Cutscenes: When are they necessary?

     Cinematics are stunningly pretty. Just look at Pixar; they make pretty 3D movies all the time. Games implement cutscenes in the form of cinematics just like Pixar, just not throughout the entire game. That would be absurdly expensive. Cutscenes are implemented as a storytelling device. They can look like an animated movie in some cases, but they have this little habit of stopping gameplay. 

 

      The worst cutscenes happen frequently throughout the game. It ruins pacing by acting like a roller coaster that goes up, gets stuck at the top, then falls down and goes up another incline, stops, then falls down again. I'm certain that the attention span of the player plummets much like this roller coaster when the cutscenes show up. Not to say that cutscenes should just be removed from all games, but if the scene stops gameplay for too long, the player will start to lose interest and put down the controller. You want to remind the player that they need to keep their hands on the controller just in case they need to start playing again. 

 

      The best cutscenes I have seen are in Half-Life 2. There isn't any widescreen black bars showing up at the top and bottom, control does not leave the player unless there is a real reason for it such as the character being immobilized, and the dialogue goes with subtitles and explains what is happening in a clear and concise manner. Sure, the action part of this acclaimed shooter might not be happening during this cutscene, but the player still assumes control of Gordon Freeman. Movement is still as free as it is during normal gameplay and shooting is still allowed (just don't shoot poor Eli Vance).

      Another good example of cutscenes done right is Final Fantasy 9. Cutscenes are basically still in game with dialogue boxes and characters move wherever they like. Once the dialogue ends, a little white gloved hand appears on top of the main character and the player immediately knows he/she is in control again. This game has very few cinematics and requires no vocal dialogue to convey the story.

      A bad example of cutscenes would be Okami. As much as I love this game, it has this big gaping flaw: the introduction. Okami tries to explain its premise and setting, but takes way too long to do it. It takes over 20 minutes to elaborate on what is going on! Not only that, the entire sequence cannot be skipped! The best way to fix this is to cut it down to 3-5 minutes, then let the rest of the game explain what is happening. The strange thing is Okami even repeats itself throughout the game, constantly reminding players of the story behind Orochi and the 100 years that have passed since Shiranui took Orochi down. If a cutscene is too long, the player will get frustrated and might even consider skipping everything (or if they cannot, just to quit altogether). 

 

      The point is this: cutscenes can help convey a story, but don't overdo it. Too many cutscenes makes it feel like a movie and a long intro will derail the entire thing. The best way to tell the story of a game is to let the player just play through it. Provide some dialogue for necessary parts and maybe use cinematics for anything that could be plot critical such as a major twist in the plot. Cutscenes can help, but are not always necessary.