Video Game Cutscenes

Cutscenes are an important aspect of the story telling in a video game. The cutscene is used to give the player crucial information, as well as providing a transition from one game level to the next. Cutscenes can serve a variety of purposes and can be executed in a variety of ways, sometimes being fully animated cinematics, other times being scripted sequences with the player just being a person in the room, or being talked to.

Below are a number of examples of some of the different kinds of video game cutscenes:

Bioshock: Would you Kindly (major plot spoilers)


The Would you Kindly moment in Bioshock is a fantastic example of a cutscene that starts with the player in control of Jack, the playable protagonist, and then losing control, with this being mirrored in the game's story, as Andrew Ryan takes control of Jack)


Mirror's Edge:


The cutscenes from Mirror's Edge are unlike most modern video game cutscenes, in that they are not rendered using the game's engine, nor are they 3-D models. Instead Mirror's Edge utilises a Cel-Shaded technique, fitting with the game's cyberpunk anime inspired aesthetic.


Left 4 Dead 2 Intro:

The introductory cinematic for Left 4 Dead 2 differs from most Valve games in that it is fully animated, the sequence is rendered using the game's engine however has a much higher graphics quality than the playable sections of the game.