Do you believe that cut scenes in games these days are important? What do you feel precisely? What ratio of cut-scenes to gameplay do you think ideal? Me, personally, I love cut-scenes, especially the way Hideo Kojima does Metal Gear. I never miss a scene and I watch them through with detail. I do hear people complain about cut-scenes, but Id like to hear what you guys think. Later.

i like sprite based cut-scenes however i dont really like fmv since eighter
A it looks worse that if they just used regular game sprites
B looks like they put 50 time more effort into it than the game itself

Cut-scenes are an imperitave part of some genres. They seem to have become a staple in most RPGs. It really depends on the content and situation of each.

For instance, the cutscenes in MGS as you mentioned are great. They move the story and push the plot, and reveal through in depth (and LONG) conversations information to the player that would otherwise be a tedious amount of button pressing through the conversations.

However, now think FFX. Though most of the cut-scenes were done pretty well, on more than a few occasions the players is faced with a cut-scene, two or three steps (litterally walking!) of gameplay, and into another cut-scene. I think these instances could be better managed as either one cut-scene, or none. Its all in the presentation of such.

In an FPS, the cutscenes usually just shows the player's character model doing things that in fact the player should have been able to do, ie. delivering the final blow to an enemy, jumping out of the window, etc. To break gameplay just to cut to a short FMV in this genre/instance, IMHO, is useless..

Its all in the presentation.

The in-game cut scene ala Half-Life is a cool FPS approach to the problem. I can't complain about how the "scene" played out. RPGs could take the hint from the "integrated" approach as if one is playing a role in a RPG, shouldn't the player be allowed to conduct the role?

I absolutely hate cut-scenes, and I'm sorry to see they seem to be finding a permanent home in RPG's (console ones anyway). Cut-scenes always seem to me like really low-budget movies. If I wanted to watch something non-interactive, I'd watch a movie. If I want to play a game, I want to play it, not sit back while it tells me a (usually) crappy story. Video games are uniquely interactive, and it bothers me when game designers remove interactivity from their games.

I guess the best way to appeal to fans and non-fans is to just make them skippable.

In the project my team is working on (a 3rd person shooter) I am thinking about having 20 to 40 minutes of gameplay then have a 2 to 5 minute cut scene (skipable) and just repeat the formula. Some will be full fledged FMV while others will run off the engine models, etc. I've got about 3 hours of dialogue, but the game is estimated to be a 15 to 20 hour game. I think its a nice balance.

Naturally, it depends on the type of game and the feel that the designer is looking for. I'd rather see a decent cutscene of my character riding an elevator to the top of the Space Needle than actually sit there doing nothing for the forty seconds that the express elevator would take. On the other hand, I don't want to see a cutscene start, put down the controller and wonder if I have enough time to go to the bathroom before the game starts again.

I loved the interactive cutscenes of Resident Evil 4. You could skip most of them, but every so oftern you'd have to hit some buttons to avoid an attack or jump over a gap. It was brilliant, thrilling and not too repetitive. The knife-fight with Krauser brought fond memories of games like Dragon's Lair II and Space Ace.

Alternatively, Halo 2 had "cutscenes" that typically lasted about twelve seconds, were skippable, and often as not left you in control. If you've played the level before, you can run right past the guy who's giving you directions and get on with the killing. Never a dull moment.

(this is mostly wiha rpg in mind)
If I was doing it I would
1) limiate the number of cut scenes and save them for someting important to the plot

2)avoid having tons of short ones,(if i need to tell the player that a temple is old then il just have a guy that says it but doesnt freeze up the game)

3)all cut-scenes are skippable

4)you can have a specil menu to select and re-watch old cut-secens(for when you forgot something and found out it siginficant to the plot now)

5)the cut-scenes will have a time seek bar at the bottom(just like a media player so you can go strait to a important part)