Extremely Long Cutscenes, What's your take?

[dunno001]

Khuutra said:
I think that you are being too reductive in terms of defining what a cutscene is. yes, in a P&P RPG things are different, because that's interactive - the distinction is drawn between JRPGs and WRPGs, where in the latter conversations often are interactive, and you can choose how your character responds.

The fact that you have to goad the game into continuing makes no difference. In P&P terms, it would be like you, the DM, giving your players a script that they have to read from. Yes, they are still technically interacting in a sense, but they are not in control of the situation and in no way are building their characters for themselves. JRPG cutscenes are like this - it builds characters, yes, but that doesn't make them interactive. They're still scripted, down to the smallest detail.

A cutscene need not be an FMV to be a cutscene. It is not a matter of perspective. It is being reminded that you are not shaping the story yoruself - you are not playing the game.

In that sense, the conversation between Edge and Rubicante is exactly the same in the SNES and DS versions of FFIV. The only difference is voice acting.

 

 I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree on where a cutscene is defined. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like for you, it would be anything that stops the action. I'd like to think I'm wrong, but that's how I'm currently interpretting it.

For me, I define it as something that "cuts" away from the engine. I consider talking to be part of the basic story. And this story should happen in the engine, this is where the interaction also takes place. By cutting away from this engine, you have removed me from where I interact with the game. It becomes a "scene" that is "cut" out from the game, hence why I call those cutscenes.