We’re not just debating the best video game of 2009 this week. We’ve got other awards to dole out. Today, I declare which ’09 game had the best cut scenes and which was the runner-up.
Winner: Little King’s Story
The obscure Wii-only Japanese role-playing game mixes city-building with Pikmin-style roaming-gang action with unexpectedly touching storytelling with the year’s best and weirdest cut scenes. (Read my Little King’s Story review.) This game is a Japanese RPG. Cynical as I am about the genre, I expected maudlin, melodramatic and clichéd cut scenes. Instead I got loveliness like this:
Some gentle weirdness:
And some wild oddity:
I could go on…
But, really, just watch the four-part round-up captured by YouTube user lToby7l that starts here:
Runner-up: Halo Wars
If you want something more conventional from your cut-scenes, something that puts possible/scuttled Halo movies paradoxically pre-emptively to shame, there’s these winning cut-scenes from Xbox 360-exclusive real-time strategy game Halo Wars.
Watch all the Halo Wars cut scenes or just jump to 20 minutes, 30 seconds for the best one.
Honourable mention: Madworld
I’m not sure if end-credits count as a cut scene, but this profane, Not Safe For Work Madworld credits sequence deserves some sort of highlight.
Look for more special-category awards from the rest of the Kotaku team throughout the week.
James Mac
January 20, 2010 at 8:55 AM
I really enjoyed the Halo Wars cut scenes.
Report Permalinkdmag87
January 20, 2010 at 9:17 AM
Little King Story is an epic title. So pleased it won something after most sites overlooked it in the strategy section of their ‘game of the year’ awards.
Report PermalinkJay
January 20, 2010 at 11:41 AM
Was totally expecting an Uncharted mention considering Kotaku just gloat about them when they have the chance. Oh and also because the Cut-scenes are pretty awesome.
But i did forget that Halo Wars was only released less than a year ago. And i remembered, nothing in that cut-scene that is mentioned is possible in a real Halo game unfortunately.
Report PermalinkStinky
January 20, 2010 at 1:45 PM
Yeah those Halo Wars scenes are amazing, how long until we have realtime graphics that good…
Report PermalinkNicholas
January 20, 2010 at 5:51 PM
I like the introduction for Operation Flashpoint : Dragon Rising
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH7ndtYCP9Y
Report PermalinkGhaleonQ
January 26, 2010 at 9:21 PM
You should mention they’re based on Aleksandr Petrov’s (the greatest animator ever) oil-on-glass animation like “The Cow.”
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