Is “too many cutscenes” a legitimate criticism?

[Deleted member 17627]

Was talking about this with a friend last night where we both shared our experience of struggling to get through Yakuza 0 because of how many cutscenes it had. Another friend wasn't a big fan of that criticism, saying that it's just how the narrative is designed and that while it may not have appealed to us, it has its target audience.

Would like to hear what Era has to say on the topic.

 

[Pankratous]

Not for me.

I play games for the stories. I fucking love cutscenes. MGS4 is golden.

Edit: And I don't think you should be allowed to skip cutscenes on your first play-through. Pausing only. Subsequent play-throughs should allow skipping.

 

[Kalentan]

Only if they actually ruin the flow or if they're boring. If they're interesting then I'm fine with lots of cutscenes.

 

[Lashley]

Not for me.

I play games for the stories. I fucking love cutscenes. MGS4 is golden.

Click to shrink...

This.

 

[Kenzodielocke]

Yeah.

You are both wrong on Yakuza though.

 

[SwampBastard]

I will never touch another MGS title because of this. I hate it. I want to play a game, not watch it.

 

[InspectaDekka]

I mean any criticism is legitimate if you have solid reasoning so yes.

 

[RM8]

Absolutely yes, it does happen that they mess with the pacing of a game.

 

[Diddy Kong]

Depends on the game I suppose

 

[zombiejames]

I don't think so, no. My only issue is if you can't skip them on repeated playthroughs.

 

[Exit Music]

I think it was a problem in Kingdom Hearts 3. I felt like I never actually got the play the game because every few steps a new 10 minute cut scene would start.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

I played Need For Speed (2015) for the first time last night.

Yes, absolutely.

 

[eXistor]

If it detracts from the gameplay, absolutely. There are games where I groan loudly when I get to another cutscene.

 

[SteelBeast6Beets]

I recall back in the day people calling Xenosaga "Cutscene Hell".

 

[Mullet2000]

If someone thinks there's too many cutscenes, it's just another way of saying they aren't into the narrative/writing - thus they see the cutscenes as a bit of a chore.

 

[TheMan]

I mean any criticism is legitimate if you have solid reasoning so yes.

Click to shrink...

Yeah. Saying you can't criticize something because it's designed that way is silly

 

[BillFromAccounting]

Absolutely.

And I'm certain the only people that disagree are people who never played MGS4. Way too many interruptions in a game that had great gameplay, to the point where you almost never got a rhythm going while playing.

 

[LordGorchnik]

As long as there is a skip option in there Im good.

 

[Branson]

Good cutscenes to go along with good gameplay is just icing on the cake. Gimme

 

[Hanbei]

Too many? No. Unskippable? Yes.

 

[CorethPWilshire]

Definitely, particularly if they mess with the pacing. Some games use them really well (The Last of Us and RDR2 for example) but I find that in most games I'm just waiting for them to end so I can get back to playing the game.

 

[oliverandm]

No, and it's a lazy way to criticize the problems that can occur with cutscenes, that is: they should be well made, and not bog down the experience by having a negative effect on pacing and flow. You don't get a free pass because they're not actually interactive. BLUElight above me points out: some games use them really well, and they come naturally as part of the story, whilst others simply seem to shove 'em in there for no good reason.

 

[smuf]

Wholly depends on the quality of the cutscenes.

I don't mind them most of the time. If I really don't care about the story I just skip them.

 

[AxeVince]

For me it really depends on the story and the pacing.
A boring story can feel better than it is because it's mostly told through gameplay.
A great story can be slowed down by cutscenes or deepened by them depending how well they are done.

I loved the pacing and story of Yakuza 0 and feel the cutscenes added to the story.
I did not like the pacing nor the story of RDR2 and felt the cutscenes slowed the game even more and pushed further every stereotype of the western genre they could.

 

[Deleted member 2102]

It can be if you stretch it to critique the narrative presentation. Cutscenes that break up the gameplay loop to a distracting degree, or fail to move the narrative in a compelling way, are absolutely issues. Game design valuing length tends to lead to an unwillingness to make cuts. That being said, I remember Yakuza 0 being pretty well paced in this respect. It may just be an investment issue.

 

[MadMod]

Not for me.

I play games for the stories. I fucking love cutscenes. MGS4 is golden.

Click to shrink...

Absolutely this. There are games without them, so i find it seriously odd when people complain about too many... Just play a MP game or skip.

 

[Elandyll]

Honestly (besides the quality of the cutscenes themselves), it depends of the amount and quality of gameplay between said scenes.
MGS4 worked really well in spite of a tremendous amount of cutscenes.

The Order 1886 maybe not quite as well...
The gameplay sequences were just too few and too short in between.

 

[Aaronrules380]

sure, if it genuinely bothers the person saying it. It's not a problem for me personally, but if someone else dislikes it, who am I to say they're tastes are wrong?

 

[thevid]

Yes. I'm playing Alan Wake for the first time, and the game just doesn't want you to control Alan for more than a minute or two at a time. Very annoying so far.

 

[Salty Rice]

No

Unskippable and too much impatience? Yes

 

[psilocybe]

Well, if it is good it is good.

MGS4 was too much for me. It was too quirky and pointless sometimes. Now, TLOU was perfect. It is all personal in the end

 

[Phantom]

Unskippable cutscenes are, especially when the storytelling sucks.

 

[Glass Arrows]

They can be, depending on the circumstances. For example I like metal gear but the length of some cutscenes specifically IMO is way too long to the point of feeling a bit indulgent.

But in theory there isn't necessarily something wrong with having a lot of cutscenes, it just depends on if it fits your taste or not.

 

[Chivalry]

You can just as well complain about too much gameplay in Yakuza. I could use more cutscenes and fewer battles in these games. Unskippable cutscenes are evil, though.

 

[Bear]

If you're playing Kingdom Hearst III, then yes.

 

[BioDigital Jazzman]

Yes. I'm recently playing fire emblem and at this point in the game I don't really care about the cutscenes associated with the teamwork grades. Yet I can't just skip it and up my grade

 

[modiz]

if you feel that there are too many cutscenes, it just means that the cutscenes were not good or not paced properly in the game.

 

[Gelf]

What makes criticism illegitimate? If too many cutscenes is an issue to you then of course you can raise that as an issue. Doesn't mean others have to agree. It's not an objective thing.

For me with Yakuza it's funny, I don't mind its cutscene heavy nature at all and yet with other games I find myself getting irritated by them much quicker. It's one of my exceptions as someone with a gameplay first perspective but I can't put my finger on why.

 

[Tyaren]

Never once did I say to myself: This game has way too many cutscenes! while playing a game. I do actually enjoy them and I am always anticipating the next story bit when playing.

 

[ParanormalFupa]

Even if you like cutscenes this boils down to the age old question of, "is there ever too much of a good thing?" the answer is obviously yes.

 

[cosmickosm]

It's absolutely a legitimate criticism. Like anything else, it's completely subjective.

 

[BossAttack]

Not for me.

I play games for the stories. I fucking love cutscenes. MGS4 is golden.

Edit: And I don't think you should be allowed to skip cutscenes on your first play-through. Pausing only. Subsequent play-throughs should allow skipping.

Click to shrink...

Yep.

 

[Flon]

Yeah. Saying you can't criticize something because it's designed that way is silly

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I agree.

It's not a revelation that the game was designed that way. Of course it's intended to be that way, but that doesn't mean I have to think it was the best route...

 

[TacoSupreme]

Cutscenes that shit up the pacing of a game is a perfectly valid criticism. I disagree with you about that criticism in Yakuza 0 though :P

 

[SparkleMotion]

It depends on the type of game. For an intense story driven narrative, cutscenes are essential. It's all about pacing, however. You need to have enough gameplay to where you're not just watching a movie (Unless it's a game like Heavy Rain).

 

[skillzilla81]

Yep. I don't give a damn about the story. Just let me play.

 

[CrazyAndy]

Not at all.

 

[Massicot]

Of course you can criticize the number/quality/frequency of cutscenes. Especially if they impact your enjoyment of the game (in either direction!).

 

[Hollywood Duo]

Games so very rarely have a great story so you can definitely have too much.

 

[Lant_War]

I played Need For Speed (2015) for the first time last night.

Yes, absolutely.

Click to shrink...

Don't tell me you don't enjoy poorly acted, unskippable FMVs