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[snap]

This year alone, in terms of games that I've either been interested in or wanted to play:

• Horizon: Zero Dawn
• Yakuza 0
• Yakuza Kiwami
• Nier: Automata
• Persona 5
• Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
• Breath of the Wild
• Uncharted
• Life is Strange: Before the Storm
• Prey

Plus coming out later this year:

• Wolfenstein
• Mario Odyssey
• Shadow of War
• Cuphead

and that's not including stuff like CoD or South Park that in all likelihood the discussion that hits once that game comes out will draw me in. I also have a few old games I've been meaning to get into, like replaying the Metro games and starting the STALKER series.

Like all of these games are long. Persona 5 literally took me a month of daily play sessions to finish, and now I'm working alongside my (college) classes. What happened to the days of 8-12 hour games you could beat in a week or two leisurely? I barely pulled myself over the finish line in BotW because I started to get burned out, and that was still after 40+ hours (and I've since learned there were tons of stuff I missed in that game). MGSV being so long meant I never finished it--I got to Africa and just stopped playing. And since then it seems to have gotten worse, every game is some 20-40+ hour monstrosity that you spend the better part of a month struggling to get to the end of, and you still won't see all there is to see.

I understand the want for longer, more content dense games ("better bang for buck!") but god, what happened to the benefit of a "just long enough" game that doesn't overstay its welcome?

 

[Lunaray]

Just pick one or two games.

Edit: It's probably the whole open world concept that increased time-to-completion with low quality filler.

 

[Fou-Lu]

Stop sleeping and focus on them one at a time.

 

[Steeped in a Sea of Games]

I gave up buying new games once my backlog hit in the 500's. I'll only buy if I actually have the time to play a game now.

 

[MotionBlue]

This year alone, in terms of games that I've either been interested in or wanted to play:

• Horizon: Zero Dawn
• Yakuza 0
• Yakuza Kiwami
• Nier: Automata
• Persona 5
• Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
• Breath of the Wild
• Uncharted
• Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Plus coming out later this year:

• Wolfenstein
• Mario Odyssey
• Shadow of War
• Cuphead

?

Most of those aren't actually long. Just bloated with time-sinks like collectibles.

 

[snap]

Just pick one or two.

Stop sleeping and focus on them one at a time.

That's what I've been doing, but what if I want to play one of the games I skipped out on because I was preoccupied with something else? I just move on and forget about it or wait until I do get the time, but because there's always more stuff coming out I never get that time?

 

[Nicky Ali]

My life would be so much easier if everything was on the Switch.

 

[Krixeus]

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a long game? I must have played it wrong.

 

[FinalAres]

I agree and I don't like the way that AAA is all seemingly going open world. It shows a lack of imagination.

 

[CaptainofIndustry]

Play one at a time. Give in to the idea that you won't play everything. Also give in to the idea that you don't have to be playing the latest game.

My life would be so much easier if everything was on the Switch.

I concur.

 

[TheRazielim]

Thing with open world games is that you just have to get rid of the mentality of having to do everything. Unless you're paid to review games (and lol, even reviewers probably don't finish games completely), there's no need to see everything in games. You don't have to get 100% and collect every treasure chest. If you missed something, it's fine. You had your experience with the game, and unless the game is really really good, don't worry about it. If some dude tells you to go and collect 10 wolf pelts, tell him TO FUCK OFF.

Plus enjoy college. These games will be always out there, college experience won't.

 

[snap]

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is a long game? I must have played it wrong.

It's longer than the first episode of the original Life is Strange. The original was 2-3 hours at most. I spent over 4 hours with the new one.

 

[JD_Lars]

When I was in my teens I had all the time in the world as a kid and no money to buy the huge games and consoles I wanted.

Now I'm older and I have the money to buy all the games and consoles I wanted and no time to play them because of work and other responsibilities.

The gods are cruel.

 

[norm9]

I know this is doing it wrong, but on big open world rpgs, I just play the main missions and nothing else. I was spinning my wheels on ME: Andromeda for hours and hours, and said the heck with it and just did main missions. I'm the hero not the gopher. Now I've got one mission left and I can move on to something else.

 

[kagamin]

Within a couple of weeks I had finished Trails in the Sky SC, Trails in the Sky the 3rd, and Zero no Kiseki, I just applied myself managing my time so I could optimally play through everything without dedicating all of my hours to it, especially since I was at work for most of the time during that period (although it's only part time).

 

[Crazy Diamond]

I generally just hit a wall in games these days and just stop playing them. I got to the last Palace in P5 and just quit, at least for the foreseeable future, despite loving the series and anticipating that game for ...forever. Funny, that game is actually about as linear as I've played in recent years. I only finished Ending A of NieR and felt like I'd played a full-length open world game. The traversal in that game really drags on and on, it feels like.

 

[Windu]

How are y'all finishing these massive games?

i'm not.

 

[atomsk]

took me months to finish up Persona 5

got through Mario + Rabbids in a week.

 

[Rabid Dwarf 76]

Lie to myself and say I'll beat it eventually. Then proceed to buy the latest time sink.

 

[Squire]

Uncharted is only 8-12 hours and LIS is a single episode so far. That's 3 hours at best.

Anyway, just focus on one at a time and if you can, clear a few hours to play when you can.

 

[snap]

I generally just hit a wall in games these days and just stop playing them. I got to the last Palace in P5 and just quit, at least for the foreseeable future, despite loving the series and anticipating that game for ...forever. Funny, that game is actually about as linear as I've played in recent years. I only finished Ending A of NieR and felt like I'd played a full-length open world game. The traversal in that game really drags on and on, it feels like.

That's what I felt with BotW and MGSV. I get to the point where I feel no drive to keep playing that game. The only reason I finished the former is because you have the ability to start the final boss fight at any time--if it had been locked behind more of the side content I would've never finished that game.

 

[lightchris]

And since then it seems to have gotten worse, every game is some 40+ hour monstrosity that you spend the better part of a month struggling to get to the end of, and you still won't see all there is to see.

..you're not talking about all games in your list though, right? I mean, Uncharted, Life is Strange or Nier sure aren't 40+ hour games.

Personally I just play the games I have the most interest for. Quality over quantity (of games), after all my goal is to have fun, not to "work through" as many games as possible. No backlog, no trouble.

 

[NinjaCoachZ]

I generally just hit a wall in games these days and just stop playing them. I got to the last Palace in P5 and just quit, at least for the foreseeable future, despite loving the series and anticipating that game for ...forever. Funny, that game is actually about as linear as I've played in recent years. I only finished Ending A of NieR and felt like I'd played a full-length open world game. The traversal in that game really drags on and on, it feels like.

If you felt like Route A was a slog then yeah, bailing was probably the right option.

In Route B you basically

Spoiler

play it all over again from 9S's perspective. So there are some differences, but also a lot of repeat material.

Thankfully C isn't like that, but yeah, if you felt like you got your fill from Route A then you probably shouldn't rush for B.

 

[Permanently A]

Its weird, I've got all these long ass games to play and complete, and every night I just stare and them being unable to decide what to dedicate my time to and then I just boot up Overwatch and play it for hours.

 

[snap]

Uncharted is only 8-12 hours and LIS is a single episode so far. That's 3 hours at best.

Anyway, just focus on one at a time and if you can, clear a few hours to play when you can.

It's longer than the first episode of the original Life is Strange. The original was 2-3 hours at most. I spent over 4 hours with the new one.

as for Uncharted, that's the thing--it's a side story that would've been 6-8 hours a few years ago, but on its own it's longer than Uncharted 1 and roughly the length of Uncharted 2 despite being 2/3rds the price at launch.

 

[Duxxy3]

Honestly I just stick to shorter games.

The games I'm looking forward to most this fall should all be under 20 hours. Most probably under 12.

edit: The only long games that I've played were Dark Souls 3 last year and GTAV. I think I just played DS3 for that long because I'm such a fan of the series. I played GTAV because the minute to minute gameplay is fantastic, regardless of it being open world or not.
I couldn't get into Horizon, Prey, Owlboy or The Last Guardian, much to my own disappointment. The younger version of me would have loved those games.

 

[ItsTheNew]

I'm not. I play until the "flavors gone" and move to the next.

 

[MiguelMexMIstery]

I don't finish them

 

[snap]

..you're not talking about all games in your list though, right? I mean, Uncharted, Life is Strange or Nier sure aren't 40+ hour games.

Personally I just play the games I have the most interest for. Quality over quantity (of games), after all my goal is to have fun, not to "work through" as many games as possible. No backlog, no trouble.

it's hyperbole i don't actually mean every game, but it def feels that way.

 

[Dragon1893]

I bought P5 at launch and still haven't finished it.
Also bought Trails 3rd at launch and only finished it this week.
I've barely played anything else in this timeframe.
So yeah, the answer is: by toiling away at them for 4-6 months.
My life doesn't allow me the luxury of beating these masive games in a month and I'm guessing it's the same for most people.

 

[StarPhlox]

I don't know....I've managed to finish every major game this year (minus Persona 5 because it doesn't appeal to me enough to give it 100 hours) and about 50 others while managing to work full time, go to school full time, and have an active life and relationships. If it's something you love, you make it work

 

[Yautja_Warrior]

Just keep chipping away at them and just except that a backlog will probably build up, unless you don't sleep and don't go to school / work.

 

[13ruce]

By finally stopping to buy too mucb games at the same time or right after each otger i only buy games i really want or are from my fav franchise list day one play those first and get the rest later in a sale.

Buying all thigs in a go most of it will stay sealed for months anyway so it's a money waste if i keep at it.

Getting 2 or so retail (aaa) games and 2 or so indie games max a month then i can easily manage. Otherwise my backlog just keeps growing and spending too much money wic i can save alot of.

 

[MegaMelon]

I understand the want for longer, more content dense games ("better bang for buck!") but god, what happened to the benefit of a "just long enough" game that doesn't overstay its welcome?

I play almost exclusively Japanese games and it's pretty standard for them to be long 30, 40 hour plus affairs; in Personas case it's been like that since Persona 3 so it was to be expected really. The Souls series are also 40 plus hours when you start off as well to provide a non rpg example. I've poured hundreds of hours into Monster Hunter though I guess that series is designed around such a idea. Then even Fire Emblem Awakening a while back took me a good while to finish.

Honestly I just focus on one game at a time. I've set aside this month for Persona 5, October for Yakuza 0/Kiwami and November for Etrian Odyssey V with pokemon there briefly ("only" 20ish hours).

 

[brawly]

I'm not. I play until the "flavors gone" and move to the next.

^

Dropped Gravity Rush 2, Horizon, Persona 5, Nier Automata and Yakuza Kiwami this year.

Games need to cut the fluff, yeah. Time isn't an issue for me, motivation is.

 

[jb1234]

I break the bigger games up with shorter indies. Helps prevent burnout.

 

[FiveSide]

• Horizon: Zero Dawn

Beatable in 20 hours if you don't go for collectibles. I'd recommend just filling out the map and doing whatever sidequests look interesting and naturally come up while you're traveling from point to point. Just like most open-world games.

• Yakuza 0

Also beatable in 20-25 hours if you beeline from story mission to story mission. Same as Horizon, I'd recommend just doing whatever sidequests you come across naturally while running around for the story. I'd sample the timesinks like the arcade and other minigames, but try not to dump too much time into them.

• Yakuza Kiwami

Haven't played this but I've heard it's even shorter than Yakuza 0, so I'm assuming the same applies to this one.

• Nier: Automata

Same as Horizon and Yakuza. Open-world but can be beaten easily in 20 hours if you just focus on main story and a few select, interesting-sounding sidequests.

• Persona 5

I got nothing for this one. This is a damn long game. Too long in my opinion, this was my first Persona and I dropped it because I just felt that, despite the obvious quality, the cost-benefit of spending THAT much time on it just was not there. People say the game drags and has pacing issues, but that's a bit of an understatement. The game's "pacing issues" take up enough time to play like 2 other games instead. I would honestly just avoid this game if you have any kind of major time-constraints on your gaming.

• Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle

I haven't played this but a couple of my friends have and confirmed this game is definitely not 40 hours. Like 25 hours max unless you're going completionist, which you shouldn't be doing if you have time constraints anyway.

• Breath of the Wild

BotW doesn't have to be a long game, you could very easily sub-20 it. I put 60 hours into it right before exams, that probably wasn't a good decision but I ended up doing fine on my exams so it worked out. Putting 60 into this had me realize something important though: when the game is engaging enough, and you're having enough fun, you can find the time to play it. Sure, when I was playing BotW I was barely sleeping and my social life took a hit for a week or two, but that was a decision I made. And there weren't any permanent consequences, so I don't regret it - was awesome actually!

• Uncharted

If this is Lost Legacy, I just beat this in like 6 hours last weekend. It was actually refreshing how short it was. If you're not playing on the higher difficulties, it's a quick, breezy romp.

• Life is Strange: Before the Storm

Never played this or the first one, and don't know anybody who has. Can't help

Most of these games aren't 8-12 hours long, but they're also not 40+. The sweet spot for a lot of them seems to be around 20-25, which is a bit long in the tooth but definitely manageable. But that's assuming you restrain yourself and don't get lost in the collectibles/optional content rat race.

So basically:

-Most open-world games are very manageable when you only do main missions and a few choice sidequests that come up naturally over the course of the game. Better to not do ANY collectibles, and don't even think about the Platinum. That's how I do it, anyway.

-Don't play anything on the hardest difficulty unless it's something you're playing exclusively because of the challenging gameplay

-On the flip side, if you're really enjoying a game, by all means go to town on it and play as many hours as you want. Shuffle your schedule around if necessary to make it work, but don't brush off any major social or professional commitments

Also - I didn't see Prey mentioned on your list. That's an awesome game and can easily be beaten in 20 hours, everyone check it out!

 

[_Ryo_]

By taking my time. I vastly prefer long singleplayer games, and I can't afford many so it works out extremely well for me.

 

[Mithos]

Try to play one game at the time until finished, then DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT buy more games until you have finished them.

I picked up a PS4 late (e3 2017 decided whether I would get Switch or PS4), so I bought a PS4 Pro in June/July shift.

I have bought (and PS+) and played through:

Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Assassins Creed: Freedom Cry (ps+)
Journey (ps+)
inFamous: Second Son (ps+)


Started but not finished:

Dreamfall Chapters
Elder Scrolls Online (but you really do not finish an MMO)

Not begin playing:

Until Dawn (ps+)


So when I have finished Dreamfall Chapters and Until Dawn, then and only then will I buy another game.

 

[Toki767]

Most of those aren't actually long. Just bloated with time-sinks like collectibles.

This is the real answer.

You can finish most of those in less than a week playing a few hours a night.

 

[Tohsaka]

By not bothering with any multiplayer games. I play one game at a time, then move onto another after I finish it.

 

[Interficium]

I understand the want for longer, more content dense games ("better bang for buck!") but god, what happened to the benefit of a "just long enough" game that doesn't overstay its welcome?

ah you must be referring to all those mythical games that got shit on by gaf for being content-starved and irrelevant in a world where the witcher 3 exists. i didn't know they still made those.

 

[SillyEskimo]

I don't feel the need to finish everything I play, so I end up playing 5-10hrs of almost everything.

 

[Currygan]

By playing them one at a time. If a game really captivates me it's all i play until it's finished no matter how long it is

 

[Fury451]

Yakuza Kiwami isn't actually that big, specially compared to Zero.

But to answer your question, I fully complete about 50% of the big games I play.

 

[UrbanRats]

Dropped Horizon cause it's boring.
Dropped Nier cause the pc sport is shit.
Skipping Uncharted until it's dirt cheap.

Etc etc.
Easy.

 

[DecoReturns]

I beat Breath of the Wild in 20 hours.

Felt great knowing I could just walk to the final boss and throw down. Other then that, I just buy games after I finish the current one I'm on. For example I won't buy Mario Odyessy until I finish Fire Emblem Warriors.

 

[chronic_archaic]

I often don't finish games for long periods of time - sometimes deleting saves to start fresh since I forgot plot points and gameplay mechanics. Some I put off for months and finish off later on, and some I just blow through in a day or two. With this said I've finished very few long games, 30+ hours. Longest game I finished was probably The Phantom Pain at about 43 hours or so. Never made it through any really long 60+ hour RPGs like Persona even though I've tried before.

 

[Xero]

Dont do every side quest and mission unless it interests you. Ive done most everything in witcher 3 because i love almost all of it. Yakuza on the other hand is designed so that you wont like everything however there is enough there that there are likely a few minigames and side stories you will really like.

 

[arturo2666]

Slowly, and only playing one large game at a time.