I have started to review games as a hobby. I have a degree in film making, so I decided I would apply this perspective to games.

My target audience is really those people who value story above all else, as such, I don't really talk about gameplay and I don't even RATE gameplay.

I DO rate gameplay/story balance, so that people know if a game is a glorified quicktime event or (the opposite) a full blown game with no narrative substance.

I would love lots of feedback, thanks!

P.S. please note I often review MATURE games, so if you are under 18, please consult your parent or guardian before watching these reviews.

Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/user/InGameCinematic

I'll check it out soon and tell you what I think. Sounds like an interesting spin!

I wasn't expecting too much (there's a lot of crap on Youtube) but I watched your Limbo review and thought it was actually really good. It's very nicely written, and I like the focus on the artistic side rather than an IGN style marks-out-of-ten review.

Haven't watched your videos ( I will in a moment) but when I saw your title I felt the need to post here. I never could figure it out before, but as I play more and more games, spanning dozens of genres and decades I have found one common them that really can make or break a game for me. If a game can make me feel as if I am playing a movie, a movie where the actors do as I say and go where I go, it will hold a place in m heart. Now cinematic for a person like me, ( a video game major) and a person like you are different things, whereas you may discuss the way a games uses lighting or camera techniques to tell a story, I find other elements that do so. For instance, Mafia II uses music, voice acting, some beautiful physics and shooting mechanics to give its gameplay sequences a very cinematic feel, Saints Row uses music and over the top action to give it the appearance of a Jason Statham movie, and yes even Arkham Asylum manages to evoke a feelng that you are the cinematic version of Batman in instances when you perfectly execute a predator move or a freeflow combat combo. Its when a game looks natural that really makes it cinematic for me, when I push a button I like to see an action that I would expect an actor in a movie to do if I were to give him instructions. Its a feeling of unscripted control over whatever I want to see occur on the screen.

Just my two cents...look forward to seeing your review

Watched the Limbo review, it was pretty good. You should keep doing these!

One slightly distracting thing was the occassional glitch in the Limbo video like at the 3 minute 10 seconds mark. Something worth to keep an eye on, if it's not just an issue with the recording of that specific game.

I'd be interested in hearing what you'd have to say about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TptJHeWngJs, which is pretty unique in the way it handles its narrative.

Yeah, still trying to find out which is the best codec to export might not use h.264 again, lol. Will try something else for the next one. Youtuebe didn't like the Limbo ones format.

Also, thanks for the feedback guys, some very interesting points!

Hi to another TV & Film production grad!

Would be interested to hear your reviews on Pathologic, Katawa Shoujo and the biggy, Planescape Torment.

Planescape, good suggestion, will finally have an excuse to play through this game I've been always recommended

I found that Torment kinda fails in the gameplay department (combat) but the setting, dialogue and story is great. Very different from the normal 'you are the chosen one here to save the world from the evil that wants to destroy it' kind of stories.

Would be nice to hear your thoughts, but it's going to take you a while to get through the game.

Well I reckon I'm in your target audience and I've been toying with the idea of getting Limbo and you sold me. My hang-up was about the length but you're right, quality over quantity counts. Liked and subbed - hope to see more soon!

Meh, so few games actually have good stories. And having a 'award winning' type story usually cant be put into a game, since its a game. Even some of the best stories in gaming would fall short as actual novels or movies. With that said, the original Fallout, which borrowed a lot from Wasteland, was probably one of, if not the best Game story Ive ever interacted with. Followed probably by Morrowind, and its political depth, etc. Games that are more interactive movie than game though, I don't even play, so I wouldn't know if they were any good. Probably not though, otherwise it would be an actual game, not a glorified cut scene. For instance I was watching a friend play MG4 and thought, "wow, what a boring story/interactive cut scene".

I am not in the target audience, I think. I review story last. I have one rule though, "if you have a story, make it functional at least." The problem is many fail at this part and I don't have mercy for them. This is why Super 8 is awful and Avatar is amazing for me.

I enjoyed Limbo. My thought about the boy was very different from yours though. But I think that's the beauty of Limbo's story, it is open. I also enjoyed the length. My saves from Bioshock are scattered from 2008 to 2011, I finished it last month. That's long, I had to show great determination to finish it! I enjoyed Half-Life 2 episodes more than Half-Life 2 because of the better length too. And I fancy my played-in-one-sit games.

I didn't like Bastion from the short demo I played. Because the gameplay is kinda repetitive. I just can't play that kind of game and listen to the narrator at the same time. It is distracting. Funnily, I would love to see the same narrative in my Skyrim journal.

Here some games I liked their story.

Final Fantasy 8:
Exploration was rewarding. I can control the pace and I can freely roam a world... Constantly encountering new settings and characters and gaining new spells and abilities through the game kept it fresh until the end. I also liked the interactive cutscenes.

Undying:
Constantly encountering new settings and characters and gaining new spells and abilities through the game kept it fresh until the end. Again? Funnily, I was frustrated by this game at first, I thought "I stuck in this boring mansion for eternity". I didn't know.

Silent Hill 2:
A whole town and a mind for exploration. Slowly uncovering the mystery but not all of it.

Myst III: Exile:
Exploration of different ages and puzzles.

Jedi Outcast:
Rich settings in Star Wars universe and fun gameplay.

Dead Space:
Gameplay is fun, atmosphere is solid. It is closer to Silent Hill 2.

Max Payne 2:
Gameplay and atmosphere.

Prey:
Gameplay and atmosphere.

I purposefully avoided reviewing the stories, characters and such. So I liked a story, no big deal! I like many stories which you may not like, or vice versa. I think the key point is why I sit through them. So I listed those whys above instead.

And Morrowind, I think it is worth noting this exclusively:
It is an open text. There are so many viewpoints in the game world, you can adopt one or have your own interpretation freely. While it is a linear story, it gives so much room to player. In contrast to Limbo, the power comes from the complexity. There would be so many different answers to the question "why did you do it?" about Morrowind's story. It is almost wrong to call it a story, it is something else because player agency is still, somehow, seemingly intact.

LA Noire Review:

P.S. please note I often review MATURE games, so if you are under 18, please consult your parent or guardian before watching these reviews.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wgt4s2lYcc

Mass Effect 1 Review:

I made the argument that this game is the best Sci-Fi narrative to ever be on a visual medium. Trumping Star Wars Bladerunner and Alien. Lol.

(MATURE games, so if you are under 18, please consult your parent or guardian before watching these reviews.)

The review is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTKKHhPplJs

Cinematics? Well a few games that come to mind are Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, LittleBigPlanet 2, and the Portal games.

KEep in mind Im not reviewing the cinematics, the title is a little play on words. I'm just reviewing the cinematic elements.

I guess I could put it simpler by saying, I am reviewing the presentation of narrative.

I really enjoy good stories in games and I can really only enjoy them if the story/game lore makes sense.
That's for example one of the reasons I never will play WoW again (or any other MMORPG, of course if they can convince me they have developed something innovative story telling, I maybe would give it a try).

Your exactly the kind of person I am aiming at, so any criticisms would be welcome