Key findings

• FMV games cover a wide spectrum, from traditional games with FMV cutscenes to linear interactive stories.
• Notable FMV games like The Journeyman Project, Phantasmagoria 2, and Night Trap offer nostalgic and unique experiences that are worth replaying.
• Modern FMV games like Immortality and Not For Broadcast prove the genre’s enduring appeal, and indie developers are still creating compelling titles.

The 90s saw a multimedia boom, and the ability to display full motion video on a computer opened up so many possibilities that the video game market was flooded with games that used this technology. With the advent of good 3D graphics, the art of FMV almost died out, but today you can enjoy both the classics and modern versions of this idea.

What is an FMV game?

The letters are easy to explain. FMV is short for “Full Motion Video”. In other words, it is digital video in a game, usually with live action characters. This may not sound like a big deal, because today we take the ability to play video on a computer for granted. For me, it was a big deal. Our first computer that could play video was a Pentium 166MMX with 16MB of RAM and a no-name Sound Blaster clone. We didn’t have internet, but I remember playing some movie trailers (especially the Goldeneye film) over and over again.

FMV games have been around in arcades long before home computers. Although animated, Dragon Cave still used Full Motion Video, as did some other titles. However, these games used LaserDisc, an analog video format, while FMV home games used (often poorly) digitally compressed video.

It is not really accurate to consider FMV games as a genre, as the range of games that used FMV was enormous. Some were just traditional games with FMV cutscenes, such as Dune 2000Others were barely games at all, but a linear interactive story. Basically the original walking simulators.

When people talk about FMV games, they most likely think of the infamous games like Channel sharkbut at the other end of the spectrum there are games like Wing Commander 3: Heart of the Tiger It is a full-fledged space combat simulator with an FMV story featuring talent such as Malcolm McDowell and Mark Hamill.

So “FMV game” is a pretty broad term, but it’s one of those things that you know it when you see it. There’s something about the approach and production values ​​that sets these games apart. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but FMV games will always hold a special place for me, having lived through the highs and lows. I was as ready as anyone to leave FMV behind when I stuck my first 3D accelerator card in my PC nearly 25 years ago, but thankfully the “best” of FMV gaming has survived, and certain developers are still keeping the dream alive.

Rediscover the FMV magic with these classic FMV games

One of the best things about looking back on the FMV era in hindsight is that the notable games are the ones that have stuck around and come out on top. There have been A LOT of FMV games, and it can be daunting to start with one, but I’ve put together a few examples of my personal favorites that I think are worth anyone’s time.

The Journeyman Project 1: Pegasus Prime

The Journeyman Project 1: Pegasus Prime is an absolute classic example of both FMV gaming and the puzzle game genre that has also danced with death a few times over the years. This sci-fi time travel painting has been updated and visually revamped for modern systems, but this modern version still retains the spirit of the original game I played all those years ago. I can also confirm that it runs perfectly on my M1 MacBook Air, making it the perfect little game to curl up with in bed or on the couch! And if you like the game, it’s only the first part of a trilogy.

Phantasmagoria 2: The Mystery of the Flesh

Most people probably remember the first Phantasmagoria thanks to the attention this adventure game for adults only caused, but for my money, Phantasmagoria 2: The Mystery of the Flesh is the game to play. I can’t stress enough that this is not a game for sensitive viewers, but if you enjoy TV shows like Hannibal or psychological horror stories in general, then this is for you. You play a man who has been out of a mental hospital for a year and is trying to live a normal life, but is so haunted by strange visions and events that you start to question your own sanity. I have a huge nostalgic soft spot for this game and the grim, poor quality of the video actually works in its favor, creating a unique atmosphere.

Night trap

This is probably the most notorious FMV game of all time, and alongside titles like Mortal Kombatis one of the main reasons why the ESRB exists today, which rates games based on their content.

Shame and historical interest aside, Night trap actually works well with the idea of ​​FMV and integrates it into the game’s story and gameplay. According to the description of the 25th Anniversary Edition on Steam:

Night Trap tells the story of five teenagers who spend the weekend at the Martins’ house. As a member of the Special Control Attack Team, your job is to monitor the house and protect the girls with a complex system of cameras and traps while it is infested with vampires.

This was basically Until dawn long before there was real-time 3D technology to make this possible. The best part is that the game is actually fun, the acting is incredibly cheesy, and you even get delightfully cheesy clips when you lose. It almost seems silly that this game’s rather lukewarm content upset the censors of the 90s so much, but it’s definitely worth playing today for that reason alone. I actually own this game on Nintendo Switch, which is incredibly ironic when you know what went down in the courtrooms between Nintendo and SEGA back then.

Corpse murderer

Think House of the Dead, but all zombies are FMV video clips instead of polygons. Corpse murderer was originally a 3DO title, a console based on FMV technology and was basically a glorified video player with minimal graphical capabilities. Nevertheless, this is another really good example of FMV gaming. How Mad Dog McCree (another LaserDisc title) takes the basic idea of ​​a light gun game and brings it to life using FMV at a time when real-time 3D graphics just weren’t that nice to look at.

Sherlock Holmes consulting detective

I spent a lot of time playing Sherlock Holmes consulting detective on our first CD-ROM drive, and I think the FMV sequences are still good. This is based on the board game series of the same name, and the various titles in the franchise all depict different cases. You must help Holmes and Watson solve the various cases in the typical puzzle game style, and frankly the gameplay itself is boring, but I still find the FMV delightful and a really great example of what these games looked like in the 90s. There was an iPad version, but unfortunately it no longer works on modern versions of iPadOS. I bought these games on Steam, and they still work perfectly fine on Windows. Unfortunately, there is no working Mac version unless you’re running something older than macOS Catalina.

Modern FMV games are still being made

What was old is new again, and thanks to modern technology and a nice budget niche for indie developers, there are plenty of modern FMV games that are definitely worth checking out.

Perhaps the best example is Sam Barlow’s immortalitya refined version of the concept that Barlow explored with Your storyAnd Telling lies. They are all based on the premise of reviewing video footage to uncover the truth about a particular event or series of events. Immortality is notable to me because it manages to really capture a particular era of Hollywood horror cinema, and beneath all the glitz and glamour there are some really dark and hidden secrets to be discovered.

Not for transmission is mechanically similar to Night Trap, but has a completely different premise. Here, you essentially play the role of a television censor and must hide, edit out, or otherwise obscure things that your audience might find offensive or that those in power would rather keep unseen.

Despite being a niche form, I believe the future of FMV games looks brighter than anyone would have imagined at the end of their golden era in the 90s. Today, with not a lot of money needed, this style of game can serve as a creative outlet for many types of stories or game designs, and can add cheesy kitsch to serious, elaborate cinematography. FMV may not have been the future of video games, but it will forever be a small part of history.