Are modern games too short?

Reviewers must have really been racing through the Order. I'm on chapter 14 out of 16 and have passed the 10 hour mark. As it's a linear game there is very little exploration possible so it's not like I've been wasting time away from the main story either.
 
Half Life and Half Life 2 are pretty damn short too, yet no one's complaining. So is Portal.

It's not about length, it's about what you get in those X hours.

I do think that shorter SP games should cost less, though. Kind of like how Blood Dragon was priced.
 
TBH, they don't make games like they used to.

Yeah, we have some pretty great titles out right now. But you go out and spend (I'm using Xbox 360 so) R699 on a game just to finish it in a few days.

I can remember spending weeks, sometimes even months on a game whilst still fully enjoying and following the story.

Nowadays it IS actually just:

Intro Cutscene ->> Some Gameplay to learn the controls ->> More cutscene ->> Shoot, Run, Jump, Shoot ->> MOAR cutscenes

And before you know it you're nearly halfway through the story.

(Based the above on my most recently play time with Max Payne 3)
 
Games these days are way too short, one of the reasons I stopped buying titles. Games way back when may not have had the most insane graphics but story was key and you could sit for days on end compared to now.
 
Reviewers must have really been racing through the Order. I'm on chapter 14 out of 16 and have passed the 10 hour mark. As it's a linear game there is very little exploration possible so it's not like I've been wasting time away from the main story either.

Think that maybe after that youtube video came out, most reviewers were trying to see just how fast they could finish this game. With the lack of replayability I can understand it, as short single player games like COD at least have decent multiplayer to make your purchase more worthwhile. Will most likely wait to get this 2nd hand/on sale or even wait for it to hit plus a few years from now.
 
The problem is prices keep going up, general duration stays the same

Single player games nowadays feel like overpriced movies to me, so many cut scenes, majority of games practically hold your hand through the entire game... needless to say I don't play many single player games anymore
 
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This is something i have been thinking about a lot lately... And to be honest, I dont have the time i used to have to play games... I sand 100+ hours into Final Fantasy 7, 8 and 9... I couldnt do that now... So in a sense a shorter game makes me feel like im getting somewhere, and will actually have an opportunity to finish it without it taken 6 months to a year...

As long as the game is entertaining, and not so short you feel cheated by the price tag, i suppose its ok?
 
This is something i have been thinking about a lot lately... And to be honest, I dont have the time i used to have to play games... I sand 100+ hours into Final Fantasy 7, 8 and 9... I couldnt do that now... So in a sense a shorter game makes me feel like im getting somewhere, and will actually have an opportunity to finish it without it taken 6 months to a year...

As long as the game is entertaining, and not so short you feel cheated by the price tag, i suppose its ok?

I completely get what you're saying. Most of us don't have that much time available to sit on enjoy a game proper.

But then I still think you need to get your money's worth? New games from at least R700 a pop with only a few hours to play and finish the story? What then, it comes an ornament (if you're a collector like me).

I would gladly spend R700 on a game if I know it keep me busy and entertained for very VERY long with enough content along that road.

It used to be like that back in the day, AND IT WAS EVEN CHEAPER!
 
I completely get what you're saying. Most of us don't have that much time available to sit on enjoy a game proper.

But then I still think you need to get your money's worth? New games from at least R700 a pop with only a few hours to play and finish the story? What then, it comes an ornament (if you're a collector like me).

I would gladly spend R700 on a game if I know it keep me busy and entertained for very VERY long with enough content along that road.

It used to be like that back in the day, AND IT WAS EVEN CHEAPER!

I too have the collectors curse... I dont know whats wrong with me but I just dont seem to sell my games after iv finished them... So yes I have draws full of paper weights...
 
I too have the collectors curse... I dont know whats wrong with me but I just dont seem to sell my games after iv finished them... So yes I have draws full of paper weights...

Lol dude, when I hear people talk about going to BT to sell or whatever, I want to shout SACRILEGE! XD
 
Yes and No, there have been some awesome open world games where you can play from Months and find new things... but a majority of the games you are able to finish in a day or two... So i think They need to even it out...
 
i have said it before and i will say it again. i actually PREFER games that are shorter. A solid 4-6 hour game that i can play and then move on? yes please!

perfect case in point to highlight the folly of the contrary : I have played about 20 hours of Dragon Age Inquisition, and have not yet reached Skyhold. But i have not touched it now in a month, as I have moved onto other games :( I could have clocked 2-3 other full games end-to-end in that time.
 
i have said it before and i will say it again. i actually PREFER games that are shorter. A solid 4-6 hour game that i can play and then move on? yes please!

perfect case in point to highlight the folly of the contrary : I have played about 20 hours of Dragon Age Inquisition, and have not yet reached Skyhold. But i have not touched it now in a month, as I have moved onto other games :( I could have clocked 2-3 other full games end-to-end in that time.

For 4 to 6 hours, are you willing to shell out R600+ per title? Get what you are saying though, as I recently got GTA V, and don't know if I'm that keen to start it as from what I've read, it can take up a lot of your time. I normally play two to four games at a time, depending on the type of game, and don't want one game to take up all my gaming time.
 
When I got my PS4 I made a rule with myself that I wouldnt buy a new game unless I had finished the previous... This rule did not last long... But I seriously need to get to finishing games off...
 
I play by a simple rule, never start another title until you've finished the one you are busy with.
Helps me keep on track
Therefore though, shorter games are ideal, not only do I get time to feel like I'm actually making headway in a title, but I also know there is a clearly defined time goal in mind that I do not need to exceed in order to play a new title.

I understand some people are put off by this as they are comparing it on a price / hour average, which is not really a relevant way of looking at things.
You pay more for Skydiving that for riding on a bus don't you, although one lasts seconds and the other lasts hours without end?
Which would you rather be doing / paying for?

The only way to establish a baseline for this type of comparison is by looking at how entertained you will or will not be.
If you are not going to be entertained and have established this by reading reviews and watching gameplay footage online, don't purchase the title, simple as that


Working for 18 hours a day and being a parent is enough to make everyone appreciate the tightly scripted albeit shorter titles that are fairly common in the FPS / 3rd Person Action Adventure Genre currently

I don't have an issue with the length as reported by critics and reviewers.
I also never replay titles, I mean ever, for any reason, so this is also not a detracting factor for me.
 
For 4 to 6 hours, are you willing to shell out R600+ per title? Get what you are saying though, as I recently got GTA V, and don't know if I'm that keen to start it as from what I've read, it can take up a lot of your time. I normally play two to four games at a time, depending on the type of game, and don't want one game to take up all my gaming time.

I try to buy games on sale or with vouchers or via trade-on or some other means to drop the price. And i would prefer 6 hours of quality, versus 12 hours of padding. but i guess it had to vary per game/genre. RPG's tend to have way more hours than most others, but lets be honest, a lot of it is arb "fetch" quests :(
 
You pay more for Skydiving that for riding on a bus don't you, although one lasts seconds and the other lasts hours without end?
Which would you rather be doing / paying for?


Working for 18 hours a day and being a parent is enough to make everyone appreciate the tightly scripted albeit shorter titles that are fairly common in the FPS / 3rd Person Action Adventure Genre currently

spot on!! same boat, working long hours and wife and kids, so time is at a super premium. i'm lucky if i can squeeze out 6-7 hours of gaming in a week, so thats why i would rather play shorter tighter games. "Gone Home" was excellent, for example!
 
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