It struck me as I was watching the Killzone 2 preview last night. Granted, it was all pre-rendered and wasn’t actually game play footage. But the fact remains. I want to play a movie. Not to be confused with playing a game based on a popular movie or a game where you make movies. I want to be put in the middle of a movie experience.

A two to three hour piece of interactive cinematic magic with action and heavy plot would be worth the price of entry. No jumping puzzle filler. No beating up monsters so you can buy some upgraded armor. No backtracking through a level to find that last missile pack that you missed so you can beat that boss you tried to kill fifty times already.

Not a wholly perfect example for certain, but the fixed camera angles in God of War were a start. After getting over the initial frustration of not being able to swing the camera around, I finally got the point. With camera control, the game creators were able to fine tune the video game experience.

God of War wasn’t short by any means, to it’s credit. It also wasn’t short on jumping and balancing puzzles, to it’s discredit. Those points aside, the camera work was great. Pulling back for an epic monster battle, zooming in for a special combo, swinging up to reveal some shocking secret at just the right time. It was a very smart and thrilling move to use the camera as such.

Now on to game play pacing. Splinter Cell? Metal Gear Solid? Half-life? Enough crawling through vents please. I get it. If I go in one end, I’ll come out another end. Give me claustrophobia in some other fashion. Have a head crab jump out at me in another location. Just cut to the action already.

Movies don’t need to show everything between point A and point B. I don’t need to see someone get into their car and drive ten miles to realize how they got from their apartment to the airport. Controlled with an eye towards pacing and story, game players won’t be confused by cuts. They’ll accept that the game and plot are moving forward.

Okay, plot. It’s your turn. Don’t give me fifteen hours of game play based on one hour of plot. Don’t give me fifteen hours of plot consisting of my character working things out with his girlfriend. Work on your script. Work on realistic lines. Work on something manageable. Length for the sake of being long is frustrating.

Graphics? We would all like a more realistic look. It would drive us even further into the movie experience. This shouldn’t be a problem with the game designers controlling the camera angle. There would be no need to completely render a giant environment if you’re only going to see one side of it. The graphics and load speed could certainly be upped then.

Will someone turn a video game into a true cinematic experience. Maybe? I don’t see why they would though. Taking risks isn’t the formula for making tons of money. Just put Mario in Dance Dance Revolution, and let’s get it out there on the shelves.

I still want my movie experience. Someone out there make it for me please. I have my money in hand, hope in my heart and a couch you can crash on if you’re ever in Minneapolis. Let’s be friends, video game companies. Give us something cool.