Go ahead

It's probably no secret by now that, to all of those who know me, I'm kinda gay for games. Since I was a wee awkward little lad, I had small inklings of wanting to work within the gaming industry, either outside of it as a "journalist" or within, as an underpaid, under-appreciated slave with the proverbial nose to the proverbial grindstone. Well, aside from a change in register of my voice and height, and maybe one or two hairs on my otherwise bare chest, nothing has really changed. If anything, the gaming industry itself has changed immensely, and I've just been trying my best to keep up.

Hence, this blog. Before I go any further, here's a little bit about the web address; namely, what exactly is an "unskippable cut scene"? As games have gotten more and more cinematic, narrative has become a big issue, with cut scenes functioning as a framework to highlight what you, as a player, are fighting for.

Cut scenes are fine and dandy; as long as they're not too overly verbose or take themselves too seriously, I'm okay with watching them all the way through (take "Devil May Cry" as an example). Either that, or they have to be really vital to the impact of the game, ie. Metal Gear series, or extremely well-produced, ie. Heavenly Sword. Beyond the criteria I've just listed, my overall biggest piece of criteria is that I, as the player and ultimately a consumer who's just purchased a product that is ostensibly designed for my entertainment, must have the option of skipping the cut scene if I feel like it.

Most games have gotten pretty good about this, but there is still a plethora of games that cling onto this flaw like their lives depended on it. Take FF7: Crisis Core on the PSP for example. At one point in the game, you have to fight an uber-version of one of the main bad guys in what might be the toughest boss fights yet (as of that point). The first time, I got my ass kicked pretty squarely, so I reloaded my most recent save file and tried at it again. Only thing is, before I could progress, I had to watch the same drawn-out cut scene again, and then word bubble after word bubble of dialogue, which is unskippable to begin with. Although it wasn't more than around 5 minutes total of button-pressing to advance the dialogue, I immediately began to consider the inherent risks involved with failing to defeat the boss a second time; that's right, I would have to sit through this drek again with one thumb planted firmly on the x button, and the other straight up my ass. I turned off my PSP in disgust.

Now, beyond a detailed explanation of what an unskippable cut scene might be, everything written was just a big digression, much in the way of an unskippable cut scene in a game. My writing style, essentially.

So yes, games. Aspirations, and what have you. I will be keeping up with latest trends in the industry, plus my take on new releases and that internet buzz we're just so fond of. Now, I have no illusions of being some kind of member of the journalistic elite, alongside people like, say Stephen Totilo or the folks over at 1up; rather, I'm going to give my personal opinions with my unique brand of humor (read: not unique at all). With that in mind, please excuse the liberal amount of source-swiping I will be conducting.

That's about it. Stay tuned, sports fans.