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Thread: Do Cut Scenes Have An Affect On Our Perception Of Game Length

  1. #1

    Do Cut Scenes Have An Affect On Our Perception Of Game Length

    I was playing a little Mars Matrix today and I started thinking about how man haves can last for hours on end and still feel like they were short, yet some older/old style games can be much shorter and yet leave you satisfied. After thinking about it a bit, I think cut scenes may be a factor. While they enhance the game experience, they also cut into playtime, making our gaming experiences feel shorter potentially because of the length of the segments of game we get to play at a time. So this brings us to an important question. What's the best way to do cut scenes. IMO it depends on the type of game. The key though (even though story is important) is to determine how the cut scene affects the feel of the game as a whole. Does the gamer feel like they are emersed in the game? Do they feel that they are about to actually do alot, or do they feel like they are watching a choose your own adventure movie. I think that this is an area that developers could consider looking into more and if they do, games as a whole will improve. What do you guys think?
    Taking it one day at a time.

  2. i'm not too big on cutscenes. i do enjoy them in games like metal gear solid and ninja gaiden, because they add to the story, but in rpgs, i can do without them.

    for example, i was more engrossed in games like chrono trigger, final fantasy tactics, final fantasy 3, wild arms, and suikoden, than i was with final fantasy 7 and legend of dragoon. in the former games, the story was progressed along by the dialogue via in-game graphics. this gave it a much better pace and flow. in the latter two, i felt the cutscenes were a little distracting. sure they were pretty, but they felt more like commercials in the middle of a good show.

    but yes, i do agree that if done right, cutscenes add a lot to games, (like the previously mentioned metal gear solid 1 and ninja gaiden series). however, when they're there more for eye candy than anything else, i say just "cut" them out.

  3. Well, Cut scenes never bothered me in the games. Sure, sometimes they can be overdone, like in some FF games, but still they dont make me ejoy the game less.

    I love when developers find a right ratio of FMV, in game cut scenes and gameplay. That does make playing that game a better experience. Most recent game that got that right, was Shadow Hearts. Being rpg it presented its share of FMV and Ingame scenes, but those were timed great and not overdone, nor they distracted the game flow. Sacnoth didnt go into FMV overdrive, and there are only few FMV movies during the game, but they are placed in the right places of the storyline, and are great to watch(Firts FMV kicks ass, and really sets up the game mood).

    WIth recent technological advances on the current consoles, in game movies can look almost as good as fmv ones, so that shouldn't be a distracting factor as it was on PSX for example, when the quality of the scenes was REALLY different.

  4. Actually, the fewer cut-scenes there are - the longer the game seems. Maybe I just zone out during cut-scenes or something.

    ºTracer
    o_O

  5. Originally posted by Despair
    WIth recent technological advances on the current consoles, in game movies can look almost as good as fmv ones, so that shouldn't be a distracting factor as it was on PSX for example, when the quality of the scenes was REALLY different.
    exactly, this is why i feel cutscenes were/are distracting --- the in game graphics are way different from the cutscene graphics. when i'm playing a game and it goes to a cutscene, the difference in graphics destroys all suspended disbelief.

    this is most observable in final fantasy 7. not only are the difference in game graphics and cutscene graphics drastic, there is also a drastic difference in cutscene graphics compared to each other. for instance, some cutscenes are done very realistically --- characters are well proportioned and everything has a serious tone to it. the next cutscene has super deformed characters; the context hasn't even changed.

  6. For one, I feel that game length is only an important factor when a game really is too short (under an hour with no replay value) or much too long for it's own good. Both extremes differ from person to person anyway...
    Cut scenes should usually have something to contribute to the story, anyway. If a developer is just throwing in a bunch of random garbage for the heck of it, no good. If a game's main intent isn't telling a story, it should obviously have a lower cut-scene to gameplay ratio. If a game is being used as a story-telling medium, then the cut-scenes are part of the game, and as long as there's still a sense of reward and progression, they do nothing to take away from the game.

  7. this is most observable in final fantasy 7. not only are the difference in game graphics and cutscene graphics drastic, there is also a drastic difference in cutscene graphics compared to each other. for instance, some cutscenes are done very realistically --- characters are well proportioned and everything has a serious tone to it. the next cutscene has super deformed characters; the context hasn't even changed.
    I don't think that this is that much of a problem. As long as the same story's being told, there is no confusion. Anime and manga often have characters morphing into super-deformed or more abstract versions of themselves. It's not a smooth transition, but it adds a bit of visual variety.

  8. I dislike cutscenes, for the most part. I mean, there I am, cruising along, totally immersed in the gameplay, and suddenly everything comes to a screeching halt while the plot develops. I understand that plot is important in some instances, but you don't need a cutscene in order to explain it. Seems like a cop-out way for the programmers to show off their animation skills. With companies advertising gameplay length now (over 40 hours of gameplay!!!), I have to wonder how much of that is cinematics. I'm not a big fan of interactive movie/game hybrids, although I have enjoyed them (Parasite Eve, Vagrant Story, Shenmue, Soul Reaver 1). The shorter the cinematic, the better.

    If I want to see animation, I'll watch some anime. When I'm gaming, I want to be playing, not watching.

    Oh, I can't stand cutscenes/dialogue that can't be skipped (a la Soul Reaver 2).

    Satoshi Kon: 1963-2010

  9. I like cutscenes for the most part. I looked forward to them in fact. When I HATE them is when I cant skip them. NON skipable cutscenes should be outlawed. If I seen it once, thats usually enough for me.

    ATTENTION GAME PRODUCERS!: CUTSCENES OK ONLY IF THEY ARE SKIPABLE!

    GOT IT? good.
    Xbox Live- SamuraiMoogle

  10. I see nothing wrong with cut scenes (or how they are presented) just as long as they're not bloated pap or whiny, pointless conversations that make me want to bury Hideo Kojima in an avalanche of wet cement. Oops. Slip of the tounge.

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