Since when did cut scenes count as gameplay?

Sarcasticgamer.com writes: "Right now, I'm about 25% thorough Act 4 of MGS 4. Without counting the cut scenes, I estimate that my ACTUAL playtime, where I'm actually moving Snake around, is some where between 5 and 7 hours. Maybe more, maybe less. The problem is: There's only one act left. That means that there's, at best, 4 more hours of gameplay left.... Hopefully?

So how the heck did this game get billed as a 40 hour gameplay experience?"

[resistance100]

It never got billed as 40 hours of gameplay.

OPM stated it took 29hours to complete with 9hours of cutscenes.

Now if you take your time thats about right, or you can rush through and complete it in around the 16hour mark.

[LGFreedom]

I'm gonna finish this game in 10 hours... maybe less, OPM is either lying or playing with one hand...

[DontH8DPlayaH8DConsl]

I know what you mean I beat mass effect in 15 min. with a blindfold on while juggling hand grenades

[Delriach]

I beat the game on Hard in 23 hours. Quite fun. The gameplay is as long as you make it depending on how you play. That's how MGS games generally have been.

[Winter47th]

Doesn't matter whether you debate that cut scenes should be part of the gameplay as a whole or not, or should be counted as total gameplay hours.

MGS is a wonderful experience that won't be complete without the amazing cut scenes or the fun gameplay, combine those two in one game and you've perfection, that's what mainly separates MGS from the clones, the degree of care and dedication put into it by Kojima and his crew.

[Coheno]

.... it isn't 40 hours, it's 20 hours if you rush it through. But if you want to see every corner, help all the militia and so on, it will take somewhat longer...

and anyway... who cares!? If you enjoy MGS, you enjoy the cutscenes... why is this such a suprise to everyone!?

@DontH8DPlayaH8DConsl

Bravo! ;) :D

[FordGTGuy]

know that in order to get the big boss face camo you have to beat the game on the hardest difficulty in 5 hours w/o killing or getting an alert.

[barom]

I don't think anyone has billed it as 40 hours of gameplay. I think most of them said something along the lines of "40 hours first playthrough".

[Dark General]

Act 3 last night and i have a total of 18 and a half hours put in. I'm more than sure that at least 14 of those hours were from playing the game. It's tooken me extremely long to take out the bosses with my tranquilizer gun, in fact the first boss i took over 2 hours to beat with my tranquilizer gun. I think like most said it depends on how you play the game. MGS is a STEALTH game first and foremost even though you can gun through the game. Though by doing that you won't get the satisfaction of sneaking through a heavy gaurded area not even being spotted once.

[likeaboss302]

I beat the game a little under 17 hours on Solid Normal and certainly didn't "rush" through it. I took my time, continue a few times as well along the way and watched the cutscenes.

[mistertwoturbo]

The thing is, the cutscenes are intertwined with the gameplay. If it was 95% gameplay and 5% cutscenes, then it wouldn't be a metal gear game. Lovers wanna love, Haters wanna hate.

[issa3032]

This guy is so full of ish. I've just finished Act 2 of 5 and my playtime is almost 9 hours. This game looks to be about 20 hours to complete. BTW, if you haven't noticed the SAVE FILE TIME DOESN'T include cutscenes. So when it says 9 hours playtime, then you've actually played 9 hours.

[BLuKhaos]

Wow what difficulty are you playing it in? and are you using the pistol or the sniper?,it took me 20 min to beat both pars of the first boss with the tranquilizer sniper on Solid normal.Now I'm going for my third play through with no alerts on on very easy(I'm in a hurry) and them i will go through it on the hardest difficulty.

[Tarasque]

Well i beat it in little over 11 hour's on normal. But if you can skip past something in a game, be it cut scene's or level's. That is not gameplay cause you have an option of passing it. Gameplay hour's should be based on actual gameplay hour's. I am sure if they would have said actual gameplay hour's would have been 10 to 15 hour's, there would have been a big lash out.

[likeaboss302]

Again how can some disagree with how long it took me to play the game. Did they watch me from start to finish? Some people on this site kill me.

[Retro-Virus]

Why skew facts eh ?

No one ever said it took 40 hrs, 29 hours was the OPM editors' take.

It took me about 30 hrs to finish.

[REbirth]

i disagree with your disagrees:S :P

[BulletToothtony]

Lono is getting flamed over there.. lol good.. he always has crap to say about ps3 games anyways.. time for haters to move on..

[Fishy Fingers]

LOL... Even sarcastic gamer are scrapping the barrel here. Funny that their review said that would give it 10/10.

I'll enjoy listening to people moan who havent played the game here.

Edit, LGFreedom (1.1 in gamer zone) is talking absolute rubbish! AKA lying, I've nearly completed it 3 times, Normal = 22 hours, hard = 27 hours... Extreme = not there yet (very hard surprisingly).

[PoSTedUP]

im at act 4 and its been 19 hours.....lol i take my time : P

did you know you can get laffin octopuses face camo : P

[resistance100]

It took me 16 hours 28mins on Naked Normal

[chewy317]

nah those guys there are pros at mgs thats why they can complete it so quickly

[syanara]

why does this matter anyways? why does it matter how long the gameplay is? its still great gameplay and anything 10 hours an over is good in my book not to mention mgo so why does this matter!?

[Vojkan]

Guy from Gamespot said 39 hours, but he was playing slowly, looking and going everywhere. Sarcastic gamer is know for hating Sony so dont pay attention

[Pornlord]

Most of the flagship members of his site are Xboxgamer and X play 360 oriented members. He's a little biased, but he did say that he would give the game a 10/10 if he gave scores.

[Caxtus750]

where did you get that they hate sony from??

They have their own podcast dedicated to Sony which is more than they have for the 360 and Wii. Almost all the hosts from the podcasts own a PS3 too.

I think the phrase is Epic Fail or perhaps just retarded. Enjoy the 2 bubbles ;)

[Pornlord]

Well, I am at the 30 hour mark, but the first time through, I am killing EVERY PERSON AND ROBOT I SEE. Then I'm gonna go through it tranq and sneak method, and finish the game without no more than 5 Alert phases per chapter (tedioius but fun) This game is as long as you want it to be. You can rush through, but you will miss some cool scenes and some easter eggs if you do. Very high replay value for me.

[himdeel]

...killing everything! You sir get a gold star for the day! I'm still having fun playing through MGS3 Snake Eater

[highdro]

the cutsence in this game is somethig u can only see in a hollywood movie, ...look at the vamp vs raiden fight and the cutscence that makes u feel for snake and niamoe,...and the bike mission was like a cutscence but u could still shoot and intarct with the game.......... this is the best game i have ever played in a long time, i can only imagine how GOD OF WAR 3 will look like after seeing what the ps3 can do with mgs4.>>>>> best graphics on a console to date i dont care what any body tells me because i have the game and i have playd it for my self and i love every thing about it !

[Black_Jack]

hell yeah, i second that this game does have the best graphics iv seen this generation so far. also take note of the detail and care with sound and music, its just an immersive experience and i'm glad i got the oppertunity to play it. yes i said play because thats wot i did for 25 hours. playing through it again on big boss extreme stealth style gonna take me 40 hours for sure.

[Tarasque]

You meant to say, "I THINK IT HAS THE BEST GRAPHIC'S TO DATE". It is a opinion, i think the game look's good but not the best by anymean's. Very solid game with some very good moment's.

[socomnick]

Bravo bravo finally someone finally says it. Cut the cutscene crap already it was like a 10 hour game without the cutscenes.

[Bigrhyno]

That's not a bad thing to me.

[socomnick]

Yea I would agree but it becomes a problem when the cutscenes become redundant and repetitive. Like was it really necessary to have a cutscene of laughing beauty laugh for 7 minutes.

[Drekken]

Longer, better, and more immersing then any movie I have seen in AGES.

[socomnick]

When have you seen a movie with 7 minutes of constant laughing and a amazingly corny ending. OR one that every 10 minutes begins to name random acronyms like mgs 4 does.

[poopsack]

ya know what socomnick, you can trade in your games at gamestop!

[d3l33t]

Is Final Fantasy much different? And FF is considered some of the best games around...

Yes MGS4 left me craving more gameplay, but i LOVE the voice acting and story telling. That's what MGO is for :P

[d3l33t]

you people cant make up your mind...

GTA IV - Not enough story development and cut scenes
MGS4 - Too many cut scenes, we want more gameplay

[Pp p]

it took me 9hrs and 20min to finish mgs4

[Fishy Fingers]

Lies...

Take a picture of the completion screen that shows total hours and post it up if your not?

(you'd realise it had that screen if you'd completed the game)

Dont you think it's rather weird you clicked on here just to lie about a computer game?? Jealously can do strange things.

[juuken]

...You don't own a PS3 so quit lying while you're ahead.

[DontH8DPlayaH8DConsl]

you mean it took you that long to realize it doesn't play on your 360! Okay I can believe that!

[steck67]

I dont mind the cutscenes because they are actually worth watching. Some people who are complaining about the length; most are people who rushed through the game. Im in act 4 and im 13 hours into the game and so far I enjoy the game.

[Mr PS3]

PpPPp Brain

[AllseeingEye]

We that own MGS4 and are playing it shouldnt even comment on threads like this because it keeps them around. We all know the game is amazing and we all love the cut scenes and we all have varied gameplay hours. WHO CARES. Leave these stupid articles alone and go onto playing Metal Gear. Next.

[LGFreedom]

The author is just asking a question.... Gotta love the fanboys... Always ready to go off the deep end at any questioning of their Metal Gear Jesus... LOL

[VaeVictus]

buy why do that? The game is fun. It is about being stealthy. I try to explore as much as I can while picking my spots to fight. I expect to get 20+ hours of gameplay out of it b/c I am in no rush to finish it. It is the best game I've played in a long time...definitely the best since Mass Effect. B/c I have a bigger attachment to Snake, it's better IMO than Mass Effect.

[rhood022]

my first play through was about 26 hours and that was doing and seeing everything I could.

The second time through, with the carry-overs, I'm looking at about 14-17 hours. And that is skipping over many of the cutscenes and going from point A to B in a timely manner.

You can infact play over thirty hours in the game, there is even an emblem that you can get from doing so. Similarly there are many emblems for beating it under 6 hours.

In short, MGS is as long as you're willing to invest in it. Period.

[Captain Tuttle]

Some of the report comments are funny though. Fanboys.

[tweaker]

"billed as 40 hour gameplay"

Wow! Serious exaggeration.

I never once heard about the 40 hour gameplay for MGS4. What I heard was 20 hours of gameplay and 9 hours worth of cut-scenes. This guy is trying hard to downplay MGS4.

[Euphrate]

If they had played the game, they'd know that the cut-scenes are GAMEPLAY. Act 3 confirms this.

[PSWe60]

9 hours in and in the middle of act 3. Kick A$$ game though

[Xi]

Is that it doesn't properly use the medium to tell the story.

The story in a game needs to unfold around the player, like in cod4 and half-life. Relying on cutscenes is so last gen and that should really be reflected in the scores.

Lots of people can make an interactive movie, where people have to preform an action to get to the next scene, but only few can make a game and story revolve around the character without relying on them.

[littletad]

That are engaging. Such as when you Meet Big Mama. And I have to admit the cut-scene to gamepplay mechanic is pulled off incredibly well in some moments, but the sheer length of cut-scenes is a criticism regardless.

[juuken]

And more exaggerations on the cutscenes!
People seem to forget that you can actually skip them if you can't stand seeing them!

[littletad]

And realized If anyone did this, you'd have almost no clue what the plot is or why your even shooting someone. But this is thinking in the shoes of someone who just wants to play an action game. Obviously, this game was meant for the fans. Good as that might be for us, it's plot would be too confusing for anyone who hadn't played the previous games. So I guess, sadly it's criticism is justified and it's brilliance is realized by the fans.

[Meus Renaissance]

I've been playing for around 18 hours and I think around 60% of that was cut-scenes. Although coming nearer to the game, I appreciate it now for that - its truly a masterpiece. The mission briefs, however, I just skip.

[littletad]

GTA4? people loved it during it's initial launch and maybe two weeks after, then everyone started feeling the same symptoms everyone felt with big game franchises. Boredom and over-obsessive critique. It's true MGS4 has far too many cut-scenes and less gameplay, but what other game out there actually has you glued to the screen in light of cut-scenes to begin with?

[Xi]

half life 2, cod4, and halo 3 to name a few.

[Close_Second]

...had crap cut scenes other than the nuclear blast. COD4 also has one of the most forgettable single player experiences out there. COD4 has always been about on-line play which seems strange given the inept lobby system the game was released with.

Halo 3...I'll agree with you to some extent but there was no real character development in the game. However, MGS4, regardless of their length, features some of the best and most interesting cut scenes I have ever seen in a game.

[Close_Second]

...and have just started Act III. How many acts does the game have??

My biggest problem with the game is that I will have to get through it and it will end. As this is the first MGS game I have ever owned or played to any extent I'm constantly being blown away by it.

As for the cut scenes, I don't know the back story but wow, they are fantastic and focus on story telling as well as some deep character development. I have not skipped one cut scene nor have I been bored watching them.

[oliverasadi]

the cut scenes are the best cutscenes ive ever seen.

[SacT0wnF1n3st]

isn't that true to all games? Without cut scenes the gaming experience will be shorter? isn't that true? I think so.

MGS is known for having a great story line and that is why cut scenes is one of the factors that made the MGS franchise the way it is today.

I'm paraphrasing from GameSpot they said that you can skip the cut scenes if you want to but you will miss a big part of the story in MGS 4 and I absolutely agree.

[CViper]

Why don't idiots just skip the scenes?
"buh buh i wanna get the story" Then WATCH them until you get enough story. THEn skip. The majority are skipable.

I hate when non fans of the game talk crap about it. I LOVE the cut scenes, it adds to the entire gaming experience. You don't rush through MGS4 you try to beat it by being the most stealth you can.

Yeah you CAN rush through it, just like you CAN get a Kobe Beef Steak Well done.

MGS4 is the best game many people have played this generation. Sad that everyone can't get into it because they are too used to nonsensical button mashing and a short Halo3 like single player.

[SmokeyMcBear]

kobe beef... well done??? BLASPHEMY

[etownone]

sounds like a great game.

if it is 10 hours of cut scenes and 10 hours of gameplay...
thats still not bad for gameplay, and the cut-scenes sounds like a moive experience which is different for a game and a bonus. But if they are boring like this guy said, then that would suck.

best games this gen are less than 10 (Halo 3, COD4, Uncharted) unless its a RPG or GTA :)

[Andras84]

Now I'm playing on the hardest difficulty and I'm sure it will take a hell of a lot longer..
Also if you are at act 4 and 25% done and all you have is 5hours of gameplay you probably just rushed trough every single level..not sneaking at all just run and gun, probably on the easiest difficulty.

I don't understand how can anyone disagree with what I said :D

[LGFreedom]

From what I know, the writer played it on normal, did a lot of run and gun and watched every cut scene. I don't understand why the fanboys can't even comprehend a question centered on this game...

I mean, who can argue that the cut scenes in the game aren't ridiculously long.... LOL at the N4G fanboy nerds.

[White-Sharingan]

the person who wrote this obviously never played MGS