Seems to be two options for developers for making those dramatic parts of a game. Cutscenes which are simply passive entertainment or quick time events that are oftentimes frustrating.

QTE's detract from a game for me. It seams like an excuse to mask how poorly written a script is.

What about games without cutscenes altogether? I see no problem with abolishing them, since all they do is add to the budget, take away from the game and usually have nothing to say in general.

I'm fine with an intro cinematic, I'm fine with an ending cinematic. But interrupting the game with a cutscene is just lazy game design.

Games are games, not movies.

The only time that I feel that QTEs are a good things was in Mercs 2 when you had the option of pressing the button sequence for some fuel.

OTEs just seem like another way for the game to say "ha ha, you suck" by popping up right when you begin to relax.

ObnoxiousTwat:
OTEs just seem like another way for the game to say "ha ha, you suck" by popping up right when you begin to relax.

Really? I think cutscenes such as the fight in MGS4 between Raiden and Vamp would have been awesome as a QTE fight, rather than passive entertainment, and if it was branched, so even if you miss a button, the fight goes on in a different way.

I liked the cutscenes in RE4 it kept you on your toes, not knowing when they would throw a QTE at you.

Woe Is You:
What about games without cutscenes altogether? I see no problem with abolishing them, since all they do is add to the budget, take away from the game and usually have nothing to say in general.

I'm fine with an intro cinematic, I'm fine with an ending cinematic. But interrupting the game with a cutscene is just lazy game design.

Games are games, not movies.

Definitely; that's one of the reasons I loved Half-Life 2, since there were never any cutscenes or QTEs.

I'd like to see a combination.
A cutscene where a QTE could possibly affect normal gameplay(doesn't have to be IN a cutscene)
Like in Re4, failing a QTE should have sent you on a longer path or longer fight.(the longer path/fight should be the default) or winning would open up some hidden ammo, or even a new(early) weapon.

Aries_Split:

ObnoxiousTwat:
OTEs just seem like another way for the game to say "ha ha, you suck" by popping up right when you begin to relax.

Really? I think cutscenes such as the fight in MGS4 between Raiden and Vamp would have been awesome as a QTE fight, rather than passive entertainment, and if it was branched, so even if you miss a button, the fight goes on in a different way.

That would be proper use of quick time events, and we can't have that. That would mean developers are starting to try and make good games.

I don't know where to go on this one, I like cutscenes, as long as they're skippable, but if a developer does cutscenes right, they're really cool as well. Take the one's in God of War for example.

I would prefer cutscenes to QTEs, but the Half Life approach would be the best in my opinion.

Quick time events are unpolished. Kinda like solar technology. It was a good idea, but they just threw it out there when it really wasn't so intuitive or fun.
Now everyone is using it without upgrading it (unlike solar energy) and it has done nothing other than stop me looking further into many games.

Cut scenes are the best. The very best. Think of all the great cut scenes... Mafia, MGS2, Doom 3 made cut scenes even more of a joy to experience.

When Half-Life came out in 1998 it seems like everyone was getting ready for every other developer to follow Valve's lead and begin to eliminate cutscenes from their games and allow the player control at every single moment. Instead, developers have gone the exact opposite direction. It makes sense that third-person action games would feature cutscenes, or have QTEs, but I just don't understand why first-person games need them. The Half-Life games feel much more natural in that major plot points are all communicated while the player is actually playing.

Like most players, I kind of "switch off" during cutscenes. Half-Life's plot communicates itself so much better by forcing the player to take part in plot developments. I've seen articles commending Valve's characterization of Gordon Freeman (a character who, you may remember, speaks exactly zero lines throughout all of the games he's been in).

I guess what I'm saying is that developers need to stop abusing QTEs. Non sequitir, but COME ON!

Short in-game cinematics. Interactivity a la Half-Life is a nice bonus.

QTEs are okay, but the game you're supposed to be playing is usually a pretty big leap from Simon Says. They can be bearable if:
1. You are notified of every incoming QTE.
2. They are decently short, maybe 1-3 buttons.
3. All buttons have the same functions as they do in normal gameplay.
4. You can't die from them. Maybe they have to leave you with a certain amount of health, or like someone said, you miss an item or have to take a longer and harder route.

Cutscenes are the cancer that kills games and replaces them with CG movies too shit for theater.

It depends on the game. Shooter games, like RE4, pull off QTEs very well without distracting from the story and leave you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next event. Games with more complex stories, like RPGs, I prefer normal cutsceans, perferably ones that pause md dialouge so you can take your time, read it, and press A. It just depends on the story detail.

Personally, I liked the QTE's in Resident Evil 4, during the cut-scenes. I know it was basically "press X not to die" but I liked seeing Leon get executed in different ways & it added to the sense of danger & mortality.

The also made me laugh quite a lot, since they caught me out every time as I put down the controller to make a roll up & smoke it during the cut-scenes.

The QTE's in Mercenaries 2 are good as well. Without them it would seem a bit stupid & too easy just hijacking tanks & helicopters with one button press.

Weren't they also supposed to be in GTAIV for car-jacking? It's seems a bit stupid that everybody, from the weakest old lady to the hardest gangster or cop are powerless to stop themselves being quickly dragged out of a car, especially when they've got both hands on the wheel & feet in the foot well.

When used well I think QTE's can be good, adding to the sense of realism & immersion, but they are also abused & pointlessly included in some games.

QTE are okay when they're used sparingly, for boss fights and such or fighting big enemies. See God of War.

QTE popping up in cutscenes are FAIL- LOOKING AT YOU RE4! I'm watching a cutscene, i'm probably taking a drink, I don't want to get suprised with a guy with a chainsaw cutting my dick off and a gameover screen.

I didn't actually know what "quick time event" meant (because I'm stupid you see) so I looked it up on wikipedia. Is this an accurate definition (because I'm still not sure if it is what I think it is)? If so, they do indeed suck and I vote for cutscenes!

Quick Time Event

"A Quick Time Event (QTE) is a method of gameplay used in video games. It allows for limited control of the game character during cut scenes or cinematic sequences in the game, and generally involves the player following onscreen prompts to press buttons. The name does not have any direct relationship to Apple's QuickTime software. It is the arch nemesis of Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw."

I still stand by my earlier declaration that cut scenes rock, but come to think of it, Half-life style in-game storytelling is defiantly the best. Defiantly.

Doom 3 did both, and doom 3 is still excellent

I liked the cutscenes in RE4 it kept you on your toes, not knowing when they would throw a QTE at you

They weren't all good. The fucking rock at the very start of the game *shakes fist* Killed me once when I didn't realise it was a quick time event and got splatted straight away, killed me again when I didn't realise you had to hit "DODGE!" buttons at the end of button mashing X, killed me a thid time when I realised they randomised the "DODGE!" buttons for each run.

In short, screw you giant boulder rolling QTE, screw you.

That said, I quite enjoyed the fight with what's his face where you QTE'd to continue the fight.

zhoomout:
I didn't actually know what "quick time event" meant (because I'm stupid you see) so I looked it up on wikipedia. Is this an accurate definition (because I'm still not sure if it is what I think it is)? If so, they do indeed suck and I vote for cutscenes!

Quick Time Event

"A Quick Time Event (QTE) is a method of gameplay used in video games. It allows for limited control of the game character during cut scenes or cinematic sequences in the game, and generally involves the player following onscreen prompts to press buttons. The name does not have any direct relationship to Apple's QuickTime software. It is the arch nemesis of Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw."

Very accurate description of Quick Time Events. I lol'd at the inclusion of Yahtzee. The man creeps up everywhere...

For FPS', Half-Life style cutscenes for me please. Interactivity like that rules. For third-person games, short skippable cutscenes. If a cutscene takes too long, people will get bored. If a game must MUST MUST have QTEs, making them only one button you have to keep mashing, and don't make it an instant kill if you fail.

QTEs seem to work best in games where there's lots of button mashing (i.e., GOW) since they break up the pattern.

But if they go away completely, I won't miss them. They distract me from what could otherwise be an interesting cut scene.

Quick time events work in some games like the Force Unleashed and God of War, but my major gripe with them is they seem to appear only in games where I actually want to watch the cutscenes. I'm too busy waiting for the button prompts and concentrating on pushing them at the right time that I often miss what's happening in the cutscene. I couldn't tell you what went on during the simon says sequences of Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit because I was concentrating too much on the colored lights.

On the other hand, games like the Metal Gear Solid series have such lengthy and boring cutscenes that I'm practically begging for some interactivity before they're even half over.

QTEs don't work if the developer makes them so hard and random that you die four out of five times. I have (or at least used to have) pretty good reflexes and it still took me about seven tries to get past the knife fight with Krauser or whatever his name was in Resident Evil 4.

So I guess my answer is QTEs are good when they're done right, and the RE4 developers can bite me.

urprobablyright:
I still stand by my earlier declaration that cut scenes rock, but come to think of it, Half-life style in-game storytelling is defiantly the best. Defiantly.

I still don't understand why being able to walk around an uninteresting room during lengthy exposition is somehow better or even different from a cutscene.

I like me some cutscenes. I have no problem if there CG either. I never really understood why people had such a problem with cutscenes that had in game graphics, and lets face it some in game graphics kinda such.

mspencer82:

urprobablyright:
I still stand by my earlier declaration that cut scenes rock, but come to think of it, Half-life style in-game storytelling is defiantly the best. Defiantly.

I still don't understand why being able to walk around an uninteresting room during lengthy exposition is somehow better or even different from a cutscene.

It's just cooler, it's realistic. I think though that doom 3 is the best for these things and it has both cutscenes and, for lack of a better word: Half-life-cutscenes

I'd prefer cutscenes, because the only games I know that pulled off QTE's right, are God of War and RE4. Plus, if a cutscene is good then it's far more enjoyable than just being able to control your character during it, despite how limited you are. See "Assassin's Creed" or the radio sequences in Gears of War, and some moments in Half-Life, etc. CoD series is the only one that's done this right, but it usually shoves you in a position where it's stupid to not look in the direction of the cutscene, etc.

If half-life gets some kind of "Nodding recognition" then it would be 1000000X more awesome.

"Hey gordon, need a medkit?" *move mouse up and down* "Here ya go."

I'm simple minded and enjoy pretty cutscenes. Throw in some cool lights or some purple and I'll be satisfied.

The CS in Half-Life were very good. You just sort of walked around and Eli or whoever would be talking to you as you collected supplies, stared at the Vortigaunts eye or looked at the map if you felt like doing it properly.
I don't understand why a lot more RPGs don't do this. Let's take FFVIII for some character names, Rinoa is chatting away and you get 4 text options flash up. You hit the button for what you want Squall to say, but if you take to long then it just goes on regardless.

I think Quick Time Events can be used right (Force Unleashed I think did a great job by having each button in a QTE chain performing the same function as it would normally, "Y" shooting lighting for example), but there are few games that do use them right.

Cutscenes are good if they are short and to the point. 2-3 minutes at most. No 90 minute cut scenes (MGS4 I'm looking at you.) There should not be a long exposition with nothing to keep you interested. If I want to watch long plots filled with exposition I'll watch Star Trek (and I do.)

QTEs are used far to ften in a wrong way. QTEs are random things which appear 3 or 4 times in a game. For QTEs to work they need to be a core part of gameplay and be frequent. Most importantly they need to stop being 'Press X to not die' at most they should take some health away. If QTEs are used they sould follow the normal control scheme (jump is still jump). It doeesn't matter if QTEs are long or short (though long ones should slow down for button presses.) The most important part should be showing the player something cool and having them interact while not holding there attention at the bottom of the screen. Most importantly QTEs should be COMPLETELY OPTIONAL, press select/back to enter a QTE when a button prompt appears on screen, don't press it and you take care of the situation normally.

TL;DR - QTEs are misused, cutscenes suck and HL method is the best.