It had a good run.
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Modern games - cutscenes, scripted events and menus. Where's the gameplay?
- Thread starter JimiNutz
- Start date
It had a good run.
FloweryMarston
Member
It was more of an okay run. Not a 10 out of 10. More like a 9.75 out of 10.
Morrigan Stark
Arrogant Smirk
Yup, OP, this is what most of modern AAA gaming is all about. Fortunately there's plenty of games that eschew these annoying tropes. Tomb Raider is honestly the epitome of this trend, the game is basically a modern AAA checklist with no thought put into any of its mechanics. Not all games are so checklisty, even among AAA titles.
But if you want an AAA game that you can pick up and play briefly and put down quickly, but that still has deep compelling gameplay, well... good luck. Seems like we either get long overwrought cinematic games, or games that require a significant time investment (like Dark Souls).
But if you want an AAA game that you can pick up and play briefly and put down quickly, but that still has deep compelling gameplay, well... good luck. Seems like we either get long overwrought cinematic games, or games that require a significant time investment (like Dark Souls).
Yes, but if a game is going to be story-driven and frequently interrupt the player with cut scenes, it should have the decency to at least have a good story and engaging characters. Tomb Raider has neither, and every cut scene is completely insipid. And you can still have intensive story elements without compromising the gameplay. See Legacy of Kain, Final Fantasy Tactics, The Last of Us, etc.
Wow, you sure showed them.
FloweryMarston
Member
You mean games for CHILDREN, games for TWELVE YEAR OLDS, and games that are 2deep4u?
RIP IN PIECES GAMING
CosmicQueso
Member
It does not matter how it compares to San Andreas. San Andreas is also a crap game to pick if you want jump in/jump out.
jhmtehgamr20xx
Banned
Callibretto
Member
er, what's wrong with Tomb Raider 2013 gameplay quantity? I was expecting people to say games like Beyond and Heavy Rain in this thread.
Tomb Raider have story cutscenes and setpieces, sure. but pretty sure the core gameplay of exploring and combat vastly outnumber the cutscenes lengthwise. I understand if people prefer more puzzle solving and exploration than the more shooting heavy gameplay Tomb Raider had, but that is the gameplay, saying there's not much gameplay in TR2013 is just plain wrong.
Tomb Raider have story cutscenes and setpieces, sure. but pretty sure the core gameplay of exploring and combat vastly outnumber the cutscenes lengthwise. I understand if people prefer more puzzle solving and exploration than the more shooting heavy gameplay Tomb Raider had, but that is the gameplay, saying there's not much gameplay in TR2013 is just plain wrong.
I've been playing Max Payne 3 again, first time since release. I don't mind cutscenes but taking control away from the player like this is absurd. It happens when climbing ladders or even pressing buttons to open doors. Just let me hold W to climb and let me look around with the camera, you can still play your damn voice-overs, I don't need some fancy camera angle for climbing up a ladder.
I wish cutscenes let me decide where to stand and look more often, I might be stupid but I'm not a complete moron.
I wish cutscenes let me decide where to stand and look more often, I might be stupid but I'm not a complete moron.
Tomb Raider is a good game. I didn't enjoy Uncharted, not because it was to linear, but the shooting felt off to me. Felt like I was using toy guns. It just felt off. I do get what you saying. But like the encounters get really interesting later on. As you level Lara and your weaponry up, you can approach some of the encounters in really interesting ways, reminds me a bit of Halo encounters, far from as open, but in its own way it has its own forms of tactics only problem is these parts are few. There's a stage where it's night time and choosing which order to take out the enemies and from where or distracting enemies was like super interesting for me. When you get all your upgrades the game becomes more interesting, but it is up to you to use the different tools to make it fun for yourself I suppose. I will say one thing Tomb Raider made me really want an Arrow game more than anything. I used the bow and arrow through most of the game and the different shooting modes for it allows for some interesting approaches, a bit limited, but there is different weapons for other approaches. It won't be everybody's cup of tea I suppose. If you have time try to get further.
Fbh
Member
Plrnty of AAA games have fun gameplay. Including tomb raider. But I admit it's annoying how so many games take forerver to let you play. Those damn 2 hours long intros get annoying.
But to be honest, that's only partially because of the whole "cinematic" focus.
I think a much larger part is the whole "hand holding" mentality of developers who think that most people are too stupid to figure out even the most basic gameplay mechanics on their own.
"Oh god, how are these idiots going to figure out that if you stand behind an enemy and press the big glowing button that appears on screen you can do a silent takedown?.
We NEED to have a very slow and boring section in the beginning with like 1 or 2 guys and a long conversation between characters to really let the players know what they have to do. And then repeat a scenario like this like 10 times to be sure they get this complex game mechanic before we can throw them into actual levels."
"Oh and this reminds me HEY BILL!!!BILL!!!..... did you remember to put a large sign reminding the player that they can walk using the left analog stick?
Yeah? Oh great, imagine if we miss that. Half the people wouldn't even be able to move lol"
But to be honest, that's only partially because of the whole "cinematic" focus.
I think a much larger part is the whole "hand holding" mentality of developers who think that most people are too stupid to figure out even the most basic gameplay mechanics on their own.
"Oh god, how are these idiots going to figure out that if you stand behind an enemy and press the big glowing button that appears on screen you can do a silent takedown?.
We NEED to have a very slow and boring section in the beginning with like 1 or 2 guys and a long conversation between characters to really let the players know what they have to do. And then repeat a scenario like this like 10 times to be sure they get this complex game mechanic before we can throw them into actual levels."
"Oh and this reminds me HEY BILL!!!BILL!!!..... did you remember to put a large sign reminding the player that they can walk using the left analog stick?
Yeah? Oh great, imagine if we miss that. Half the people wouldn't even be able to move lol"
I just walked out of a double from hell. Crossing the street, some bum asked me for change. I told him I could use some change too, pal.
He grabbed my coat as I started to walk away and he stands up, wide eyed. He tells me that I think I am in control, but I'm not. The change that I want has come already even if I hadn't realized. That I was being directed down a dark alley, littered with beaten old Ikea couches and desks. My path laid out as I walk a straight line, slowly, as the world crumbles around me. He looked me in the eye and whispered "It is already too late" as he sat back down. I dropped 2 quarters in his cup and walked away. What is the world coming to?
Gaming went out of fashion in like 2008. It's easier to sell interactive movies than games because Hollywood has already conditioned a large amount of people to get hyped for paper thin, mediocre movies. Soon this form of game will die out and most studios will focus on making mobile games for 2 year olds with the goal of reaching a wider audience.
Seriously though, I have no idea how people even tolerate the state of gaming now. It's just by the books boring. Anyways, my advice is dive into the treasure trove of gaming 1980s-2004. Amazing games without all the shit that makes modern games a chore. Wii U also seems respectable compared to it's competition in terms of having fun games. Otherwise, get ready for a long, long winter.
Seriously though, I have no idea how people even tolerate the state of gaming now. It's just by the books boring. Anyways, my advice is dive into the treasure trove of gaming 1980s-2004. Amazing games without all the shit that makes modern games a chore. Wii U also seems respectable compared to it's competition in terms of having fun games. Otherwise, get ready for a long, long winter.
Fleshfeast
Member
Even games that claim to be old-school or classic suffer from extra story and cutscenes.
Painkiller had a cinematic intro.
Serious Sam 3 is littered with cutscenes.
Shadow Warrior has an intro and a bunch of story and dialogue. They even added a companion character to talk to you through the whole game.
This video un-sold me on Ducktales, because of the ridiculous amount of times it pauses for a cutscenes and dialogue.
Painkiller had a cinematic intro.
Serious Sam 3 is littered with cutscenes.
Shadow Warrior has an intro and a bunch of story and dialogue. They even added a companion character to talk to you through the whole game.
This video un-sold me on Ducktales, because of the ridiculous amount of times it pauses for a cutscenes and dialogue.
lukeskymac
Member
I can only conclude this has become a joke thread and I'm too thick to notice.
Well, despite not playing much of these types of games (mainly been playing my Vita for the past year or so; been more or less ignoring my PS3 and plain to wait on the PS4 until KH3 and something else comes out), I guess the gameplay lies in there attempts to 'appeal' to everyone :l.
The last game I guess fits into this thread was Tomb Raider 2013 (got if for PS3 via PS+) and the game just throws tons of things at the player; they can hunt animals, they can explore 'tombs' (if they can even be called that), fight with stealth, run around and collection random things that have NO significance to the main story, and shoot things with almost certenally NOT Hunger Games inspired Bow and Arrow..... I enjoyed the game for its exploration and despite joking about the bow, it was really fun using it in combat
. The game though....its story was so bad ; Lara is just so unlikeable here and the rest of the cast isn't that much better (
I guess modern games don't really feel the need to try to have a cohesive experience that sticks to ONE core thing and goes from there, they feel like they have to add all these different mechanics just to draw you attention to the game and just loosely connect things with gameplay that is either whole-sale lifted from more successful games or heavily borrows things from them to 'appeal' to the most people :l.
I suppose that is why Nintendo is in a better lime-light now and why the Indie scene exploded; they still hold the spirit gaming had in the past generations (focus on gameplay and using the gaming medium to do things never done before). That is why indie games are so popular on here (at least what I notice from lurking here for while and my time so far as an member); they either focus on gameplay first or they are used to interact with a world (games like Gone Home for example).
Honestly, I have just as much fun playing Guacamelee and Fez on my Vita as I have playing the bigger games on the system. Gaming will be fine in the future; as more and more gamers get sick of the stale and almost toxic nature of AAA tittles, developers and publishers will have to fall back on what got them to the top in the first place...making great games .
Don't get me wrong, there are AAA games that don't fall into this trap; the Arkam games for example are AAA games (I think so?) that have a strong story AND have focused gameplay and a strong vision. Its just that a large number of AAA games sadly don't have that much consistent focus anymore .
The last game I guess fits into this thread was Tomb Raider 2013 (got if for PS3 via PS+) and the game just throws tons of things at the player; they can hunt animals, they can explore 'tombs' (if they can even be called that), fight with stealth, run around and collection random things that have NO significance to the main story, and shoot things with almost certenally NOT Hunger Games inspired Bow and Arrow..... I enjoyed the game for its exploration and despite joking about the bow, it was really fun using it in combat
. The game though....its story was so bad ; Lara is just so unlikeable here and the rest of the cast isn't that much better (
Lara's Girlfriend might as well be the Princess Peach of the damn game with the amount of times she gets captured X().
I guess modern games don't really feel the need to try to have a cohesive experience that sticks to ONE core thing and goes from there, they feel like they have to add all these different mechanics just to draw you attention to the game and just loosely connect things with gameplay that is either whole-sale lifted from more successful games or heavily borrows things from them to 'appeal' to the most people :l.
I suppose that is why Nintendo is in a better lime-light now and why the Indie scene exploded; they still hold the spirit gaming had in the past generations (focus on gameplay and using the gaming medium to do things never done before). That is why indie games are so popular on here (at least what I notice from lurking here for while and my time so far as an member); they either focus on gameplay first or they are used to interact with a world (games like Gone Home for example).
Honestly, I have just as much fun playing Guacamelee and Fez on my Vita as I have playing the bigger games on the system
. Gaming will be fine in the future; as more and more gamers get sick of the stale and almost toxic nature of AAA tittles, developers and publishers will have to fall back on what got them to the top in the first place...making great games . Don't get me wrong, there are AAA games that don't fall into this trap; the Arkam games for example are AAA games (I think so?) that have a strong story AND have focused gameplay and a strong vision
. Its just that a large number of AAA games sadly don't have that much consistent focus anymore .Professor Beef
Banned
John_RiticelloEA
Banned
Where have you been for the last 8 years...?
This thread, lol..
I think there is room for both the Tomb Raider/Uncharted/Ryse/The Order type games as well as the more gameplay focused ones. (Not to say those games don't have good gameplay, it just also has these more cinematic qualities)
The definition of a video game isn't really static anymore; it is always changing and evolving-and that doesn't objectively make one game better than another just because it is more story driven. Luckily there are so many ways to see a game before you buy it that it really should be up to the consumer to make sure that the game they're buying is right up their alley. There really is no excuse. Honestly this thread makes you sound like an old man saying games used to be better back in the day, OP.
I think there is room for both the Tomb Raider/Uncharted/Ryse/The Order type games as well as the more gameplay focused ones. (Not to say those games don't have good gameplay, it just also has these more cinematic qualities)
The definition of a video game isn't really static anymore; it is always changing and evolving-and that doesn't objectively make one game better than another just because it is more story driven. Luckily there are so many ways to see a game before you buy it that it really should be up to the consumer to make sure that the game they're buying is right up their alley. There really is no excuse. Honestly this thread makes you sound like an old man saying games used to be better back in the day, OP.
lukeskymac
Member
I'm outta this asylum
Wreck-It Ralph
Member
OP should get Shovel Knight.
Everyone should get Shovel Knight.
Everyone should get Shovel Knight.
JJDinomite
Banned
Gaming is dying, shame on all of you who don't see it. I'm in the same boat as OP. I can't remember the last time I finished an entire single player campaign, simply because I get so bored of unskippable cutscenes and lack of gameplay.
Anyone who thinks this needs to step away from western AAA games for a while. There's plenty of smaller gameplay focused games out there once you get out of that circle.
Agree with all the Dishonored mentions, that game is great at letting you just get on with it. This is probably why I keep coming back to Doom and Spelunky - there's no filler, just gameplay.
Max Payne 3 is the worst recent offender for me, the gameplay was so good that the endless interruptions were even worse by contrast. My reaction after about the fifth cutscene in as many minutes.
Max Payne 3 is the worst recent offender for me, the gameplay was so good that the endless interruptions were even worse by contrast. My reaction after about the fifth cutscene in as many minutes.
JimiNutz
Banned
Who starts a post with "not being funny" then turns around and says "haha fooled you all!". That post was not sarcasm.
On topic, who judges all of gaming based on one game? You even said you don't play many games then judge all of modern gaming based of Tomb Raider, for real man?
CadetMahoney
Member
JordanN
Banned
I'm actually fine with AAA cinematic games.
What bothers me is that it's limited to just shooters. And they're gritty brown colored. Could you imagine if we got AAA cinematic platformers with lots of color? Or AAA cinematic RPG's (that doesn't suck?).
The AAA genre is still very playable and I welcome more of them. It just needs to involve more than just guns and dirt color.
What bothers me is that it's limited to just shooters. And they're gritty brown colored. Could you imagine if we got AAA cinematic platformers with lots of color? Or AAA cinematic RPG's (that doesn't suck?).
The AAA genre is still very playable and I welcome more of them. It just needs to involve more than just guns and dirt color.
thetrin
Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
You guys need to broaden your gaming horizons, I think.
There are tons of amazing games releasing everyday.
Rarely? Nawp. Those games are easy to find. They're just not packaged at retail and selling for 60 bucks.
Edit: Or they're made by Platinum and Nintendo.
I never tried Uncharted, and U3 was on for PS+ so I played that. Having to go through the motions for a scripted event every other minute. Run up the stairs, watch Nathan stumble. Climb up wall, part of it breaks off, watch Nathan almost fall then regain his grip. The frequency of scripted events in that game is just too much for me.
I found myself in the same position as you a couple of years ago. The answer? Don't play so many AAA games. Stick to small games. The best ones are mechanically rich, heavy on smart and tight gameplay, and most importantly, they value your time.
So join the rest of us in the small games pool. Save the AAA games for those one or two exceptional releases per year. The rest of the AAA space is designed to waste your time.