I think game length is becoming a more serious issue as games get more expensive

So far, I heard many times how games like Heavenly Sword and now Stranglehold barely miss the mark of becoming must-haves for most people because the games are so short. These highly big-budgeted games are only 6~8 hours long and sure for that brief moment of gameplay is fun and action-packed, but don't developers want to sell these games as much as they can instead ofputting them on our rental list? On a related note, Too Human is already confirmed to be about 8 hours, and Drake Uncharted is also about 10 hours.

I agree with those who say that a game's length don't bother them as long as its great, but games are so expensive I think this is becoming a serious issue now.

I think developers should think about this some more. $60~70 is way too much for a 6 hour long game,especially if there's no or lacks a goodonline multiplayer tomake up for it.

So far, I heard many times how games like Heavenly Sword and now Stranglehold barely miss the mark of becoming must-haves for most people because the games are so short. These highly big-budgeted games are only 6~8 hours long and sure for that brief moment of gameplay is fun and action-packed, but don't developers want to sell these games as much as they can instead ofputting them on our rental list? On a related note, Too Human is already confirmed to be about 8 hours, and Drake Uncharted is also about 10 hours.

I agree with those who say that a game's length don't bother them as long as its great, but games are so expensive I think this is becoming a serious issue now.

I think developers should think about this some more. $60~70 is way too much for a 6 hour long game,especially if there's no or lacks a goodonline multiplayer tomake up for it.

ASK_Story

For me its quality and replayability that matter more than anything. I paid 50 bucks back in the day for the likes of Streets of Rage 2, Shinobi and Axelay and measuring them strictly by time to completion were all very short games so 60 bucks for a 10 or even 6 hour action game doesn't horrify me. With action games I tend to look at replayability as much as length (if playing the game is really fun, when it ends, I just start again).

Also, to my experience, with rare exceptions, the majority of the time quality single player and quality multiplayer are mutually exclusive (which makes sense since time spent tuning one is time not spent tuning the other). Rather than developers neglecting to fine tune a game in order to throw in a slapdash online mode (The Darkness would have been a better game if its weak online play had been dropped and its campaign A.I. improved) I prefer that they focus on the offline play. If a developer has the time, resources and manpower to do both, excellent, but if not, they should make a choice.

If it's an unparalleled experience that I absolutely want to have, length will not be a consideration. Of course I'm saying this now that I'm earning my own money as, even though not as much as some people make, it's enough for me to get most games I want (if i prioratise correctly).

Also, with a full-time job and a part-time degree, my time is even more precious than money so in some ways I'd rather most games were short and sweet. Having said that, if a game is long and sweet you won't hear me complaining.

$60~70 is way too much for a 6 hour long game,especially if there's no or lacks a goodonline multiplayer tomake up for it.ASK_Story

No it's not. Compared to a two hour movie just released on DVD being around 20$ that's about equal.

I think the Game´s lengh problems startet last gen.If I play a RPG it should have a lengh about 50h...most of them had only 25 to 30h ifyou had been slow.And FPS...I don´t think I have to mention Riddick or Halo 2.If I pay full price I don´t want a game finished in 4h without any replay-value.Of course,If you got a good online MP it adds much to it,but if you got nothing to do offline...

Timesplitters was a really positive example.The game itself wasn´t that long,but you had a lot fun stuff to do around it and a great MP even offline.Why the companies spend Millions in the Graphics and no single dollar into long-time-motivation?I won´t buy a game which is finished quicker than 10h without any reason to play again and without a good MP.Why should I?There are a lot games out there who have both.Game Lengh and quality.

I think the Game´s lengh problems startet last gen.If I play a RPG it should have a lengh about 50h...most of them had only 25 to 30h ifyou had been slow.And FPS...I don´t think I have to mention Riddick or Halo 2.If I pay full price I don´t want a game finished in 4h without any replay-value.Of course,If you got a good online MP it adds much to it,but if you got nothing to do offline...Ash2X

The problem here isn't the lenght of the games. You just play too fast :P

Here are some games i played, and how long it took me to finish them

Okami : 70 Hours, and i only did 40-50% of the optional stuff

FFXII: 153 Hours. Still have quite a few sidequests, and optional bosses that i need to finish.

Dark Messiah Might & Magic: 37 hours (not counting online). Still haven't checked what changes if you save the chick

The time it takes to finish 360/Wii games are virtually the same as last gen games for me usually. Except games that focus on MP like graw2 ofc.

Well that's why people rent games. I don't buy a game unless it's amazing or loong(rpg)_Tobli_

Years ago, I would have agreed on the issue regarding the length in video games, but I have to say that I'm much more comfortable playing through shorter games than something of, say, games of RPG length, and I definitely get more replay value, since I can play through shorter games more often.

I don't know if my attention span is getting shorter or the fact that I can purchase my games as opposed to when I had to rely on my parents, but I find it much harder to play through longer games today than I ever did.

[QUOTE="_Tobli_"]Well that's why people rent games. I don't buy a game unless it's amazing or loong(rpg)CodeMunki

You guys realize that you are only making the situation worse by renting?

[QUOTE="CodeMunki"][QUOTE="_Tobli_"]Well that's why people rent games. I don't buy a game unless it's amazing or loong(rpg)XaosII

You guys realize that you are only making the situation worse by renting?

You do realize that it would have just as bad to buy the 5-6 hour games. Why? Because developers would see that they can get away with it. I don't even rent that many games. Mainly because the renting sites that are available here suck.

I love short 6-10 hour games. Why? Because they save me a ton of money! :) Short game = instant rental.

Dude, most of the games that are REALLY long are mostly filler. In most RPGs for example, from Final Fantasy to Pokemon, most of your time is spent in random battles that you can easily win because you need to increase your character's level. Games like Halo and Metroid Prime were able to pad out their length with backtracking. That doesn't mean these games aren't fantastic, just realize that they are padded out in some very lame ways.

When people bring up game length, I think about Half-Life 2: Episode 1. It cost $20 (except if you got it at Circuit City like me for $8!) and only lasted 4-5 hours. However, the action never let up and there was very, very few moments where I felt like the developers were focused more on length than on fun. I would gladly take a 5 hour RPG with this design philosophy over most of the 50-hour epics that drag on and on.

So far, I heard many times how games like Heavenly Sword and now Stranglehold barely miss the mark of becoming must-haves for most people because the games are so short. These highly big-budgeted games are only 6~8 hours long and sure for that brief moment of gameplay is fun and action-packed, but don't developers want to sell these games as much as they can instead ofputting them on our rental list? On a related note, Too Human is already confirmed to be about 8 hours, and Drake Uncharted is also about 10 hours.

I agree with those who say that a game's length don't bother them as long as its great, but games are so expensive I think this is becoming a serious issue now.

I think developers should think about this some more. $60~70 is way too much for a 6 hour long game,especially if there's no or lacks a goodonline multiplayer tomake up for it.

ASK_Story

Game length have become serious issues. The perfect lengt for a action game is 15 hours and for a RPG 40 hours. It's not that hard to cram in some dev videos as bonus content and yet they are being so shy. god of War is the only good example of how a short game manages to get a lot of value. First off: replay value. God mode and challange of the gods are awesome with bonus videos. Now few devs do this. I hate to play a game and after 7 hours it collect dusts. I agree with you TC, devs should realize that length is very important to justify a game pruchase.

There's nothing wrong with short games, but I agree it's becoming an issue now that practically everything out there retails for $60 US. If a consumer has a choice between buying $60 Oblivion which they can squeeze 100+ hours out of or $60 Stranglehold, the value is clearly in favor of the bigger game.

I don't see why publishers won't retail more titles at $50 or lower when it's clear the content doesn't always match the pricetag. It's like they'd rather grab that extra $10 from a smaller, dedicated audience instead of turning all the renters into buyers with an attractive price point.

If this is becoming an issue why not join Game Stop they give you a discount card that knocks the price off a game. And the used games are even cheaper. Another way is to just wait for the prices of these games to drop over time. But the length of a game shouldn't bethe factorover the quality, and that's what I want out of a game.

I can complete outrun in under 5 mins but i been playing it for over ten years, streetfighter2 i can finish with different characters in under 5 mins but i love the game and always will... strider arcade and megadrive/genesis i can complete without losing a life under 5 mins..

My fav games of all time.....

I can go back to them always. learn more ..

recent games take 10 - 30 hours to complete, i will never play again... too much hassle!!

Yeah, I'm guilty of it too. I'm probably missing out on a lot of great, short games. Last gen, I bought over 20+ games which about half, I played it through once, beat it, and never played it again.

Now, I'm making smarter decisions (money-wise) and only have three 360 games (2 were gifts, 1 I actually bought - had 360 since christmas and bought my FIRST game in August, lol).

Bad for the industry? Yeah, in the short-term. But now its making developers think they need to give games more replayability in order to sell more units - which will be good for the industry.

Once people stop buying bad games and expect higher standards - then games will have better quality and then more units will be sold.

Personally I don't want games to long or short I like them in the 20-40 hour mark. I'd rather have games along that line and have them cost $30 then have games that are 100+ and cost $50. I like games being cheap so I can get more quanity and having them short so I can beat and buy as many as I please. Sounds confusing but that's the best way I can explain it. :P

Didnt we just have this thread? I swear we have these game length threads every week and its usually you who makes them. Shorter game length is fine as a lot of people have too much to do as it is and dont have time for the mega behemoth 50+ hr games.GodModeEnabled

I agree Ask_Story needs to start bumping. :)

If this is becoming an issue why not join Game Stop they give you a discount card that knocks the price off a game. And the used games are even cheaper. Another way is to just wait for the prices of these games to drop over time. But the length of a game shouldn't bethe factorover the quality, and that's what I want out of a game.

shadowfox55

Gamestop will rape you financially at every opportunity they can get. Their "discount" card isnt free, and the measly 10% off USED games is so ridiculous its almost funny. Seriously, one of the best things gamers could do for the industry would be to stop supporting the crappy Gamestop chain, they are VERY happy to jack up prices and charge you an arm and a leg for everything.

Yeah, I remember making a somewhat long post in a thread like this just a while back.

Myjudgment is that if a short game can be like God of War 2, I will definitely get it! I still haven't purchased GoW2 yet, but that's because there are newer games I'd rather buy first (like MP3 and Brawl). Bunches of short games are nice for me. I'm a college student, so I have less time for gaming than I did before (assuming I devote the propery time to studying and doing work). As soon as I get a job, I'll have even less time. Long games aren't really that great for people in my situation. I really enjoy the Elder Scrolls games (specifically Morrowind and Oblivion), but if I don't play one for a while, I might feel like starting a new file instead of continuing the old one, simply because I lost my focus.

So far, I heard many times how games like Heavenly Sword and now Stranglehold barely miss the mark of becoming must-haves for most people because the games are so short. These highly big-budgeted games are only 6~8 hours long and sure for that brief moment of gameplay is fun and action-packed, but don't developers want to sell these games as much as they can instead ofputting them on our rental list? On a related note, Too Human is already confirmed to be about 8 hours, and Drake Uncharted is also about 10 hours.

I agree with those who say that a game's length don't bother them as long as its great, but games are so expensive I think this is becoming a serious issue now.

I think developers should think about this some more. $60~70 is way too much for a 6 hour long game,especially if there's no or lacks a goodonline multiplayer tomake up for it.

ASK_Story

[QUOTE="ASK_Story"]

So far, I heard many times how games like Heavenly Sword and now Stranglehold barely miss the mark of becoming must-haves for most people because the games are so short. These highly big-budgeted games are only 6~8 hours long and sure for that brief moment of gameplay is fun and action-packed, but don't developers want to sell these games as much as they can instead ofputting them on our rental list? On a related note, Too Human is already confirmed to be about 8 hours, and Drake Uncharted is also about 10 hours.

I agree with those who say that a game's length don't bother them as long as its great, but games are so expensive I think this is becoming a serious issue now.

I think developers should think about this some more. $60~70 is way too much for a 6 hour long game,especially if there's no or lacks a goodonline multiplayer tomake up for it.

CarnageHeart

For me its quality and replayability that matter more than anything. I paid 50 bucks back in the day for the likes of Streets of Rage 2, Shinobi and Axelay and measuring them strictly by time to completion were all very short games so 60 bucks for a 10 or even 6 hour action game doesn't horrify me. With action games I tend to look at replayability as much as length (if playing the game is really fun, when it ends, I just start again).

Also, to my experience, with rare exceptions, the majority of the time quality single player and quality multiplayer are mutually exclusive (which makes sense since time spent tuning one is time not spent tuning the other). Rather than developers neglecting to fine tune a game in order to throw in a slapdash online mode (The Darkness would have been a better game if its weak online play had been dropped and its campaign A.I. improved) I prefer that they focus on the offline play. If a developer has the time, resources and manpower to do both, excellent, but if not, they should make a choice.

Dude, most of the games that are REALLY long are mostly filler. In most RPGs for example, from Final Fantasy to Pokemon, most of your time is spent in random battles that you can easily win because you need to increase your character's level. Games like Halo and Metroid Prime were able to pad out their length with backtracking. That doesn't mean these games aren't fantastic, just realize that they are padded out in some very lame ways.

When people bring up game length, I think about Half-Life 2: Episode 1. It cost $20 (except if you got it at Circuit City like me for $8!) and only lasted 4-5 hours. However, the action never let up and there was very, very few moments where I felt like the developers were focused more on length than on fun. I would gladly take a 5 hour RPG with this design philosophy over most of the 50-hour epics that drag on and on.

AtomicTangerine

[QUOTE="CodeMunki"][QUOTE="_Tobli_"]Well that's why people rent games. I don't buy a game unless it's amazing or loong(rpg)XaosII

You guys realize that you are only making the situation worse by renting?

If a game can make me intrigued by it's plot, then I can justify spending money for it, even if it was a few hours. I'd rather play a few hours of bliss, then be forced to play 50 hours of boring, repetitive rpg battles, watching the same animations repeatedly.

Maybe its the old school gamer in me, but short games have never bothered me. Back then only a few games (mostly RPGs) allowed saves, so you pretty much had to beat them in 1 sitting. $60 for an 8 hr game is still a better value than most anything else I'd spend the money on.