For example: I play Medieval II - Total War. I loved how my infantry ran to the walls carrying ladders, taking crossbow fire in the face. I loved how enemy knights charged and sallied out of the mighty citadels and I rushed my spearmen to defend my ladders and towers. I liked the fact that fire arrows can set fire to the siege equipment, and how enemy poured oil on my troops near the gates.
But when I played M&B I noticed lack of nearly everything stated above. I noticed unpolished animations and some unrealistic siege battles. This demoralized me and I stopped playing M&B for an year. Then Warband came out and I expected much more, but got the nearly same old demoralizing factors, just with great graphics.
Now you can understand, I cannot play a game by imagining a cutscene in my mind, take 'hearing market prices' as an example, I cannot imagine that my player is roaming aimlessly in the market and people are using loudspeakers blurting out prices. I wanted to see my player move, and then 'eavesdrop' like Assassin's Creed on the prices and ask others about prices. Simply imagining doesn't make a game fun. If they had made cutscenes or real time eavesdropping system, then game would have felt more polished.