just beside an anti-Combine poster, lay a head-crab missile.
But my favorite has to be Portal's *raises Flameshield 9000* 'the cake is a lie' portion. Previously, the player's goal was to simply solve the puzzles and get to the end. But that simple piece of writing changed the context of the player's view entirely. After that you just don't solve puzzles - you actively look for an escape. And that entire mind shift was done without a single line of expository dialogue, let alone a cutscene.
But of course, you can't go without exposition completely. Half Life 2 isn't entirely successful in that respect. For example, when Alyx first takes me to Doc and Barney, I didn't listen to a single thing they said. I was too busy teleporting pineapples.
On the other hand, Bioshock provided much more compelling narratives with the numerous audio diaries, and - wait... what were we talking about again... ?
I used to hate cutscenes. Years ago, when cutscenes looked better than the gameplay graphics, it just broke the immersion for me when I juxtaposed the visual quality of the real-time graphics with the prerendered ones. It helps a little nowadays as things in cutscenes look the same as they do in-game, with just added dramatic camera angles and music.
Whether I like them or not depends upon the context (I'm not rascist against cutscenes, unlike you). Mass Effect was fine in that respect as most of the 'cutscenes' were conversations where you actually took part. And the rest of the more action-packed ones were short and not too intrusive, if not downright entertaining or cinematically suspenseful (especially the parts where Joker was saving himself from the Collectors and bickering with E-D at the same time).
But yes, the most powerful story-telling devices come in the form of environmental story-telling, not cutscenes. Case in point, Half Life 2. The beginning, where Breen was broadcasting his speech, didn't force you to stand there and listen to him - you did it on your own accord and got the overarching situation right at that point. A set piece became an effective tool of exposition. Or how about Ravenholm, where just beside an anti-Combine poster, lay a head-crab missile.
But my favorite has to be Portal's *raises Flameshield 9000* 'the cake is a lie' portion. Previously, the player's goal was to simply solve the puzzles and get to the end. But that simple piece of writing changed the context of the player's view entirely. After that you just don't solve puzzles - you actively look for an escape. And that entire mind shift was done without a single line of expository dialogue, let alone a cutscene.
But of course, you can't go without exposition completely. Half Life 2 isn't entirely successful in that respect. For example, when Alyx first takes me to Doc and Barney, I didn't listen to a single thing they said. I was too busy teleporting pineapples.
On the other hand, Bioshock provided much more compelling narratives with the numerous audio diaries, and - wait... what were we talking about again... ?
I've never heard "discussion" and "Youtube" in the same sentence.GrizzlerBorno said:
The only thing that counts as a "Cutscene" for me is when the game "cuts" away from gameplay so you can watch a "scene"
Jak 2 has some of my favorite cutscenes
It's also seriously fun
Anything that's separate from gameplay like the over drawn cinematics from the Final Fantasy games. the film real things from Bayonetta. The cardboard cutout scenes from Mirror's Edge. anything like that
The rail sequences where all you can do is walk and listen like the opening part from Mass Effect 2 or all the scenes from Modern Warfare 2 or the end of oblivion or the end of Half Life 2, the audio loges from Bioshock and the talking parts from KOTOR, Dragon Age or Mass Effect are all very effective alternatives to cutscenes
In most cases these alternatives are better for immersion, but as far as I'm concerned there's no alternative for good old fashion cutscenes.
There are 2 (well 3)game I want to talk about specifically: Resident Evil 4.
The scenes were still cut scenes but with the best use of QTE I can remember in a game. That's arguable but I still count them as Cutscenes
And Heavy Rain (and Indigo Prophecy) are like QTE's: the game. I'd call that gameplay. So Heavy Rain is a game with out any cutscenes.
What're you talking about? I don't hate cutscenes...Raiyan 1.0 said:
And as for the HL2 Doc and Barney section. Do you think that bit would've been improved if it was a cutscene? I always thought the Achilles heel of HL2 was Gordon. If cutscenes made him an actual human character, then, that might've done wonders for the game in my books.
The only type of 'take away control from the player' that I don't consider a cutscene is when the camera zooms out to show you an area you're visiting for the first time. I don't really consider that a cutscene.
With games like Mass Effect and Fallout 3, half the fun is steering the conversation, so technically, that's a gameplay mechanic, and I don't really consider those cutscenes. In fact, in Fallout 3, I pretty much would say there are no cutscenes in that game, period.
With Mass Effect it's weird actually, because as soon as the camera changes, and someone starts talking to you, I feel like, "Ooh, here's a cutscene," but as soon as my dialogue choice is given, it starts feeling like gameplay.
But even something like, showing a boss break down a wall and enter to fight you, I'd consider a cutscene.
I do love my cutscenes though.
With games like Mass Effect and Fallout 3, half the fun is steering the conversation, so technically, that's a gameplay mechanic, and I don't really consider those cutscenes. In fact, in Fallout 3, I pretty much would say there are no cutscenes in that game, period.
With Mass Effect it's weird actually, because as soon as the camera changes, and someone starts talking to you, I feel like, "Ooh, here's a cutscene," but as soon as my dialogue choice is given, it starts feeling like gameplay.
But even something like, showing a boss break down a wall and enter to fight you, I'd consider a cutscene.
I do love my cutscenes though.
Cut scenes are a sort of on-rails situation where you may or may not be able to interact on a small scale, however you can't really have any significant effect on the overall event.
Lots of cutscenes are just movies with words.
Oh the other hand, every time in Bulletstorm where you walk around really slow and someone runs their mouth, it's still a cutscene. You can walk around and such, but nothing you do has any actual effect on what's going on. It's more obvious when
You maintain limited control in this case, but nothing you do has any actual effect on anything.
A Mass Effect style conversation is not a cutscene, as you are able to alter the outcome to your liking.
edit2: Guess I ought to be a bit more specific with the ME conversations. The ones where something relevant happens depending on your decisions or abilities, like if you can charm/intimidate, or advance your character by getting paragon/renegade points, are not cutscenes. The dialogue where you have a left option and a right option and both are basically just plot advancers is a cutscene, and mostly pointless on top of that.
Lots of cutscenes are just movies with words.
Oh the other hand, every time in Bulletstorm where you walk around really slow and someone runs their mouth, it's still a cutscene. You can walk around and such, but nothing you do has any actual effect on what's going on. It's more obvious when
that doctor guy kicks you out of the med bay so just so you can watch him get killed while he works on Ishi.
A Mass Effect style conversation is not a cutscene, as you are able to alter the outcome to your liking.
edit2: Guess I ought to be a bit more specific with the ME conversations. The ones where something relevant happens depending on your decisions or abilities, like if you can charm/intimidate, or advance your character by getting paragon/renegade points, are not cutscenes. The dialogue where you have a left option and a right option and both are basically just plot advancers is a cutscene, and mostly pointless on top of that.
I don't really see it that way. Every single game has its flaw, and over time they become a part of the game's inherent characteristic. Putting the conversations in a cutscene would've meant changing the perspective of the camera, which would've been detrimental since Half Life's specialty is that it never breaks your immersion. And the focus was never to make Gordon a fleshed-out character, and doing so just for the sake of doing it with no impact on gameplay would've probably felt hamfisted.GrizzlerBorno said:
