:You have TWO TYPES OF CUT-SCENES"
Perhaps I didn't explain myself clearly enough (this is pretty complicated).
Okay, you have THREE different types of cut-scenes- I won't insult your intelligence by telling you what a cut-scene is, since you've already displayed your immense knowledge on this fact by telling ME.
1. Real time- this means that the graphics themselves are produced BY the console itself and the cut-scene is actually *formed* at that moment. Their is lines of code in the programming that tell the game how to piece together the cut-scene. This allows the customized character to be shown in the cut-scene since it's forming the scene as it goes along.
2. Real time pre-rendered- This means the cut-scene uses graphics that are generated by the console itself but the actual movie is animated by graphic artists ahead of time, frame by frame- hence the term pre-rendered (rendered, or created, ahead of time by actual people, not the game). This doesn't allow use of the customized character because the character model was created by graphic artists.
3. CG pre-rendered- This means a cut-scene that was not only animated by people ahead of time but using state of the art computer generated graphics much more advanced than what the console in question can generate. Like real time pre-rendered cut-scenes, they do not offer customization since they are animated entirely ahead of time. The main difference is a REAL TIME pre-rendered cut-scene uses the console's own graphical power while a CG pre-rendered cut-scene uses computer generated graphics.
Just because a cut-scene uses the console's own graphical power does NOT mean it offeres customization. FMV is the term used to refer to ANY pre-rendered cut-scene, be they real time or CG. I'm sorry if I confused you by using it only to refer to CG cut-scenes, but there ARE 3 different types of cut-scenes. It's not as cut and dry as you'd like to believe.
"but what you mean is YOU don't care. You certainly can't tell us that we don't care. And while something like the Power Rings isn't likely to be noticed, changing a sword or shield is going to be noticeably inconsistent, especially with the level of detail in graphics that we have now."
True, I didn't conduct a scientific research, but I've honestly never heard anyone complain about their character looking different in the cut-scene until now. Sure it may be noticable, especially now, as you pointed out, but it still is a very trivial thing and if someone's getting whiny over something so insignificant, then I seriously think they chose the wrong hobby.