I'm several hours into Final Fantasy 16, and it feels like it's going to take over the small amount of gaming time I have for the next few weeks (if not months) - which is scary! Are games just too long these days, or just right?
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I can't hit 'Yes' hard enough
[Laughs in Monster Hunter]
Yeah I don't mind games with lots to do if they're fun side missions but it shouldn't feel like a chore just to get anywhere.
Yeah. I know the new Zelda games are meant to be great but I as I have such a small amount of free time to play I don't want to spend it walking from town to town.. :\
Have only ever played Links Awakening. Just re-played it on the Switch remake. That was enough roaming around and backtracking for me. The 3D Zelda games don't appeal to me TBH.
I think that's been one of the great things about totk/botw.
Because these are designed for a handheld the games are littered with things to do, that even when you spend a short spell with the game, you can come away with a meaningful experience.
Whether that's a shrine, a secret, a side quest. They are so densely packed with stuff
I'm heartbroken to say that the new Zelda games are just too much for me. I bought a walkthrough guide so that I can spend less time lost, but it was so large and had such a tiny font that I just noped out of it.
Yes, completely. It's why I've gravitated towards games with well-defined loops like Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone, Monster Hunter etc. They can all be played for a massive amount of time when you have the time, or you can dip in for a very brief session.
I just don't bother starting anything narrative-led or open world-ish. I know before I start I won't even scratch the surface let alone see the story out.
I always approach games with the philosophy of "does this respect my time?"
And I absolutely agree that games that have much more defined gameplay loops are always the ones that will come out on top. Sea of Thieves used to be the opposite of this until they changed up the game enough where you don't need to spend 2 hours doing a quest... only to lose everything to another player.
I only played it the first 2 weeks of launch and bailed on it for that reason. Have they got rid of that extraction style gameplay now? Is there some sort of protection to stop you being bullied in game if you choose?
It's still got that extraction-lite mechanic but they've made it much quicker to acquire and sell loot. What would have taken about 20 minutes to sell previously can be done in, literal, seconds.
You can still have all of your stuff taken but you can get back to the seas much quicker with the ability to buy supplies and mass move things between crates.
I love a big long epic! The only downside is other games come out and then I wanna move on, but Tears of the Kingdom, Elden Ring and Red Dead 2 have been some of my favourite gaming experiences over the last few years
I wouldn't know, I'm playing Street Fighter 6, Overwatch 2 and Dead By Daylight on a constant unending loop 😅
If the game has built a world I want to be in with characters & story I like then I probably am not noticing the game length. AC series is where things hit and miss for me. AC 2, Black Flag, Syndicate and Odyssey had both great characters and worlds I liked visiting so I spent a lot of time there and finished the games no problem. The other AC games just felt like a slog either due to uninteresting environments or characters.
Open worlds with lots of activities/side missions can work as long as there is meaningful variety or stories that make you approach things differently. Good examples I can think of are Horizon Zero Dawn (not including bandit camps), Spiderman: Miles Morales, Skyrim. Bad examples Mass Effect Andromeda, Spiderman (the game progressively adds more markers as you go!), Horizon Forbidden West.
AC Odyssey was so great, and kinda shows that if the writing and world and everything is good enough, I'm okay with and actually all the usual Ubisoft open world bloat
AC: Valhalla was the long-games tipping point for me. Said to myself “you will get through this, no matter how many months it takes”. Three hours later I was already skipping dialogue and only then it had the sheer audacity to show me the title card. An audible “fuck this” could be heard from miles away.
I think, as the average age of people who enjoy games continues to increase, the future will lie in shorter narrative games. Or in the drop-in / drop-out loop games already mentioned.
Cult of the Lamb really hit my sweet spot recently for that reason. It was cute with an easy-to-follow story plot but whilst also having the roguelike gameplay which was easy to put down after ten minutes.
I definitely agree with Alexander's point - "If the game has built a world I want to be in with characters & story I like then I probably am not noticing the game length." I much prefer a longer game with an in-depth storyline, than a narrative that's short and sweet.
I felt like 2018 God of War was too short, and I disliked that aspect of what was otherwise a pretty incredible game. Have yet to try Ragnarok, though, so I guess we'll see if I feel that way about the sequel!
Worth remembering that you're not going to be able to play/watch/read everything. Personally, I'd rather go deep on what strikes me rather than tasting a little bit of everything.
P.s, FFXVI is phenomenal!
Yeah that's the thing. I know its not everyone's cup of tea, but I loved horizon zero dawn, its probably the only game I've ever 100% completed, doing every little thing possible. But then someone else would say it's too long. I sometimes feel a lot of these massive games should have a "highlights" mode, where people can play through to the end and get the full story, but cut out all the filler and only play the best bits.
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