Topic: Interactive Movies?

Although the term gets thrown around rather casually &, usually, to criticise a game .... There is a whole genre of actual interactive movies! Perhaps some of you played old-school ones, where they had terrible graphics, surprisingly bad acting, considering & there weren't many meaningful choices?
Well, the recent ones that have been popping up on Switch are much better, so have people here played any? What did you think of them, specifically or generally?

Sounds as though the FMV genre has rebranded in an attempt to shake off the stigma associated with FMV games. No doubt experiences like The Complex and She Sees Red are a step above Night Trap and Double Switch. I had a Sega CD as a kid, so I have nostalgia for the genre.

I played all the Dragon Age and Space Ace games, on a variety of devices, ranging from home computers (Amiga), to DVD players to the Wii, and although I did enjoy them, they're ultimately usually quite forgettable experiences.

On a side note: arguably, the Mad Dog McCree light gun games are also to some extent "interactive movies",
but the same verdict counts for those, far as I'm concerned.

I haven't played any of the recent ones, simply because these games don't interest me, at ALL.
So, I can't fairly comment on those.

I don't know if it would count, I will say Star Wars Rebel Assualt 2. I played this for Mac back when I had a Super Nintendo and my brother had a Sega Genesis. I remember being mind-blown how realistic it looked as a game, especially compared to 16-bit consoles at the time, even though it was mostly FMV with simple arcade-style gameplay with a computer mouse.

Actually replayed the game recently, bought it again a few years back on GOG. Haven't played any recent ones however, though I was surprised to see some come to Switch.

I'll also say Wing Commander 3 impresses me, though, I started playing that recently since I'm trying to play PC games I missed out on as I was a Mac kid. Not sure if it counts as the game is a space combat sim.

Well, there's plenty of games with FMVs in them .... I was meaning more the specific genre, though? The Bunker, Late Shift, Shapeshifting Detective, etc

@BruceCM Ever since the 80's, "interactive movies" only seem to be a novelty. As @Magician mentioned, "Night Trap" comes to mind. But making choices that affect the outcome, that seems to only make people want the most satisfying outcome. I know that's a very generalized view, but that's what I'm thinking at the moment. You could probably poke holes in that view.

In the 80's & 90's, they were, @WoomyNNYes .... Have you played any of the recent ones, though? BTW, I only got around to Night Trap when it was recently re-released on Switch!

@BruceCM I haven't played any interactive movies, ever. Not even Night Trap. I dont know of any recent interactive movies.

Oh, OK.... @WoomyNNYes: I put the trio that came to Switch 1st in a post above? Telling Lies, The Complex and She Sees Red are the latest to come
The interactive part is making choices, some of which might lead to game over and otherwise cause you to fail:d

@BruceCM Alright, then I haven't played those. It is worth noting the Mac/PC version of Rebel Assault 2, while it's a rail shooter, every level is pretty much an FMV. Example, controlling the Millennium Falcon through a video of a tunnel, while avoiding obstacles, or shooting tie fighters in the video on screen. In a way, that one feels like an interactive movie to me at least.

Fair enough, there's a variety of things that seem to be at least partially that, @Sunsy....

They may as well rename visual novels to interactive manga, lol.

I played Late Shift, and got a bad ending. Of course it's designed for multiple play throughs to get different outcomes but the problem is I was 'happy' with my choices the first time. I haven't felt a desire to go back to it, maybe in a while when I've forgotten the story.

Interesting idea, glad I tried it, but didn't live up to expectations.

Oh, yeah, @Mii_duck .... ? Don't think I got a bad ending in that one!
That's an idea, @Magician. Generally, games like that do have quite a few choices & some different endings, too.

Yesterday I bought the PC version of Late Shift and played it this morning (and also got a bad ending).

I can look past the hammy acting/writing, but my main criticism is that you can't skip scenes after your first play-through.

I don't know too many interactive movies. Are we talking about those early CD games like on the Sega CD with all the corny cutscenes with live actors? By the time i heard about those the fad had already died. You know what i can't stand? Walking simulators and visual novels. I'm sorry but that is not a videogame! Oh and you know those old dragons lair games and others like it? Them don't count either.

@Zeldafan79 Why don't they count? They are interactive animated movies, so they sure do fit the bill.
As for the rest: they're talking about stuff that's out on consoles now, so modern interactive games, not Sega CD stuff.

@BruceCM You mean like FMV games, like @Magician said? I would consider that a subgenre of visual novels. Or at least in the same vein. They are less a game than just a way to tell a story and I have no real problem with it. But I do think the amount of work needed to do it well is extreme.

Look at something like Stein's Gate Elite. With all the branching paths and different endings there is an extremely large amount of content needed to produce something like that - but when that effort is put in, it's something amazing. However after experiencing a VN like that, it's become difficult to go back to more average offerings that just don't have the time or money to put into making something that major.

Overall though, I think there is absolutely room for visual novels or FMV games or interactive movies. Whatever you wish to call them. You just need to understand that they aren't really games in the traditional sense.

Yeah, primarily the sorts of games that have been listed here, @Heavyarms55 .... I picked up the Stein's Gate collection on Steam in sales, so I'll be getting onto that eventually, too

I think the concept of interactive movies is really interesting and can provide a unique and engaging experience for players.