The Longest Video Game Cutscene: A Look at Metal Gear Solid 4 and More

Are We Still Playing or Just Watching? A Deep Dive into Video Game Cutscenes

Sometimes you grab a controller to play. Not to watch a film with random button presses. But then, cutscenes start. They break the action. They advance the story, develop characters, or show amazing visuals. How long is too long? Where did this cutscene obsession start? Let’s explore video game cutscenes.

The Reigning Champion of Marathon Cutscenes: Metal Gear Solid 4

When discussing cutscene duration, one game stands out: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Hideo Kojima, the series creator, has a cinematic style. This game may even make you forget you hold a controller. Metal Gear Solid 4 holds the record for the longest *continuous* cutscene in gaming history. It runs for 71 minutes straight! That’s over an hour of non-interactive cinema. This epilogue earned a Guinness World Record too. You could easily make a sandwich and do taxes while it runs. Some say you watch a movie that sometimes pretends to be a game. Ironically, Kojima once wanted shorter cutscenes in Metal Gear Solid, but things change.

Games That Love a Good Chat: Series Known for Lengthy Cutscenes

It’s not only Metal Gear Solid 4. The whole Metal Gear Solid series is famous for long cutscenes. This is part of its identity. But other series also share this cinematic trend.

The Yakuza series features dramatic plots and deep character interactions. Significant amounts of non-interactive storytelling fill its games. In Yakuza 0, cutscenes might total 6 to 10 hours or more. That’s almost half a season of a TV show!

Death Stranding, another Kojima game, has a 31-minute longest cutscene. While this isn’t quite Metal Gear Solid 4, it’s still a lot of watching. Overall, Death Stranding contains about 7 hours of cutscenes, according to Barrier Four.

Then there are the epic tales in the Final Fantasy and Xenosaga series. These JRPGs are known for complex stories and character arcs, often told through lengthy, impressive cutscenes. Even action-focused titles like Uncharted have cinematic moments that drive the plot.

Cutscene Deep Dive: Specific Game Examples

To understand your watching time, consider these specific examples:

• Yakuza 0: Estimated at 6-10 hours or more of cutscenes, giving you a mini-series with your brawler action.
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater: Features a whopping 24-minute cutscene at the end, showcasing Kojima’s flair before MGS4.
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots: Includes not just that 71-minute epilogue but an estimated 8 hours and 50 minutes of cutscenes total! That’s more than many movie marathons! Discussions on Brainly talk about this game’s scenes.
• Red Dead Redemption 2: Rockstar Games delivers cinematic storytelling again with “many hours” of cutscenes immersed in Wild West drama.
• Grand Theft Auto V: Not as cutscene-heavy, but still delivers plenty. The end credits alone last about 36 minutes, longer than many short films.

Real-Time vs. Pre-rendered: Behind the Scenes of Cutscenes

Ever wonder how cutscenes come to life? There are two types: real-time and pre-rendered.

Real-time cutscenes use the game engine to render scenes on-the-fly. This allows them to respond to your actions and game states. If your character wears a specific outfit, that outfit appears in the cutscene. Real-time cutscenes create a seamless experience between gameplay and narrative. However, their visual quality can depend on your hardware and optimization.

Pre-rendered cutscenes, however, are video clips inserted into the game. These mini-movies allow higher graphics quality through dedicated rendering farms. They can’t react to player choices but deliver polished sequences. They’re like adding a professionally produced movie to your game.

A Blast from the Past: The Dawn of the Cutscene

The concept of cutscenes isn’t new at all. The first notable instance happened in 1966! “The Sumerian Game,” created by Mabel Addis, had sequences for storytelling on mainframe computers. These were cinematic introductions setting the stage.

By 1987, Maniac Mansion introduced non-interactive plot sequences within its gameplay. These were short scenes that moved the narrative forward without player help.

Ninja Gaiden followed in 1988, embracing cinematic potential with over 20 minutes of anime-style scenes. This showed that cutscenes could be stylish beyond mere function.

From mainframe text introductions to hour-long sections, cutscenes evolved significantly. Whether you dislike or love them, they are vital to video gaming today. While a 71-minute cutscene may seem excessive, they serve purposes: storytelling, world-building, and giving thumbs breaks during intense gameplay. Just don’t sleep through the epilogue; you wouldn’t want to miss credits… even if shorter than some cutscenes!