I can understand this. I directly started God of War II on the most difficult level available from get go, and damn, that's tough. It really requires to remember all the tricks, techniques and dodges available, and when use them at their best and most profitable moments, to survive the brutality of the enemy's attacks.laikenf said:It's not so much how much shorter games are getting, it's how EASY they are nowadays. Games are so easy these days that when a challenging game hits the shelves gamers and reviewers put them down because of it. The truth is that games have technically gotten more impressive than ever, but there is something that's missing. Besides from being overly lenient games feel extremely unrewarding (with a few exceptions of course). After beating Bioshock and MP3 (both are amazing games) I didn't really feel like I accomplished anything; maybe it's because in Bioshock you don't actually die or because in MP3 you're grabed by the hand and told exactly what to do; but my point here is that there is no real hustle. there are very few games that force you to drop the controller, think (or meditate for that matter) and move on. Oh and one more thing: ENOUGH WITH ALL THOSE FPS's PLEASE!! Let's get more stuff like Assasin's Creed or something, you know, something ORIGINAL for once...
I don't think that's the case either. As I said before, I agree with what you were saying before. To be clear, I was just pointing out that I don't believe it was a practical point (cutting a game down doesn't = better gaming, some games need room to breathe like movie) because no games reflect those qualities. In other words, while shortening a longer concept isn't necessarily good, I don't think there are any games that sit on that side of the divide.Cheeze_Pavilion said:I think my point reflects my tastes while your point reflects your tastes. I have a feeling that some of what you would consider 'needless bloat' I'd consider 'time to really absorb the game experience' or 'time to really get to know the weapons' or something positive.
While I'm all for proper grammar, and everyone does appreciate when people post clear, well-written things, not to mention the benefit of the positive reflection on the poster, I understand where xbeaker is coming from. Catgrr is being a bit of a tool. Not only is she critiquing their grammar, but also insulting them. Why the need for insults? Admittedly, I called her a tool. But at least I'm insulting her with something relevant, rather than accusing someone with poor grammar of being an AOL user.Katana314 said:xbeaker: Unfortunately, the board's against you on grammar.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.50823
I think that each of those three games didn't have the story or writing to go further. Heavenly Sword could've had the gameplay if it was tweaked better. Halo 3 and Bioshock could've been pushed out because they did have the gameplay, but I can't see how their material was cut down from a longer length. I just don't think they had it.Cheeze_Pavilion said:I think a lot of people feel that games like _Heavenly Sword_, _Halo 3_, and even _Bioshock_ sit on that side of the divide.
I agree, and that's one of the reasons I embrace gameplay as such a final arbiter of the quality of a game.Cheeze_Pavilion said:That's the point I was trying to get across with the movie analogy--sometimes repetitive gameplay doesn't advance the story any, but it does give you time to get familiar with the weapons or absorb the game experience.
Well, that begs another question. Is story what's most important when we're talking game length, or can gameplay be a big factor there too? Ico was a joy to play through, because most of it was puzzling. I don't usually say the same thing about FPS titles, because shooting people is the same whether you're doing it with a handgun or a railgun. So I'd argue that gameplay has a lot to do with length too.Cheeze_Pavilion said:I mean, think about the game that your icon is from, _Ico_. Besides the fights with the shadow demons in the crypt-like room and the ones that come if you wander too far away, all the other fights are just arbitrarily inserted. It's very repetitive gameplay. Frankly, it's button mashing. Yet would any "less" of it make the game any "tighter"?
If you got rid of all the puzzles that don't have anything to do with the storyline you could probably shrink _Ico_ down to like, a two hour game. Would you, though?
I think there's a difference between 'how long it takes to tell a story' and 'how long a game *should* take to tell its story'.
The game is meant to have you take time. The vast and empty citadel, haunted by souls, and filled with mechanisms, is really a place you're meant to spend a lot of time wandering through. There are not many games where I'm actually encouraged to pause and just gaze in the open.Cheeze_Pavilion said:I mean, think about the game that your icon is from, _Ico_. Besides the fights with the shadow demons in the crypt-like room and the ones that come if you wander too far away, all the other fights are just arbitrarily inserted. It's very repetitive gameplay. Frankly, it's button mashing. Yet would any "less" of it make the game any "tighter"?
If you got rid of all the puzzles that don't have anything to do with the storyline you could probably shrink _Ico_ down to like, a two hour game. Would you, though?
I think there's a difference between 'how long it takes to tell a story' and 'how long a game *should* take to tell its story'.