Not exactly the same thing, obviously, but there was that Canadian film "Cube" (1997)--six random people have to solve traps and puzzles together in order to escape a prison they can't remember entering.

It might be true to say that there have always been dumb action games trying to be like films. You only need to look at the history of godawful movie licensed games to see at least some truth in that. But that doesn't make his statement any less dumb.

Actually it had quite a good story (for a computer game of the time) that was played out through the intro and live action sequences. It doesn't have to be all puzzles, though that can work too (see kyogen's post).

I just look at RPGs like Fallout and Baldur's gate and I don't see cinematic style aspirations. The way the stories are presented is very different, non-linear and based on discovery and showing interest in learning more. Compared to Mass Effect it's like a whole different style of story presentation.

Now, maybe that was spurred on by technology limitations but I think that was a good thing then, like jaws not being in the movie much.

Just saw this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbTtsezso4Q

I disagree.

Isn't "Gaming Journalist" the new phrase for "that frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex."?

I get why the comparisons keep coming up, especially in the realm of production both mediums share a shit-ton of similarities (voice actors, tons of computer work, CGI, story boarding, etc.). Even the final products do have striking similarities.

Of course they have differences as well, what good is the comparison without the contrast? I once got a C- on a comparison and contrast paper in high school, I didn't understand the concept and only did the comparison part. The teacher said I'd "bagged the second half of the assignment". I learned to never do that unless I knew I was doing only "one half" of it and it was a conscious choice.

I see a lot of adults who apparently never learned that lesson, they tend to be news anchors, pundits, writers, etc.

I don't know if it's a full-on Santorum situation, but they certainly lack any kind of wise insight into the gaming process that makes their opinions of higher value than a forum post.

I don't think it's not just a matter of the hardware. An episode of Extra Credits really nailed it when the point was raised that many people working in the industry are frustrated film directors, or people who would much rather be doing cutscene/cinematic work than actual work on gameplay.

It makes sense given that a lot of AAA titles seem to be more leaning towards small gameplay sequences dropped in between extended QTE/cutscene sequences. I mean, I watched TB's video of the single-player campaign's jet mission and it was ridiculous. What kind of game designer gives you a cool, high-intensity action mission by putting you into a Super Hornet and then promptly turns you into a passive button-pushing monkey? And Telltale's infamous Jurassic Park game is even worse.

I think this is the real bane of the big budget gaming industry. One where game designers seem to fancy themselves more film makers and would rather deliver a "game" that's less an engaging interactive experience for the player and more a fulfillment of their whimsical dreams to make movies. The result is a product that's more for the edification of the creators than the players.

This video is a part of Bulletstorm marketing campaign ;-)

Hunt the Wumpus would totally make a great action movie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunt_the_wumpus

i don't. technology did indeed limit the extent to which games could emulate the 'action film' experience. developers tried to go around that by directly integrating the medium they intended to emulate: they used rendered or live action film sequences to advance the narrative in between gameplay sequences.

today that's no longer necessary. scripted events and almost life-like graphics, animations and sound allow a developer to do most if not all that during gameplay.

if anything has changed, it's the fact that games are now a completely homogeneous experience, no longer the patchwork result of combined media (game, film, literature).

I figured, but mildly entertaining nevertheless :)

I'll say again what I said in #15.
Not every game is a Call of Duty. Sure, there are games that attempt to be as cinematic as possible and they do get a lot of media attention, but they are simply a tiny fraction of all the games that are constantly coming out.