Games are getting shorter and with terrible endings.

well, crysis is a trilogy, so yeah, the story will be countinued, but it was a bad way to end the first game....

crysis isnt really that short though....and it has a ton of replay value due to its open nature....

they are getting shorter though, because games are becoming a lot more expensive to make...thankfully your a PC gamer...where you got mods to extend a games lifetime by a huge amount...console gamers dont have that kind of luxary.

What is going on lately ? I just finished Crysis and it only took me less than 10 hours, and had a terrible ending. Bioshock was the same, COD4 SP was really short also and those half life 2 episodes were so short. I remember when my sega master system games used to last forever and had great endings, some even 10 minutes long. Are developers just concentrating on multiplayer or what ? I honestly can't remember the last game that had a good ending. couly

I could add Timeshift and Jericho to that list... Crappier ending than Jericho's is hard to come by. Play RPGs, that's where the best stories in games are told. FPSs have always been a little "light" in the story-telling department. Except a few older titles.

im shure there are plenty of older games with **** endings and bad storiesbut u dont remember them because of that

I suppose I might give the witcher a try. couly

System Shock 2, Deus Ex and Vampire Bloodlines are lengthy, storydriven games and are part FPSs, part RPGs, but you have probably played those already...

I suppose I might give the witcher a try. couly

[QUOTE="couly"]I suppose I might give the witcher a try. greatmax1

Despite its length, you cannot tell me that you didn't thoroughly enjoy CoD4's ending. That was easily one of the coolest freaking things I've seen in years. Everytime I think about it I get goosebumps. AWESOME!

Sure, 6 hours is short, but that was 6 hours of top quality gameplay. I MUCH prefer it to the 12 hours of busy work that seems to fill up the time between quality gameplay in modern RPGs.

Despite its length, you cannot tell me that you didn't thoroughly enjoy CoD4's ending. That was easily one of the coolest freaking things I've seen in years. Everytime I think about it I get goosebumps. AWESOME!

Sure, 6 hours is short, but that was 6 hours of top quality gameplay. I MUCH prefer it to the 12 hours of busy work that seems to fill up the time between quality gameplay in modern RPGs.

teirdome

But you gotta admit, the SP was just an intro to all the fun you getfrom the MP.

This trend hasn't just been going on lately.. its been going on for a LONG time!

I remember MOH:AA where you play through an awesome campaign, then at the end of one mission it just pops up saying "Game Over".. you expect another mission, but no.. thats it. Gone are the days of games like Duke3D, Doom, Wolf3D etc with long single player campaign. Not its all about graphics and eye candy and (hopefully) decent gameplay.. they put a quick single player campaign together and rely on multiplayer to keep people interested.

[QUOTE="couly"]I suppose I might give the witcher a try. greatmax1

I have a little better rig than yours, E6600, 2 gigs 800 DDR2 and 8800 GTS 640 mb. The Witcher runs at probably around 40 - 50 fps pretty much all the time. The game was outstanding by the way, one of the best RPG's I have played in a long while.

[QUOTE="greatmax1"][QUOTE="couly"]I suppose I might give the witcher a try. DragonfireXZ95

I have a little better rig than yours, E6600, 2 gigs 800 DDR2 and 8800 GTS 640 mb. The Witcher runs at probably around 40 - 50 fps pretty much all the time. The game was outstanding by the way, one of the best RPG's I have played in a long while.

I just couldn't get into the Witcher, same reason I couldn't ever finish Fable no character customization and I cannot relate to the character. I dunno... RPG's without any sort of character customization just seems lazy on the part of the developers to me.SerOlmy

It's stupid to present that as an argument.In most games character customization is useless cause really soon you'll get a helmet and an armor and you'll never see your characters face and hair again.Standard character have a really deeper backround than the "custom"ones.And you can't call that lazy cause tha game actually has a plot unlike oblivion that has a typical story which you learned in 5 minutes

What is going on lately ? I just finished Crysis and it only took me less than 10 hours, and had a terrible ending. Bioshock was the same, COD4 SP was really short also and those half life 2 episodes were so short. I remember when my sega master system games used to last forever and had great endings, some even 10 minutes long. Are developers just concentrating on multiplayer or what ? I honestly can't remember the last game that had a good ending. couly

I remember the first time I heard COD4's single-player was 5 hours ... in the review in which it got a 9.0. I was simply stunned.

Comeback when you beat COD4 on max difficulty.

I'm still not done with COD4, and yet I still have crysis to beat on max as well.

I guess if you play on a low difficulty (normal or lower) then you can just run through everything in 10 hours (or less)

Are developers just concentrating on multiplayer or what ?couly

Yeah I just finished HL2-EP2 and I have to say it was really weak. I would like to see GS score that game by itself. I would give it like an 8.2! For me you have to take out all those boring mineshaft and insect tunnel parts that were just boring. After that the good parts of the game lasted like an hour or two at the most. HL2- EP2 is WAY, WAY overrated. Ep1 sucked, and HL2 the original was not that great either though it was clearly the best. All 3 have virtually no replay ability, why would I want to replay EP2? Just to go back in those boring mineshafts and insect tunnels that take up the first 3/4ths of the game?

No thanks!

What is going on lately ? I just finished Crysis and it only took me less than 10 hours, and had a terrible ending. Bioshock was the same, COD4 SP was really short also and those half life 2 episodes were so short. I remember when my sega master system games used to last forever and had great endings, some even 10 minutes long. Are developers just concentrating on multiplayer or what ? I honestly can't remember the last game that had a good ending. couly

yeah crysis wasn't as long as i would have liked as for epiosodes there merely expansion to half life 2 and while there only 5-6 hours there still great games to play.

P.S. I have played a TON of games eve since Doom I came out. The longest game with the most replay ability as far as I am concerned is GTA-SA! It is theabsolute champ! I wish more games were like it. Too bad it looks like the new GTA will be all graphics and not really anything like the previous series.

I seriously went into withdrawals after I finally beat GTA-SA because it was so long and fun. Then a few weeks later I just started it again really getting into all the side missions like painting all the graffiti etc.

What is going on lately ? I just finished Crysis and it only took me less than 10 hours, and had a terrible ending. Bioshock was the same, COD4 SP was really short also and those half life 2 episodes were so short. I remember when my sega master system games used to last forever and had great endings, some even 10 minutes long. Are developers just concentrating on multiplayer or what ? I honestly can't remember the last game that had a good ending. couly

Yeah man you're right. It's really disappointing how games are being made so bloody short nowadays, and the endings are so weak and short. Kind of makes you wonder why the devs spend so much time on the game, just to cut it short at 10 hours or less. If you're gonna spend the time to make the engine and gameplay, at least use it and give us a long game. Reviewers aren't helping the situation at all, giving 9's and 9.5's to short games with dubious replay value.

P.S. I have played a TON of games eve since Doom I came out. The longest game with the most replay ability as far as I am concerned is GTA-SA! It is theabsolute champ! I wish more games were like it. Too bad it looks like the new GTA will be all graphics and not really anything like the previous series.

I seriously went into withdrawals after I finally beat GTA-SA because it was so long and fun. Then a few weeks later I just started it again really getting into all the side missions like painting all the graffiti etc.

Store24

What is going on lately ? I just finished Crysis and it only took me less than 10 hours, and had a terrible ending. Bioshock was the same, COD4 SP was really short also and those half life 2 episodes were so short. I remember when my sega master system games used to last forever and had great endings, some even 10 minutes long. Are developers just concentrating on multiplayer or what ? I honestly can't remember the last game that had a good ending. couly

I thought the COD4 ending was awesome and original like you were part of a movie. Anyone who did not appreciate that ending needs their head checked in my opinion. Just my opinion of course;)

And COD4 is not as short as all the BS you hear, if you just blow through it on easy and know the levels you could do in 5 hours maybe, but actually playing the game no way.I think people get this impression because there are less levels, but they are much longer and bigger.

I rather have games that are short but are intense than long dull game.Sprozelth

Exactly, COD4 had some of the most awesome experiences I have had in 15 years of pc gaming, what more could they have done?? They could have threw in a few more regular run and gun levels with no imagination, in my opinion it would have diluted the game.

What is going on lately ? I just finished Crysis and it only took me less than 10 hours, and had a terrible ending. Bioshock was the same, COD4 SP was really short also and those half life 2 episodes were so short. I remember when my sega master system games used to last forever and had great endings, some even 10 minutes long. Are developers just concentrating on multiplayer or what ? I honestly can't remember the last game that had a good ending. couly

Fear not, Mass Effect won't let you down.

There are always games like that. At least it didin't waste too much of your time.

I have to agree with you that games are becoming alot like movies...in fact the entire world of entertainment has reached a point of quick to the finish line, so we can suck up some more cash, regardless of whether the "product " is worth the price...

The quick answer is new tech and longer development times cost more money, and no one wants to invest in a potential dud...so the industries solution is rehash old stuff, give it a new coat of paint and sell it as new...

Examples of this? How about DOOM 3, or the Call of Duty series, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and coming soon ...Star Trek...

All of these are phenominal successes, at the cutting edge of tech, and all suffer from the same Achilles heel, most notably the second Star Wars trilogy...the stories are gone, or at the very least, emasculated and redundant.

Yah sometimes, its nice to just watch carnage, or wipe out aliens ad nauseum...however the industry,... movie, television, video game, music, ...have unfortunately gone too far. There should be more of a balance...

Far Cry is the most recent example, (that I've finished) of a great game,...long, plenty of carnage, great graphics and an interesting story,...a little over the top, but hey its a game...

Unfortunately thats the last one I can think of...

Is there anything to be done? No, not really, its just a fact that as long as the bean-counters are left in charge, this will be the end result...

"Money before all else, and piss on the consumer..."

You asked for graphics. You got graphics. What more could you want?

Oh, now after the 9.5 rating you actually want GAMEPLAY!

All this is probably why the first Gothic stands out in my mind as the best game I've ever played. The running time alone for developers was 80 hours and they made the freaking thing. On top of it all, I must have played through the entire thing 4 times since first getting it (which was what,year 2000 or maybe even before that?)and every time I did, I always found something new that I had missed before. And even though it had one of the greatest, longest, and most original stories created today still, if it was released in this year, it would be dismissed immediatelybecause it doesnt have mecha-graphics and the control scheme is too hard (because this is America after all and god forbid we have to learn something). The witcher had a few hits with this as well. Amazing original story and concept but, the sword-fighting is just too hard to learn for some*sob* and the graphics jus arent up to par *rolls eyes* and zomg it's not an mmo?!? It's teh suxx0rz then.

Some say short and sweet is better than long and boring. Yeah, try saying that sentence to a woman and see whather response. The correct answer gentlemen, forgames, music, movies, and women is "Long and amazing".

-Aidyn

i dont care so much about how short a game is but the endings to the last couple of games i finished have been horrible. Bioshock for instance awesome game but the last boss battle is horrible and the ending is even worse. Halo 3 also had a horrid ending. Same with Assassins creed and its ending. lets hope mass effect dont have a crap ending

Games with amazing graphics (relative to what has already been done) are generally very short. I realized this a long time ago, and thus tend to avoid such games.

That's one of the reasons Resident Evil 4 was so surprising...