Why no more Full Motion Video games? [Archive]

Anthony1

06-12-2003, 06:07 PM

I know I will get flamed to death on this one, but here me out first.

Remember Night Trap?

That was a cool game. Sure, it wasn't too interactive, but it was very interesting and a great new concept at the time. I remember getting it for my Sega CD.

I also got Sewer Shark, which was a horrible example of a FMV game. But I was thinking that with todays modern systems, you could have a really, really good looking night trap like game.

Night Trap on the Sega CD only let you play the game in a small window, but with todays systems, I would think that you would be able to play the games in full screen mode, with DVD quality video and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.

Sure, it really wouldn't be a true video game per se, but it would still be kinda cool.

I don't know, maybe I'm just crazy and I'm nostalgic for Night Trap. I remember that at the time these games were coming out, the entire video game press completely lambasted them in the magazines. They basically tore into any and all FMV games, so that eventually they were never made again.

I can understand alot of the criticism that was going around back then, but I think that if they had some of these games nowadays, it would be a good idea. They would only appeal to a very small segment of the market, but there would be people out there that would enjoy them.

They were the kind of games that were so bad, that they were acutally good. Instead of laughing with the game, you were laughing at it.

But for whatever reason, I really enjoyed Night Trap, and I don't have a Sega CD now, nor do I have a 3DO, but when I do get one of those systems, I'm going to grab a copy of Night Trap again and go back to that bygone era of FMV.

zmeston

06-12-2003, 06:27 PM

Phosphor Dot Fossils

06-12-2003, 06:27 PM

Sure, it wasn't too interactive

I think you answered your own question right there. Y'see, I always thought of the FMV and - earlier - the laserdisc games as video versions of a choose-your-own-adventure book: cool idea, but with an extremely exhaustible supply of novelty.

Fact of the matter is, players like myself like something more along the lines of Ultima IV or V - sure, there's only so many outcomes, but there are so many ways to get there. Not so with FMV games: the actors and animators can only film X number of outcomes, even with a big budget. So the path you have to take to reach the successful outcome narrows more and more until there's really only one or two ways to get there.

And once you get there? Well...game over. The thrill's gone at that point. For the coin-op industry, at least, which demanded replay value, that kind of rat-in-a-maze game with only one path to winning was anathaema. Less so with the home video game industry, but until the branching routines are perfected, and someone's got the budget to film 255 outcomes to a game, and the game can really react to the player's actions instead of just shutting him out for one wrong move...well...these are just things that FMV can't pull off too successfully. Which brings use back to the rat-in-a-maze syndrome.

Phosphor Dot Fossils

06-12-2003, 06:29 PM

Yasmine Bleeth and Walter Koenig

I'll spring for the rights, if I can call it "Battle Of The B-Grade TV Guest Star Actors" instead. :-D

zmeston

06-12-2003, 06:39 PM

Yasmine Bleeth and Walter Koenig

I'll spring for the rights, if I can call it "Battle Of The B-Grade TV Guest Star Actors" instead. :-D

Poor Yasmine has had a rough ride since her glorious "Baywatch" days, and having her drug-bust mug shot posted on The Smoking Gun was an especially low point. My favorite DP babe is Camille Cooper, the blonde from Double Switch, who managed to outshine even Corey Haim and Debbie Harry. Heh.

-- Z.

Achika

06-12-2003, 06:47 PM

IMO, FMV's looked pretty junky back in the day. Why try to recreate something (even if you could do it better now) that didn't go off so well back then?

It's like asking the question, why not make it 2D? 3D? Cell shaded? CG? It's just the choices the designers & programmers make.

I think that if they had some of these games nowadays, it would be a good idea. They would only appeal to a very small segment of the market

This is a money making business right? You've said in your other posts that pretty much only big $ companies would get into it. So why shell out a lot of money for a small niche of people? It seems like a bad idea to me... :roll:

calthaer

06-12-2003, 07:29 PM

Why not just take the footage and put it on a DVD for people to watch? That would be far less expensive and it would eliminate the need to push buttons in order to progress through the movie.

Oh wait...you said those things were supposed to be games?

I thought that a good working definition of a game was made by Sid Meier when he called them "a series of interesting choices." Dragon's Lair and other FMV games don't seem to offer too many choices to me.

Let Miramax or WB or some other movie company produce them. Companies making games have enough trouble staying in the black without making movies, too.

Anthony1

06-12-2003, 07:56 PM

Well, I have to admit that when you say full motion video "game", that the "game" part is used very loosely. Yes, they are basically a choose your own adventure type of situation, but I still find them to be fun and entertaining in their own "campy B-Movie" type way.

Sure, these so called "games" are just a quilty pleasure, that might be a little embarrising to admit that I enjoy them. Well, at least I did enjoy Night Trap. But I still think they would find an audience at the right price. Like say $24.99 or so. They could get the old footage from Digital Pictures, which was probably shot in 35mm, and they could make a really good looking DVD quality video out of it. They could also remaster the sound into a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack.

But I also think that a totally brand new Full Motion Video game could be made. Basically what happened, is that these games came out and were totally dogged by the gaming media and gamers, and then nobody gave them a second chance. So developers decided that Full Motion Video was a dead end, and nobody should go there anymore.

That could have been the case back then, but I think now, with improvements in technology, and the fact that systems now have the capability for DVD quality video and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, they maybe should take another swing at it.

It certainly would never threaten any "real" video games, but I think that there would develop a small group of people that would buy these games, if for nothing else their quirky, campy, B-movieish flavor.

Kid Ice

06-12-2003, 08:17 PM

I can't say I miss games entirely done in FMV (Night Trap was decent, but almost all the other ones sucked), but I do think it adds a little something to the game if done in limited quantities. I'm mainly thinking of 3 DO games such as Need for Speed, The Perfect General, and Immercenary that added FMV to good games, rather than just building a lousy game around FMV. I'm actually a bit surprised that it isn't used nowadays for intros, plot exposition, stuff like that. Imagine a Metal Gear game where a real actor plays Solid Snake!

the kid

maxlords

06-12-2003, 08:19 PM

Good Deal Games released some previously unreleased Sega CD FMV games recently...Bug Blasters and Citizen X I believe. Check their website at www.gooddealgames.com Great guys! So SOMEONE is doing it :P

Kid Ice

06-12-2003, 09:19 PM

Good Deal Games released some previously unreleased Sega CD FMV games recently...Bug Blasters

I witnessed Bug Blasters in DP's Room of Doom, and I was literally doubled over with laughter. Considering some of the FMV product that WAS released, imagine how poor these games must be.

Don't get me wrong... I'm all for unreleased products being made available!

the kid

Bighab

06-12-2003, 09:20 PM

I enjoyed FMV games. Wing Commander 3 for 3DO is my fav :D

ShinobiMan

06-12-2003, 09:26 PM

I too got a kick out of FMV games back in the day. At the time there was nothing like it... one of the things that made my sega CD so "magical" as a kid.

"What's that? A game that has a movie in it? what? The game "is" the movie? Good heavens!"

Those words were heard a lot in my house. Well, maybe not the GOOD HEAVENS part.

You know, I haven't played one of those games in such a long time. I remember so much suspense was involved with those titles back then because it was all based on timing and well... timing.

Sherlock Holmes was a family event back then. we'd all gather together (even invite friends) and solve one of the mystery's. That disc came with the Sega CD.

Overall, I had a memorable experience with a lot of those games. Good fun.

congobongo

06-12-2003, 09:44 PM

The most recent one I remember was X-Files for the PSX. Man what a dissapointment that was.

IMHO: FMV = Crap

Anthony1

06-12-2003, 11:36 PM

Sherlock Homes I don't think would qualify as your traditional FMV game. Don't get it wrong, I loved that game.

But I just don't think I would put it in that genre.

It's a damn shame that we haven't seen more games like Sherlock over the years.

Ed Oscuro

06-12-2003, 11:43 PM

The most recent one I remember was X-Files for the PSX. Man what a dissapointment that was.

IMHO: FMV = Crap

Hah! I remember seeing the box for that on PC. 7 discs, wasn't it? Yikes. Looked cool on the game store shelf, but even then it looked like a mighty stupid purchase.

Anyways, I'd like to think of FMV as perhaps something to do in tandem with the game engine...something along the lines of the video clips that play on TV monitors (wow!) in Aliens vs. Predator.

Daltone

06-13-2003, 02:03 AM

Hey, my favorite game EVER is FMV. Yes, there was a hell of a lot of crap released, especially in the adventure genre (*coughUrban Runnercough*) but there were some REALLY amazing games too. Luckily, DVD seems to have sorted out the nasty 'oh my god, look at all those discs' problems of yore. Well, either that or that 'Virtual Drive' thingy.

FMV - the future of videogames :-D

Ok, maybe not, but i can hope..

hydr0x

06-13-2003, 06:11 AM

i would love to see some (not many though) FMV games in the future, with todays technical possibilities these would be great "games", remember, most of the fmv games were so bad because they had cheap actors or cheap cameramen and so on

Daltone

06-13-2003, 06:41 AM

zmeston

06-13-2003, 07:15 AM

i would love to see some (not many though) FMV games in the future

I just want to see this one (http://www.unofficialtexmurphy.com)

remember, most of the fmv games were so bad because they had cheap actors or cheap cameramen and so on

Hey, remember cost isn't everything. Ever play "Frankenstein: Through The Eyes Of The Monster" ? Something tells me Tim Curry wasn't too cheap, and the acting was still crap LOL

The worst acting by a real actor in an FMV game was turned in by Christopher Walken in the PC game "Ripper." One of the game's six CD labels is a snapshot of one of Walken's FMV clips, and he's clearly reading his off-camera cue cards instead of looking at the person he's clutching in his arms.

Something else I dug about Digital Pictures' productions is that they used genuine Hollywood talent (B- and C-list talent, granted) both in front of and behind the camera, along with well-known game designers (Rob Fulop for "Night Trap," Mark Turmell for "Citizen X").

-- Z.

maxlords

06-13-2003, 07:47 AM

Hah! I remember seeing the box for that on PC. 7 discs, wasn't it? Yikes. Looked cool on the game store shelf, but even then it looked like a mighty stupid purchase.

Anyways, I'd like to think of FMV as perhaps something to do in tandem with the game engine...something along the lines of the video clips that play on TV monitors (wow!) in Aliens vs. Predator.

Embarrassingly, I STILL have the full big box X-Files PC FMV game.....I got it cheap and then no one would take it! And it really is 7 discs...I played it for about 5 min and then shelved it for all eternity *embarrased sob*

hydr0x

06-13-2003, 08:23 AM

the x-files game was great, i wish i would have bought it instead of playing a friends copy

Daltone

06-13-2003, 08:36 AM

The worst acting by a real actor in an FMV game was turned in by Christopher Walken in the PC game "Ripper." One of the game's six CD labels is a snapshot of one of Walken's FMV clips, and he's clearly reading his off-camera cue cards instead of looking at the person he's clutching in his arms.

I would like to nominate that native indian bloke (his name is mysteriously absent from the manual..) from "The Elk Moon Murderer" for that prestigious award. The man is the epitomy of the word "tense" whenever he's on screen. It doesn't help that he keeps glancing in a nervous way at the camera at odd times.
Anyway, a damn good reason to bring back full FMV games is to give these poor, talentless actors (well, maybe not Walken) a job. Think of it as humanitarian aid.

Ah, Digital Pictures. I wonder whatever happened to..Tom (was it?) Zito (or have I just gone and got the whole name wrong there?) producer of many a crap game...and Night Trap. I will never forgive that man for Supreme Warrior, which hands down is the least enjoyable game I've ever played.

[/hijacking thread]

Eternal Champion

06-13-2003, 12:32 PM

Something else I dug about Digital Pictures' productions is that they used genuine Hollywood talent (B- and C-list talent, granted) both in front of and behind the camera, along with well-known game designers (Rob Fulop for "Night Trap," Mark Turmell for "Citizen X").

-- Z.

WASN'T DANA PLATO (Diff'rent Strokes--R.I.P.) IN NIGHT TRAP????

I seem to remember that.

Anyway, FMV...exactly why I have never owned a Sega-CD, and why I run away screaming at the sight of FFVII and on.

("HEY!! You STILL don't have a Sega-CD"--'fraid not, Sparky)

AB Positive

06-13-2003, 12:40 PM

My favorite DP babe is Camille Cooper, the blonde from Double Switch, who managed to outshine even Corey Haim and Debbie Harry. Heh.

-- Z.

Debbie Harry? As In Deborah Harry, as in "Blondie" Deborah Harry?

...

is Double Switch a Sega CD game, and if so, let it be common...

EDIT: 1 hour left, no bids, one dollar. I'll take the risk *hits 'make bid' button*

-AG

swlovinist

06-13-2003, 01:13 PM

FMV was on the cutting edge about 10-11 years ago......it was a new gaming experience, and one that we all can look back at and laugh LOL Quite frankly, many sega CD titles and 3D0 titles took and abused this technology, I think because it was a way to show that they were "different" than standard 16 bit games at the time. I think of all the games that were just slight improvements of genesis carts slapped with FMV. Dont get me wrong, I like to play games such as Dragons Lair and Cobra Command on my Sega CD, but the reason it is not around anymore is that games can do so much more. Instead of watching crappy FMV and "tapping a button at the correct split second" games now can generate(at least on the cartoon level) very detailed graphics with greatly enhanced control. Still, just yesterday, I got the urge to play Prize Fighter!!!

Zap!

12-12-2014, 01:01 AM

Sorry for reviving an 11 year old thread, but I would love for them to make a comeback. I know the idea of "choose your own adventures" may not go over well, but why is there basically zero FMV of actors in cut-scenes?

Jorpho

12-12-2014, 08:32 AM

I know the idea of "choose your own adventures" may not go over wellEh, Phoenix Wright is practically an FMV game in structure � even moreso Harvey Birdman.

but why is there basically zero FMV of actors in cut-scenes?Because it is enormously costly to shoot and extremely difficult to do well compared to the alternatives � and accordingly the result usually ends up as the target of considerable mockery.

Tanooki

12-12-2014, 08:52 AM

Also back then the FMV was the best you could do. Look at the PS1 vs the N64. PS1 with the size but fairly terrible visuals limits on the polygons coupled with the low sized models the hardware(both) could do then would make it a factor. With all the space you could load out a ton of CGI or human FMV videos, albeit more costly, yet it would make the package seem better to people of that era as that was new and they didn't know any better. N64 couldn't really do it due to size, aside from the massively compressed 3CD Resident Evil 2 onto a 64MB N64 cart. Because of that they went with their models and did flowing scenes out of the actual 'area' the game was in (see Zelda Ocarina of Time.) N64 games flowed better between play and sequences, but they also in those sequences looked debatably worse because of the lack of 'video' which was the big thing in the 90s.

The Adventurer

12-12-2014, 07:15 PM

Tesla Effect basicly proved that the HD era has really benefited FMV, someone big just needs to take a chance.

But actors and shooting is still pretty expensive.

Jorpho

12-13-2014, 12:50 AM

I should add that there are probably numerous FMV games circulating out there in Greenlight and Kickstarter and whatnot, but they probably don't get much attention because nobody likes them.

I'm pretty sure I saw at least one in the Two Best Friends Play XBox Live Indie Games (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrdNkSYmSR8) series.

The Adventurer

12-13-2014, 02:04 AM

Tesla Effect was great. So there's one that isn't universally hated.

E Nice

12-13-2014, 04:41 PM

FMV was on the cutting edge about 10-11 years ago......it was a new gaming experience, and one that we all can look back at and laugh LOL .............. but the reason it is not around anymore is that games can do so much more. Instead of watching crappy FMV and "tapping a button at the correct split second" games now can generate(at least on the cartoon level) very detailed graphics with greatly enhanced control.

It sounds like FMV gameplay evolved into the QTE portions you see in many of today's 3D games. You know the scenes where game control stops and your character moves automatically and awaits the correct button input at certain time intervals. If you fail to use the correct buttons or miss the timing it just repeats the section over again until you can pass the section.

Tanooki

12-13-2014, 10:13 PM

You're kind of right about that. Dragon's Lair arcade evolved into the QTE you've seen in stuff like Shen Mue and God of War.

celerystalker

12-16-2014, 09:13 AM

I'm not so sure expense of shooting is that big of a barrier. For an indie, perhaps a little, but for anyone with half of a budget I don't think it's that big a deal. I mean, these days it's getting downright common to hire Hollywood actors for voice roles, and it's probably close to as expensive if not more to create the 3D likenesses for game use like Ellen Page or Kevin Spacey recently. If YouTube personalities can makes stuff like the AVGN movie or the Happy Console Gamer movie, which is basically out of one man's pocket, I don't see nearly the issue in creative budget.

I do love these games. Psychic Detective on 3DO was my favorite. If you're an importer, check out Combat Queen on PS2. It's goofy fun with production values reminiscent of an early episode of Power Rangers, but with DVD quality. Also, PC-FX has a couple of fun FMV 2-player fighters where you react to each other's input: Battle Heat and Tengai Makyou.

Gameguy

12-16-2014, 11:30 PM

I'm a bit late to replying but as some others have said, FMV really didn't go away. It's just the medium used has changed, instead of filming live actors they're using pre-rendered 3D CGI graphics. The same thing is basically happening with feature films, instead of using actual live stunts or scenery it's all becoming digital effects added in later. It wasn't all live action anyway in games, with games using animation like Dragon's Lair, Time Gal, Cliff Hanger, and Thayer's Quest. FMV is still alive and well.

Of course I do wish some games would go back to using live actors, though it's more for nostalgia at this point. Most games seemed pretty terrible when they first came out, besides a few of the really good ones like The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery.

There's one I've been trying to remember the name of for over a decade but I haven't been able to find it. I remember playing this in school during the mid-90's. From what I remember it had 2 mystery cases to solve, one was a mysterious substance showing up on lawns damaging lawn mowers. You were supposed to perform tests and analyze what it was made of to figure out what it was and where it came from. The second case I can't remember all too well, I think it was trying to find some mysterious creature or monster that people reported seeing(maybe). I really didn't get far in the game at all the few times I played it as computer class wasn't that long and we couldn't save the game to continue later. It still bugs me that I can't figure out what game this is.

T2KFreeker

12-16-2014, 11:46 PM

Just to throw this out there, you guys do know that Hysteria Project was released in 2009 and it's sequel in 2011. They also made it to the Playstation store for the PSP, PS3 and also the Vita...they are FMV in that classic sense, branching paths, run from the killer horror games and very much like the older Sega CD/3DO games or yore, altho0ugh a bit more fun to play...not bad games either...my buddy and I had good fun playing them...

So, going back to the old FMV formula was fun. Just saying.

The Adventurer

12-16-2014, 11:53 PM

Extra Credits talked about this really interesting FMV game, Cloud Chamber on their show a few weeks ago. The way they discribe it, it's a rather a unique game experience using FMV in a way that makes sense in a modern context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU70hOX5_X8

goldenband

12-17-2014, 01:10 AM

I do love these games. Psychic Detective on 3DO was my favorite.

That and Wirehead (Sega CD) are probably the two best FMV-based games I've encountered so far. Psychic Detective has an interesting and unconventional narrative structure. Wirehead was just funny and goofy, though the lack of a savegame function made replaying the early stages tedious.

The arcade game The Act is also fun, though it's far closer to something like Dragon's Lair.

One of the worst tropes of the FMV era was the obnoxious or condescending lectures you constantly got in certain games. It's especially bad (and immersion-breaking) when a game insults you for not foreseeing the outcome of something your character couldn't possibly have anticipated, e.g. the trial-and-error gameplay in Fahrenheit (Sega CD/32X) where if a door turns out to have nothing behind it, you're berated for wasting time.

Oh, and Plumbers Don't Wear Ties. A horrible "game" (really a visual novel IMHO), but absolutely hilarious in its shameless, good-natured incompetence and utter half-assed-ness. "You pea-brained preppy! You vain, Volvo-driving vulva!"

Jorpho

12-17-2014, 09:10 AM

I mean, these days it's getting downright common to hire Hollywood actors for voice roles, and it's probably close to as expensive if not more to create the 3D likenesses for game use like Ellen Page or Kevin Spacey recently.I readily admit that I am not knowledgeable about the specifics of the moviemaking business, but no, I am quite certain that neither of those things comes anywhere near the astronomical costs of hiring actors and a camera crew to actually shoot something. I kind of suspect that as soon as someone actually appears on screen there are ginormous Screen Actor's Guild fees to be paid, too.

If YouTube personalities can makes stuff like the AVGN movie or the Happy Console Gamer movie, which is basically out of one man's pocket, I don't see nearly the issue in creative budget.You get what you pay for.

Psychic Detective on 3DO was my favorite.That one's also on the PC (and numerous other platforms).

Zap!

12-17-2014, 09:51 AM

I readily admit that I am not knowledgeable about the specifics of the moviemaking business, but no, I am quite certain that neither of those things comes anywhere near the astronomical costs of hiring actors and a camera crew to actually shoot something. I kind of suspect that as soon as someone actually appears on screen there are ginormous Screen Actor's Guild fees to be paid, too.

There's no Screen Actor's Guild for video games. While it may be expensive to make a FMV for car chases with explosions, it's not expensive to hire actors for cut-scenes. In fact it's far cheaper than paying CGI experts to put something in. Remember, we're not talking about hiring Tom Cruise here. They can hire anyone off the street, or better yet, current employees. Let's say you were 22, making $11 per hour, and was the paperwork guy at Konami. You would be more than happy to take a couple of hundred bucks for a few hours shoot on an upcoming game. I know I would at lease. FMV always had terrible actors, and I personally found a certain coolness about that.

No "camera crew" is required either. You hire one college kid (who's taking photography ) with his own $700 camera, throw him $300, and call it a day.

Gameguy

12-17-2014, 10:41 AM

Oh, and Plumbers Don't Wear Ties. A horrible "game" (really a visual novel IMHO), but absolutely hilarious in its shameless, good-natured incompetence and utter half-assed-ness. "You pea-brained preppy! You vain, Volvo-driving vulva!"
That "game" has become literally playable through youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjMAG5IDnek

There's no Screen Actor's Guild for video games. While it may be expensive to make a FMV for car chases with explosions, it's not expensive to hire actors for cut-scenes. In fact it's far cheaper than paying CGI experts to put something in. Remember, we're not talking about hiring Tom Cruise here. They can hire anyone off the street, or better yet, current employees. Let's say you were 22, making $11 per hour, and was the paperwork guy at Konami. You would be more than happy to take a couple of hundred bucks for a few hours shoot on an upcoming game. I know I would at lease. FMV always had terrible actors, and I personally found a certain coolness about that.

No "camera crew" is required either. You hire one college kid (who's taking photography ) with his own $700 camera, throw him $300, and call it a day.
Maybe he should have been more specific about making good FMV video games. If all you want is another generic shitty FMV game then anyone can follow your plan.

For a good FMV game, look into Toonstruck which stars Christopher Lloyd. There are full FMV sequences but most of the game consists of a digitized sprite of Christopher Lloyd interacting with an animated background. Plenty of actual known actors in this one. Of course if a game used full FMV all the time, then you would need to built sets for backgrounds or rent locations to use for filming which would add to the cost.

It still would be even cheaper to make a non-FMV game. Just use freeware CGI software and design your own video game in your spare time, it would literally cost you nothing to do this and plenty of people already do this for freeware games, which are mostly shitty.

With modern games using CGI characters modeled after real actors, this keeps the gameplay to be more interactive and controllable than pure FMV. Rather than switch between CGI during gameplay and live action during cut scenes, they just render everything in CGI to keep it consistent. Having actual digitized actors worked great in 2D, but for 3D games they had to switch to CGI. I would prefer 2D games just fine but that doesn't seem to be what studios are producing now, I guess they want to make a reason for people to justify having such powerful current consoles.

goldenband

12-17-2014, 11:29 AM

That one's also on the PC (and numerous other platforms).

Only the PC and PlayStation, AFAIK, and from what I've read the PlayStation version had some content cut.

Be careful not to confuse the US Psychic Detective with the multivolume Japanese series by Data West (e.g. "Psychic Detective Series Vol. 1: Invitation") that was indeed on a bunch of platforms and consoles (FM Towns, Mega CD, PC Engine CD, etc.). It's confusing, for sure -- or at least it confused me -- but the 3DO game is its own thing.

That "game" has become literally playable through youtube.

Indeed, though IIRC a few of the funnier sound clips are missing. If you messed up at one point, one of the voices on the selection screen would say something to the effect of "Do you really want to keep playing this thing?", and I seem to remember that's not on the YouTube sequence. Still a great service, though, and obviously wiser than spending $$$ on a real copy.

celerystalker

12-17-2014, 01:55 PM

I readily admit that I am not knowledgeable about the specifics of the moviemaking business, but no, I am quite certain that neither of those things comes anywhere near the astronomical costs of hiring actors and a camera crew to actually shoot something. I kind of suspect that as soon as someone actually appears on screen there are ginormous Screen Actor's Guild fees to be paid, too.

You get what you pay for.

That one's also on the PC (and numerous other platforms).

I cite the 3DO version of Psychic Detective because it is, as mentioned, the least censored version

You don't incur additional SAG fees that you wouldn't by 3D modeling an actor. You also need very expensive scanning and modeling tools to do what developers do these days. You don't need A-list talent to make a good FMV game, though. There are great independent films made every year that cost a fraction of what it costs to make a modern game. The point is, cost is not the preventative barrier. It's an overall lack of interest. Even as I mention loving these games and how I'd love to play more, I know there's no profit there. It's a pipe dream. It's just nice to think about in a "what if" scenario. Nobody is seriously going to produce an A-list entry in an evolutionary dead end. At best there might be some indie games that tread this vestigial ground.

Arkanoid_Katamari

12-17-2014, 04:23 PM

I don't think FMV games will ever make a comeback. We have things called cut scenes now that are just infinitely superior. I did just get a stack of Sega CD games I gotta try, maybe that'll be my night.

Jorpho

12-17-2014, 11:30 PM

You also need very expensive scanning and modeling tools to do what developers do these days.What makes you think it's expensive?

There are great independent films made every year that cost a fraction of what it costs to make a modern game.There are considerably more atrociously mediocre independent films made every year.

celerystalker

12-18-2014, 12:04 AM

What makes you think it's expensive?

There are considerably more atrociously mediocre independent films made every year.

A couple of articles I read regarding the facial scanning and muscle structure animation in regard to the uncanny valley phenomenon called it cutting edge enough that only a few developers such as EA and Activision had access to it at the time. That's why I think it's expensive.

Yes, there are crummy independent films. There are also lousy blockbuster studio films. There are tons of lousy video games in FMV, 3D, and 2D. That doesn't negate the possibility of quality on a budget. Like I said, it's irrelevant, because it wouldn't be profitable anyway. When FMV games were new, the hope was that they were the next big thing, and as such, developers weren't afraid to spend the money to shoot footage and even hire legitimate acting talent. Clearly, they weren't successful, and any game made of that type now is for a niche audience. Making a sequel to Night Trap is the sort of thing that gets a couple thousand people riled up and excited enough to talk about it and even donate to kickstarters, but the other 5,999,998,000 people on the planet don't care. These days it'd be a passion project or nothing at all, and yes, that likely means its quality would be a crap shoot. It's not wrong for fans to hope for the best, though.