Can a game be too long?
- Thread starter zega frega omega
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How is oblivion long? Unless you are a completionist and want "100%" you can just plow through the mainquest since its enemy scaling.jhlip said:
I completely forgot about that, but that's exactly why I never ended up finishing the game, even though I liked it a lot for the first half or so.Midnight Crossroads said:
The main thing that comes to mind for me is Titan Quest, though. It was great the first time around, but it's so ridiculously long that I have a really hard time making it through it again. I'd rather have it be half as long so it's easier to replay with different classes without taking forever to get to the most fun parts, because half the fun of that kind of game is trying different builds/play styles.
One game that I liked but felt just overstayed it's welcome was Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.
There were a couple of times where I thought the game was over but nope, there was more stuff added in.
Having the main bad guy escape from jail and then ransack a village was just so unnecessary. It also was poorly explained, though the final fight was OK. Frankly that fight should have happened in the Vatican before the Apple is reclaimed.
Then there was one final area with Desmond and a special area of...magical platforms? Ugh.
I just felt that the game kept trying to do more.
There were a couple of times where I thought the game was over but nope, there was more stuff added in.
Having the main bad guy escape from jail and then ransack a village was just so unnecessary. It also was poorly explained, though the final fight was OK. Frankly that fight should have happened in the Vatican before the Apple is reclaimed.
Then there was one final area with Desmond and a special area of...magical platforms? Ugh.
I just felt that the game kept trying to do more.
A game can FEEL long, but it depends on how the game plays out. As many people here have said, Final Fantasy 13 was one such game that just dragged on and on. I've never played it and I have no intention on ever playing it. My fascination with the FF series died after 7, with the high point being Final Fantasy 3 (US number). That game was long, but it was interesting with a multitude of character depth that kept you interested and wanting to finish the game and smack that *****, Kefka, around just so you'd stop that Evil. Friggin. Laugh.
For me, on the other hand, was Star Ocean 2. That game was long and I never finished it, mainly because it just dragged on, much like Final Fantasy 13 did. The story just didn't keep my interest long enough for me to continue playing it.
For me, on the other hand, was Star Ocean 2. That game was long and I never finished it, mainly because it just dragged on, much like Final Fantasy 13 did. The story just didn't keep my interest long enough for me to continue playing it.
Good games can't be too long in my opinion. The only games that are too long are those that don't have the content to keep me interested for their length.
As an example: I think the CoD games are just the right length. If they were any longer, I feel that the missions would start to feel far too samey for me to stay invested in the story.
Another example that applies to me personally are the Tales of _____ games. I personally think that they, while long, are just right (most of the time). I've played through Symphonia ~7 times now, spending at least 60 hours each time(*). I've also logged 25+ hours and 70+ hours on single playthroughs of Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age respectively.
Also, in terms of game world, I have yet to find a world that is too big. Certainly some worlds can make it feel like pulling teeth to get to your next objective, but I always find a sense of achievement in actually finding the locations. That said, Just Cause 2 would have been too big if you didn't have thehookshot grappling hook, parachute, and fast travel system.
* [sub]I am a massive Tales fanboy[/sub]
As an example: I think the CoD games are just the right length. If they were any longer, I feel that the missions would start to feel far too samey for me to stay invested in the story.
Another example that applies to me personally are the Tales of _____ games. I personally think that they, while long, are just right (most of the time). I've played through Symphonia ~7 times now, spending at least 60 hours each time(*). I've also logged 25+ hours and 70+ hours on single playthroughs of Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age respectively.
Also, in terms of game world, I have yet to find a world that is too big. Certainly some worlds can make it feel like pulling teeth to get to your next objective, but I always find a sense of achievement in actually finding the locations. That said, Just Cause 2 would have been too big if you didn't have the
* [sub]I am a massive Tales fanboy[/sub]
Okay, I will give you Shadow Broker. "They can't call us 'young' anymore." "Young? I'm 108. 109 in a few months!" "Oh. I'll have to get you something nice." That one can fit before or after the mission. Arrival--based solely on the title--looks like it will put a solid end to ME2, sort of like the original Mass Effect.feauxx said:aha, but there is still more DLC to comeSniper Team 4 said:
i did kasumi, zaeed and overlord before the suicide mission in my last playthrough, LotSB feels better to me after ME2 though, esp if liara is your love interest.
A game can be too long, but if it has enough depth in the story, intuitive mechanics and addictive gameplay you won't even notice the time fly. Urban reign is a gem for its simplicity and awesome multiplayer (Even though its made by namco *Shudder*)
But an immersive game can be long as long as its fun, like a pokemon game.
But if it just drags then it comes out shit, like FFXIII
But an immersive game can be long as long as its fun, like a pokemon game.
But if it just drags then it comes out shit, like FFXIII
Depends if the game keeps bringing new elements to the table. In most cases a game will give all it can offer or give majority of it and leave you with nothing new to experience making the last part of a game feel more like work. And depending on how much you have to work it may not be worth the ending.
The Magpies aren't paying attention to the slight mechanics becoming available over time and certainly aren't utilizing everything in their arsenal to it's full potential, they just move on to see more flashy colors till something shinier comes forth.s69-5 said:
Yes, a game can be too long. Anything can be too long.zega frega omega said:
I mean, sure, if you can keep your gameplay and plot real and refreshing with every additional hour you tack onto a game, I guess that game can stay just as fun and refreshing. But do you seriously believe you would give 60 hours of solid, unique gameplay when you can make a sequel and get 2 games for the same price? The laws of economics apply to games as well. They will give you as much play time as you're willing to pay for with that given price tag. 10-year epic or not, no one's going to buy a 200 dollar game. Except for those idiots that buy collector's edition games.
More often than not, games that offer these "40 hours of original gameplay" offer whatever originality they have spread thinly across ~30 hours of pointless drivel and mediocrity, so you're waiting for the game to get to the fucking point, but it won't because it wants to extract precious game time out of you, and you can't just skip ahead because you might miss out on something interesting in the sea of mindless gruel, so you're actually getting punished for wanting to see a game to its end.
Paper Mario 2: The 2 chapters before last are more than 90% filler & nearly everything optional is a fetch quest.
