I was talking with my cousin the other night why we liked games like Rocket Knight Adventures or Star Fox. We came to the shared conclusion that even though these games have moments that are set up to be very scripted and cinematic in nature, the player is still in complete control the whole time. It may be set up like a movie, but the player is the lead actor, and their improv and personal expression is what makes the scene.
These new games are movies where the player doesn't have any expression. Everything is curated and controlled to the point that everyone has the exact same experience. Nothing stands out because it's no longer personal. You didn't do anything to make the experience your own.
These new games are movies where the player doesn't have any expression. Everything is curated and controlled to the point that everyone has the exact same experience. Nothing stands out because it's no longer personal. You didn't do anything to make the experience your own.
That's precisely it. They strip you of any individual control -- your playthrough is identical to everyone else's playthrough. Any individual expression is muted through that carefully curated "interactive" experience.
It's why I stopped buying AAA games a while back. I did enjoy Death Stranding, though -- the first 10 hours fits into that carefully curated experience, but once the game starts opening up more I like how you can make use of so many different ways to play the game, and that I enjoyed a lot.
Just to clarify, I wasn't talking about cutscenes, but rather, I was talking about scripted auto-scrolling moments where the action is set up to play out the same way each time.
I was talking with my cousin the other night why we liked games like Rocket Knight Adventures or Star Fox. We came to the shared conclusion that even though these games have moments that are set up to be very scripted and cinematic in nature, the player is still in complete control the whole time. It may be set up like a movie, but the player is the lead actor, and their improv and personal expression is what makes the scene.
These new games are movies where the player doesn't have any expression. Everything is curated and controlled to the point that everyone has the exact same experience. Nothing stands out because it's no longer personal. You didn't do anything to make the experience your own.
That's precisely it. They strip you of any individual control -- your playthrough is identical to everyone else's playthrough. Any individual expression is muted through that carefully curated "interactive" experience.
It's why I stopped buying AAA games a while back. I did enjoy Death Stranding, though -- the first 10 hours fits into that carefully curated experience, but once the game starts opening up more I like how you can make use of so many different ways to play the game, and that I enjoyed a lot.
Just to clarify, I wasn't talking about cutscenes, but rather, I was talking about scripted auto-scrolling moments where the action is set up to play out the same way each time.