Cutscenes - how much they're important to you?

[Zancudo]

I made this topic because I was wondering from some time, how's the attitude toward the cutscenes by other players. For me, cutscenes are something that defines a good game. It's almost essential to make a game 'likeable' to me. Games like Max Payne 3, Grand Theft Auto series, Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire, the newest Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid series, etc. they're all amazing games, but I honestly doubt they would be that good if they hadn't had those cutscenes. If the game is at least 1/4 of cutscenes and 3/4 of gameplay - it's bound to be something I'll dig. It's just the way I have with games.

 

How's your attitude towards cutscenes? Do you like to have plenty of them, or not? Does your definition of a 'good game' is a bunch of cinematics or perhaps your against them and you hate them?

Edited May 7, 2013 by Zancudo

[Wolf of Badenoch]

Cutscenes are where vital links of the story and the mission at hand come into place, but too many can become a bit tiresome. Bad voice acting in cutscenes are a major downpoint in some of my favourite games. Just Cause 2 instantly springs to mind in that respect.

 

So yeah, cutscenes are important to me.

[GoldenBlade]

Cutscenes are very important. They give details about the story. Like Valenta said, it's where vital links of the storyline are at.

[Voit Turyv]

I always watch all the cutscenes to learn the story better.

[Guest]

Cutscenes are important to me. I probably wouldn't even like alot of games if they didn't have cutscenes. A lot of the time they actually keep you interested in non-story focused games.

 

 

What annoys me though is pre rendered cutscenes. I didn't mind them in games where character's aren't really necessary to be rendered (Midnight Club 2/3 for example) but in other types, it's annoying. It's basically admitting you have sh*t graphics and it separates the gameplay from cutscenes quite a bit.

 

 

I was actually quite suprised with MCLA's cutscenes, they were actually rendered in-game which was brilliant.

[corvettelover]

Hate em.

[Zancudo]

Cutscenes are important to me. I probably wouldn't even like alot of games if they didn't have cutscenes. A lot of the time they actually keep you interested in non-story focused games.

 

 

What annoys me though is pre rendered cutscenes. I didn't mind them in games where character's aren't really necessary to be rendered (Midnight Club 2/3 for example) but in other types, it's annoying. It's basically admitting you have sh*t graphics and it separates the gameplay from cutscenes quite a bit.

 

 

I was actually quite suprised with MCLA's cutscenes, they were actually rendered in-game which was brilliant.

I quite despise pre-rendered cutscenes, too. Hard to say why. Maybe they feel too 'different' from the gameplay itself and it doesn't allow me to sink into the story much.

[LittleBlueTroll]

I like cut scenes when i care about the story, if i don't i usually skip them.

I also like when the cutscene is a different style like the original Max Payne with the comic book strip layout.

[WildBrick142]

Before, I thought that cutscenes are useless and a waste of time. So I skipped them.

 

Now I understand how valuable they are and how they can make the story easier to understand. Now I watch every single cutscene, no matter how long.

[Tchuck]

If they move the story forward, build the character, do not interfere with the gameplay flow and are exposing somethings that could not be done with gameplay, oh and are also skippable, sure, no problem.

[darthYENIK]

Depends on what game, and if I've played through already. Like GTA I usually skip the cutscenes after the second playthrough (Unless I know it's a good one, like Three Leaf Clover in IV), but the Batman Arkham games, I will watched every cutscene every time I play. Same with Metal Gear, you can't just skip those.

[Gtaghost22]

I never skip them (in my first playthrough) no matter how ''cheesy'' they are. Story to me is as important if not more important than gameplay.

[AceRay]

 

What annoys me though is pre rendered cutscenes. I didn't mind them in games where character's aren't really necessary to be rendered (Midnight Club 2/3 for example) but in other types, it's annoying. It's basically admitting you have sh*t graphics and it separates the gameplay from cutscenes quite a bit.

But what about back in the days when the graphics weren't picture perfect, like back on the PS1, you couldn't really do all those impressive shots without pre rendering because it would look ridiculous down the line at some point. Go look at Driver 1. Even on the PS2, I get the need. Look at Silent Hill 2 for instance, the in game and pre rendered are actually pretty seamless.

 

Furthermore, pre rendered cutscenes are basically just videos put in the game, so it saves disk space not having to render all those water effects and such. Go look Final Fantasy X or XII.

[Rewas]

I don't usually play games without cutscenes and back story, but when I do, the game gets boring fast.

[Corndawg93]

Cutscene are really important, if you skip a cutscene by accident that contain a really important piece of info then like in Max Payne I accidentally skipped the part where he shaves his head, I was pissed big time, the next day I went back to the point in the game to see what I missed

[Exxon]

 

Before, I thought that cutscenes are useless and a waste of time. So I skipped them.

 

Now I understand how valuable they are and how they can make the story easier to understand. Now I watch every single cutscene, no matter how long.

That's exactly what I did and do!

[Algonquin Assassin]

The only time I skip cutscenes is when I fail a mission. Even on multiple run throughs I always watch them even if I know the story inside and out.

 

Some of my favourite moments are from cutscenes and I'm glad more developers let us pause them.

[Zancudo]

What annoys me though is pre rendered cutscenes. I didn't mind them in games where character's aren't really necessary to be rendered (Midnight Club 2/3 for example) but in other types, it's annoying. It's basically admitting you have sh*t graphics and it separates the gameplay from cutscenes quite a bit.

But what about back in the days when the graphics weren't picture perfect, like back on the PS1, you couldn't really do all those impressive shots without pre rendering because it would look ridiculous down the line at some point. Go look at Driver 1. Even on the PS2, I get the need. Look at Silent Hill 2 for instance, the in game and pre rendered are actually pretty seamless.

 

Furthermore, pre rendered cutscenes are basically just videos put in the game, so it saves disk space not having to render all those water effects and such. Go look Final Fantasy X or XII.

Metal Gear Solid 1 is 3 hours long of cutscenes, and they aren't pre-rendered a bit. And, to that, it has pretty decent graphics for a PSX game.

[HaythamKenway]

Incredibly important. Cutscenes are the story in vast majority of games, and without the story, the game isn't a complete package. A good story can make any game 100 % better. Without cutscenes, we wouldn't know who the characters are, why should we care about them, why are they doing what they are doing, where they are and why they are there, we wouldn't know pretty much anything. All we would be left with is bare gameplay, which can be fun, but is meaningless without proper context. Cutscenes can be as memorable and exciting as the gameplay. In games such as Halo, where they usually are only at the start or the end of the level, they can work as rewards. They also provide necessary breaks from the gameplay.

 

Of course, cutscenes have to be in proper balance with gameplay too. Writers and designers have to be not only gamemakers, but also filmmakers. Boring, overly long cutscenes can bring the whole game experience down. They also need to be skippable - I always watch any cutscene, but if I die, I don't want to watch a several minutes long cutscene again, when I watched it just 10 minutes ago.

[Daz]

About as important as wiping your ass with sandpaper.

 

I have no problem with a cutscene setting the theme or showing me something that couldnt possibly be done in the game engine or under user control. But these should be exclusively reserved for when loading a level/mission and when ending one. Or in a GTA style universe only for a short time at the start or leaving it till the very end of a mission.

 

There is nothing worse in the world than having your gameplay broken up by a f*cking moronic pointless piece of sh*t cutscene which lasts one second just to show your character walk through a door. I mean come the f*ck on. I just cannot stand it when control gets taken away from me in sections I expect to have full control and immerse myself in the game my own way. The more there are the worse it gets.

 

That said, I totally exclude Metal Gear Solid games from this. Not only do they have better storytelling and plot than almost any movie let alone any other game I have ever witnessed but it does it well. You go into it knowing thats how it will be, because every time you get dialog or a cutscene you know it is important and atmospheric. It uses that time to effect and there is a point to each and every one.

 

After all these are video GAMES, not movies and I want to get into the action when I want to. For example Half-Life 2 has some amazing sequences and you have full control of yourself, or at the very least allowed to look around.

 

So in short, unless it is very very important, I do not f*cking want them. Why take control away from me to look at some boss bust through a wall when I could have just watched him do it while playing?

 

I just hate cutscenes being used to force you to look at something just because they want you to that has no real point in even being there. I find it much more exciting to watch these events in real time ingame than I do in a cutscene, it makes you feel like you are there.

 

So in short, aside from MGS games, they can pretty much f*ck off and stay out of my gameplay sections.

 

Max Payne 3 was the f*cking worst for this sh*t in recent years.

[Corndawg93]

About as important as wiping your ass with sandpaper.

 

I have no problem with a cutscene setting the theme or showing me something that couldnt possibly be done in the game engine or under user control. But these should be exclusively reserved for when loading a level/mission and when ending one. Or in a GTA style universe only for a short time at the start or leaving it till the very end of a mission.

 

There is nothing worse in the world than having your gameplay broken up by a f*cking moronic pointless piece of sh*t cutscene which lasts one second just to show your character walk through a door. I mean come the f*ck on. I just cannot stand it when control gets taken away from me in sections I expect to have full control and immerse myself in the game my own way. The more there are the worse it gets.

 

That said, I totally exclude Metal Gear Solid games from this. Not only do they have better storytelling and plot than almost any movie let alone any other game I have ever witnessed but it does it well. You go into it knowing thats how it will be, because every time you get dialog or a cutscene you know it is important and atmospheric. It uses that time to effect and there is a point to each and every one.

 

After all these are video GAMES, not movies and I want to get into the action when I want to. For example Half-Life 2 has some amazing sequences and you have full control of yourself, or at the very least allowed to look around.

 

So in short, unless it is very very important, I do not f*cking want them. Why take control away from me to look at some boss bust through a wall when I could have just watched him do it while playing?

 

I just hate cutscenes being used to force you to look at something just because they want you to that has no real point in even being there. I find it much more exciting to watch these events in real time ingame than I do in a cutscene, it makes you feel like you are there.

 

So in short, aside from MGS games, they can pretty much f*ck off and stay out of my gameplay sections.

 

Max Payne 3 was the f*cking worst for this sh*t in recent years.

Do your self a favor, don't play Heavy Rain

[Zancudo]

About as important as wiping your ass with sandpaper.

 

I have no problem with a cutscene setting the theme or showing me something that couldnt possibly be done in the game engine or under user control. But these should be exclusively reserved for when loading a level/mission and when ending one. Or in a GTA style universe only for a short time at the start or leaving it till the very end of a mission.

 

There is nothing worse in the world than having your gameplay broken up by a f*cking moronic pointless piece of sh*t cutscene which lasts one second just to show your character walk through a door. I mean come the f*ck on. I just cannot stand it when control gets taken away from me in sections I expect to have full control and immerse myself in the game my own way. The more there are the worse it gets.

 

That said, I totally exclude Metal Gear Solid games from this. Not only do they have better storytelling and plot than almost any movie let alone any other game I have ever witnessed but it does it well. You go into it knowing thats how it will be, because every time you get dialog or a cutscene you know it is important and atmospheric. It uses that time to effect and there is a point to each and every one.

 

After all these are video GAMES, not movies and I want to get into the action when I want to. For example Half-Life 2 has some amazing sequences and you have full control of yourself, or at the very least allowed to look around.

 

So in short, unless it is very very important, I do not f*cking want them. Why take control away from me to look at some boss bust through a wall when I could have just watched him do it while playing?

 

I just hate cutscenes being used to force you to look at something just because they want you to that has no real point in even being there. I find it much more exciting to watch these events in real time ingame than I do in a cutscene, it makes you feel like you are there.

 

So in short, aside from MGS games, they can pretty much f*ck off and stay out of my gameplay sections.

 

Max Payne 3 was the f*cking worst for this sh*t in recent years.

In short, you're just too damn dumb for cutscenes.

[nealmac]

They're important if you're following the story. Not so important the second time through though.

[Voodoo]

In short, you're just too damn dumb for cutscenes.

Or, maybe you're too damn dumb to figure sh*t out for yourself without them.

 

 

[Claude4Catalina]

 

In short, you're just too damn dumb for cutscenes.

Or, maybe you're too damn dumb to figure sh*t out for yourself without them.

Voodoo's got a point, I think some games it's best left without cutscenes interrupting the gameplay, say we're given a target in a FPS game (I dunno, say a SF team need to bring down some ultra-helicopter or something) we don't need a cutscene showing it taking off and landing in a certain place, and that's just from a "figure it for yourself" gameplay standpoint; I think GTA IV had it alright by explaining it in an opening cutscene then summing up the events in a closing "here's your money, good job" finisher; I feel some games spoon feed way to much by way of putting the puzzle pieces together...however my one biggest criticism of LA Noire was lack of establishing cutscenes, even with the Newspapers, it felt like "oh finding clues solving crimes...wait our character is a love rat?! where the devil did that come from?!"

Edited May 8, 2013 by Claude4Catalina

[AceRay]

snip

Do your self a favor, don't play Heavy Rain

If you think Heavy Rain was bad, wait till you see Fahrenheit, David Cage's previous game. Its far, FAR worse.

[The Killa]

Max Payne 3 was the f*cking worst for this sh*t in recent years.

Tomb Raider was even worse in my opinion. Never before have I experienced so much hand-holding and controller-yanking from a single game, ever. On top of that, the cutscenes were littered with QTE's so you were essentially forced to go through them, otherwise you'll goof up. I'll still never get QTE's that could just as easily been incorporated into standard gameplay instead so it will at least be f*cking fun in some sense.

 

Max Payne 3 was pretty poor in general, but that's another discussion.

 

I essentially agree with you though in that cutscenes are only tolerable when they advance the story in a significant way that cannot otherwise be expressed through normal gameplay.

[Shenmue18]

I like cutscenes if they tell the story in an interesting way. If I have to sit down for 10 minutes to futher the plot watching a cutscene but it's boring I'd be annoyed, but if it's entertaining I wouldn't have a problem with it.