[QUOTE="ASK_Story"]

I do agree, it feels a bit short.

I think for any RPG at least 40 hours minimum is a good length.

CarnageHeart

Like I've said before, I don't worry about arbitrary minimums. There was a time I was willing and able to slog through lengthy boring parts that one finds in many jrpgs, but nowadays I just find myself unwilling to do that. Most reviewers said that many hours in Suikoden 3 got really epic (and the opening cinema contained some really interesting stuff), but during that initial slog I realized I wasn't having fun, so I stopped S3 a little more than a dozen hours in. On the other hand, I put 150 hours into FF12, which I found entertaining throughout.

Length is a good thing, but quality is more important. If ME is a fun game throughout, I can look past its length.

It depends on how you interpret a good story. I loved every second of Suikoden III because I enjoyed all the settings and gameplay. I liked how each story progressed, and the pacing. On the other hand, I kept losing sight of FF XII's story because I would take the extra time to run around and do other things...something I couldn't really do in SIII, but something I also didn't really WANT to do, because I liked the stories. I put about 130 hours into FF XII myself (did everything), but I put a good 65 into Suikoden III and always wanted to play it again...especially for the story. FF XII had a great story, but as I'm not really a fan of political-based plotlines, it didn't interest me as much. The ending was fantastic, though.

As for Mass Effect, I'm getting it. I've no doubt it's great, and I do agree that we shouldn't worry about arbitrary minimum lengths. Like I said with Heavenly Sword, if the developer's full story and vision fits nicely into the span of time it takes for the player to complete the adventure, that's a great thing. If it feels rushed or drawn out, than it's a problem, but developers should completely ignore length "requirements" and simply make the best game they can with the ideas they have.

I'm in Connecticut and I use GameFly all the time. At first, when they only had a distribution center on the west coast, response and delivery time was pretty bad. But now that they've opened up an east coast distribution operations, it's a LOT better. Typically, I get a game about 3-4 days after it gets shipped from my Game Q, and they will receive them in about the same time. So it's a good turnaround time. As for defective rates, I've had 2 defective discs in the past year, and I've rented a total of about 60 games.

The only problem I have is that the availability of new titles still isn't up to par. It's far too difficult to rent a brand new game, especially if it's a high-profile name. It's my only complaint, but it's a significant one.

All the same? Exactly the opposite.

They're the most diverse genre of video games on the planet, next to maybe generic Action.

Good. Very Good.

Game of the Year so far.

Well, looking at the Wii, I'm also looking at the likes of RE: UC, Ghost Squad, Zack & Wiki, No More Heroes, Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, Samba De Amigo (possibly), Fatal Frame IV, Trauma Center 2, Smash Bros. Braw (The Snake focused double update today is awesome)l, Fire Emblem, King's Story, Dragon Quest Swords (maybe, if it turns out well in the localization), Oboro Muramasa, and others in addition to the likes of Mario Galaxy. It may not have as many high profile titles as the 360/PS3 seems to be getting in the next year or so, but I wouldn't say it's fallen 'way' behind, depending on what your tastes are.

But yeah, the 2007-2008 season is looking to be very, very nice for all platforms.

Skylock00

I was aware of some of those (not all, though), but I guess I'm wondering how any of those will get people to buy Wiis. The ones I initially mentioned for the PS3/360 are all potential system sellers, and while these titles here are promising, few seem like they'd jump off the shelves at consumers. They're also not getting anywhere near enough early exposure.

I just hate to see Nintendo following the same path they walked with the GC...not enough big-time software to fuel hardware sales. They had such a great start, but it almost seems like the Wii is turning into a passing fad, and that's not something I want to see, honsetly.

If anybody hasn't noticed, there are a great many games on the way, and I think we should use this thread to recognize one fact: there may be more promising titles coming out within one year from now than any other time in gaming history. In addition to what we already have this year - Halo 3, Heavenly Sword, Bioshock, Warhawk, MotorStorm, Project Gotham Racing 4, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, God of War II, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, The Darkness, etc. - there are soooo many more on the way. Will anyone really have time for them all? Sadly, I don't think we will.

But look at this list, and feel free to add any I missed-

Mass Effect
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Killzone 2
Half-Life 2: The Orange Box
Too Human
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Rock Band
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Assassin's Creed
Grand Theft Auto IV
Unreal Tournament 3
Haze
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII Versus
The Last Remnant
Lost Odyssey
Infamous
Resident Evil 5
Silent Hill 5
Gran Turismo 5
Saints Row 2
Devil May Cry 4
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Super Mario Galaxy

And that's not even looking too far down the road; many of these will be out THIS year! Does anyone really understand just how great a time this is for gamers? However, and I know I'm going to catch heat for this, but I REALLY don't see the Wii's lineup holding a candle to either the PS3's or Xbox 360's. Many of the biggest upcoming games are either multiplatform or exclusive to the PS3 or 360- DMC4, MGS4, GT5, Assassin's Creed, GTAIV, FF XIII, UT3, Mass Effect, Killzone 2, etc. I have been questioning the Wii lineup all year, but the more I look at it, the more I realize it has fallen WAY behind the other two systems.

Now, I know I'm missing a few because I don't follow the Wii as much, and I would welcome those who could come up with some potentially great titles that I didn't find. But even if you do, I'm willing to bet it won't be half as impressive as either the 360's or PS3's lineup. That's all I'm saying. But back to my original point- the games are COMING, and that's AWESOME. :)

While the PS3 has some great games coming out, this isn't a revelation. We've already known that these games are coming out, and then came the price cut and the mass market has continuously responded with a shoulder shrug.

I don't see how this reaction is going to change unless Sony cuts the PS3 down to $299.

Yes Sony has great games out but other than MGS4 and FF XIII, who is going to care when everyone is playing Halo 3 online and GTA 4 which is available on both the PS3 and the X360? Again, we've known about those games forever, but clearly that hasn't gotten the majority of the gaming market to ante up for a PS3 now has it?

MarcusAntonius

History has shown that people don't buy systems in anticipation of games. They buy them the month, week, and even the day their preferred anticipated title arrives. 360 sales have been stale almost all year...since Gears of War, when they spiked, and up until last month, when I guarantee they spiked again for Halo 3.

To assume you won't see the same spike for the PS3 for those games you mentioned, and that it's somehow a bad sign that people aren't buying the system a year before those games come out is.....bizarre.

In all honesty, I don't really see how the Xbox 360's exclusive lineup is any better than the PS3's. Looking at it now and in the future, I guess we can list them out like this-

Xbox 360-

Halo 3 (and Halo 4, of course)
Project Gotham Racing 4 (no more PGR titles, however)
Mass Effect
Bioshock
Too Human
Gears of War (and Gears of War 2, probably)

PS3-

Resistance: Fall of Man (and Resistance 2)
Killzone 2
Heavenly Sword
Warhawk
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Haze
Final Fantasy XIII and FF XIII Versus
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patrtiots
Gran Turismo 5

I'm sure there are others, but I think these are the big ones. Personally, provided MGS4 and FF XIII do remain exclusive to the PS3 - and both Konami and Square-Enix continually swear that's the case - I'd definitely have to give th edge to the PS3 in terms of exclusives. Furthermore, I believe the PS3 is approaching 5 million in sales worldwide (it has long since passed the 1 million mark in the US, Japan, and Europe)...where was the Xbox 360 at 10 months into its lifespan...? Does anyone know?