Which Games Do QTEs Right?

[Alakaizer]

I read today's Stolen Pixels [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/stolen-pixels/7887-Stolen-Pixels-214-X-A-B-Win] and it got me thinking about games that used quick time events about as effectively and intelligently as possible.

I only came up with four of them.

Sly Cooper and the Thievious Raccoonus (3rd boss battle)
Sly 2: Band of Thieves (dancing with Neyla/Carmelita)
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (Opera vs. Octavio)
Misadventures of Tron Bonne (speed increase minigame for Servbots)

If you can come up with any more, please do so. And please don't start spewing about God of War. I know they seem to have set the benchmark for the QTE, but that's kind of the problem. We need more, better examples of how these things can be done well. If we can't find any more, then maybe we can try to pool our strength to get these damn things out of our video games.

Thank you very much, have a nice day.

 

[Meggiepants]

I find it amusing that you say only 4 games have done QTEs right, and three of them are Sly games.

I don't generally care for QTE, even in games like Heavy Rain. I wouldn't call GOW QTE's good either. I hate having to concentrate on button pressing when all this exciting stuff is happening that I cannot concentrate on.

 

[Iandiaeufaieubfeuihfi]

God of war 3, the QTEs are easy, but its always bloody and epic

 

[Morten A]

I remember playing a Sly game, can't recall which one though... Anyway, the point is that i didn't hate the QTEs so i have too agree on one of the Sly games.

The paradox with QTEs though is that it's only fun tolerable when it is so easy that you can't fail, but then whats point of having them instead of enjoying the cutscene.

 

[thecodemaster]

With games like Heavy Rain, which is essentially one massive QTE, it would be nice if the buttons you pressed bore some resemblance as to the action you were doing - unfortunately I don't think that's possible on a DualShock. I don't think PlayStation Move compatibility will improve it, either.

I don't really approve of QTEs, but I guess they're more interesting than watching cutscenes.

 

[Twad]

GOW did it reasonably well iirc. It was in gameplay,as a way to kill big ennmies quicker.

All other QTEs i saw in any other game were full of fail. RE4 was one of the worst, with the "press X to not die" events in the middle of cutscenes all the time. Why dont they show it as the average cutscene? If i miss/fail i die and have to restart over and over again.. the game just waste my time that way, and goes nowhere, acomplish nothing.
This isnt fun at all. THis is also why that game is just accumulating dust in a corner of my home.

 

[Sephychu]

Also, Metro 2033 had good ones too. It felt responsive, and they weren't too close together or too far apart.

Also, they were, in a sense, easy. They required that you were attentive, but not crazy prepared for a miniature rhythm action game.

I think Heavy Rain's are great too, because failing one does not necessarily entail death. The scene just shifts somewhat in the other dude's favour. This is speaking from the perspective of not failing the ones that looked like instant death situations, however.

 

[Marter]

Heavy Rain is the first one I've played that I think did it quite well. I can't remember another one where it worked that well.

 

[Alakaizer]

Like Sly Cooper much?

I think Fahrenheit did it very well. It was mostly QTE based, but they were tense, exciting, and easy to use. I had no qualms with them.

Also, Metro 2033 had good ones too. It felt responsive, and they weren't too close together or too far apart.

Love Sly Cooper. The fact that Sucker Punch were the developers of inFamous was the first thing to interest me about that game and I now eagerly await the sequel.

As for Indigo Prophecy(Fahrenheit)...I have beaten it... it's just the best moment of that...experience...was when my friend's Xbox froze and the controller was still vibrating, so we used it to...torment...my roommate. She enjoyed it for about fifteen minutes, then we went home.

Setting aside most of the issues I had with IP, the problem with the QTEs was that they were bound to the analog sticks, which don't always read up as up. Binding the QTEs to the completely unused control pad and action buttons would probably made them flow much more easily, and would have kept the right stick doing what it does best: move the camera.

Metro 2033 I know nothing about so I've got no opinion on that one.

 

[Blemontea]

God of War becuase they were optional and sometimes not needed.

Heavy Rain becuase its the core game play and even if you mess up on some parts it wont murder you for it.

MGS im not sure if 1 or 2 did it and i don't remember any in 3 but during the cutscenes in 4 you had the option to look back at past games orr view through snakes eyes, you didn't have to do them but if you did the game would reward you, with in game money so it worked.

 

[Stir72]

I can't think of one that's done it right...or any reason to keep including them in games. It's the "quick" part that ticks me off - I hate dying just because I wasn't prepared to hit the right button at the right moment, only to have to relive the cut scene with my finger hovering over the right button the second time.

I don't characterize the GOW events as QTE so much as finishing moves - though I totally agree with earlier posters that they still suck because they take your focus away from the animation. At least in GOW 3 they put the button images on the same side (or top/bottom) as the button you needed to hit - requiring a bit less focus.

Come to think of it - I guess the QTEs in MGS4 were ok - they were just additions to cut scenes, hit L1 or X to see a memory during the normal cut scene - I think that added something there, and there was nothing really lost if you missed the queue.

 

[Akihiko]

Shenmue games and Heavy Rain for me probably. Both of which are games that you know there will be QTE's in. Unlike other genres where you don't expect them, and consequently you are completely caught off guard.

 

[Judgement101]

Like Sly Cooper much?

I think Fahrenheit did it very well. It was mostly QTE based, but they were tense, exciting, and easy to use. I had no qualms with them.

Also, Metro 2033 had good ones too. It felt responsive, and they weren't too close together or too far apart.

I agree with the Metro 2033. They seemed needed to add to the frantic dark attacks.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

The only game that has QTEs that I didn't mind was Resident Evil 4. They weren't all the time, except for that one cutscene fight.

 

[The Procrastinated End]

Umm God of War comes to mind because they were usually just to finish off a monster.

 

[Worgen]

I thought wet did them pretty well, they tended to be button logical, generally if you were going to jump it was the jump button, shoot the shoot button, etc etc and they werent so hard that they totally fucked up the flow

 

[Shepard's Shadow]

BioShock 2 made hacking better then it was in the first game.