The Evolution of Cutscenes in Gaming

Dabe Gordon of Bright Hub writes; "From the early days of Dragon's Lair to the stunning sequences of Final Fantasy XIII or filmicc aspirations of Metal Gear Solid 4, cutscenes have come a long way. From animated loops, to sprite based interaction and prerendered polygons, the implementation has evolved into something phenomenal...

Cutscenes in games are almost gratis when discussing AAA titles. There is an expectation for cinematic and engrossing story elements to be conveyed via filmic presentation. From the early full motion video of Dragon's Lair, to the farsighted experiments of Maniac Mansion and Karateka, cutscenes in video games begin in earnest around the mid-1980's."

[gonzodamus]

I just hope they finally evolve themselves out of my games entirely :)

[The Time Reaper]

I disagree. While I love MGS and FF and admit their presentation is somewhat oldschool, I think titles like Heavy Rain and Uncharted 2 have really started to prove how well integrated cutscenes can be into the gameplay experience.

[Muckbeast]

Great article. Cutscenes can be an amazing part of a game, or a massive annoyance. I despise cutscenes that I cannot skip - especially if they are in a part of a game that you might have to replay multiple times from a save to get it right.

[Axll]

I agree with Muckbeast. Cut scenes can be such a great addition to a game but I despise them if I can't skip them, especially if its my second time playing a game.

[Graffin]

Awesome article.