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What are the longest RPGs?

how long to beat isn't reliable at all, and FF12 certainly wasn't longest of FF that I played, FFX-2 was, granted that's 3 playthroughs combined, but I don't think you can 100% it without using a guide in less runs, even with 3 is rather hard and it's totally possible to miss some things.

I was refering to playing through the main story.
 

dave_d

Member
I've beaten both DW7 and Xenoblade Chronicles and those each took me over a 100 hours. (But Xenoblade a lot were the side quests.) However one that hasn't been mentioned is Ultima 4. I think I estimated myself and 3 brothers played it for in excess of 200 hours before we could beat it. (Really the game is much shorter if you know what to do but to figure that out takes a lot of exploration of the game before you figure that out.)
 

AmuroChan

Member
How do you define the longest? Game with the most sheer content or just in terms of the main quest? I put 200+ hours into Disgaea, but that's because there are a million side things you can do (ie. item world) that aren't necessary to progress the story. Wither 3 is another one. I'm close to 100 hours in and that's from doing mostly side quests.
 
Persona 3 FES took me about 100 hours and I didn't even do the FES part
Persona 4 took me about 70 hours(Golden took me about 50)
FF XII took me about 70 hours; did very little sidequest
Xenoblade Chronicles: I'm roughly 80 hours in, at the ending with a handful of quest done
Tales of Vesperia took me 60 hours
Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment took me about 120 hours to beat
 

massoluk

Banned
Clocked in Xenoblade at around 90 hours for the main story and a lot of side quest (Rebuilding the colony)

Right now at 110 hours in Xenoblade X. People said they finished it faster, I'm like "How?" The last few bosses would have annihilated me if I haven't spent time grinding up gears.
 
Anything VII and above are crazy long, so I'm expecting DQXI to be 70-80 hours long. Other than that, VI and below are short:

I - 10 hours
II - 12 hours
IV - 10-15 hours
V - 20-25 hours
VI - 30-35 hours

Here's what HowLongToBeat has to say about the series:

DQ - 10 hrs
DQ2 - 20 hrs
DQ3 - 28 hrs
DQ4 - 27 hrs
DQ5 - 30.5 hrs
DQ6 - 40.5 hrs
DQ7 - 105 hrs
DQ8 - 71.5 hrs
DQ9 - 48 hrs

Actual times will vary from person to person and depending on which version you're playing (DQ2 NES is drastically harder than the remake for example) but those seem like decent ballpark estimates to me. Also, the post-game content for DQ9 is drastically bigger than the other games in the series to the point where I've heard of people spending hundreds of hours on the game.
 
Persona 3 took me over 90 hours my first time through doing about everything. Same with FF12.

Edit: BG1 and 2 were also both pretty long my first time through them. And this year I probably spent over 90 on the Witcher 3.
 

SephLuis

Member
Tales of vesperia was the last of the series to take a long time to finish. I think the main quest took me around 80 hrs with a few sidequests.

Currently playing zero no kiseki from the trails series and I think this Crossbell arc will be longer than FC and SC.
 

dave_d

Member
That's a great one. I'm slowly picking away at an Ultima series replay, and I'm looking forward to revisiting U4 as an adult. I may use a guide to a point, just so I can actually finish the game this time around.

I'm also doing DQ. The early games are extremely short as far as RPGs go. It's gonna be a wake-up call when I get to VII, VIII and IX.



Add about eight hours to all of these except DQ1 and you're probably closer to the mark for a first playthrough.

Wait the other Dragon Quests are short? I played 1 on the NES which I thought was kind of underwhelming. (Since I had played Phantasy Star 1 before it and of course Ultima 2, 3, and 4.) The next one I played was 7 which is super long even without side quests. The other ones are more like 1 in length? (I have 3 for the Gameboy, and I think 4-6 on the DS.)
 

dave_d

Member
Here's what HowLongToBeat has to say about the series:

DQ - 10 hrs
DQ2 - 20 hrs
DQ3 - 28 hrs
DQ4 - 27 hrs
DQ5 - 30.5 hrs
DQ6 - 40.5 hrs
DQ7 - 105 hrs
DQ8 - 71.5 hrs
DQ9 - 48 hrs

Actual times will vary from person to person and depending on which version you're playing (DQ2 NES is drastically harder than the remake for example) but those seem like decent ballpark estimates to me. Also, the post-game content for DQ9 is drastically bigger than the other games in the series to the point where I've heard of people spending hundreds of hours on the game.

Oh so not DQ1 short. I'll have to take a crack at them. (Not sure if I should do 8 or 9 next or one of the earlier ones.)
 

Dio

Banned
Tales of vesperia was the last of the series to take a long time to finish. I think the main quest took me around 80 hrs with a few sidequests.

Currently playing zero no kiseki from the trails series and I think this Crossbell arc will be longer than FC and SC.

I dunno, man. SC had the biggest character count in the entire series even counting Crossbell. Maybe together, I'm not sure.
 

Friggz

Member
back in the day i was at about 500 hours for grandia xtreme. The bonus dungeons after the credits are 100 levels and take forever to go through .
 

cyress8

Banned
I nominate Xenoblade Chronicles X for this year's longest RPG for me. Beat the game in about 90 hours + 20 hours since I usually restart a game once I get the basic and intermediate gameplay mechanics. (Weird habit of mine.)
 

dude

dude
BG2 is the longest I've experienced, I think. At least, the longest that didn't overstay its welcome by 10 hours.

You could probably go through the main quest rather quickly, but the amount of (quality) content in the game is staggering. I think it is my most replayed RPG, ever.
 

mrmickfran

Member
Xenoblade took me 95 hours my first playthrough. Afterwards, I did a 100% playthrough and it took me 120 hours. So, that.

Shin Megami Tensei IV clocked me in at 90 hours my first playthrough.

Xenoblade X took me 80 hours and that was with doing a bunch of sidequests, as well as exploring that insane world.

Persona 4 Golden took me 70 hours. I plan on doing a 100% playthrough later on.

Final Fantasy XIII took me about 70 hours as well. Though, most of that was spent exploring Gran Pulse.
 
As for a game that hasnt been brought up yet, how about the longest Ultima-like game i know of.. Deathlord. Maybe its because there were no guides or internet but my and my friends didnt finish it over a summer vacation despite playing for hours every day.

Well, well, if you want to go look retro, then Fate: Gates of Dawn is a category on its own.

With a walkthrough it can take around 150 hours, without... good luck.

And not only it was huge, but also the game that still today is unmatched in ambition and even complexity.

Here's an image showing all possible commands you can try during an encounter:

fgod.gif


And here's a character paperdoll:

fgod2.gif


And this is the world map (not including cities and dungeons):

FateWorld.gif


Every pixel there is one "location". You move around as the old Wizardry. And you can build four parties up to seven characters each, and you can have them split and be a different locations all over the world.
 
Well, well, if you want to go look retro, then Fate: Gates of Dawn is a category on its own.

With a walkthrough it can take around 150 hours, without... good luck.

And not only it was huge, but also the game that still today is unmatched in ambition and even complexity.

Here's an image showing all possible commands you can try during an encounter:

fgod.gif


And here's a character paperdoll:

fgod2.gif


And this is the world map (not including cities and dungeons):

FateWorld.gif


Every pixel there is one "location". You move around as the old Wizardry. And you can build four parties up to seven characters each, and you can have them split and be a different locations all over the world.

Holy shit
 

StereoVsn

Member
Baldurs Gate 2 is amazingly long. There is an insane amount of content squirreled away everywhere in the game. I would say a significantly full play through would be 120-150 hours depending on difficulty and party composition.

Xenoblade Chronicles is very long especially if you get bogged down in sidequests. Maybe 90-100 hours overall. Haven't started the sequel.

Bethesda games are large in general, starting with Daggerfall. Fallout NV is huge, so is Fallout 4 (if exploring), so was Skyrim. Morrowind is the coolest setting and also quite large.

Dragon Quest VIII is large and so is FFVII. Both are probably good 80-90 hours.

Divinity OS EE is about 80-90 hours as well.

Witcher 3 is huge. I am only 60 hours in and probably at 1/3 of the quest. It's so easy to get sidetracked.

Trails FC and SC which is really a single game split into two parts is probably about 120 hours overall.

Persona 4 golden was 90 hours first play through, P3 FES was around 80-85. Nocturne was 70-80 hours.
 

Farks!

Member
Baldur's Gate 2. That game has an insane amount of content.

Baldur's Gate 2 is massive in terms of quests.

Baldur's Gate 2 is probably the longest I've played that justifies its length with unique content.

A lot of (particularly J-) RPGs in this thread overstayed their welcome for me.

Baldur's Gate 2 itself was easily an 80 hour campaign. When you combine it with the Throne of Bhaal expansion, it easily topped 100 hours.

Witcher 3 deserves a special mention because unlike a lot of open world games, it's main quest is very long and detailed and takes quite a long time to complete. I'd estimate that if you ignored all the optional quests in the game, the main questline would still easily be 50 hours.

This. My first playthrough of BG2, including the expansion, landed at 150 hours.
 

Azuran

Banned
Xenoblade Chronicles is long. It took me over 90 hours to complete it the first time without bothering much with the side content.
 

Arthea

Member
How long is Might & Magic VI?

The last time I've played it was probably 10 years ago if not more, but as I played it several times, I'm pretty sure I remember correctly that it is rather short. Actually no M&M game is really long.
As for M&M6, I'm not entirely sure you'll like it, as it is ranged the game, I don't think it's even worth using anything but ranged and magic in that game as it throws hordes of enemies at you and being on the move while shooting arrows at them is the best way to go about it. And it is a free roaming game, so it is possible to spend more time in it than it is strictly necessary.
 
You can certainly beeline the main quest and do it in 50. I don't know anyone who did, most people are WELL over 100 hours when they reach the end. And then there's the DLC.

The main quest is not 50 hours. It is more like 20-30 (if that)

I beat the game in 60 on my first play through and did a hell of a lot of side missions. NG+ on the other hand... I plan on doing everything!
 

water_wendi

Water is not wet!
Well, well, if you want to go look retro, then Fate: Gates of Dawn is a category on its own.

With a walkthrough it can take around 150 hours, without... good luck.

And not only it was huge, but also the game that still today is unmatched in ambition and even complexity.

Here's an image showing all possible commands you can try during an encounter:

http://cesspit.net/drupalbackup/storeroom/misc/fgod.gif[img]

And here's a character paperdoll:

[img]http://cesspit.net/drupalbackup/storeroom/misc/fgod2.gif[img]

And this is the world map (not including cities and dungeons):

[img]http://www.brueckner.onlinehome.de/FateWorld.gif[img]

Every pixel there is one "location". You move around as the old Wizardry. And you can build four parties up to seven characters each, and you can have them split and be a different locations all over the world.[/QUOTE]

Sounds stunning. The Wikipedia page says that the creator released it as freeware.. if accurate i might have to give it a whirl. Maybe it will end up on Gog one day as well.

[quote="Knurek, post: 191057057"]How long is Might & Magic VI?[/QUOTE]

id say its at least 50-60 hours. Its the longest of the 6-9 series.
 

JeffZero

Purple Drazi
I don't really count "how long does it take to 100% this game?" when I approach this question, because on a personal basis, well, I've never cared to 100% games. I just want to reach the end of the story (and do side content that interests me). As a result, my answers are skewed; I don't say "FFX" or "FFXII" because their narratives seem a bit shorter (XII's especially).

Insofar as games that I've played:

-Xenogears
-FFVII
-Dragon Age: Origins

Probably the top three longest RPGs. There are a ton of games I have not played.
 

Arthea

Member
id say its at least 50-60 hours. Its the longest of the 6-9 series.

I'm fairly sure M&M7 is longer and I think longest in general.
Then again I probably played too much of Arcomage and my perception could be skewed, but that's how I remember it.
 

Man God

Non-Canon Member
Here's what HowLongToBeat has to say about the series:

DQ - 10 hrs
DQ2 - 20 hrs
DQ3 - 28 hrs
DQ4 - 27 hrs
DQ5 - 30.5 hrs
DQ6 - 40.5 hrs
DQ7 - 105 hrs
DQ8 - 71.5 hrs
DQ9 - 48 hrs

Actual times will vary from person to person and depending on which version you're playing (DQ2 NES is drastically harder than the remake for example) but those seem like decent ballpark estimates to me. Also, the post-game content for DQ9 is drastically bigger than the other games in the series to the point where I've heard of people spending hundreds of hours on the game.

To see every fight in IX and get all of the fun dress up equipment can take weeks if not months of gameplay hours. It's like Monster Hunter or a Diablo like game in that regards. Random dungeons are no joke.
 

Arthea

Member
To see every fight in IX and get all of the fun dress up equipment can take weeks if not months of gameplay hours. It's like Monster Hunter or a Diablo like game in that regards. Random dungeons are no joke.

IDK, I wouldn't count those randomly generated dungeons at all, they are pretty horrible and boring, but that might be just me, 9 is still not short, I think it took me 70 hours or so and I did some dungeons, maybe be 20-30 of them or something like that, after that I was bored out of my mind and didn't see any point to continue, especially with bosses repeating all the time, and items being so rare.
 

Man God

Non-Canon Member
IDK, I wouldn't count those randomly generated dungeons at all, they are pretty horrible and boring, but that might be just me, 9 is still not short, I think it took me 70 hours or so and I did some dungeons, maybe be 20-30 of them or something like that, after that I was bored out of my mind and didn't see any point to continue, especially with bosses repeating all the time, and items being so rare.

That's the thing with any loot game though. Most people eventually get to a point where they go, do I really need this armor for a game I beat a week/month ago? And they give up. Some people though really want that loot or in the case of this game, want to have that retro boss fight.
 
Persona 3 FES is definitely one of the longest RPGs. The game is long because of the massive amounts of dialogue, cutscenes, and dungeon floors. A first playthrough will be in the 80 hours range because the player won't be skipping through text or rushing.

Dragon Quest VIII is another very long game. The main story is about 70ish hours to beat. I think my time was 77 hours.
 
The Last Remnant took me well over 100 hours including side content, however the last boss is pretty damn insane so it's not gonna be easy to beat him unless you can already beat the optional stuff too. I'd be surprised if somebody could beat the main story in much under 100 hours on 360 at least, on PC there are less restrictions on party members so I'd imagine it's also a lot easier.
 

linko9

Member
Personally, spent 200 hrs on DQ7 (pretty much completionist, ground to 99 for some dumb reason). Seems like Xenoblade X will give that a run for its money, only 50 hrs in so far though.
 
I spent around 200 hours in ffx to fully complete it. I enjoyed ffxii more, but I don't know the timeframe any more.

Persona 3&4 and Xenoblade Chronicles X are also up here
 
Planescape torment takes 100+ hours just for the main campaign(but maybe that's just because i read slowly and this game has hell of a lot to read)
 
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