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{{Wikipedia}} {{ElementInfobox | type = Terminology }} A '''cutscene''' is an intermission between levels or action sequences which advances the plot of the game being played. Specifically, a cutscene or '''event scene''' (sometimes '''in-game cinematic''' or '''in-game movie''') is a sequence in a [[video game]] over which the [[player]] has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues. Cutscenes often feature on the fly rendering, using the gameplay graphics to create scripted events. Cutscenes can also be animated, live action, or [[pre-rendering|pre-rendered]] [[graphics]] streamed from a video file. Pre-made videos used in video games (either during cutscenes or during the gameplay itself) are referred to as "[[full motion video]]s" or "FMVs". ==History== The first game to feature an intermission between gameplay was the 1979 [[shoot 'em up]] title ''[[Space Invaders#Space Invaders Deluxe|Space Invaders Part II]]'' (also called ''Space Invaders Deluxe''), where at the end of each level, the last invader flies off on a spaceship that broadcasts an SOS message.<ref name= "GWR08-2">{{Cite book| editor= Craig Glenday| title= Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008| series= [[Guinness World Records]]| date= March 11, 2008| publisher= Guinness| isbn= 978-1-904994-21-3| pages= 106–107| chapter= Record Breaking Games: Shooting Games Roundup}}</ref> The first game to feature cut scenes in the form of animated interludes between certain game stages was the 1980 hit ''[[Pac-Man]]'', which featured brief comical interludes about Pac-Man and the ghosts chasing each other around during those interludes, resembling simple entertaining silent-film type scenes.<ref>[http://www.gamesradar.com/f/gamings-most-important-evolutions/a-20101008102331322035/p-2 Gaming's Most Important Evolutions], [[GamesRadar]]</ref> The following year, ''[[Donkey Kong]]'' took it a step further by using simple cut scenes to advance a basic narrative that unfolds during the game. In 1983, the [[laserdisc video game]] ''[[Bega's Battle]]'' introduced the use of animated [[Full motion video|full-motion video]] (FMV) cut scenes with voice acting to develop a story between the game's [[Shooter|shooting]] stages, which would become the standard approach to video game storytelling years later.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Lives and Deaths of the Interactive Movie|first=Travis|last= Fahs|publisher=[[IGN]]|date=March 3, 2008 |url= http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/856/856379p2.html |accessdate=2011-03-11}}</ref> The 1984 game ''[[Karateka]]'' helped introduce the use of cut scenes to home computers. Other early video games known to make use of cut scenes as an extensive and integral part of the game include ''[[Portopia Serial Murder Case]]'' in 1983; ''[[Valis]]'' in 1986; ''[[Phantasy Star]]'', ''[[Maniac Mansion]]'' and ''[[La Abadía del Crimen]]'' in 1987; ''[[Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter]]'', ''[[Star Cruiser]]'' and ''[[Ninja Gaiden]]'' in 1988; and ''[[Prince of Persia]]'' and ''[[Zero Wing]]'' in 1989, with the poor translation in ''Zero Wing{{'}}s'' opening cutscene giving rise to the (in)famous [[Internet meme]] "[[All your base are belong to us]]" in the 2000s. The word "cutscene" itself was possibly first coined by Ron Gilbert while making ''Maniac Mansion'', wherein he defined cutscenes as short "scenes" that "cut" away from the action itself, to show what else was happening in the game world when the player wasn't around. Since then, cutscenes have been part of many video games, especially in [[action-adventure]] and [[role-playing game]]s. The use of animated FMV cutscenes outside of arcades was made possible with the 1988 release of [[NEC]]'s [[PC-Engine|PC Engine CD]], or TurboGrafx-CD, with its introduction of the [[CD-ROM]] format. The first home video game to feature animated FMV cutscenes with voice acting was the Japan-only title ''[[Tengai Makyō]]'' for the PC Engine CD in 1989.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Oleg |last=Roschin|title=The World of Asian RPGs: Tengai Makyou|publisher=[[MobyGames]] |url=http://www.mobygames.com/featured_article/feature,25/section,172 |accessdate= 2009-09-10}}</ref> Shortly afterwards, another PC Engine CD title ''[[Ys I & II]]'', which also featured [[anime]] FMV cutscenes with voice acting, was released that same year in both Japan and North America.<ref name="gtm_falcom_156">{{Cite journal|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|title=Falcom: Legacy of Ys|journal=[[GamesTM{{!}}Games<sup>TM</sup>]]|date=7 July 2011|issue=111|pages=152–159 [156] |url= http://imageshack.us/f/35/yshistory05.jpg/|accessdate=2011-09-08}} ([[cf.]] {{Cite web |last= Szczepaniak|first=John|title=History of Ys interviews|url=http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/07/history-of-ys-interviews-by-john.html|work=Hardcore Gaming 101|accessdate=8 September 2011|date=July 8, 2011}})</ref> The longest cutscenes in video game history belong to the [[Metal Gear series|Metal Gear Solid]] series. Among them, [[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]] features the longest cut-scene, at about 70 minutes long. [http://bitmob.com/articles/infographic-metal-gear-solids-cutscenes-by-the-numbers] ==Types== ===Live-action cutscenes=== Live-action cutscenes have many similarities to films. For example, the cutscenes in ''[[Wing Commander IV]]'' utilised both fully constructed sets, and well known actors such as [[Mark Hamill]] and Malcolm McDowell for the portrayal of characters. Recently, some movie tie-in games, such as [[Electronic Arts]]' ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[Star Wars]]'' games, have also extensively used film footage and other assets from the film production in their cutscenes. Another movie tie-in, ''[[Enter the Matrix]]'', used film footage shot concurrently with ''The Matrix Reloaded'' that was also directed by the film's directors, the Wachowskis. Some gamers prize live-action cutscenes for their kitsch appeal, as they often feature poor production values and sub-standard acting. The cutscenes in the ''[[Command & Conquer series|Command & Conquer]]'' series of [[real-time strategy]] games are particularly noted for often hammy acting performances. Live action cutscenes were popular in the early to mid 1990s with the onset of the [[CD-ROM]] and subsequent extra storage space available. This also led to the development of the so-called [[interactive movie]], which featured hours of live-action footage while sacrificing interactivity and complex gameplay. Increasing graphics quality, cost, critical backlash, and artistic need to integrate cutscenes better with [[gameplay]] [[graphics]] soon led to the increased popularity in animated cutscenes in the late 1990s. However, for cinematic effect, some games still utilize live-action cutscenes—an example of this is ''[[Black]]'', which features interviews between main character Jack Kellar and his interrogator filmed with real actors. ===Animated cutscenes=== There are two primary techniques for animating cutscenes. Like live-action shoots, pre-rendered cutscenes are also part of [[full motion video]]. Pre-rendered cutscenes are animated and rendered by the game's developers, and are able to take advantage of the full array of techniques of CGI, cel animation or graphic novel-style panel art. The ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series of video games, developed by [[Square Enix]], are noted for their [[pre-rendering|pre-rendered]] cutscenes, which were introduced in ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]''. [[Blizzard Entertainment]] is also a notable player in the field, with the company having a department created especially for making cinema-quality pre-rendered cutscenes, for games such as ''[[Diablo II]]'' and ''[[Warcraft III]]'', with this later being massive expanded with ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', eventually resulting in the movie ''[[Warcraft]]''. In 1996, [[Dreamworks]] created ''[[The Neverhood]]'', arguably the only game to feature all-plasticine, stop-motion animated cutscene sequences. Pre-rendered cutscenes are generally of higher visual quality than in-game cutscenes, but have two disadvantages: the difference in quality can sometimes create difficulties of recognizing the high-quality images from the cutscene when the player has been used to the lower-quality images from the game; also, the pre-rendered cutscene cannot adapt to the state of the game: for example, by showing different items of clothing worn by a character. This is seen in the [[PlayStation 2]] version of ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'', where in cutscenes, Leon is seen always in his default costume because of processor constraints that were not seen in the [[GameCube]] version. In-game cutscenes are [[Scanline rendering|rendered]] on-the-fly using the same [[game engine]] as the graphics in the game proper. This technique is also known as [[Machinima]]. These are frequently used in the [[RPG]] genre, as well as in the ''[[Metal Gear Solid (series)|Metal Gear Solid]]'', ''[[Grand Theft Auto (series)|Grand Theft Auto]]'' (both games making use [[motion capture]]), and ''[[The Legend of Zelda (series)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' series of games, among many others. In newer games, which can take advantage of sophisticated programming techniques and more powerful processors, in-game cutscenes are rendered on the fly and can be closely integrated with the gameplay. Some games, for instance, give the player some control over camera movement during cutscenes, for example ''[[Dungeon Siege]]'', ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]]'', ''[[Halo: Reach]]'', and ''[[Kane & Lynch: Dead Men]]''. Games such as ''[[Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos]]'' have used both pre-rendered (for the beginning and end of a campaign) and the in-game engine (for level briefings and character dialogue during a mission). In the late 1990s and early 2000s, when most 3D game engines had pre-calculated/fixed [[Lightmap]]s and texture mapping, developers often turned to pre-rendered graphics which had a much higher level of realism. However this has lost favor in recent years, as advances in consumer PC and video game graphics have enabled the use of the game's own engine to render these cinematics. For instance, the [[id Tech 4]] engine used in ''[[Doom 3]]'' allowed [[bump mapping]] and dynamic [[per-pixel lighting]], previously only found in pre-rendered videos. ===Interactive cutscenes=== {{See also|Quick time event}} Interactive cutscenes involve the computer taking control of the [[player character]] while prompts (such as a sequence of button presses) appear onscreen, requiring the player to follow them in order to continue or succeed at the action. This gameplay mechanic, commonly called [[quick-time event]]s, has its origins in [[interactive movie]] [[laserdisc video game]]s such as ''[[Dragon's Lair]]'', ''[[Road Blaster]]'',<ref>{{Cite book | title = Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design | first = Scott | last = Rodgers | publisher = [[John Wiley and Sons]] | year = 2010 | isbn = 978-0-470-68867-0 | pages = 183–184 }}</ref> and ''[[Space Ace]]''. Gameplay in these titles consisted of watching an animated video and pressing the correct button every few seconds to avoid losing a life;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3150543 |title=Previews: Heavenly Sword |accessdate=2007-12-19 |first = James | last = Mielke |date=2006-05-09 |publisher=[[1UP.com]] |quote=Some points in key battles (usually with bosses) integrate QTE (quick-time events), which fans of Shenmue and Indigo Prophecy might like, but which we've been doing since Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. Time to move on, gents.}}</ref> there were no cut scenes, but the entire game consisted of animated video, effectively making the entire game one continuous QTE.<ref name="escapist year of dragons lair">{{Cite web | url = http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_257/7653-Year-of-the-Dragons-Lair | title = Year of the Dragon's Lair | first = Brendan | last = Main | date = June 8, 2010 | accessdate = 2011-03-06 | publisher = [[Escapist (magazine)|Escapist]] }}</ref> ''[[Die Hard Arcade]]'' in 1996 and most notably ''[[Shenmue]]'' in 1999, both developed by [[SEGA]], introduced QTEs in their modern form, which occur during cut scenes in an otherwise more interactive game. ''Shenmue''{{'}}s director [[Yu Suzuki]] is credited with coining the phase "Quick Time Event".<ref name="gamasutra history">{{Cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6240/full_reactive_eyes_entertainment_.php | title = Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment: Incorporating Quick Time Events into Gameplay | publisher = [[Gamasutra]] | first = Tim | last = Waters | date = 2011-02-08 | accessdate = 2011-02-08 }}</ref> Since this period, several other games on modern console and game systems have included QTEs or similar mechanics. These include ''[[Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage]]'', ''[[Resident Evil 4]]'', ''[[God of War]]'', ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'', ''[[Tomb Raider: Legend]]'', ''[[Tomb Raider: Anniversary]]'', ''[[Marvel: Ultimate Alliance]]'', and ''[[Fahrenheit]],'' where the entire game involves real-time cutscenes which are played out depending on the player's actions, with decisions made integral to the game's story. Quick Time Events have been often criticized for limiting gameplay. The dubbed "cineractives" in ''[[Spider-Man 3]]'' were sometimes criticized due to having no warning when they were about to happen, often leaving the player having to re-do the event. ==See also== {{Div col}} * [[Full-motion video]] * [[Interactive movie video games]] * [[Intro sequence]] * [[Machinima]] * [[Outro]] * [[Quick-time event]] * [[Scripted sequence]] {{Div col end}} ==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
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