very nice! *SP* (Gaming)

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Monday, August 18, 2014, 14:03 (3749 days ago) @ Jillybean

I think it enables different vectors. Keep in mind, the Last of Us DOES utilize cutscenes to tell its story. The gut punching ending is a cutscene. Its success is not trying to do everything through the game like say, Half Life, but knowing when to use one or the other.

Well... spoilers!

Which ending do you mean? The ending where he shoots the doctors and rescues Ellie?

The ending where he shoots Marla?

The ending where he lies to her?

Any one of these would be a satisfying narrative end to me, but they're all interspersed with gameplay elements. I haven't thought enough about it, but I wonder if that somehow allows for 'more' shots at the ending you want.

In contrast, see Life on Mars UK, which should definitely have ended a good two minutes before it did.

Everything in the operating room was originally intended to be one long cutscene that included the shooting of Marlene and the rescuing of Ellie. One of the devs convinced Neil Druckmann to have the player take Ellie out, which of course dovetailed nicely with the gameplay and story in the opening 20 minutes of the game.

Another way they use gameplay is when they have us play as Ellie in the final sequence. The fact that we're removed from Joel fits exactly with where we are emotionally in the story. As for the final minute, it had to be a cutscene. It's probably the best "acting" I've seen in a game, and we need the camera to be where it is to get the full impact.