I've been so excited about Rockstar Games' new release, L.A. Noire! I'm not a big shooter or multiplayer gamer, but boy, do I love my single-player story-driven games! This mostly has to do with my overall love of movies, so I very much appreciate how far the game industry has come in emulating the cinematic experience. These days, being able to pick up a title that makes it feel as though you are interacting with a blockbuster film is a wonderful thing to me.
In honor of "L.A. Noire", I've compiled my list of favorite cinematic games. Now, I'm not talking only about a good cutscene or two. I'm not talking about just good storylines. And I'm not counting game/movie tie-ins. I'm talking about original games or game series that consistently deliver a cinematic experience throughout your playthrough and/or its entire run. Games that could actually be movies.
10. GRAND THEFT AUTO
It really started with Grand Theft Auto III. This game set a new standard for voice acting and characterization in games. You're main protagonist never spoke, but everyone he met was a fully realized character- from The Colombians, to the Yakuza, GTA is so often praised for FEELING like you're playing a great crime movie, and every new game only got better at this. Even more amazing is that all their cutscenes are rendered in-game.
9. RESIDENT EVIL
Cinematic isn't one of the first things one thinks of, when they think of the Resident Evil games. The survival horror gameplay this franchise pioneered gets all he attention, but make no mistake, this is a highly cinematic series. Their cutscenes are cool, and have only gotten better and more plentiful with time. But besides that, the early games used fixed cameras that mimic movie camera angles, and the now, classic dog-jumps-through-window scare is an exact trope of the horror movie genre.
8. MAX PAYNE
Max Payne was an early entry in the “games-can-be-like-movies!” movement. Distinctly driven by its film noire aesthetic, both Max Payne games tell gritty stories of revenge and vindication. The other half of Max Payne's identity as a game is it's action, which is very influenced by Hong Kong action cinema. Interestingly, they don't use cutscenes, but rather comic panels, evoking graphic novels- yet somehow, manages to feel like a great movie.
7. MASS EFFECT
BioWare started on the right track with the awesome Knights of the Old Republic, a title that opened up branching narratives unlike anything that came before. Polishing up their technique, they followed up with the uber-ambitious Mass Effect trilogy, another space opus that is nearly on par with Star Wars. From the lighting, to the orchestral score, to the big name actors that pop up in ME2, these games are the pinnacle of cinematic storytelling.
6. FEAR EFFECT
I mark the late 90s as the period when games really strived for better cutscene quality. Out came a little game called Fear Effect, that planned on setting itself apart for the market. Their cell-shaded approach gave the game an animated, anime style to telling their gritty story, but still had the rest of the pieces (sound design, music score) to deliver something that distinctly felt like a cool, futuristic film. Sequel Retro Helix is arguably more fun to watch than play!
5. RED DEAD REDEMPTION
Similar to Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption does for westerns what GTA did for crime. The cinematic quality of RDR (even side missions get rendered with decent cutscenes and voice work) is so refreshing and nuanced it is no surprise RDR ended up on may people's 'best of' lists- and I'm not talking “of the Year”, I'm talking “Ever”! What makes the game even richer is the final act and epilogue, which serves as a moral/ethical commentary, something in practice with the best movies.
4. FINAL FANTASY
When it comes to cinematics, the Final Fantasy series has no equal. I'm specifically talking about the latter entries in the series, starting with FFVII (Aeris' death), to FFVIII (the gunblade fight opening) to FFX, (fully-voiced characters for the first time) to the most recent FFXIII- the best-looking game of this generation. Final Fantasy is the production quality all other games aspire to.
3. UNCHARTED
Plain and simple, these games ARE movies. It's kind of hard to top that. For many gamers, Nathan Drake, Sully, Elena and co, are as real and beloved as any of the most popular characters in movies. Most notable especially about Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, are the action set pieces, which are so grand, they rival the biggest Hollywood movies. From these huge aspects to little touches like swinging the camera for the best view, the line between games and movies has never been better balanced.
2. METAL GEAR SOLID
When people think of 'cinematic games', people think first and foremost, of the Metal Gear Solid series. Hideo Kojima's PS1 title was an evolution that said videogames didn't need to be so … 'video gamey'. Mature in a way no one had seen before, MGS took itself very seriously, with professional voicework and an overall production quality that paved the way for better cutscenes in videogames there on out. The scenes themselves aren't LIKE watching a movie, you ARE watching a movie. In fact it is the length and abundance of these videos that are the games' biggest criticisms. But they are also the games' biggest strength. If you want the definition of cinematic, play that last 15 minutes of MGS4 Guns of the Patriots.
1. HEAVY RAIN
Heavy Rain is the most cinematic game ever made. Period. Moving forward with what they did with Indigo Prophecy, QuanticDreams created a unique experience unlike anything anyone had ever played. Going further from just quick-time events, they literally said '”let them PLAY a movie” and made a new genre they affectionately coined “Interactive drama”, similar to Alan Wake (a game that follows more of a TV-style), but much more pronounced. No big set pieces. No over the top action. Just a smooth, methodical detective story that is as emmersive an experience as you'll ever play.
There you have it! I'm sure there are many more that we can talk about (Shenmue, God of War, many more fantasy titles, and even the original Ninja Gaiden), but these are the favorites of mine, and the trend has really boomed in the last few years. I would argue that games right now are better than ever, and I think the cinematic experience is a big reason why.