Dhruin
SasqWatch
Don't you hate it when you have to move the mouse when you're playing a video game? Obviously coming from an action point of view, The Game Reviews explains Why Dialogue Trees Stink:
More information.
The author does have a point with exhausting every option in dialogue trees, though.These days, as games look more and more real each day, it’s as if they want to create this so-called "cinematic" experience, but fall short of it when it comes to interactive dialogue. Even in Mass Effect, arguably the best iteration of prerendered cutscene and interactive choice made yet, we’re still constantly taken out of the scene unraveling as we’re too focused on making our dialogue choices. Pause too long, and the scene comes to a halt. We want engagement and we want choice, yet this stop-and-go rhythm is still a bit jarring. It’s like watching a movie on your computer and forgetting to turn the screen saver off, so you have to constantly remind yourself to move the mouse every so often.
More information.