FMV in games

[Slowtrain]

I would say most sub-genres have one or two examples that stand-out. Gabriel Knight 2 is also an FMV game and highly regarded. But those are hardly typical. I wish I could link some of the FMV games that came out back in the day. They were so hideous though that the titles are not something I would ever bother to remember.

 

The genre died because it was expensive and yet sucked. A bad combination.

[Judge Hades]

Well, with motion capture I think we can move away from FMV and add in more interactivity. That is basically Fareinheit (msp)/Indigo Prophecy was. An interactive movie. Imagine if they redid the Gabriel Knight series done in that style. Hmmm...

Edited September 28, 2006 by Judge Hades

[Shadowstrider]

I actually strongly dislike any sort of cutscene or movie.  Anything that takes control from the player is bad, in my opinion.

 

I hate it when I'm playing a game and come to a pinnacle time in a story, only to have the control taken from me and watch my character react in a way I would not have him react.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Depends on the game. If it's a game about choices (RPG), then I would mostly agree. If I'm playing Zelda or RE4, tell me a good story.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Well, even to my strong dislike there are exceptions. I don't mind it in Fallout, in the opening movie for example. I don't mind it in an ending sequence.

 

Icewind Dale did a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong, the cutscenes were among the strong points. I was more referring to it in the context of movies that cut away and take liberties with your character. They do this in Final Fantasy games and it bothers me.

 

I actually got into an argument with several folks at Bethesda about cinematics the other day. I'm sort of surprised how varied the reactions were.

 

Editted for having SFS.

Edited September 28, 2006 by Shadowstrider

[LadyCrimson]

No, I don't miss them.

I feel pretty much the same as Shadowstrider about the overall topic of cutscenes/cinematics.

[Musopticon?]

Gabriel Knight 2: The Beat Within

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dance Dance Gabriel Ultramix?!

 

 

Sorry, I had to.

 

 

 

 

Concerning FMV, C&C has always been a hallmark. Both in bad acting and quality of FMV. Emperor: Battle for Dune had great FMVs too and deserves a mention. What I'm going on with this is that Westwood has always been the king of videos, no matter how dubious a title that is. When Westwood kicked the bucket, FMVs died for me. Consequently, that was also the time when everyone went to in-game cinematics and once done in-engine.

[Hassat Hunter]

I like FMV's...

 

One vote for return here!

[alanschu]

The FMVs I always enjoyed the most were the Square ones. The final video for FF8 was like 10 minutes long.

[Hell Kitty]

I loved the FF8 FMV. I recall the Diablo 2 FMV also being quite nice.

[Kroney]

FF8 was awesome. I nearly wet myself with excitement when a uni friend showed me the opening FMV. FF8 tops FF7 in every way. I lub that game. I want my Playstation back now :angry:

 

I thought that game was the pinnacle of FMV use. FF9 did it well too, but FF10 went far too far with it.

 

Overall I think the Japanese are probably the most adept at it, I haven't really seen much int eh way of convincing FMV from Western developers since Dawn of War. Like HK says, though, Diablo 2 was also pretty good.

 

It seems to be something of a decaying art.

Edited September 28, 2006 by Kroney

[LadyCrimson]

I recall the Diablo 2 FMV also being quite nice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, those were pretty, for their day. Even now they're still nice to look at. They didn't bother me either, because they were like between game-act intermissions, telling a backstory, rather than interfering with the pace/action/characters in the game.

 

Tho any game you replay a lot, such cutscenes become a waste of time and you click like mad to get past them. And in multiplayer - argh - any system where any 1 person in your groupwho doesn't click to skip the movie that forces everyone else to wait and watch, is really irritating. IIRC GuildWars did that, and it drove me insane.

[kalimeeri]

One word: Anachronox.

[mkreku]

 

The Daggerfall intro, uploaded by yours truly!

 

First time ever, I might add.

[Dark_Raven]

Diablos both had nice FMVs.

[astr0creep]

FMVs for me are like little rewards.

 

I love them most as intros and outros.

 

The only game I've played that overdid them, for me, was Xenosaga 1 & 2. The second was much worse as most of the first disk is just you running around between cutscenes.

 

I love the FMVs in the Final Fantasy games.

 

For me, the perfect ending to a game is a long FMV, my reward for completing it. The one for FF7 was almost a half hour long and I love the little extra bit after the credits roll.

[LadyCrimson]

 

The Daggerfall intro, uploaded by yours truly!

 

First time ever, I might add.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is fun to watch them as seperate little movies outside of the game. So many game vids on YouTube...

[alanschu]

The only game I've played that overdid them, for me, was Xenosaga 1 & 2. The second was much worse as most of the first disk is just you running around between cutscenes.

 

I remember Metal Gear Solid having a rather large amount of cutscenes, mixed in with some anti-nuclear weapon videos. And it was goofy, where you'd go from one cutscene right into another after walking down a hallway.

[Darque]

I loved the FF8 FMV. I recall the Diablo 2 FMV also being quite nice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Agreed, on both counts.

[Moose]

Does anyone miss these? Back when you had actual actors acting out cutscenes and the game felt like an actual cinematic film and everything wasn't CGI. Now, I know FMV in video games is sooooooo '90's, but still...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Some people seem to be bringing up Final Fantasy, and whilst those cutscenes are pretty, they're still CGI and so its only logical to replace them with in game cutscenes as graphics progress.

 

I miss FMVs with real actors. Games like Dark Forces... I'd rather watch those cutscenes than the new Star Wars films.

[Calax]

Does anyone miss these? Back when you had actual actors acting out cutscenes and the game felt like an actual cinematic film and everything wasn't CGI. Now, I know FMV in video games is sooooooo '90's, but still...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Some people seem to be bringing up Final Fantasy, and whilst those cutscenes are pretty, they're still CGI and so its only logical to replace them with in game cutscenes as graphics progress.

 

I miss FMVs with real actors. Games like Dark Forces... I'd rather watch those cutscenes than the new Star Wars films.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

that was Jedi Knight... Dark Forces was old animation where generally only the mouth moved in the scene.

[LoneWolf16]

Does anyone miss these? Back when you had actual actors acting out cutscenes and the game felt like an actual cinematic film and everything wasn't CGI. Now, I know FMV in video games is sooooooo '90's, but still...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Some people seem to be bringing up Final Fantasy, and whilst those cutscenes are pretty, they're still CGI and so its only logical to replace them with in game cutscenes as graphics progress.

 

I miss FMVs with real actors. Games like Dark Forces... I'd rather watch those cutscenes than the new Star Wars films.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Like Wing Commander: Prophecy

[astr0creep]

The only game I've played that overdid them, for me, was Xenosaga 1 & 2. The second was much worse as most of the first disk is just you running around between cutscenes.

 

I remember Metal Gear Solid having a rather large amount of cutscenes, mixed in with some anti-nuclear weapon videos. And it was goofy, where you'd go from one cutscene right into another after walking down a hallway.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Agreed. I almost mentioned it too.

 

But MGS, even with unskipped cutscenes, can be completed in a few hours (8-10).

Xenosaga on the other hand, is over 20 hours long. When almost half of those hours are slent watching cutscenes or running around from one cutscene to the next with barely any battles in between I don't know... isn't it much worse?

 

Proportionally though, MGS may have just as many of them.

 

Meh.