I love when video game devs talk smack about other games...even if it's at the expense of my dear Halo...

http://www.nowgamer.com/news/2906/crysis-2-lead-writer-halo-is-bullshit

Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing...

i think i've realized why most games with "storylines" annoy the shit out of me, whereas when i grew up i loved games with good storylines.

because now, most of the "storylines" are only revealed during the cut scenes. it's basically like...

CUT SCENE: Bad dialog, bad character motion, blah blah blah...

IN GAME: shooting! fighting! don't die! get that weapon! wooooo!!!!

CUT SCENE: more storyline...bad dialog...curse word...blah blah blah

etc.

The only game that comes immediately to mind that's more like the "old days" is "Half-Life". Yeah there are cut scenes, with bad dialog and etc, but there's also in-game dialog and sometimes the plot unfolds while you are playing the game.

the old sierra games were perfect for this, along with, I believe..."wing commander". but "wing commander" coulda been more like the modern games are now. it's been a while since I've played WC.

anyway. i figured it out. and that's probably why i don't play a lot of those games.

Kinda funny that another Alien invasion game is making fun of an Alien invasion game. Kinda like saying the plot of Space Invaders is bullshit ! I haven't played Heavy Rain, but I heard good things about that story. I also have heard that Alan Wake is supposed to be good, but I fear that W_Z's generalization is spot on. I've seen alot of stuff on Alan Wake that looks good, but its almost all cutscenes... I think gameplay is gonna be boring.

I guess the guy had similar remarks about Modern Warfare 2 and now he's bashing Killzone 2's graphics...talk about spraying to all fields...for his sake, Crysis 2 better be the best fucking game of all time...

On to WZ's point...I hear what you are saying, and I would point to Modern Warfare 2 as being the biggest offender when it comes to drawing a line between gameplay and storytelling. For as cool as I thought the individual levels were, it was really jarring to get done with one level, and then go to a cutscene where they had to tell you what just happened and what it is you are about to do...for almost every single mission.

Now, allow me to put on my Halo fanboy cap for a second and say that while they certainly have their fair share of cutscenes, they also have those first person quasi-cutscenes at random moments in the game where it's not a complete break from the action (much like the storytelling style WZ described in Half Life, but to a lesser extent)...this was really apparent in Halo 3, where you could choose to "skip it" but the scene would still be going on (if you've played the game, you know what I mean)...

Finally, I'd argue that shooters aren't alone in this behavior...for as much as I love the games, both Final Fantasy XIII and, to a lesser extent Mass Effect 2, resorted to telling much of their story either through cutscenes or an in game codex/primer.

that's true; it's been a while since i've played halo & halo 2 (never played 3) but i do kinda remember that, as well. but like i said, first example that came to mind to me was "half-life". also i didn't actually mind the cut scenes in halo because i liked the storyline.



i haven't played a final fantasy game since 8 but i can see this being sort of the norm with modern video games. that's why i'm rarely impressed with a commercial for a video game. these bombastic theatrical productions just make me roll my eyes. you NEVER see gameplay in a commercial anymore. gameplay has become very static and uninspired for a lot of game companies, and it seems like they pour more of their money and time into the cut scenes than the actual game play itself.

This made me think of watching the Gears of War 3 reveal on Fallon this morning before work...yeah, it looked cool, but is it something I'll actually get to play? Probably not.