Author Topic: Interactive Cutscenes (Read 6408 times)

meldavid · « **on:** April 13, 2005, 06:03:15 AM »

How long do you reckon before other games developers copy Resident Evil 4's way of making cut scenes in a game interactive?
While there have been games like Dragon's Lair which were essentially comprised of just interactive cut scenes, I think Resident Evil is the first to use them in this fashion. And to great effect too!
Oh, I s'pose Shenmue had them before RE4 did, but the buttons weren't randomised so you could memorise the sequence.

I think doing cut scenes this way would be excellent for RPGs and adventure games where some people tend to just skip them, lol.

cronotrigger913 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 13, 2005, 06:26:25 AM »

I loved the battle between Krouser and Leon where it was all based on the quick button presses. It was amazing to know I had control of the cinematic, albeit in a very basic fashion. For some reason, I don't think any developer is going to copy this technique. Just like no one really took Metroid Prime's scanning visor idea, no one is going to use RE4's ideas either. To them, it seems like just a gimmick, a waste of developing time, which is very disappointing.

meldavid · « **Reply #2 on:** April 13, 2005, 06:38:01 AM »

I think Beyond Good & Evil sort of copied Metroid Prime's scanning idea, but turned it into photography, which was in turn (probably) copied from Legend of Zelda.

Making cut scenes interactive like in RE4 isn't really that hard to implement in a game so I don't think developers would be too lazy to try it. And considering the success of RE4, some of its ideas are surely going to be copied.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #3 on:** April 13, 2005, 06:46:14 AM »

Photography has been around in games like forever. Anachronox's Sly had a camera used for some sidequests, etc.

Ian Sane · « **Reply #4 on:** April 13, 2005, 07:13:41 AM »

I imagine interactive cutscenes will remain rare and obscure for one simple reason: it's not very casual gamer friendly. Part of the appeal of a cutscene is that you don't have to play. You just sit back and watch. If the cutscenes are interactive then you have to (get this) play the game and that's no good. Remember a huge chunk of people regard games as interactive movies. That's why we get so many games with endless cutscenes, obvious puzzles, linear progression, and dumbed-down difficulty. I hate that but a lot of games go in that direction so I imagine interactive cutscenes won't become very common.

The scanning in Metroid Prime hasn't caught on for the same reason. It's a subtle way of telling the story in a non-linear way and requires the player to actually think and do stuff. The casual gamer wants something more obvious and straightforward.

Flames_of_chaos · « **Reply #5 on:** April 13, 2005, 07:27:43 AM »

I agree with Ian I wonder how many people would hate a RPG like the newer FF's or Xenosaga if they have interactive cutscenes. Then on forums or reader reviews they downrate the game and whine about it because of the difficulty or that the cutscene kicks their ass. This is why I like a company such as Capcom arround because some of their high profile series have GASP! difficulty in them.

MrMojoRising · « **Reply #6 on:** April 13, 2005, 07:41:57 AM »

Yeah, some of the RE puzzles are really tough.

Renny · « **Reply #7 on:** April 13, 2005, 07:42:15 AM »

I'd also like to lament the tepid adoption of photography in games. It adds a much needed touch of player creativity to modern games, and can be used effectively in creating both subquests [WW's Nintendo Gallery] and even a secondary portion of the main game [Beyond Good & Evil]. I particulary loved and hated BG&E's pictograph*: it took the 'scanning' of Metroid Prime and got rid of the automated nature that wasn't necessary for the realively low-action of BG&E, allowing for some 'artistic' expression from the user. It also allowed you to take and save a few pictures for yourself, though this is where the system broke down: you couldn't take any pictures that featured an animal you had already photographed and logged--it would either remind you that you already had logged that animal, or chastise you for your poor framing skills. :¬]

Also the quality of the pictures were... well, ass. The game consumed a full 59 blocks and still couldn't give you anything better than a thumbnail record of your effort. I would have loved to: A - have seen Nintendo not even bother with the 59MC and just take an early loss on the 251MC allowing for a larger maximum save size; and even better, B - release the SD adapter over here for additional storage for games like BG&E where you wouldn't need the space for the game save [which Nintendo are far too protective of; fine, whatever, just give us more room for ancillary features at least] but simply for multimedia either generated ingame, or imported into the game. If only Ubisoft coud have quietly supported the adapter. But that would require effort beyond straight porting, even some hacking....

*Please note my use of this word isn't for effect. I didn't want to use a pre-existing term for games that would lead to confusion. And Nintendo's name for it is charming, if grammatically incorrect.

Also, if this is too OT then I'll gladly create a seperate thread just for photography in games.

trip1eX · « **Reply #8 on:** April 13, 2005, 08:17:11 AM »

I haven't played RE4 yet (it's on the way) but they should take out cutscenes all together. I liked Metroid Prime which didn't really have any. The story was told in game.

Same with the pc game Half Life 2. You talk to characters without ever leaving the game. Much more immersive.

cronotrigger913 · « **Reply #9 on:** April 13, 2005, 08:26:25 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: trip1eXI haven't played RE4 yet (it's on the way) but they should take out cutscenes all together. I liked Metroid Prime which didn't really have any. The story was told in game.

Same with the pc game Half Life 2. You talk to characters without ever leaving the game. Much more immersive.

Just wait until you play with the interactive cutscenes, you might just change your mind on this subject, but I do like your examples.

couchmonkey · « **Reply #10 on:** April 13, 2005, 09:04:04 AM »

I won't be surprised to see it get used a little, but it probably won't become a big thing. I bet that when it does get used, it may be watered-down - bearing in mind that I only saw a few instances of this from the short time I played RE4 so I dont know how complex it got.

Still, not all casual gamers are there to play a "movie". Of course, I don't have statistics on that (would make for an interesting but not very useful study), but of the casual gamers I know, about half love the cutscenes and about half hate them. Some casual gamers are there for a show, but a lot are still there to play games, and, as one put it, "Blow s**t up". I think the real barrier will be that most developers aren't creative enough to be bothered...making the scenes interactive means developing them with interactivity in mind, which does take a bit more creativity. You can't just make movies, you have to figure out how they'll be playable...and you also have to start doing most things with in-game graphics instead of FMV (which is a good thing in my opinion, but maybe not as far as some others are concerned).

vudu · « **Reply #11 on:** April 13, 2005, 09:11:13 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
The scanning in Metroid Prime hasn't caught on for the same reason. It's a subtle way of telling the story in a non-linear way and requires the player to actually think and do stuff. The casual gamer wants something more obvious and straightforward.

Actually, Doom 3 copied the same story-telling technique (collecting PDAs and reading e-mail), and it worked very well. I hear the new expansion relies more heavily on cut-scenes and it supposedly doesn't have the same effect.

IceCold · « **Reply #12 on:** April 13, 2005, 04:45:39 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: couchmonkey
... and, as one put it, "Blow s**t up".

LOL - they probably played too much "Mercenaries"

Famicom · « **Reply #13 on:** April 13, 2005, 05:53:54 PM »

Reading this thread made me remember how much I miss Pokemon Snap.

OK, I don't miss it THAT much, but it was pretty fun while it lasted.

Miyamoto Osaki · « **Reply #14 on:** April 13, 2005, 09:05:35 PM »

actully, the game "Sword of the Beserk" was the first to use the interactive cut scences. you had a part where you had to press the button excalty when told to survive a part, if you didnt then you would like get injured or miss out on the first stike or many other things.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #15 on:** April 14, 2005, 02:03:36 AM »

Renny: Fatal Frame/Project Zero has photography as its main element, you hurt enemies and trigger some switches/clues by photographing them. The game takes up roughly two megabytes on the memcard for all those pictures...

Renny · « **Reply #16 on:** April 16, 2005, 02:45:51 PM »

Right, completely forgot those. Nintendo really dropped the ball with the SD adapter. Guess they had to make their money on memory cards.

This topic also reminds me of Wild Earth. Is that project dead? Maybe it's getting a next-gen console release on the Xbox365. Published by Ubi, with PS3/Rev port work done by Shanghai. That actually would make a good launch title for the Xboxn. It would take my interest level from zero to greater than zero, at least.

Rancid Planet · « **Reply #17 on:** April 17, 2005, 02:21:48 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Ian Sane
Remember a huge chunk of people regard games as interactive movies. That's why we get so many games with endless cutscenes, obvious puzzles, linear progression, and dumbed-down difficulty. I hate that but a lot of games go in that direction so I imagine interactive cutscenes won't become very common.

And Prince Of Persia 2 got such good reviews...ZING!

TheYoungerPlumber · « **Reply #18 on:** April 17, 2005, 07:52:19 PM »

You guys do know that Shenmue had interactive cut-scenes on the Dreamcast, right? I didn't care for the game, but it was fairly well received...it didn't make interactive cut scenes popular, though.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #19 on:** April 17, 2005, 08:29:29 PM »

If Shenmue II came out on Dreamcast in the U.S. (and thus give it better exposure), RE4's interactive cutscenes wouldn't seem as super-fresh and surprising to people had they gone thru Shenmue II some 2-4 years ago. Shenmue II's cutscenes were FAR MORE abundant, varied, complicated, and ultimately more enjoyable than Shenmue I's. Even if they weren't randomized, Shenmue II's button combos involved chains of rapid button presses that also included the d-pad to fit the situation, in contrast to RE4's simple "A+B" or "L+R".

RE4's interactive cutscenes deserve recognition for being executed/implemented well and being included in what's already an excellent game. But I think Shenmue II wins in the departments of variety and abundance.

Rancid Planet · « **Reply #20 on:** April 27, 2005, 12:05:51 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Professional 666

RE4's interactive cutscenes deserve recognition for being executed/implemented well and being included in what's already an excellent game. But I think Shenmue II wins in the departments of variety and abundance.

Well, as gamer who prefers a nice balance of innovation/fluid gameplay I really like the way that RE4 implemented the interactive cutscenes. The only time I really thought they could have uped the stakes a little was during the fight sequence with your military buddy. It only took me three times to get it right. Something like that should have you working at it all day! A better variety of button presses and a variety of reactions for partiular ones would have made the whole sequence perfect.

But yeah I like videogames...

trip1eX · « **Reply #21 on:** April 27, 2005, 05:42:41 PM »

Ok. I got RE4. I don't know. I'm not a big cutscene fan so the interactive ones still don't do it for me. I mean I want to play my game. Not watch. It is better than a regular cutscene. The interactive cutscenes were also a bit corny. Kinda reminded me of those old school games. LIke MS Olympic Decathlon. I did like that they varied the keys you have to press a bit in a couple of the ones I've encountered so far. Anyway, I'd rather do all the dodging of boulders and other stuff in the game. Just like the pda stuff. I'd rather just see the person I'm talking too instead of seeing myself talk also. btw, does your character break out a skateboard midway thru RE4? I keep thinking he's gonna.

mantidor · « **Reply #22 on:** April 28, 2005, 07:45:04 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: MrMojoRising
Yeah, some of the RE puzzles are really tough.

You are being sarcastic, right?

In the club Nintendo magazine they did an interview to the guys at Retro and I remember one of the things they mentioned is that no matter how cool an idea is from another game, they just cant copy it. I dont think will be seeing a lot of interactive cutscenes in games in the near future.

Rancid Planet · « **Reply #23 on:** April 28, 2005, 10:28:02 AM »

Well I freaking HATE those damn sliding pieces puzzles. They just aren't fun.

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Author Topic: Interactive Cutscenes (Read 6408 times)