Not all FMV games sucked!

[mattyg]

FMV Games do not suck (completely) – there I said it!

 

One of the most annoying things I have seen in this age of the internet is the same old view or Wikipedia entry being rehashed over and over again by people who are just not equipped with the knowledge or indeed the insight to satisfactorily state their point of view. It seems that someone born post or mid eighties, rather than ask an old timer (like myself) , prefers instead to perpetuate unfounded and unsubstantiated truths about gaming. One of those perpetuated untruths is that concerning FMV games. How often do we hear “oh, they sucked” or “there were no good FMV games” – well I tend to differ.

 

One needs to look at it in historical context – there was a time where FMV was considered a “buzz” term and many believed it may have been the future of gaming. As frustrating as the Don Bluth games (Dragon’s Lair, Space Ace) were to play there is no denying their visual appeal and their ability to draw you into an arcade. Remember, DVD had not been invented yet and the fact that any kind of lifelike moving image could be interacted with in a gaming environment was pretty cool!

 

A number of consoles at the time fell into the trap of concentrating on FMV capability , spurred on by the success on PC – It cannot be denied that very early on games such as Myst and 7^th Guest were major reasons for an increase in PC purchases and helped establish it as a multimedia device – 200mmx anyone? Two of those consoles were the CD-i and the 3DO – it’s easy to say that they lacked in 3d capabilities and therefore were doomed but both machines were originally developed at a time when 3d was only capable on very high end business and arcade machines. Dissing these machines because of their lack of 3d is like dissing someone in a horse and buggy for not having a v12 engine fitted – it’s simply ludicrous and smacks of ignorance. The pictures were grainy because that was the resolution of the time , not because the hardware or software was inferior.

 

Saying there were no decent FMV games or applications also smacks of ignorance. One of the amazing features of the 3DO was its ability to stream video during game play - an effect that was put to great use in Shockwave and in Wing Commander 3 when your commanding officers are giving you constant updates on the vid screens. In Killing Time it was used to create atmospheric ghosts that you conversed with and in the game show titles Zhadnost and Twisted it gave us hosts and contestants with personality’s years before Buzz hit PS2. Whilst titles such as Nova storm, Microcosm and Sewer Shark gave us an on rails visual experience thought impossible only a short time before – sure they sucked but damn they looked good! As for pure FMV games it is hard to go past Cd-i’s Burn Cycle and the 3DO’s Snow Job and Psychic Detective – well acted , well scripted and most importantly replayable.

 

 

 

So when someone says “FMV sucked” remind them that it didn’t - the world was just different then.

 

 

[Shawn]

Ground Zero Texas was my main reason for buying a Sega CD long ago and I still like playing it to this day!!

[mattyg]

Ground Zero Texas was my main reason for buying a Sega CD long ago and I still like playing it to this day!!

 

I actually like Corpse Killer too! - just don't tell anyone

[jetset]

Sewer Shark was always my fave. Cheesey, corny, whatever...I loved the "story" with Commissioner stenchler, and the paradise at the end.

 

"Watch it DOGMEAT!"

[Ghost Soldier]

I'm a fan of fmv games and still play them regularly. Some of my favorites are:

 

Night Trap

Mad Dog McCree

Sewer Shark

Double Switch

Burn Cycle

[The_Laird]

Yeah there were a few good ones I loved Mad Dog McCree and also really enjoyed Cobra Command

[Reaperman]

I have fond memories of certain interactive movies and fmv-heavy games.

psychic detective

daedalus encounter

night trap

rebel assault

megarace

wing commander III

 

fmv certainly hasn't aged as well as other techniques from that period though.

And I think sega cd's low color count might have given some folks bad impressions of the genre. Not to mention the practice of sticking FMV into regular games just to take up space on the cd.

Edited November 4, 2009 by Reaperman

[Gabriel]

Saying there were no decent FMV games or applications also smacks of ignorance. One of the amazing features of the 3DO was its ability to stream video during game play - an effect that was put to great use in Shockwave and in Wing Commander 3 when your commanding officers are giving you constant updates on the vid screens.

 

Well, it's also questionable to categorize any games which use FMV as FMV games. Shockwave and Wing Commander aren't FMV games. They just happen to use FMV for in-between gameplay cutscenes and some in game messages. Is Starfox 64 a FMV game because it plays predetermined cutscenes and voice clips at certain points? Of course not.

[+save2600]

Well put Mattyg, especially the observance of age group demo<>timeline!

 

'mmx'... I had totally forgotten about the Multimedia Extension routines built into some of those 2nd gen Pentium machines. lol And yes, I adore my beloved CD-i machine. All of the FMV shooters, like Mad Dog & Crime Patrol are great, great fun. Mature, *adult* fun that is

 

And I totally agree with Gabriel's sentiments above. We can't be confusing FMV games such as Night Trap with Wing Commander, etc. But Star Fox is literally a "full motion" game in the sense that the damn thing is on rails and never stops! lol FMV it is not though.

Edited November 4, 2009 by save2600

[Reaperman]

Well, it's also questionable to categorize any games which use FMV as FMV games. Shockwave and Wing Commander aren't FMV games. They just happen to use FMV for in-between gameplay cutscenes and some in game messages.

Even if history judges wc3 (and 4) as too impure to qualify as interactive movies, they were still specifically sold as such, and are certainly very FMV-heavy compared to games sold today. More than just cutscenes, most of the games focused around wandering around dealing with video leaving 'standard gameplay' to handle missions. The game's packaging is full of references to itself as a movie experience, with high quality fmv and acting. Looking at the back of my psx wc3 box, 5 of its 6 bullet points are fmv-related.

 

I don't recall shockwave being especially fmv-ish though.

Edited November 4, 2009 by Reaperman

[Atari Smeghead]

So when someone says “FMV sucked” remind them that it didn’t - the world was just different then.

Well said, MattyG. Some people just don't put things in their proper perspective. We grew up with this stuff, the good and the bad.

 

While it's not an FMV game, I've been playing the PS1 game Krazy Ivan a bit lately. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the FMV cut scenes and the woman who pops up in the corner during gameplay to inform the player about the next upcoming mech.

 

Fun stuff, indeed!

 

Cheers,

Smeg

[mattyg]

When defining what makes an FMV game I have categorised it in two ways - those that use it as primary gameplay and those that use it as an application in existing gameplay.

 

FMV is not a just a genre on its own but a technique.

 

In the backlash that followed FMV's fall from grace I believe that it became underutilised and actually still had a place in the 3D world.

 

example in point is the game Space Hulk - on the Saturn and PS ports the genestealers are heavily pixellated in close combat - but look seamless and clear on the 3DO - why? On the 3DO the programmers decided that once close up the player only has a couple of options so rather than do it on the fly it switches to an interactive pre rendered sequence. Brilliant.

 

FMV had its place - its frequent derision annoys me.

Edited November 5, 2009 by mattyg

[Jess Ragan]

I don't think it's appropriate to put full-motion video in the same sentence with game. A movie with the faintest bit of joystick interaction isn't a video game... it's a movie dressed up to look like a video game. There's no freedom of movement for the player, no real interaction with onscreen objects, and no rules of play aside from "push the joystick in this direction to keep the disc from jumping to the 37th track." It's simple memorization to make a movie play in the right sequence; the same kind of Pavlovian response that makes a chimp push a button for a grape.

 

To illustrate my point, there was a recent release of the "game" Dragon's Lair on Blu-Ray. Although it could be played on a Playstation 3, it wasn't explicitly designed for it... it could be run on any Blu-Ray player, using a remote control for the interface. It's not a game, it's a movie.

 

I'll make an exception for games that use full-motion video between stages, or overlay full-motion video onto the games themselves, because the games are actually there. For instance, Bega's Battle is a legitimate game even though there is FMV playing behind it. Not a very good game, mind you, but a game nevertheless. The same thing goes for MACH 3 and Us vs. Them. However, Badlands? Not a game. Cliff Hanger? So not a game. In fact, this started out as a Japanese film before it was squeezed into an arcade cabinet. Brain Dead 13? Not a game, and not even that great a movie.

 

There's nothing wrong with enjoying a good movie, but let's not pretend that Dragon's Lair was anything more than just that.

[roland p]

When 'Escape from Cybercity' came out, I thought it was a really cool game and that it would be the start of a new era of gaming. Well, I guess I was wrong about that...

[jeremysart]

Corpse Killer and Night Trap were cheesy but fun,

but I remember having a lot of fun playing Wirehead for Sega CD.

Shhhh

[STICH666]

I don't know if it counts but Area 51 was an epic game.

[desiv]

I think I'm the extreme..

I tend to like most FMV games. Especially the "cheesy ones". I don't spend hours playing, but I love firing up Corpse Killer for a bit on the 3D0.

 

I'm a huge Bluth FMV games fan as well. I know some people hate the memorized pattern based FMV games, and I agree they aren't for everyone. That's fine. I love them. In fact, Dragon's Lair on the Amiga still remains the only video game I've ever paid more than $50 for. ($59, and I didn't wait for the price to drop.. :-) Probably should have tho, just from a spending money perspective..)

 

But I was always a huge fan of memory games of all kinds, and these are some of the nicest looking memory games there are.

 

desiv

 

Funny, I was just playing Blood Money again recently, and remembered how much I liked it and how people complain about it not being playable.. And I realized, the bad guys pretty much do the same thing, and you just have to memorize it, and that's probably why I like that too.. :-)

Edited November 5, 2009 by desiv

[Seob]

I don't think it's appropriate to put full-motion video in the same sentence with game. A movie with the faintest bit of joystick interaction isn't a video game... it's a movie dressed up to look like a video game. There's no freedom of movement for the player, no real interaction with onscreen objects, and no rules of play aside from "push the joystick in this direction to keep the disc from jumping to the 37th track." It's simple memorization to make a movie play in the right sequence; the same kind of Pavlovian response that makes a chimp push a button for a grape.

 

To illustrate my point, there was a recent release of the "game" Dragon's Lair on Blu-Ray. Although it could be played on a Playstation 3, it wasn't explicitly designed for it... it could be run on any Blu-Ray player, using a remote control for the interface. It's not a game, it's a movie.

 

I'll make an exception for games that use full-motion video between stages, or overlay full-motion video onto the games themselves, because the games are actually there. For instance, Bega's Battle is a legitimate game even though there is FMV playing behind it. Not a very good game, mind you, but a game nevertheless. The same thing goes for MACH 3 and Us vs. Them. However, Badlands? Not a game. Cliff Hanger? So not a game. In fact, this started out as a Japanese film before it was squeezed into an arcade cabinet. Brain Dead 13? Not a game, and not even that great a movie.

 

There's nothing wrong with enjoying a good movie, but let's not pretend that Dragon's Lair was anything more than just that.

I cannot agree with you. They are still games. Movie is something you watch passive, once you start the movie you don't need to give input to the player anymore, no interaction at all, you can watch it with a lot of people at once.

FMV games, you have to interact with the movie, otherwise you won't get far, not much interaction, but still interaction is needed. You can watch a fmv game with more people, but only one person has control over how the game continues. You have to interact during the play so this makes it a game.

 

I truly love the cd-i with it's fmv games.

Loved Burn:cycle, it has the right atmosphere, great music.

Maddog mccree is nice to, but sometimes the badguys are really hard to see.

Love the animations of dragon lair and space age, but they are hard to play.

I have escape from cybercities, looks good, haven't played it yet.

[Rik]

That reminds to replay Gabriel Knight,The Beast Within,tonight!"Phantasmagoria" was just phenomenal,and "Phantasmagoria,A Puzzle of Flesh",I also have,but haven't played yet.FMV games were very cool.Like mentioned above,Sierra did a good job with FMV!

[mattyg]

My point guys is simply this : FMV gets a bad rap - partly deserved but its validity as a technique and as an important part of history should not be overlooked.

 

We could debate for hours about what an FMV actually constitutes but the area is so grey we'll all end up in circles.

 

I stick by my original statement - not all FMV games sucked - although most did!

 

To continually hear them being berated by a generation who were neither there or are too ignorant to research prior to posting are what gets my back up.

 

I hear the same things about certain consoles too - I spend a lot of time on forums correcting and attempting to inform viewers/readers of the pros of Jaguar , CD32 , 3DO and CDi (amongst others) who simply dismiss them as crap consoles and know nothing of the time before xbox and playstation.

 

It's an ongoing battle

[Austin]

FMV games had their crap, just like nearly every other gaming genre has had its crap (and still does, day in and day out).

 

I think a prime example of an FMV game done right is one of the earliest console ones, Sewer Shark on the Sega CD, which is still fun to play. The gameplay is simple and the added video and story makes for an enjoyable experience. The acting also seems to take itself very seriously in parts, in mostly a good way, yet also meshes it with a ton of sarcastic humor and attitude through the likes of your backseat driver, your boss, and even your android pod thingy. I still personally wonder how they made the tunnels in this game (i.e., if it was CG, or if they designed models or something). They still look really cool (and realistic).

 

Unfortunately not all FMV games were as cool and happened to be butchered with piss-poor acting, but some of them (Double Switch and Night Trap) were still at least fun games outside of the bad acting. They had gameplay concepts that at least kept you on your feet throughout and the games only got more intense the farther you got. Not that I am going to say that I recommend any of these to anyone in this day and age, but in the mid-'90s I definitely played these a lot. I also think that if these gameplay concepts were taken and made into simple 2D casual/arcade games without any real story, and without any cheesy acting, they would work perfectly.

 

Some other fmv games that did it right, and can't be forgotten, are the adventure and puzzle-based ones, such as the 7th Guest and the 11th Hour, the original D, Lunacy on the Sega Saturn, and Mansion of Hidden Souls on the Sega CD (Not the Saturn version, which wasn't so hot). These are all still great fun to play today.

 

The Bluth games I feel are kind of a love/hate relationship and easily fall into the likes of "less-gaming, more digital movie" category because they are so freakin' difficult. On the versions I've played, you have to hit the button literally on the exact frame, or you fail. So for instance, on Dragons Lair on the Sega CD, I must have played the first bridge scene 100 times before I got it right. And then I had to repeat that for nearly every other trap, and it was very difficult to duplicate my success when I would replay the game. I feel games that did this concept much better were Time Gal and Strahl (I think these were both arcade games, but I'm not 100% sure.. I personally played Time Gal on the Sega CD, and Strahl on the 3DO), both of which I believe were more-like the hot-button sequences in modern games like Shenmue and God of War, where arrows and buttons will actually appear on the screen and you have to be quick to hit them.

Edited November 6, 2009 by Austin

[Hatta]

I agree, the FMV genre does have it's charm. It would be interesting to see some new FMV games with modern technology. I'm glad someone mentioned The Beast Within. I don't think a better FMV game has been made. I can't recommend A Puzzle of Flesh though. Star Trek: Klingon and Star Trek: Borg were both pretty good too. I was not really a fan of the Night Trap style, pseudo action FMV games.

 

BTW, I thought Novastorm was a pretty good rail shooter. But I only played the PC version.

[Video]

I never understood the out and out hate for FMV myself. And funny thing is, some of my favorite FMV games are ones people rag on the most (ground zero texas anyone?) Honestly, why do some of these games get such flack, and something like dragons lair gets high praise? Yeah, it's slightly different games, a decade apart, but honestly, they're a lot alike.

 

Another thing that abounds is the ignorance in exactly what can be done in FMV. I've seen tons of people rag on a game because "you can't have different objects in each playthrough" which is absolutely false, I mean, take some of those shooter games, many will have different people come out at different points, or from different directions, just to keep the play from going completely flat. I know, maybe they only have two or three routines they can do...but is that so different from, say a sidescroller where you can keep going right and encounter one of three possible enemies?

 

Over all, a vast majority of FMV games do indeed suck. That is just like anything else though, a few originals, and a ton of crap jumping the bandwaggon trying to make a buck....but unlike the billions of Pac-man, defender, mario, doom, etc,etc clones, people for whatever reason are content to condemn the whole genre of FMV bassed games....juste because they are FMV games.

[mbd30]

Is it ironic that FMV games are heavily derided, and the most popular games today are "Guitar Hero", "Rock Band", etc.? Games with the same kind of "Simon Says" gameplay and limited interactivity as the old FMV titles? Not that today's music games aren't fun, but FMV games were sometimes fun too.

[Gabriel]

Is it ironic that FMV games are heavily derided, and the most popular games today are "Guitar Hero", "Rock Band", etc.? Games with the same kind of "Simon Says" gameplay and limited interactivity as the old FMV titles? Not that today's music games aren't fun, but FMV games were sometimes fun too.

 

I've thought the same thing. In fact, many moons ago, I believe I directly compared Guitar Hero's gameplay to that of Dragon's Lair. Their main innovation is changing the reward from being a movie clip to a sound clip and providing more frequent input points with an associated increase in the number of times you can mess up.