Sometimes, cutscenes are integral for helping the narrative that the game wants to tell. Yet, there exist some games out there that just have way too many cutscenes, even for their good. These games may be fun, and their story may be superb, but they are held back by the fact that they are supposed to be played and enjoyed for their gameplay, but instead, have players sitting and watching like an interactive movie.
These games will have players holding their popcorn with their controller on the side more than they will have control of the characters they are supposed to play as. However, that does not take away from the joy that these games can provide, they just have a lot of cutscenes.
8 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic 2
Considering that Star Wars is mainly a cinematic franchise, it’s no surprise that a game featuring the galaxy far, far away has many cutscenes. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 allows players to start their journey thousands of years before the Skywalker Saga. This allows for their own story, but they are often interrupted by the cutscenes.
These cutscenes are essential to the story, as players will see the actions unfold of rival Sith, as well as exciting set pieces. However, the cutscenes that unfold in Knights of the Old Republic 2 are often overtaken by Kreia, providing players with heavy dialogue-consuming moments.
7 Kingdom Hearts 3
The return of the Kingdom Hearts franchise with Kingdom Hearts 3 was met with adoration and a behemoth of excitement from its fans. However, that excitement dwindled slightly when players finally got their hands on it, only to find themselves sitting through hours upon hours of cutscenes.
The largest criticism of Kingdom Hearts 3 comes from the frequency of cutscenes. Cutscenes in Kingdom Hearts 3 come quickly and stay too long, often making players watch iconic Disney moments that they may not care about, just to see Sora awkwardly in the background.
6 The Witcher 3
When players take control of the famed Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, they may find their hunting for monsters, and interference in politics taking a backseat for a few scenes, as The Witcher 3 has numerous cutscenes to divide up the gameplay and seemingly infinite quests and activities that players can enjoy in The Witcher 3.
For many of these cutscenes, players will be conversing with other characters, choosing their dialogue options carefully to craft their version of Geralt. However, there are also some cutscenes where players have no choice, and must watch. Yet, these cutscenes are pretty thrilling and essential to the game.
5 Final Fantasy 16
Final Fantasy 16 boasts itself as the “first fully-fledged Action RPG” in the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy 16 has seen much acclaim, and fans are still eagerly playing through the newest mainline Final Fantasy adventure. However, some fans have expressed their concern about the use of cutscenes in the game.
Players are adoring the combat and gameplay in Final Fantasy 16, so it makes sense that they are a tad bit annoyed at the amount of cutscenes that take them away from the gameplay that they have been enjoying. However necessary to the story, players are enjoying the fight too much to just watch.
4 Yakuza 0
The glamorous life of a Yakuza has never seemed so appealing to Kiryu, or so he thought. Yakuza 0 is an origin game to the iconic series, which has since been renamed in the West to “Like A Dragon”. In Yakuza 0, players can enjoy many quirky sidequests, a thrilling story, and karaoke! However, to do these things, plenty of cutscenes will come in the way.
Yakuza 0 has too many cutscenes in many moments. Instead of the beatdown gameplay that players enjoy, they might be watching a cutscene for a large amount of time. Yet, these cutscenes are immensely entertaining, with the thrills and camp the Yakuza series deserves.
3 Red Dead Redemption 2
The Wild West is beautiful, yet dangerous. The open planes of land for players to explore, decades before the entrapment from skyscrapers and vehicles makes for an immersive open-world game in Red Dead Redemption 2. However, with such a large game, it’s no surprise that there are some pretty lengthy cutscenes.
Each mission has multiple cutscenes, whether those are Strangers, the main story, or even just being held up on the path. Players can find themselves involved in plenty of cutscenes in Red Dead Redemption 2, but they are more than worth it for the story of Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang.
2 The Last Of Us
The Last of Us does its best to distance itself from the zombie genre. The Last of Us holds its narrative above its gameplay, as it has a rather personal story to tell. The Last of Us follows Joel, a rugged and aging survivor of the infected outbreak, who has been on both sides of good and bad. All changes when he is tasked with smuggling a young girl, Ellie, across America to help create a cure for the infected.
Although gameplay can be exciting in The Last of Us, with players planning out stealth or loud encounters depending on preference, the game still has a lot of cutscenes that take the forefront of the game. There’s a reason this game later became an HBO show.
1 Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots
Solid Snake has been a gaming icon for years, and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots provides players with “Old Snake”, the final mission for the renowned espionage master. While Old Snake shuffles and coughs his way through his mission, and players enjoy the mix of espionage and action, they may find their controller turning off due to the length of cutscenes.
Metal Gear Solid 4 has an incredible amount of cutscenes, with some even going on for more than 30 minutes before players can even touch their controller. The Metal Gear Solid games are known for their lengthy storytelling, but MGS 4 takes the cutscene cake.