"Cinematic look" in games

[L. Scofield]

Common elements of "cinematic" games:

-Melodramatic storyline
-Lots of cutscenes
-Scripted events
-Linear paths
-QTEs
-Low FOV
-30 fps or less

Why do developers try to make games more like movies at the expense of game design?

 

[DrJay24]

Because the best selling and best reviewed games are mixing variations of these ingredients and it is a monkey see, monkey do industry?

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Using Uncharted and The Last of Us as examples, I'd suggest that if executed well they sell well.

Or is your question, do cinematic games (using your 7 points) appeal to gamers more than games which don't adopt these points?

 

[Billy Idol]

Common elements of "cinematic" games:

-Melodramatic storyline
-Lots of cutscenes
-Scripted events
-Linear paths
-QTEs
-Low FOV
-30 fps or less

Why do developers try to make games more like movies at the expense of game design?

Because not all games can be open world and boring! We need variety, thus, a cinematic game here and then...why not?

 

[L. Scofield]

Well, the best selling games are COD games and that's mostly for the multiplayer.

EDIT: Apparently the best selling games of last year were:

1. GTAV
2. COD Ghosts
3. FIFA 2014
4. Pokémon X&Y
5. ACIV
6. The Last of Us
7. Animal Crossing New Leaf
8. Tomb Raider
9. Monster Hunter IV
10. Bioshock Infinite

 

[Pixel]

Maybe a bit of compensation by the lead developers. Wanting to prove themselves to be every bit as relevant and important as movie directors. In the 40+ crowd, gaming is looked down upon by many in comparison to movies.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Looking at that list, I'd say the 10% that are cinematic experiences (LoU) is pretty representative that most games aren't cinematic pieces, and thus it's a small niche. The reason for that niche is because games can involve story as well as gameplay, and an experience of that sort can be very rewarding. In the case of early next-gen titles, I'll argue that one of the key reasons to buy a next-gen console is for the next-gen experience, and visuals that push that home are the main incentive (not least because it's hard to come up with next-gen gameplay that is significantly advanced, and hard to convey such gameplay in a way that attracts people as well as screenshots and videos of fancy visuals can). Ergo, Uncharted and Gears and The Order and Ryse command extra interest by going for cinematic visuals and epic experiences.

Although an expensive undertaking, cinematic games have notably artistic reward for the developer and can be fairly dependable to at least make their money back, I think, unless the dev overspends or serves up a gameplay turkey.

 

[L. Scofield]

The problem I have with these games is that they don't blend the cinematic aspects with the gameplay, they replace the latter with the former. Just look at The Order melee "combat", it's just a cutscene in which you press a button for another optional cutscene. Or those FPS where they make a scene in slow motion so you can shoot every guy in the room without any worries.

You can have dramatic movements and camera angles without removing player control. This is just lazy "game" design.

Low FOV is done so that objects appear bigger and therefore more detailed but that takes away peripheral view. Though I guess that doesn't matter if you're in a corridor...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

You're question was, 'why do they do it?' You've now taken that to 'well, I don't like it' as if to suggest they shouldn't make those games if they aren't to you're liking. Perhaps you'd be better off asking why other people do like those games and buy them, and as that's very subjective, I doubt you'd get a satisfying conversation.

I suppose it could be a bit annoying to see quality games with great assets including a gameplay style that precludes them from one's own personal library, but at the end of the day, we're free to ignore games we don't like. It's not as if the entire games industry is headed that way and you're being squeezed out because everyone's going cinematic in ways you dislike.

 

[DrJay24]

Well, the best selling games are COD games and that's mostly for the multiplayer.

EDIT: Apparently the best selling games of last year were:

1. GTAV
2. COD Ghosts
3. FIFA 2014
4. Pokémon X&Y
5. ACIV
6. The Last of Us
7. Animal Crossing New Leaf
8. Tomb Raider
9. Monster Hunter IV
10. Bioshock Infinite

And most of those blend elements of your list.

 

[Scott_Arm]

They do it because they think it looks cool, and some times they're right. I'm all for cinematic games, just like I'm all for games that don't look cinematic at all.

 

[Billy Idol]

They do it because they think it looks cool, and some times they're right. I'm all for cinematic games, just like I'm all for games that don't look cinematic at all.

Exactly. When it works, it is great....working or not is further highly subjective. But I don't need cinematic at all to have fun...but options and variety is good.

Imo, devs also do it to offer their vision of a game and they do it as they hope/think people will love their game.

 

[L. Scofield]

Do those games sell because they lack gameplay? It's seems like that's the assumption but is there any truth to that?

Would they sell more or less if they kept the cinematic feel but had deeper gameplay systems?

 

[Scott_Arm]

Do those games sell because they lack gameplay? It's seems like that's the assumption but is there any truth to that?

Would they sell more or less if they kept the cinematic feel but had deeper gameplay systems?

If they were designed differently they'd be different games. Who knows. Sometimes I enjoy a more "on rails" experience. Sometimes that's what I feel like playing.

 

[DrJay24]

How do you measure gameplay? You can take all the "cinematics" out of a game and it would still contain the same game mechanics, it would just not tell a story. How does adding one thing take away from the other? They are not mutually exclusive. Adding cutscenes and voice actors to the new Tomb Raider did not change the gameplay.

IMO cinematics is just a natural evolution to the medium. Quake 2 and 11th Hour were ground breaking at the time, but they would not work today. Even the last bastions of story-less games like online shooters have occasional cinematic moments to draw the player in.

 

[L. Scofield]

Cinematics are one thing. QTEs are another.

When you replace a combat system with QTEs, you're taking away gameplay in exchange for a cutscene.

Games are about playing, not watching.

I have to wonder if the poeple making these games wouldn't rather be making movies.

 

[Shortbread]

Common elements of "cinematic" games:

-Melodramatic storyline
-Lots of cutscenes
-Scripted events
-Linear paths
-QTEs
-Low FOV
-30 fps or less

Why do developers try to make games more like movies at the expense of game design?

It sounds like you have a personal issues with these games, especially "The Order". The Order actually eclipse anything I have seen recently... actually adding new elements of gameplay along the way. Looking at previous attempts like "Ryse" were very uneventful (poor gameplay, lacking animation, ect...), just in a nice skin (graphics). Hopefully, The Order corrects a lot of shortcomings presented in Ryse... IMHO, it's doing that in spades at a higher IQ.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Cinematics are one thing. QTEs are another.

When you replace a combat system with QTEs, you're taking away gameplay in exchange for a cutscene.

Games are about playing, not watching.

I have to wonder if the poeple making these games wouldn't rather be making movies.

I have my limits. I was a big fan of both Uncharted 2 and Max Payne 3, but they both loved mini-cinematics that seemed to happen far too often. I also don't mind QTEs if they're used sparingly. I thought Resident Evil 4/5 did a pretty good job of that. They can be pretty interesting if there is enough variety and you aren't seeing them too often. If the game was just QTEs one after the other, I'd probably get annoyed. Some people would love a game like that. Personally, I get tired of games that have very lengthy cinematics between "levels." If I can put more controller down for more than 5 minutes at a time, and it happens regularly, I probably won't like the game.

 

[Scott_Arm]

It sounds like you have a personal issues with these games, especially "The Order". The Order actually eclipse anything I have seen recently... actually adding new elements of gameplay along the way. Looking at previous attempts like "Ryse" were very uneventful (poor gameplay, lacking animation, ect...), just in a nice skin (graphics). Hopefully, The Order corrects a lot of shortcomings presented in Ryse... IMHO, it's doing that in spades at a higher IQ.

THe gameplay in the order looks pretty simple from what they've shown. Basic cover mechanics, like Gears and some QTEs. Haven't seen anything new yet. Looks like they're going for more stylized combat.

 

[3dilettante]

Common elements of "cinematic" games:

-Melodramatic storyline
-Lots of cutscenes
-Scripted events
-Linear paths
-QTEs
-Low FOV
-30 fps or less

Why do developers try to make games more like movies at the expense of game design?

I can't speak to the melodrama, but a lot of the other items here also have the effect of working around memory and performance limitations.
A lower frame rate target is one obvious one.
Linear paths, particularly Uncharted-esque progress limiters like little gates or ladders you have to stop to activate and one-way events/floor collapse/ladder falls apart/door gets blocked/ceiling collapse/car crashes/train crashes/car collapses/train colllapses/boat sinks, crashes, and probably collapses/the collapse collapses/collapse collapse collapse collapse--constrain the amount of data that needs to be maintained in memory and makes streaming easier to predict and reduced what may need to be brought over the limited disk IO channel at innoportune times.

Constrained traversal in with a pretty backdrop is another thing that I believe Naughty Dog actually brought up for Uncharted 2.

The bang for buck for the set-pieces is a greater spectacle with careful sleight of hand reducing the computational, bandwidth, and memory requirements. Just like in an illusionist's show, however, the mirrors don't work if the audience is allowed to poke around in the middle of the trick.