Comic-style cut-scenes: Yay or Nay?

So I'm currently playing Gravity Rush on the Vita and I think it's the first game where I've actually enjoyed and not minded the developer using comic book style cut-scenes. Don't get me wrong, I read A LOT of comics, so it's not them that I have a problem with, but does anyone else feel that they usually fail to be as gripping or interesting as the in-engine or CG alternatives? I appreciate that they could potentially save the developer a lot of time/money, but could you imagine Halo or Uncharted with them?

Am I in the minority, or do more of you feel the same?

The cut-scenes in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker are pretty rad.

@HumanoidTyphoon: Between that game and Gravity Rush, maybe their best home is on portable systems/games?

Nay, they were okay at the beginning but I feel like too many games started doing them. That said, I still love the PSP Metal Gear Solid games style.

Sometimes, it makes more sense for some games than others , like InFamous because is a superhero game but MotorStorm isn't and did they even need a story for that game

I think they're overused these days. I understand it's a cheap way to relay a story, but I'd prefer in-game engine to comic style scenes. What really bugged me was Bayonetta which flopped back and forth between animated cut scenes and comic stills.

I don't have anything against them, BUT I think that the majority of games using them today aren't using them "right" (?), so I don't really like it so much these days...

If they're done well then yeah.

There's definitely a place for comic-style cutscenes but I felt like they were real out of place in The Witcher 2. The rest of the game looked amazing and then you get these kind've shitty half-animated scenes.

@HumanoidTyphoon said:

The cut-scenes in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker are pretty rad.

I was thinking No, 'till your post reminded me of that.

It works more for handheld games and not so much for console/PC games, in my opinion.

They're fine if they fit in stylistically, but I wish more games would use regular old tried and true cutscenes instead of trying weird stuff. Look at the crazy "cutscenes" that Crysis 2 uses, no wonder I couldn't get a great grasp on the story!

It all boils down to which game uses them and how, right? I mean, it's like asking whether cel-shading is good or not. In The Wind Waker it was great, but I doubt it'd look good on, say, Alan Wake.

I haven't yet seen a game do it better than Max Payne 1 and 2, those still are THE high standard for comic-style cut-scenes (granted, they were just photos with filters and text bubbles but that says a lot about the sucky boring motion comics in other games).

I think it all depends on the game. 

I don't mind them.

in comic book games only. infamous 2 for example. in most games it just seems like they ran out of money.

Usually I don't like them but when they're actually done well they can be really cool.

I think that the majority of the time they come off as lazy. In some games like Infamous and the Metal Gear games they put effort in them and pull them off well.

Some are really good, but most tend to be either lazy or boring.

Unless the game is going for a comic book style like infamous, I don't really like when big AAA games use comic book style cut scenes. It seems a bit lazy and strange for a game to use such a different art style.

I thought the style worked great when I first saw it being used for Guild Wars 2. inFamous is another example where it really works well, thanks to the whole comic book thing.

But yeah, it's used far too often these days and rather than being a stylistic choice, it often just seems to be a cost cutting measure and looks horribly cheap. I'm really sick of seeing it.

Its a great way to save money for small devs.

If they're done well like Max Payne or Peace Walker, sure. But I think they're way too overused nowadays and most of them aren't any good.

This needs a middle ground option.
 
I don't mind them when they are really well done, but avarage and below and they just seem like a cheap cop out, that's more annoying then anything.

I hate them. They are boring nearly always badly done pieces of poo. I don't like the ones in Peace walker but understand that they can be useful for portable hand held gaming. Looking at stupid vibrating badly drawn comic panels on my big tv or monitor is terrible though.

@HumanoidTyphoon said:

The cut-scenes in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker are pretty rad.

You're right, but otherwise, I'll say no to comic book cutscenes for the most part.

I'd rather a comic than get close ups on in-engine models that were never intended to be seen close up, with blank faces and awful lip synching.

I really liked the comic segues in Dragon Age 2 (and the rarer ones in Origins), because they're done with a really pointed medieval style (as in predating Renaissance/Brunaleschi perspective). It actually works with flash animation extremely well.

10% are done well. The rest are shitty, lazy excuses for cutscenes

Shockingly controversial, polarizing, opinionated statement incoming!
 

I usually just find them jarring, but I think it's mainly because they're handled badly. I've never seen them used seamlessly and consistently, maybe that would clear it up. I always see an odd mish-mash of in-game and panels, which doesn't work if you ask me.

@HumanoidTyphoon said:

The cut-scenes in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker are pretty rad.

Couldn't agree more.

I liked those kind of cutscenes in Folklore :)

ding.

Yay if it is done right. And it also depends in the art style.

Not a fan but the MGS portable games had good ones.

I voted nay but it works for infamous,

Even when they're done right, I'm kind of tired of them. I just got done with The Witcher 2, and I didn't care for them. SSX had the worst ones, and maybe the last Motorstorm.

If your low budget, sure. But generally as a substitute for cinematics? no

@HumanoidTyphoon said:

The cut-scenes in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker are pretty rad.

Agreed. I like the change up in styles and not having every game tell their story with full motion video. The comic style is a refreshing change up in that regard.

@AngelN7 said:

Sometimes, it makes more sense for some games than others , like InFamous because is a superhero game but MotorStorm isn't and did they even need a story for that game

This is always the comparison I come to, and make myself. The cutscenes in inFamous were very well-done and had a very precise art style, but the cutscenes in Motorstorm were just shitty and bland.