Cutscenes are wonderfully versatile and can relay significant amounts of important information or story in a dramatic way. However, cutscenes can also draw a player out of the experience of the game. In-game storytelling is often more immersive and can have a great emotional or adrenaline-inducing impact if timed properly. However, issues with player control (what if the player skips past or interferes with the scene) and amount of time to relay story remain. I'd like to think both can be used effectively. For example, one might use both types of storytelling in independent areas, as seen in the cult game Ico. One could also combine the two, such as in the "Quick-Time" cutscenes found in Shenmue and Resident Evil 4 (or so I've been told). What are your thoughts?

Story-heavy games are great for girls. Guys - not so much.

[q]Story-heavy games are great for girls. Guys - not so much.[/q] Really? I like to play violent hack and slash games but I prefer games with a good story in the long run. But that's just me, I guess.

I actually prefer story-based games. And I'm a guy. Sometimes its fun to play a game just to play, but to keep me interested for long periods of play, a game needs to give me motivation.

Of course this comes from a reader. :) And yeah, if I played games, I'd perfer a storyline too. ^_^

I actually prefer the inclusion of both cutscenes and in-game storytelling seperately in a game. The cutscene is just a really versatile storytelling method. But when developers come up with little emotional event within the gameplay, that amazes me as well.