Attract sequences

[Caleb Newcastle]

It's not a major niggle and it has no relevance to how good an actual game is but what the fuck is up with games today having attract sequences that are literally just commercials for the game.

And before any of you wise asses start up; I know the point of an attract sequence is to get you to play the damn thing (or at least it was back in the days of the arcade) but recently I've been noticing that more and more titles just appear to slap on the same fmv of random clips they'd been using as promotional material for months. Sometimes even with promo slogans such as "Co-operative play!" "Fantastic weapons!"

How interesting... It's not like I just spent £40 on your fucking game. Stop whoring it and impress me.

Halo is a prominent offender. Great title screen. Haunting music. And then... an E3 show reel in grainy low quality-o-vision. Same with KOTOR. Contrast it with stuff like R-Type Final or MGS2 where the developer has obviously gone out of there way to make you go "ooh" before things start.

Anyway. Rant over. All I'm saying is: game demo and attract sequence? Keep them separate you cheap bastards.

[Dimahoo]

What do you mean?

Attract sequences are for arcade games to entice you to spend money.

You mean FMV promotion. And yes. Its mostly rendered shite like the screenshots your fed.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

That's why there is a 'start' button on your controller.

[Caleb Newcastle]

Yes but it's kind of a gaming convention isn't it?

Like Cannon Fodder playing "War ain't never been so much fun"

Or the briefing/submarine bit in MGS Twin Snakes.

Or Lance and Bill saying "Let's attack aggressively!" in Contra III.

They've always been there. They're now shit. It's a lament over presentation.

Eg. Halo's actual intro was alright but it would've been much cooler if they gave you some kind of history to the conflict, or glimpses of Spartan's in development when the game booted up/you left the title screen alone for a while...

[Dimahoo]

All FMV is shit. It adds nothing to a game and wastes money, esp if the games got a decent graphics engine (like Halo)

If no expense was spent on bollocks like this and the crap music to the crap football games, games would be cheaper.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

Yeah, I get your point. I think Soul Calibur II does it very well for example. Got some FMV outlining the 'story', show some battles and then the main screen again.

[TheSlugFormerlyKnownAsNap]

All FMV is shit. It adds nothing to a game and wastes money.

I don't agree. I think it's great between stages or after key-events in action/adventure games. Ninja Gaiden for example.

[MW_Jimmy]

What do you mean?

Attract sequences are for arcade games to entice you to spend money.

True, Crazy Taxi has one of the best attract modes ever.

[Caleb Newcastle]

Yeah, I get your point. I think Soul Calibur II does it very well for example. Got some FMV outlining the 'story', show some battles and then the main screen again.

Exactly. Soul Calibur 2's is great example. A bit of "fuck me, that looks awesome" a dash of "what the fuck happened to Taki's yabs" and some awesome music to get you stoked. Makes you feel like you're about to play something special.

[frumious]

I quite like the sort of attract sequence in things like RTSs and God games where the camera floats majestically over the game world, taking in the scenery, unit types, buildings, all going about their business.

And Soul Calibur's martial arts displays!

[DJ Sack]

FMV is nice and easy to do, doesnt need as much testing as a real time one and can be added at the last minute. Plus they can show all the set pieces in one go without having loading screens etc.

[toonfool]

I like Halo's attract movie, there's lots of good gameplay shown in it.

[Harmunt]

I sometimes leave the SSX3 one on in the room when I'm not even playing, just because it looks cool when people walk past and look in.

Exactly how many people walk by and look in your room?

Where's your room? Piccadilly Circus?

[Dimahoo]

A game should use its graphics engine to show itself off, as arcade games (nearly) always did.

Theres so much more scope. You can place cameras in random places (like the mountains of SSX for example) and really show off. FMV doesn't do it justice.

[Meh]

Zone of the Enders 1 & 2.

[InsideOutBoy]

All FMV is shit. It adds nothing to a game and wastes money, esp if the games got a decent graphics engine (like Halo)

The attract mode in Halo is all in-game footage. I assume it's done for when a game is shown off in shops to 'attract' would-be buyers. That Halo attract mode was on a thousand demo pods around the world.

A lot of DVD’s do the same thing, with the menu showing you all the good bits before you’ve even pressed start.

That’s my only gripe with it - It ruins the future surprises of the game. I knew Halo had flying vehicles and snowy levels just by watching that movie.

However, Tony Hawk’s Underground has a great attract sequence showing (what I presume are Neversoft Tester’s) cruising around the levels pulling off insane combos the likes of which I’d never imagined.

[Monkeyspill]

I can remember liking the attract sequence to "Parallax" on the commodore 64. It was really odd and hallucinagenic and I hadn't seen anything quite like it at the time. But surely the only need for spectacular attract sequences is in demo pods and arcades. Its not like it makes any difference when you're actually playing the game.

[labarte]

PGR2's is pretty good, with all the city names flowing over the Enzo's body work

The original sega rally though, thaty was a game that you saw running and had to play.

Final Fight's was cool too, woah! Mad Gears!

[Sprite Machine]

A lot of DVD’s do the same thing, with the menu showing you all the good bits before you’ve even pressed start.

I bloody well hate that!

[Caleb Newcastle]

Final Fight's was cool too, woah! Mad Gears!

The Mega CD version was interesting to say the least... the voices put quite an interesting spin on the Cody and Guy scene...

[Jumble Jumble]

The Halo one shows you how to kill Hunters - goddamn, if only I'd seen that before the first time I played Truth & Rec!

[Guest]

It's not a major niggle and it has no relevance to how good an actual game is but what the fuck is up with games today having attract sequences that are literally just commercials for the game.

And before any of you wise asses start up; I know the point of an attract sequence is to get you to play the damn thing (or at least it was back in the days of the arcade) but recently I've been noticing that more and more titles just appear to slap on the same fmv of random clips they'd been using as promotional material for months. Sometimes even with promo slogans such as "Co-operative play!" "Fantastic weapons!"

How interesting... It's not like I just spent £40 on your fucking game. Stop whoring it and impress me.

Halo is a prominent offender. Great title screen. Haunting music. And then... an E3 show reel in grainy low quality-o-vision. Same with KOTOR. Contrast it with stuff like R-Type Final or MGS2 where the developer has obviously gone out of there way to make you go "ooh" before things start.

Anyway. Rant over. All I'm saying is: game demo and attract sequence? Keep them separate you cheap bastards.

It's easy to put together a "low quality vid", and it can run during demo loops (so it can be on in shops etc).

Put it this way. Would you prefer a super game demo, which takes ages to put together and debug, or a video which takes a couple of days.

Enjoy the game man! More resources which go towards that, the better.

[divine visitor]

Just off the top of my head, F-Zero GX and Virtual On Oratorio Tangram both have awesome attract sequences, IMO.

Both are also Arcade games, which may explain things.

[ZOK]

Of the two games that I finished over the last couple of days, Ninja Gaiden and Freedom Fighters, I would say that FF has a great attract sequence that I could watch again and again, whereas NG's is pretty tedious. It even makes it look like Ryu can't hold the Dragon Sword properly!

'Transcending history, and the World...' SC2 on the other hand is the god of intro movies!

[divine visitor]

Soul Edge's intro was pretty cool, IIRC.

[mchugh]

the problem with having a realtime attract sequence is that all the environment etc has to be loaded in, so its easier just to stick a video up

[Dimahoo]

Look at driv3r.

It cost a bomb to render that stuff, get them voice-overs, etc.

You watch them once. Remember that, because much of your cash is going into that intro. Its pure wastage.

Your paying for throwaway media.

For example - a company could add some shit hot movie intro to some basic Mr Driller style game. Now if the game is good, fine, but the game could still be good, sans intro and you could pay less.

I think thats a valid point with the way certain companies spend shitloads of cash on what are effectively shite movies.

Storylines that you've seen better served as a real movie but split into any given game, to make you the player feel part of it.

Fuck, i'm gonna take this to RSC!

[Unofficial Who]

Zone of the Enders 1 & 2.

Big thumbs up for ZOE 2.

And as for those FMV haters, Soul Blade is one of the best intro FMVs ever. Short, snappy and catchy.

[Cheeko]

I hate it when you walk into the font room and the attract mode spoils a really cool bit of the game that you haven't got to yet.

[Pistol]

Soul Calibur's is too classy!