Support NeoGAF

[rofif]

Less Forspoken & Final Fantasy 16 rofif , more BG3 where every quests is an adventure with reward.

Forspoken was 30 hours. I avoided all the bloat. Ff16 was almost 60. Way too much.

 

[BlackTron]

This entire mindset is why modern gaming sucks. I'd rather have an absolutely banging 15-20 hour game over a mediocre 75 hour game.

More and more it feels like "interactive experiences" instead of games. I "take breaks" from modern gaming by picking up a Game Boy, that shouldn't make sense

 

[rofif]

OP, if you haven't already, I strongly recommend giving Armored Core VI a shot.

It has a level-based mission structure, and I consider it an antithesis to the current trend of huge sprawling game worlds that sometimes require 100+ hours to experience most of the content.
It has just the right amount of challenge without overstaying its welcome. It's also highly replayable with branching missions that lead to multiple endings.

The game's narrative may or may not be to your liking, depending on your taste, but I found that approach compelling and fitting for the tone.

Yeah I finished it. Fatnasric game. Fantastic length. Somehow some missions still felt insignificant but there was no bloat really.

 

[rofif]

Time the game makes you waste is not value, it's the opposite of that. Think of it this way: for $500 do you want a BJ from Scarlet Johansson that lasts 5 minutes or one hour one from a nearby street hooker?

lol that’s an amazing comparisons.
And 70 is inflated 50 from around 2008.

 

[Deerock71]

Paranormasight.

 

[rofif]

The fuck are you talking about. OP literally didn't say anything about the souls games.

Edit:
Nevermind, at the very bottom. I was wrong.

Souls games can be long but you can finish each of them no speedrun in 20 hours. There is almost no bloat too. Finishing Elden ring again, you have to wade through ton of useless caves and reused bosses.

 

[K' Dash]

after 280 hrs I'm rushing to finish BOTW and I'm sure I didn't even finish 50% of what you can do in that game. I'm ready to not play any open world games ever again unless they reduce the bloat.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I yearn for shorter games but with multiple entries in the same series like Megaman X, older REs, etc.

You can always replay all dooms+mods for the rest of your life

 

[ProgenitorCastle]

You can always replay all dooms+mods for the rest of your life

That's a viable option when I get into Doom more, what's cool is that John Romero made some custom maps later on iirc

 

[Sethbacca]

And 70 is inflated 50 from around 2008.

Except that some games were $80-$90 in the SNES and N64 era. When you account for inflation game prices really haven’t changed that much since the 90s, but the market has grown by orders of magnitude which keeps prices reasonable or they’d have skyrocketed.

 

[danklord]

Can you watch multiple shows at a time and keep up with the various storylines? Stop binging games like reviewers and play them on your schedule, and only when it's fun. It's a hobby, not a job.

 

[Shifty1897]

5 of the 7 games I've completed so far this year have been 50-110 hours long.

I regret nothing.
Edit: Okay yes FF16 would have been better if it was 20-30 hours long.

 

[Isa]

I yearn for shorter games but with multiple entries in the same series like Megaman X, older REs, etc.

That's what I've been loving lately, especially with Resident Evil! Pick up and play mechanics that are simple to understand with a well paced and concise story that doesn't try to do to much usually. Satisfying through and through. Helps mix up the dredge of delving into another long slog.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I wonder if people go over to YouTube to view the ending or final boss to games they’ll never finish or don’t want to buy. I always think to myself, do people do this to movies. Google the ending to a film you’re thinking about seeing.

Gaming is awesome, but it’s got some parts to it that also make it absolute at times. Yeah there’s a time investment and you have to push through it to get something rewarding. It’s also a hobby that now a days, reminds you that you can just watch it all and get absolutely nothing from it.

Time management is just setting aside some TV time or whatever you do, just to play. Motivation is what keeps you invested. Anymore, I don’t necessary want to buy certain games just because they’re good. I want games that I know I’ll make time for and ones that I will get enjoyment after X amount of hours. I like Souls games and horror. Classic RPGs are great too.

If a game can’t keep everyone’s attention beyond the first couple weeks after launch then it probably wasn’t as good as they thought. I’ll go back to Lies of P, but I wonder if anyone will give a about it in a couple months.

 

[ChoosableOne]

This phenomenon extends both the development time and game costs, while also leading to the creation of boring and soulless games. I only realized that Mass Effect lasts for 20 hours when you mentioned it. I also checked Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, and it apparently takes around 20 hours to complete. If these games were made with today's mindset, each of them would likely last well over 100 hours.

 

[Eiknarf]

I’m playing 5 to 10 hours games and having the time of my life.

Yeah Trepang2 next week on the PS5 (OK, a week and a half)

 

[The Cockatrice]

. I also checked Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

rofif my man, go to this thread https://www.neogaf.com/threads/what...s-that-you-would-recommend-to-anyone.1661457/ and look through the plethora of recommendations from fellow GAFers. Many of the indie games listed there are short 2-5h experiences.

 

[TheSHEEEP]

I wonder

Mystery solved.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I finished my first run of Persona 5 with a little bit over 120 hours. When I read the counter, I couldn´t believe that I played for so long.

My final play session started at 136 hours, I think. I don’t know how they managed to keep me interested the entire time. I didn’t want it to end. Immediately after the final credits, I wanted to restart the game. We need more games like this.

 

[rofif]

rofif my man, go to this thread https://www.neogaf.com/threads/what...s-that-you-would-recommend-to-anyone.1661457/ and look through the plethora of recommendations from fellow GAFers. Many of the indie games listed there are short 2-5h experiences.

Yeah I've played a ton of these but ton I've never heard off.
I think my best discovery last year was Return of obra dinn and The Forgotten City... such incredible games!!!!

I wonder

That's on a good day lol

 

[lughnasadh123]

Since I'm not trying to rush through as many games as possible, it doesn't matter if I fill my time with one 60 hour game or three 20 hour ones. The main point is to have fun. If I'm having fun, I'll keep playing, otherwise it's time to walk away to something new.

 

[Camreezie]

The trick is to wait for sales and to stop caring whether you finish them.

Just did this for Resi 4 , got a beta tested game with all content out and deluxe edition for £40

 

[MadPanda]

When I want to spend much time on games I prefer those open world, long games, but that is rare these days so I prefer something shorter. Around 20 hours is fine. But it's all about if the game is fun or not. I'd rather play one game for 3 months, like I did with Elden Ring, as I enjoyed almost every moment, than play some 8 hours game where I don't have fun even if I'll finish it in a week.

 

[sloppyjoe_gamer]

But you loved forspoken which is nothing but repetitive bloat.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Souls games are so replayable because the level design is so good. I still have a mental map of Dark Souls 1 pretty much in its entirety because the level design is so brilliant. Old RE games are great too because they’re so tightly paced. I only play 1 or 2 big ass games a year.

 

[Robb]

I interpret ‘bloated’ as having bad/filler content. If that’s what you mean, I agree.

If it’s just about game length in general, I disagree. I’m happy to play a 200h game if it’s great, I don’t need to finish it in one weekend. I just play in sessions over a month or two.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

I’ve been feeling like this ever since the PS2 era tbh.

 

[saintjules]

I’m playing 5 to 10 hours games and having the time of my life.

I think I will be getting to that point, with the exception of some must have JRPGs that will keep me indulged. But for the most part, I am slowly moving away from those 50+ hour games.

A 14 year old me who didn't have a job and was only able to get a few games a year, I'd be saying hell yeah to those long games and then replay them again.

 

[poppabk]

It's especially a pain in the ass if you can only game for an hour or two at a time. Makes the excessive padding and bloated mechanics way more obvious.

 

[MLSabre]

You can always replay all dooms+mods for the rest of your life

It gets to the point that with certain genre of mods, called Total Conversions, you're not even playing Doom anymore.

 

[StylishMGTOW]

If I know the game will be 50h+, I am more than likely to say f it and replay some 10-15h long game like half life 2 or uncharted 4.
Embarking on a very long game feels like a heavy weight. I know it will be fun but when I think about it, it’s really hard to start a game like that.
And I have a lot of spare time.

Don’t you think games are bloated now? Why ff16 had to be 50+ hours long while it could’ve been an awesomely paced 20 hours long game. Mass effect games were each 20h. I can replay the whole trilogy in less time than bloater3 the wild bloat.
I prefer more replayable games. I always find something new when I replay souls games or uncharted. The experience is tight each time and I can find new fun if I want too.

True, which is why I go for games that are known for shorter experiences, like horror games, because I know I can finish it in a few sittings.

If I'm going for an RPG, it would have to be:

- already in my backlog
- an RPG that I'm reallyyyyy looking forward to, like FF16 or FF7 Rebirth

 

[Kataploom]

I kinda agree with you yet I keep playing 20-30 hours games for 40 to 60 hours because I start thinking "it's the right length" then I don't wanna drop them lol

 

[DeepSpace5D]

It’s just like any daunting task in life:

You take lots of little baby steps, and as time goes by, you look back and are amazed at the distance you covered.

 

[Represent.]

Am I misremembering or did some dev come out and say Spider-Man 2 wouldn’t overstay it’s welcome and is a tighter experience?

 

[rofif]

Another thing I've noticed when I launched Cyberpunk yesterday with 2.0... The amount of quests!!!
Everywhere I drive or go, there is an email or a call or something that activates new quest. I've finished that damn game and my quest log is filled with tens of active quests.
It's just daunting. I don't like this feeling of checking in a quest but by the time I am done with it, I got +4 more.

 

[BigLee74]

Mix it up.

I always tend to have one big game on the go at any single time, but I play some smaller games alongside it for a change of pace when needed.

 

[Humdinger]

I also recently got a used Xbox 360 and been catching up on some 7th gen games that I never played, such as Splatterhouse. That was super fun and it was also over in about 8 hours.

Same here. My 360 arrived a few days ago. Haven't seen one in 12 years. It's kind of cool to revisit it. I started into Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, which I enjoyed back in the day.

The graphics aren't that great, but I'm enjoying how the game throws you right into the action, rather than giving you this long, slow, drawn-out tutorial, and it keeps the action up. You don't have to sit there immobile on your couch, watching hours of cutscenes. There's just a little brief one-minute sketch here and there, to give you the skeleton of a story. It's all I need. And I know the experience is going to be taut, not flabby and bloated, and it will be over in 12 to 15 hours. Perfect.

Another thing I've noticed when I launched Cyberpunk yesterday with 2.0... The amount of quests!!!
Everywhere I drive or go, there is an email or a call or something that activates new quest. I've finished that damn game and my quest log is filled with tens of active quests.
It's just daunting. I don't like this feeling of checking in a quest but by the time I am done with it, I got +4 more.

Yeah. I have a to-do list in real life. I play games to escape the to-do list. I don't need ever-expanding to-do lists in my games.

 

[Mythoclast]

Playing FF16 rn and honestly this game could've been better without any of the sidequests.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Another thing I've noticed when I launched Cyberpunk yesterday with 2.0... The amount of quests!!!
Everywhere I drive or go, there is an email or a call or something that activates new quest. I've finished that damn game and my quest log is filled with tens of active quests.
It's just daunting. I don't like this feeling of checking in a quest but by the time I am done with it, I got +4 more.

I can't relate with this. Just don't do them, there were tons of activities in CP2077 i didn't bother engaging with too much. Same with BG3 now where i never care about completing and finding every single thing in the map.

RPGs are usually designed with the player missing out content in mind.

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

I totally get it. My favorite game ever is Super Metroid and I crush it easily in under 3 hours and it's perfect. I avoid the newer assasins creed games simply due to bloat.

 

[00_Zer0]

I played Tears of the Kingdom for 70 plus hours and never got through one temple. I then sat back, relaxed and watched my son play. I got my enjoyment out of it by playing what I did. I can honestly say that watching my son experience his play through was just as exciting as if I was playing the game all the way through myself. I have no need to go back to that game. I usually don't fret about long games, though shorter games and arcade type games are more my style, plus they are easier to go back to for me.

 

[Del_X]

I sort of agree but it really depends. Lots of games just have god awful “press X to get resource and wander around for 10 minutes for every two minutes of interesting gameplay” which is fine if the traversal and exploration is well paced but it’s often not.

Starfield has been surprisingly easy to pick up and play and walk away from. Playing ToTK with the kids has been good since we can do a shrine or find something in the depths and just stop after 20-30 minutes.

 

[semiconscious]

i no longer play games to finish them. i play them to amuse myself, & for as long as they can manage to be amusing. once they no longer are, i just move on. if i do manage to finish, or if they simply manged to keep my amused for a good while, either way, i'm fine...

i've gone on hiatus from starfield right now. after most of 40 hrs, i've grow tired of it. but, whether i ever go back or not? i feel like i got my game pass worth...

 

[SmokedMeat]

Depends entirely on the experience that awaits me.
I’d rather play through Assassin Creed Origin’s “bloat”, than Uncharted 4’s awful opening hours.

Linear experiences aren’t always better.

 

[fart town usa]

Same. I just don't care anymore for 99% of games that exceed 20 hours.

I'm sure I've missed out some stuff I'd enjoy but all the same, just don't care. My backlog is massive enough, I can't stray too far if I'm to get to the games I actually want to play.

 

[Elitro]

Yeah, it's about that quest log. Many games drown you in quests and makes it hard to keep engaged if you are playing in short bursts. It's not really about the length of the game. Souls games works because the quest log is very forgiving and each new bit of unexplored area is like a quest of itself. Likewise BG3 has been the same for me. I normally play 45mins to 1h a day and I just do like 1 quest/area per session and it's always fresh and engaging. You can easily progress each session without feeling overwhelmed. It also helps if the quest /area of the game is different and not another variant of the same fetch quest over and over (hello d4 quests...)

 

[Danjin44]

I dont care about length, all care about is satisfaction. I can enjoy both 20 hours or 100 hours game, as long as it gives me satisfying experience.

 

[Crayon]

Here's what I do: When I am enjoying a long game, and I get fucked out after 30-40 hours, I stop and say "that was a good game" as if I finished it. Then, if and when I want to resume it, I tell myself "I liked that game. I want to play Part 2 now." I know that's weird but I can have the same feeling and that's what helps me.

 

[El Muerto]

Games over 40 hours seem like a chore unless it's a turn based JRPG or Yakuza. 30hrs into Starfield now and it seems like all you do is hoard shit and sell it, getting pretty boring. AC Origins/Odyssey/Valhalla were a slog too.