Can a game be too long?

[multiple_man]

Exhibit A: Final Fantasy XXIII.
Case closed.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

to me it depends on the quality of the game itself, if the writing is bad or the gameplay is twitchy, I think the game may be too long, since if they put more effort into the writing, or the gameplay mechanics than into plugging more length inhancing content into it it makes a more enjoyable experience overall, even though it may be a shorter game, it would be worth more in the experience side of it.... or if a game is just THAT bad, then the fact that it exists, makes it too long.

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

Once the fun has deteriorated and it feels like work, that's when it's too long. I can't think of a particularly good example right now, apart from any re-playthroughs.

 

[burgbrand22]

I don't think I've ever heard someone complain about a game being too long. Too short, god yes, but never too long. (A bit like penis.) So, tell us in your honest opinion, what game(s) would you consider too long?

I personally think a game that is too long would be one with long stretches of game play between story.

I must admit I'm no longer a fan of "long" games, meaning those games that require like over 30-40 hours to complete. 20 hours aint so bad though. I did beat Mass Effect and Fallout 3.

The reason why I don't play today's epic rpgs and other games along those lines is simply because:
1. I don't wanna spend a long time on one game.
2. Those long games can become quite tedious. Mass Effect and Fallout 3 had its moments but also its snoozefests.
3. You sometimes never know what to expect from those games because they're so big, filled with mundane areas to explore, repetitive side quests, boring NPCs to talk to, and useless cut scenes.

If there's a modern rpg out there that trims away the unnecessary mumbo jumbo, and takes me right into the heart of the game right from the beginning (no boring tutorials) all the way to the end, please let me know.

 

[Hollock]

It can seem like it based on how much free time you have, but probably not.

 

[Lekonua]

I know it's been said about a dozen times already, but Final Fantasy XIII.

When you're still getting TUTORIALS 5 hours into a game, it's too long.

 

[MisterGobbles]

I remember when they announced the second Final Fantasy 13. I was like "The first one had an ending?"

In all seriousness, a game can't be too long as long as it's packed with interesting content; games that wear out their ideas long before the game ends can definitely be too long.

A good game is never too long, even if it ends up being hundreds of hours long.


It's as simple as this, no matter how long a game is, if it's a good game it's not too long. Some people may be like "well, I don't have the time to enjoy a 200 hour game" well, that's your circumstance, the game still rocks and you WOULD like it if you had the time to play it so that problem is bypassed as being irrelevant. Inconvenient games can still be good games, even if not everyone can play them. (not everyone gets to play every game on every console right now anyways, most people only play a few dozen games a year and hundreds if not thousands are released)

Good games are always too short, as you want to play more of them.

 

[drwow]

nope, more then enough content? how could one ***** about that.
unless you're talking about story, that can drag on.

 

[Dfskelleton]

Depends. If it's length has meaning and it all contributes well to the total story, then no, but if it's just reusing levels and using pointless filler levels, then yes.

 

[A Weakgeek]

Someone said Dragon Age: Origins was far too long, but that's just a bullshit claim, in my opinion. I blame that on those newfangled games and their 6 hour campaigns and those crazy kids with their hippity hop music and their shorts down low. Back when I was a lad, I had to walk to the store through 59 feet of snow, and then had to buy a 60 hour game and play it through all the way!
What? Get off my lawn you hippies!

OT: There isn't one, for me. I enjoy long games, so games with 50-300 hours worth of play time are always nice.
Especially considering that most single player games nowadays are only between 6-15 hours of playing, which can get pretty annoying and wallet-damaging.

I think DA:O is too long. The gameplay is repetive (While genious, but stolen from KOTOR) and the story drags out in parts it really shouldn't. Also It humours me that they used the exsact same storyline progression that in kotor: Ok few training stages little story, then you get a massive quest that makes you go all around the gaming world but you can choose order, you do one place: little story, you do 2 more places: major event, you do one more and endgame quests start. To be quite frank in terms of gameplay, this doesent offer me anything new. And as much as I liked the story (not as much as starwars) I don't want to play the game for 80 hours to see the climax.
Call me mad but the 20 hours that kotor offered is, for me the best. Because lets face it, it's a rpg you're gonna try it few more times with different classes. I can do 4 playthroughs of Kotor with 4 different classes before i have beaten DA:O once.

 

[jhlip]

The answer to that question is Elder Scrolls: Oblivion

 

[A Weakgeek]

The answer to that question is Elder Scrolls: Oblivion

How is oblivion long? Unless you are a completionist and want "100%" you can just plow through the mainquest since its enemy scaling.

 

[Crankafoo]

Depends if it's good. If it's bad then 2 seconds is too long, but good I'd say anywhere between now and forever.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Okami almost seems to trail off into some rant in the end. The game could pretty much end at several points.

First you slay this demon, then you kill this other demon, then you kill this other demon. But I'm not finished. It's all about aliens. And you fight one. And your friend is an alien too. And you're like, what the fuck.

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.

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.

 

[Maxtro]

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.

 

[Cai1911]

Someone said Dragon Age: Origins was far too long, but that's just a bullshit claim, in my opinion. I blame that on those newfangled games and their 6 hour campaigns and those crazy kids with their hippity hop music and their shorts down low. Back when I was a lad, I had to walk to the store through 59 feet of snow, and then had to buy a 60 hour game and play it through all the way!
What? Get off my lawn you hippies!

OT: There isn't one, for me. I enjoy long games, so games with 50-300 hours worth of play time are always nice.
Especially considering that most single player games nowadays are only between 6-15 hours of playing, which can get pretty annoying and wallet-damaging.

You are a bloody GOD!

 

[Nazulu]

Nope. If I really enjoy the game then I can play it forever. I played SSB Melee 7 years straight completing all the challenges and I bet I would of played it a bit longer if it had a proper campaign.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

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.

 

[TheMariner]

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 the hookshot grappling hook, parachute, and fast travel system.

* [sub]I am a massive Tales fanboy[/sub]

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Hm...the only games that I think can be too long are those games that allow you to play after you have beaten the story. Now, MMOs are the exception to this rule, but a game is about getting to the end of something. For me, this end is the completion of the story in the game. A clearly defined goal of "Save world/rescue princess/claim treasure/get revenge." Once that is accomplished, the game is over. Games like .Hack and Mass Effect 2, which allow you to play after completing the storyline, are too long because there is no longer a driving force. I have seen the ending, and doing anything more just feels like work. When a game feels like work, it has become too long.

mass effect 2 doesn't 'finish' / allows you to roam around after the suicide mission is because of the DLC mostly.

Agreed. However, none of the DLC directly affects the main storyline. Because of this, I play the DLC before I launch the suicide mission, that way they feel like they have context. Playing them after just doesn't feel right.

aha, but there is still more DLC to come
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.

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.