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[Ozzie666]

It gets worse as you get older, get married and have kids. It's so hard to find the time and focus on a long game, let alone play more than one game at a time. I played FF16 and Jedi over many many weeks with small sessions. I'm concerned about Persona 6 and giving my soul to the 100 hours or more. People can laugh, but the Playstation Portal is something I am looking forward too. FF7 Rebirth is worrying me already about the time I'll need to play it

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

I'm already rock hard at the thought of Housemarque revealing their next game.

Returnal had the best of all worlds for me really.

 

[hemo memo]

With how low completion rates of games is, it is stupid to keep increasing the length. But I guess this is the only way they can justify the price.

Switch + Indie, AA is a fantastic combination and you get to try a lot of different genres.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

Sometimes even 400-500 hours in some games isn't enough to me.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

It's especially a pain in the ass if you can only game for an hour or two at a time. Makes the excessive padding and bloated mechanics way more obvious.

Yeah, and depending how the game is structured even a two hour session can sometimes feel like you’ve accomplished nothing. If you’re playing a long chapter in a Fire Emblem game and get shat on by RNGsus near the end, that is a long segment you’ll need to replay.

 

[sigmaZ]

Souls games aren't exactly short you know. I think what you're looking for are tighter gameplay loops.

Exactly. It's not about length, it's about tightness.

 

[sigmaZ]

Yes. Its why personally for me this year has been absolute doodoo gaming wise. Literally all the heavy hitter games this year are long as fuck. I enjoyed last year way more. This is one of the most underwhelming years I can remember in a while.

FF16
TOTK
Starfield
BG3

All ridiculously long and bloated games

SpiderMan 2, Alan Wake 2 both seem like a breath of fresh air. One of them will undoubtedly be my GOTY

FF16 felt unnecessarily long but it wasn't that long. Just became a slogfest.
TOTK wasn't that long either and felt pretty engaging with the new mechanics so I never felt like I was being forced to play.
Starfield I don't know. I hate games like that so I wouldn't touch it.
BG3 is incredibly long (200 hours in nearing the end), but I don't feel it's bloated. With BG3 you can session out your gameplay to specific missions if it feels overwhelming. It's unlike other games where you feel like the main goal is clearing it. They main goal is roleplaying and choosing how to respond to various situations and deal with the outcomes of each.

 

[Balducci30]

Yes I honestly can’t stand how long games are now

 

[Larxia]

I really think it's not a matter of lenght but more of repetitivity, gameplay loops etc.

Baldur's Gate 3 for example, while being a very long game, felt so refreshing to me. It's long but everything in the game is unique, even each combat is a specific unique encounter set in the lore, without any grind, any trash mob etc... Each quest is interesting, dialogues don't get boring, and you don't have a map with 1000 icons everywhere, it's up to you to find things by exploring naturally, and if you miss something? That's fine, you won't even know it, you don't have to see everything, because what's great is what you can do, not what you HAVE to do.

On the other hand, 90% of the standard modern open world are now incredibly boring to me. I hate it when I know exactly how these game will play, how they will be structured and all, before even playing them. 20 hours on a ubisoft open world will feel way more bloated and repetitive than 100 hours on Baldur's Gate.

You can also have long games that don't have this classic open world structure. Kingdom Hearts 3 for example with the ReMind expansion can keep you busy for like 90 hours in the critical mode, but it's fun for the whole run because you will never repeat the same task, it's new content during the whole thing.

The lenght isn't the problem, it's more about you (and everyone really, and that's normal) associating the idea of long games with ubisoft style bloat, because that's what is the most common these days and have been for a decade.

 

[Edgelord79]

Yup games are bloated now. Full agreement. FFXVI is a great example as you mentioned. Side quests were just rinse repeat fare.

 

[_Idea_of_Evil_]

I feel this way about diving back into Death Stranding to check out the Director's Cut content.

Feels daunting to climb over rocks and deliver packages again for another 60+ hours.

 

[rofif]

I feel this way about diving back into Death Stranding to check out the Director's Cut content.

Feels daunting to climb over rocks and deliver packages again for another 60+ hours.

Same here. It was amazing game. I moved my save to dc and walked around for 2 hours and it was amazing. But it was end game save. The thought of starting from scrap, this 50 hours game is daunting

 

[sigmaZ]

I really think it's not a matter of lenght but more of repetitivity, gameplay loops etc.

Baldur's Gate 3 for example, while being a very long game, felt so refreshing to me. It's long but everything in the game is unique, even each combat is a specific unique encounter set in the lore, without any grind, any trash mob etc... Each quest is interesting, dialogues don't get boring, and you don't have a map with 1000 icons everywhere, it's up to you to find things by exploring naturally, and if you miss something? That's fine, you won't even know it, you don't have to see everything, because what's great is what you can do, not what you HAVE to do.

On the other hand, 90% of the standard modern open world are now incredibly boring to me. I hate it when I know exactly how these game will play, how they will be structured and all, before even playing them. 20 hours on a ubisoft open world will feel way more bloated and repetitive than 100 hours on Baldur's Gate.

You can also have long games that don't have this classic open world structure. Kingdom Hearts 3 for example with the ReMind expansion can keep you busy for like 90 hours in the critical mode, but it's fun for the whole run because you will never repeat the same task, it's new content during the whole thing.

The lenght isn't the problem, it's more about you (and everyone really, and that's normal) associating the idea of long games with ubisoft style bloat, because that's what is the most common these days and have been for a decade.

One thing that's really impressive about the games design is how every inch of the world is basically unique content and there's only small bits where there is no content. You can even play one segment of content per day as if you were roleplaying a session on a table top as to not get too overwhelmed.
I would like to see this philosophy applied by more games. Fromsoft is also pretty good at this. The upcoming Final Fantasy Rebirth looks to employ some of this concept as well I'm just not sure about how many quests or activities they will recycle.

 

[Humdinger]

I think this is on point:

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Bloated length causing paralysis?

I think Ubisoft is improving my bedroom experience.

 

[drotahorror]

I wish I didn't like so many genres. I have(had) dreams of being great at say fighting games or world records in rally racing games, but something interesting is always around the corner that will pull me away from trying to do well. Not that I could ever reach those dreams today, but I could at least be very competent I would hope.

There's always dozens of game every year I want to play or haven't had a chance to play, that it's hard for me to put a lot of time into any game. I still need to beat RDR2 but should I rush it or try to enjoy it? Or let it sit in storage for years because I'd rather play a 30 minute session of some rogue lite indie and watch some TV afterwards.

 

[Phase]

Yeah I simply don't play them now, and I don't feel like I'm missing much either.

 

[IAmRei]

In the contrary, i like longer games. Hell, i even walk much in Final Fantasy XIV, watching the hard made and kinda rare high fantasy environment in games. I also walk a lot in open world games, such as BoTW. It immersified me to enjoy the game by looking and studying the environment big or small details. Nyway, 20-60 is my sweet spot for video games. Unless it's full scale RPG, it could boast up to a hundred of hours of awesome experience if done right.

 

[kikkis]

I really think it's not a matter of lenght but more of repetitivity, gameplay loops etc.

Baldur's Gate 3 for example, while being a very long game, felt so refreshing to me. It's long but everything in the game is unique, even each combat is a specific unique encounter set in the lore, without any grind, any trash mob etc... Each quest is interesting, dialogues don't get boring, and you don't have a map with 1000 icons everywhere, it's up to you to find things by exploring naturally, and if you miss something? That's fine, you won't even know it, you don't have to see everything, because what's great is what you can do, not what you HAVE to do.

On the other hand, 90% of the standard modern open world are now incredibly boring to me. I hate it when I know exactly how these game will play, how they will be structured and all, before even playing them. 20 hours on a ubisoft open world will feel way more bloated and repetitive than 100 hours on Baldur's Gate.

You can also have long games that don't have this classic open world structure. Kingdom Hearts 3 for example with the ReMind expansion can keep you busy for like 90 hours in the critical mode, but it's fun for the whole run because you will never repeat the same task, it's new content during the whole thing.

The lenght isn't the problem, it's more about you (and everyone really, and that's normal) associating the idea of long games with ubisoft style bloat, because that's what is the most common these days and have been for a decade.

Came here to say mostly this. It's not the bloat, it's just the game just isn't good enough. All games are repetitive when you break it down. It's the matter of that repetition being fun and engaging.

 

[trent_the_gent]

I've gotten to the point over the last few years where i just do side stuff until i stop enjoying it and then i finish up the game and move on. It saves me from ending up hating games that i was previously enjoying. I'll just Youtube any secret extra endings/cutscenes that are tied to collecting all 1396 hidden squirrel testicles or whatever.

I genuinely can't remember the last game i 100%ed.

 

[Scotty W]

If I know the game will be 50h+, I am more than likely to say f it and replay some 10-15h long game like half life 2 or uncharted 4.
Embarking on a very long game feels like a heavy weight. I know it will be fun but when I think about it, it’s really hard to start a game like that.
And I have a lot of spare time.

Don’t you think games are bloated now? Why ff16 had to be 50+ hours long while it could’ve been an awesomely paced 20 hours long game. Mass effect games were each 20h. I can replay the whole trilogy in less time than bloater3 the wild bloat.
I prefer more replayable games. I always find something new when I replay souls games or uncharted. The experience is tight each time and I can find new fun if I want too.

There is a lot of truth in this, though of course there will always be people who love the bloat.

I read a Miyamoto interview recently where he talked about Mario levels being like old friends who you are paying a visit to. I have zero hesitation about picking up a Mario game for a few minutes. With a Final Fantasy game, there isn’t really any point in playing for 15 minutes.

It seems that what this discussion is missing is that there are different kinds of quality. I think the difference between Quake 1 and 2 illustrates this. Quake 1 is very short and fast, and the levels are too short to approach being a chore. But it is not a journey. I can finish Quake in about 90 minutes. Quake 2 is a continuous journey, and great though it is, it is a bit of a chore because it taxes your memory slightly. Because of this it is a bit less of an old friend you are visiting and less replayable.

Both are great, but they are different kinds of quality.

 

[Flutta]

Forspoken was 30 hours. I avoided all the bloat. Ff16 was almost 60. Way too much.

Huh… i thought FF16 was around 35 hours in length?

 

[Flutta]

Here's what I do: When I am enjoying a long game, and I get fucked out after 30-40 hours, I stop and say "that was a good game" as if I finished it. Then, if and when I want to resume it, I tell myself "I liked that game. I want to play Part 2 now." I know that's weird but I can have the same feeling and that's what helps me.

Lmao, clever!

I might try this trick. Some games i want to continue playing but i know that i’ve forgotten either the story or the game mechanics and that holds me off from going for a second run.

 

[KungFucius]

Long games need to go. Reviewers should dock a game that wears out its welcome. More samey content is not a good thing past a certain point. Not every gamers wants the never-ending GaaS bullshit in a single player game.

Devs bitch about development costs yet they spend a lot on bloat. Cut corners there. Create tight experiences that hold up over 30 hours instead of 60 hours for the mega games and 15 hours or so for games meant to be quicker. Stop padding with bullshit achievement scumming shit.

 

[JimmyRustler]

I have realised that in order to enjoy games these days you have to ditch the completionst attitude, otherwise you kill all the fun.

I have this honestly. Usually 80-90 % of the game used to be the meaty stuff and the rest was just there to stretch the game a bit with it. Today it’s like at least 50/50 meaty to bloat ratio and even a lot of the main stuff is often indistinguishable from the bloat.

 

[Fredrik]

The trick is to wait for sales and to stop caring whether you finish them.

Fixed for my point of view. I’m just playing as long as I’m having fun.

 

[Z O N E]

The trick is to wait for sales and to stop caring whether you finish them.

This.

Unless it's a multiplayer game or a game I'm VERY interested in from day 1, I will usually wait for sales. Just add the game to your Wishlist on Xbox and you will get a notification when the game goes on sale. I've done that with so many games and got them for so cheap.

 

[Certinty]

Exactly why in the last few months I gave up on Final Fantasy XVI and Hogwarts Legacy. The first wasn't good but Hogwarts was actually great just far too long for my liking.

Instead had far more fun playing through Spider-Man, Miles Morales, RE4 Separate Ways and CP 2077 Phantom Liberty. I think in total I probably spent 35 hours in completing all four.

 

[Crayon]

Lmao, clever!

I might try this trick. Some games i want to continue playing but i know that i’ve forgotten either the story or the game mechanics and that holds me off from going for a second run.

I have found picking up a cold game is almost never as hard as I think it will be. I could put something down for a year. When I pick it up, I'll be confused ad rusty for like an hour. Then it's like I never stopped.

 

[hyperbertha]

I wonder

Everything makes sense now. Rofif it's high time you brought the rest of your brain up to speed.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Here's what I do: When I am enjoying a long game, and I get fucked out after 30-40 hours, I stop and say "that was a good game" as if I finished it. Then, if and when I want to resume it, I tell myself "I liked that game. I want to play Part 2 now." I know that's weird but I can have the same feeling and that's what helps me.

Thats how it took 8 months for me to read a visual novel.

Would do it again.

 

[nemiroff]

Well, my brain doesn't work like that at all.. And I'm so fucking happy about that.

To me it's better to have a good time for an hour in a great 100h+ game rather than having a frustrating time for an hour in a bad 10 hour game.


“Its the not the destination, it’s the journey.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'd rather have an absolutely banging 15-20 hour game over a mediocre 75 hour game.

Why in the fucks name would anyone play a game that they don't like for 75 hours.. OR 15-20 hours. Both is an idiotic waste of time. I don't see what length has to do with it.


The core of the issue is clearly to play games we like and avoid those we don't.

 

[_Justinian_]

While I agree that some games are bloated, there is no rule that says you have to 100% or even finish any game that you play.

 

[Sethbacca]

Why in the fucks name would anyone play a game that they don't like for 75 hours.. OR 15-20 hours. Both is an idiotic waste of time. I don't see what length has to do with it.


The core of the issue is clearly to play games we like and avoid those we don't.

I think the main thing people are trying to say is that devs need to stop focusing on making a game long for length's sake as a primary objective and instead spend those resources on crafting a shorter funner experience.

 

[StealthGoblin]

I feel the same. I buy fewer games now as I have limited time.

 

[TransTrender]

Bloated games are one thing, but good long games are another. I just avoid bloated games.

However, here's my predicament and I need help on what to do next:
I started playing Fire Emblem Three Houses last night and realized an hour in I'm likely going to need to play through this game three times in order to experience it.
Now I'm bummed because I can't play Three Heroes because obviously there will be spoilers.

I have Octopath Traveler but didn't start that one because it seems like it's an 80 hour game.
Instead I was going to try Triangle Strategy because that seemed shorter.

Suggestions? Thoughts?

 

[Shake Your Rump]

Suggestions? Thoughts?

The fact that you are considering game length before even trying a game may be a symptom of a larger issue. It seems as though you want to have played games rather than play them.

Don't be afraid to stop playing a game you no longer enjoy. Don’t be afraid to start playing a different game. Don’t be afraid of going back to a game you never finished, restarting from the beginning, and ultimately stopping again.

Games are like other hobbies. Maybe you only go fishing once a year. You might find yourself playing poker for weeks, then suddenly stop. Maybe you buy a dozen jigsaw puzzles and never finish any of them. You might have a new pair of running shoes that have only been worn twice. This is all normal.

(Did you play the Octopath Traveler demo?)

 

[Humdinger]

Modern devs include hours of cutscenes to extend the length of the game, in order to justify the $70 price tag. That is another factor causing games to be unnecessarily bloated and boring.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

What a true first world problem.

Too short, too long, too bloated, too this, too...[ insert_reason ]
If you don't feel the game or/and it doesn't appeal you, just skip it. And you are not forced to complete everything, heal your completionist anxiety. Case solved.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Games claim to be long, a lot of fat could be trimmed.

 

[Muffdraul]

Hasn't really become an issue for me. In my 50s, no family, I see my old friends like maybe three times a year. No desire to go out and "have fun" like I used to because it stopped being fun a long time ago. Going out is just a pain in the ass to me. So, all of my free time goes into playing video games and watching movies etc. Oh noes, a game with 100 hours of content?! NOOOOOOOO. Fuck it, the time is going to pass whether I play that game or not.

I've played AC Valhalla from beginning to end TWICE. I've played Odyssey THREE TIMES INCLUDING ALL DLC. Don't let this happen to you, kids. Get a life.

 

[Feel Like I'm On 42]

If I know the game will be 50h+, I am more than likely to say f it and replay some 10-15h long game like half life 2 or uncharted 4.
Embarking on a very long game feels like a heavy weight. I know it will be fun but when I think about it, it’s really hard to start a game like that.
And I have a lot of spare time.

Don’t you think games are bloated now? Why ff16 had to be 50+ hours long while it could’ve been an awesomely paced 20 hours long game. Mass effect games were each 20h. I can replay the whole trilogy in less time than bloater3 the wild bloat.
I prefer more replayable games. I always find something new when I replay souls games or uncharted. The experience is tight each time and I can find new fun if I want too.

I totally agree the bloat issue is bad today. It's pretty obvious why they pad out games though. With the open world craze bloat is way worse than games that used to have padding but were linear.

I was playing Mass Effect 2 yesterday
and was really impressed with how much actual new content there is while still offering the player freedom of where to go and which way to go next.

It's a shame there hasn't been a sea change yet, moving away from bloat to more condensed experiences. Lots of gamers talk about this but the mainstream still wants their long playtimes and open worlds. We're not there yet collectively I think to where buying habits change.

 

[Deerock71]

Bloated length makes me stop in the middle of a game and makes me look elsewhere.

 

[sachos]

I prefer more replayable games. I always find something new when I replay souls games or uncharted.

This is why Souls and Resident Evil game design is king. RE4, one of the most replayable games ever. And i agree with your post, i think it also has to do with the psychology of paralysis of choice, there is some mental block shenanigans going on there.

 

[sachos]

Made my peace with that this year. I probably gave up on 10+ games.

Im still dealing with this, currently feeling bad for dropping Sea of Stars, i just found the combat got quite boring after a while.

 

[rofif]

This is why Souls and Resident Evil game design is king. RE4, one of the most replayable games ever. And i agree with your post, i think it also has to do with the psychology of paralysis of choice, there is some mental block shenanigans going on there.

Hell yeah. When you replay re2 with better time you actually feel like you improved and had fun now if re2 was 70 hours? Nah