Stories and games go hand in hand. Duh what about Tetris? Yes. There are exceptions smart ass, but the majority of games attempt to tell a story. How the plot is presented has been a popular discussion amongst the gaming community for both developers and consumers. Reading various articles from Gamasutra.com, and to a lesser extent sites like Kotaku, IGN, and 1UP, I’ve seen two popular sides emerge.
On one end of the table is the traditional cut-scene. These usually occur before or after a major event in the story or level. The player loses control of their character(s), and the game swings into a presentation that mimics film.
These scenes are often enhanced with
improved graphics, and scenarios that can not be experienced through
normal gameplay. Examples of games with cut scenes are numerous: Ninja
Gaiden, God of War, Halo, Red Alert, Final Fantasy, Star Wars: The
Force Unleashed, Mario, Zelda—the list goes on and on.
Sitting
on the opposite end of the table are those in favor of
in-game-story-telling. This method delivers all dialogue and major
events in game. The player usually has some control of their
character(s) the entire time. A popular example of this mechanic is
Half-Life 2. Other games that employ this technique are Bioshock,
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, L4D, COD: Modern Warfare, and Splinter
Cell.
In-game dialogue has gained popularity for a good reason. The
presentation style rarely impedes the players’ interaction with the
game world. This often improves the immersion factor, and strengthens
character development. For some studios this technique can also be a
money saver by eliminating the need to hire an outside business to
create a cut scene.
So what’s better in-game-story-telling or
cut scenes? Like many issues people fall on all sides. I personally
land somewhere in the middle. Both of these techniques have valid pros
and cons. Cut scenes can provide beautiful animated moments that get me
pumped and ready to play. I still get goose bumps when I watch the
Blizzard cinematic for World of Warcraft or Diablo II.
Even a game with
a horrible plot like Ninja Gaiden can employ cut scenes as a nice
visual pleasing break form the intense action. If, however, cut scenes
are executed poorly gamers will find themselves frantically pressing
buttons to pass by the garbage and get back to having fun. The same
theory of poor execution can be tied to in-game-story-telling. When
done right this technique improves player immersion and character
development. I don’t believe any of the games that I mentioned early
would have had the same impact without in-game-story-telling.
When
done properly both presentation methods can deliver fantastic stories
and experiences. Combine the two and get the best of both worlds. Most
recently, but not exclusively, I experienced this with Batman Arkham
Asylum. Right from the start the game blends cut scenes with
in-game-story-telling brilliantly.
The game begins with a visual rich
short video consisting of Batman driving the Joker to Arkham. Once they
arrive the interaction kicks in. Players must escort Joker to his cell.
While moving the Batman about players are treated with tons of visual
and audio moments. This blended style of cut scene and
in-game-story-telling continues throughout the game. So can’t we gamers
have our cake and eat it too?
Even with my preference of a
blended presentation I understand the need to evaluate these methods on
a game by game basis. There is also the other side of the puzzle—good
writing and cinematic direction. If these factors are lacking in
quality, then overall presentation will be monotonous despite the
technique employed. That correlation, however, is another topic for
another time.