2007 was an amazing year for video games. Especially September through December, there were too many games. I may never actually get caught up to all the games I wanted to play in 2007. Something I noticed was how hard some of the games tried to be a cinematic experience. There was a huge amount of cutscenes and uncontrollable forced point of view scenes in the games of 2007. There are three games though that to me were the cinematic high points of 2007, and all three took a different approach to how it told you the story it was trying to convey. Halo 3, Mass Effect, and Call of Duty 4 told amazing stories, and told stories better than some movies I saw in 2007.
I think one of the best approaches to storytelling this year was Call of Duty 4. It had some of the most amazing cut scenes I saw all year. If you have played it you know the single most compelling thing to happen to you in a video game this year was in the middle of COD 4. However Call of Duty didn't stop there you were then in control of your character during the cut scene. The line was so blurred between when the game was in control and you were in control that a couple of times I sat there in awe for a minute before I realized I could actually move and look around.
Halo 3 is exactly the opposite, some of the biggest moments in the Halo trilogy happened in a cut scene. Including the deaths of major characters, you had no control the story unfolded in front of you and you watched helplessly. I don't remember too many moments in Halo 3 where I felt like I pushed the story along. I feel like I shot my way up until a certain point and then the cinematics kicked in.
Mass Effect on the other hand was kind of a hybrid of both experiences. Mass Effect plays exactly like a movie. The whole experience is cinematic. A huge part of the game is the conversation system where you decide what your character is going to say during a cut scene. It's about 50% of the game. There are whole battles you can talk your way out of. If your charm or intimidate skill is high enough you never have to go into combat during some of the side quests. Now in the main quests there is always a boss of sorts you have to defeat, but everywhere else the game can be talked around.
So the question is how interactive do you want your games to be? Do you like being able to control the huge plot moments, or do you want a sweeping cinematic to show you the most dramatic moments, or do you want to be so in control that your game is more like a move than a game? Video games are one of my favorite ways to have a story told to me, I didn't mind Mass Effect force feeding me story. I enjoyed every moment of the games cut scenes. The fact that Halo 3 played out some of it's biggest moments in an uncontrollable moment was not a problem I had. I will say though that when Call of Duty 4 through me the keys to drive the plot it was an exhilarating experience. Probably some of the best gaming moments of my life were when I had to jump behind the wheel of a cut scene and drive the plot forward. I have seen lots of people complain about not being able to control Halo 3's major deaths or Mass Effects major resolutions. So in 2008....which version of video game cinema are we going to see the most....I look forward to finding out. I look forward to seeing if maybe the story telling will be pushed in a new direction. Here's to more innovation and great games in 2008.
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