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Yuji Horii: "Content and value is king, oh, by the way, I'm Santa Claus."

The ideal length of a Role Playing Game is 40 hours, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii told Kotaku today. Why 40? Why not 30 or 50?

"It just sounds like the right number," Horii said through a translator in an interview with Kotaku at Nintendo's New York office today. "No particular reason."

....

Horii knows that we live in a world of shortening games, but he's looking to deliver value and keep kids happy. "When you purchase a game for a few thousand yen [3000 yen = $34], you want to have the value of the game," Horii said. "For kids you really want to have a game they can play for a long time. For adults, maybe they will play for six hours and if the gameplay is good maybe they'll be happy and want to play longer. But for kids, they might only get a couple of games a year and I would like them to continue to be playing."

Via Kotaku
 

Speevy

Banned
I spent over 100 hours on the last Dragon Quest, and I plan on spending another 100 when this series comes back to consoles.
 

Darklord

Banned
The ideal length of a Role Playing Game is 40 hours, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii told Kotaku today. Why 40? Why not 30 or 50?

"It just sounds like the right number," Horii said through a translator in an interview with Kotaku at Nintendo's New York office today. "No particular reason."

And this is the EXACT reason why Japanese games have terrible, god-awful pacing. They write a 15 hour story and drag it over 40 hours because they think it needs to be that long.
 
Whew these executives and such are really on the money this week, first shuhei yoshida, and now this dragon quest guy.

40+hour games are awesome, truly the biggest bang for our bucks, lol.
 

Speevy

Banned
Glass Soldier said:
:( I feel sorry for you. *holds*


Yeah I feel sorry for me too. My friends used to give me their handhelds with Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda on them. I'd always hand them right back. It's just not for me.
 
Speevy said:
Yeah I feel sorry for me too. My friends used to give me their handhelds with Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda on them. I'd always hand them right back. It's just not for me.

Because of the handheld itself or because of the games on it? Maybe the 3DS will change this...
 

Speevy

Banned
Glass Soldier said:
Because of the handheld itself or because of the games on it? Maybe the 3DS will change this...


I think because of the handheld itself. Rather than providing a gameplay experience I could remember fondly, it only made me want to see a game on the big TV.

It's not just handhelds. I haven't gamed on a PC in over a decade.
 

Drek

Member
Glass Soldier said:
Because of the handheld itself or because of the games on it? Maybe the 3DS will change this...
I would assume the format.

Not being a handheld gamer is no different than just not being a PC gamer. Comfy couches, controllers, etc. is just the form in which some people want to be entertained. There is more than enough content out there to meet the demands of even the most fickle of consumer, so why compromise one's comfort in search of even more games?
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
Drek said:
I would assume the format.

Not being a handheld gamer is no different than just not being a PC gamer. Comfy couches, controllers, etc. is just the form in which some people want to be entertained. There is more than enough content out there to meet the demands of even the most fickle of consumer, so why compromise one's comfort in search of even more games?
Because the DS easily has the best lineup of any system, handheld or console, to come out in the last 15 years.
 
Speevy said:
I think because of the handheld itself. Rather than providing a gameplay experience I could remember fondly, it only made me want to see a game on the big TV.

It's not just handhelds. I haven't gamed on a PC in over a decade.

Drek said:
I would assume the format.

Not being a handheld gamer is no different than just not being a PC gamer. Comfy couches, controllers, etc. is just the form in which some people want to be entertained. There is more than enough content out there to meet the demands of even the most fickle of consumer, so why compromise one's comfort in search of even more games?

Fair enough. It's not like I was trying to start something here, just genuinely curious. Even though I don't feel the same I can understand it. It's a shame though if you can't enjoy games like Pokemon or Ace Attorney but to each his own I guess.
 
Drek said:
I would assume the format.

Not being a handheld gamer is no different than just not being a PC gamer. Comfy couches, controllers, etc. is just the form in which some people want to be entertained. There is more than enough content out there to meet the demands of even the most fickle of consumer, so why compromise one's comfort in search of even more games?
Cause handhelds can't be played on a couch?
 

Zenith

Banned
That's great and all but I always lose interest after 24 hours total play. I stopped in the middle of FF7, FF9 and FF10. FF8 is the only one I've completed. and it's not like RPG gameplay is fun to play over and over again.
 

Opiate

Member
It's totally reasonable to be a console specific gamer if you happen to have a specific affinity for some peculiar aspect of their production.

TVs appear to be Speevy's, as an example. He has a particular fondness for playing games on TVs. His desires to not need to be rational: he can prefer them because he likes larger screens or because he grew up watching tons of television and has sentimental attachment to the TV conceptually, or because his Dad killed his Mom with a PC monitor. It doesn't matter -- this is not quality evaluation, it's personal preference. Speevy seems to be making no suggestion that Handhelds are inferior is some more objective way, just that they don't fit his personal preference.

As Drek said, some people might also be simply more comfortable with a traditional game pad and don't want to try mouse/keyboard or stylus or Wii mote or whatever. There are lots of things in life -- for all of us -- that we choose because we're comfortable with it and have enjoyed it for a long time, even if some other alternative theoretically exists that might be "better" by some objective standard.

And that's okay.
 

Xiaoki

Member
"you want to have the value of the game"

Yeah, I want value for the games I buy but 1 hour per $1 is not a value. If I want that low of value for entertainment I'll rent a movie. 10 hours per $1 is a real value.
 

Baki

Member
GaimeGuy said:
Because the DS easily has the best lineup of any system, handheld or console, to come out in the last 15 years.
I disagree. The DS library is brilliant but I'd take the PS2 or PSone library over it any day of the week.
 

Bentendo

Member
Speevy said:
I think because of the handheld itself. Rather than providing a gameplay experience I could remember fondly, it only made me want to see a game on the big TV.

It's not just handhelds. I haven't gamed on a PC in over a decade.

Are you going to get Dragon Quest X then, for the Wii?

[spoilers]*wonders why I even care*[/spoiler]
 
Speevy said:
I think because of the handheld itself. Rather than providing a gameplay experience I could remember fondly, it only made me want to see a game on the big TV.

It's not just handhelds. I haven't gamed on a PC in over a decade.

lol, Ive had that thought sometime, which is why I was glad PSP could connect to tv. And Im quite sure most people have at least passed the thought of wanting to play their pokemon on the console.
 
Dedication Through Light said:
lol, Ive had that thought sometime, which is why I was glad PSP could connect to tv. And Im quite sure most people have at least passed the thought of wanting to play their pokemon on the console.

Until seeing Pokemon Gale of Darkness and waking away.
 

JimboJones

Member
Glass Soldier said:
Fair enough. It's not like I was trying to start something here, just genuinely curious. Even though I don't feel the same I can understand it. It's a shame though if you can't enjoy games like Pokemon or Ace Attorney but to each his own I guess.


Ace Attorney is on WiiWare
Pokemon could be played via Gameboy Player

:p
 

bon

Member
Speevy said:
I think because of the handheld itself. Rather than providing a gameplay experience I could remember fondly, it only made me want to see a game on the big TV.

It's not just handhelds. I haven't gamed on a PC in over a decade.
Hold the DS closer to your face. That's sort of like playing on a big TV.
 

Rpgmonkey

Member
That's actually one of the main reasons why I got so into RPGs at a very young age. :lol

I didn't have the money to buy games on a more regular basis and my parents pretty much kept any games locked for my birthday and Christmas, so to make up for it I would often get RPGs so I could have something that takes more time.

I even do it now to some extent, RPGs let me spend a good amount of time while I also wait for all the 6-hour games to drop to 30 or 40 dollars. :D
 
Darklord said:
And this is the EXACT reason why Japanese games have terrible, god-awful pacing. They write a 15 hour story and drag it over 40 hours because they think it needs to be that long.
Ehn, there are a lot of designers you could throw that at, but Yuji Horii really isn't one of them. For better or worse, his games are as long as his story ideas. Sometimes that means a 30 hour game, sometimes that means a 100 hour game.

TheJollyCorner said:
Yuji Horii: "Have I been significant since the 16-bit-era?"
Uh. DQ7, highest selling PSX game in Japan, over 4 million sold worldwide. DQ8, highest selling PS2 game in Japan, over 4 million sold worldwide. DQ9, over 4 million sold just in Japan. His series is a genuine cultural phenomenon in a way that's almost impossible to describe in one of gaming's three major regions. If he's not significant, almost no one in the games industry is.
 

RevenantKioku

PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS PEINS oh god i am drowning in them
TheJollyCorner said:
Yuji Horii: "Have I been significant since the 16-bit-era?"
gracious.jpg
 
Hmph, Mr. Horii has perhaps forgotten a little game that he made in the 90's with Squaresoft. It was only about 20-25 hours long and it cost $60 if you were lucky. But we all played it many times through, and nobody thought it was too short. The pacing was perfect.

I can't conceivably imagine a 20 hour RPG coming out on a console right now, and I think development costs are a big part of that. Games cost so much to make now, that releasing one with only 20-25 hours of content would seem like a waste of time when you could just drag the pacing out and pad the length.

However, an RPG on handhelds could easily get away with a well-paced 25-hour romp. Another point in the favor of handhelds, for RPG fans.
 

totowhoa

Banned
TheJollyCorner said:
Yuji Horii: "Have I been significant since the 16-bit-era?"

what :lol

edit:

CryingWolf said:
Hmph, Mr. Horii has perhaps forgotten a little game that he made in the 90's with Squaresoft. It was only about 20-25 hours long and it cost $60 if you were lucky. But we all played it many times through, and nobody thought it was too short. The pacing was perfect.

CT? I agree. Mario RPG (although it gets a lot of hate on GAF by some) I felt was another great example of a much shorter RPG that was very well paced. I love shorter RPGs that are completely solid and can easily be replayed. I'm less inclined to go back through lengthier ones save for the few classics.

Also, that tag was fast, JollyCorner! :lol
 

Cataferal

Digital Foundry
TheJollyCorner said:
Yuji Horii: "Have I been significant since the 16-bit-era?"
He had a big hand in Chrono Trigger's design, therefore he'll always be significant to the people with the right priorities.
 

Beth Cyra

Member
CryingWolf said:
Hmph, Mr. Horii has perhaps forgotten a little game that he made in the 90's with Squaresoft. It was only about 20-25 hours long and it cost $60 if you were lucky. But we all played it many times through, and nobody thought it was too short. The pacing was perfect.

I can't conceivably imagine a 20 hour RPG coming out on a console right now, and I think development costs are a big part of that. Games cost so much to make now, that releasing one with only 20-25 hours of content would seem like a waste of time when you could just drag the pacing out and pad the length.

However, an RPG on handhelds could easily get away with a well-paced 25-hour romp. Another point in the favor of handhelds, for RPG fans.

FF XIII, Star Ocean, LO, and Blue Dragon as well as several other games.

I don't see how you can't imagine one when several have already happened but okay.
 

Beth Cyra

Member
Cataferal said:
He had a big hand in Chrono Trigger's design, therefore he'll always be significant to the people with the right priorities.

hmm I wonder about this. I mean I don't like Dragon Quest (VIII was alright but I didn't really care for it.) didn't like Chrono Trigger, I wonder if there is something about his design that just doesn't click with me. Weird though given my favorite genre.
 
Darklord said:
And this is the EXACT reason why Japanese games have terrible, god-awful pacing. They write a 15 hour story and drag it over 40 hours because they think it needs to be that long.

Really? Sometimes I just enjoy them :b

By the way, I agree with him. If the content feels right for 40, 50, 60 hours, all the good stuff. I know I played a heck ton of RPGs that felt good even at 70+ hours.
 
TruePrime said:
FF XIII, Star Ocean, LO, and Blue Dragon as well as several other games.

I don't see how you can't imagine one when several have already happened but okay.

If you knew me at all, you would know not to try to use FFXIII as an example unless you're talking about biggest failures in recent history. :D

And I don't have a 360 so I'm not familiar with Mistwalker's games. But I will take your word for that.

However, for the reasons I stated, I would be surprised to see many new console RPGs having enough confidence to be that short. If a game is only going to be 25 hours long, they'd better be sure that it's an outstanding 25 hours with replayability.
 
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