Games have come so far in their short life from entertaining ways to kill time, to a story telling medium hard to match by many others. It is truly wonderful to experience a story that you beautifully connect to in a way that can only be achieved by the player agency inherent in the medium, but sometimes you want to be an ape that throws armed guards at walls, bring on Ape Out.
Will Heath takes us on a study of words today, and the topic for this article is "cinematic". What does it mean for a game to be "cinematic"?
I know the article writer isn't speaking against cinematic games by reading what he's saying. But the article is so long winded and drawn out, it makes me want to have an article to define, "waste of time."
The word cinematic is fine to describe certain games or parts of games. If a person doesn't know by now what it means today for games, then that person obviously is not a gamer. Don't even waste time trying to explain it to them. Unless, it's a casual that might be wanting to immerse themselves into deeper, story driven games or situations, then it might be worth explaining what "cinematic" is. Core gamers need no explanation.
Maybe the article is targeting casuals to read. Who knows. But it meant nothing to me. Since I'm already aware.
It can still be a discussion, though, even for "hardcore" gamers. There are a lot of gamer terms thrown around that lose their substance the more they are used. Cinematic just happens to be one of them. I would say "charming", "cute", "punishing", "hardcore", and even the word "gamer" itself can be a bit confusing at times, especially how some people use them.
That doesn't mean we can't talk about it to help clarify, because it is possible for the same word to mean something totally different for two people. That doesn't necessarily make either of them right or wrong, just different perspective. A lot of these words are quite flexible, hence why I think discussion is important.
Core gamers know what cinematic situations or games are. They don't need to be schooled on the obvious.
Is the next articles going to be, "What do we mean when we say platformer?" Or, "What do we mean when we say console?"
Or do you think we already know what that is on a site full of gamers who play consistently?
Everyone here knows. Don't think for a minute they don't.
Then why did you click on an article that is titled: "What Do We Mean When We Say “Cinematic”?
I do this sometimes too, just to be salty and let off a bit of steam.
You must not have read the article. And are the type of person that just reads the title. Or comment on other comments without reading. Which makes it a waste of time to comment back to you.
If it might be interesting, I'll give it a shot. Doesn't mean that I won't critique it later as being a waste of time because gamers should already know. Example: "What's a puzzle game?" See? You already know without thinking if you already game.
Who's the article for? Gamers already know what cinematic is without needing the article. The ones who don't know, obviously don't game. Or have comprehension problems.
Keep up.
@ Apoc I read the article before you posted and I knew it was going to be a dead horse event. That's why I wasn't shocked when I chose to read it. and that is why I don't understand why you are surprised. It doesn't make sense to me.
Ok yeah after reading your comment I took the time to read the article and I totally agree with you. It's overwritten to a point that seems comical. Yikes.
Cinematic in gaming to me: set pieces and around 30 fps gameplay. 24 would be better for set pieces and 30 fps for gameplay. Cinematic set pieces can go 60 and higher but to me it starts to look more like a digital movement where the set pieces have a strange effect, it is as though the scene lacks air. Of course, this is my opinion.
ND developers claimed that Tlou running at 30 fps (on PS3) felt broken compared with TloU running at 60 fps (on PS4).
I'll have to upload the Remastered game again and check it out since the update. Too my knowledge it did not feel like I was playing a broken game before. So they are saying the game was broken or they felt 60 fps was an huge cinematic improvement?
https://www.gamespot.com/ar...
""It was a toss-up before; people were saying that you lose quality and graphics and what not," Gregory said when asked why Naughty Dog feels that it's such an important component for the game. "But being able to compare apples to apples like we have now with The Last of Us, going back and playing the 30 Hz version feels, to quote some people in the office, 'broken.'"
When I hear cinematic I think of a cutscene where you hold up and walk at a snails pace through some forced story point. Like when you get hurt in destiny 2 and have to cripple walk for 10 minutes to the next cutscene. I find those highly annoying and I don’t think they portray what the designers think they are. Pure f****ing boredom!
More importantly, "cinematic" isn't a genre, it's a goal. If players feel like they have impression like watching a movie while playing video game, then the goal is achieved.
Honestly ND are the only ones i trust to throw that term around. Unlike everyone elses approach, they never really take control away from the player to accomplish it. Whereas other games annoyingly use QTEs, on rail segments, or just straight up take away or restrict player control for extended periods of time to try and make something cinematic.
KeenGamer: "Indie games seem to always shine on handheld consoles. We breakdown our favourites from the massive library of quality indie games on the Nintendo Switch. While portability makes a lot of games better, no handheld console has done indie games as well as the hybrid Nintendo console."
"Ape Out is one of those games which masterfully mixes gameplay, visual and audio. The soundtrack is especially of note due to how the jazz riffs change to meet the player’s movements. How can such an exciting, dynamic soundtrack be brought to vinyl? Well, that’s exactly what iam8bit are doing."
