Guild Wars 2

Like this: Mass Effect 2 – Shadow Broker Confrontation

Yes, A LOT more work and effort is required to pull this off. Cinematics like this need to be storyboarded. Special software may also be required for facial animations. However, the benefits are substantial, and I will list them:

1. The voice acting will both seem and be better if the actors understand the physical circumstances of their lines and what action their character is performing.

2. The immersion is superior. Nothing breaks immersion like watching your best buddy (in game) saying they are dying or are about to sacrifice themselves while they are just standing placidly.

3. They just look better. It is more visually exciting to see a character struck down by an arrow but stoically refusing assistance than to see the same occur with two static characters against a background, with one of them saying “Leave me.”

What do you think?

I actually just logged in to post about this too.

I’m at a point in the game where I’m fighting a boss, and then for no reason at all the game breaks to a cut-scene. In the cut-scene every single NPC and my character are suddenly and inexplicably absent save for one female soldier and one male. The female shouts “it’s too strong!” (which is rubbish, we were mauling the thing) and then nothing happens for about 2 seconds. The boss then knocks her down and again, nothing happens for 2 seconds. The male tries to save her and shoots his gun at the boss, making no sound and spawning no projectiles. This animation plays for 2 more seconds and the female runs away. She then STANDS STOCK STILL in view of the camera as the boss lumbers over to the guy and hits him three times, at which point him crumples to the ground.

I wholeheartedly agree that this game needs a serious look at its cut scenes and voice acting, it’s simply second rate and seriously breaks immersion as it’s extremely difficult to feel any emotion toward any of the NPCs. During the story missions I often find myself skipping passed the conversations between characters as they rapidly grow redundant and are quite predictable.