How long should a game be?

[Deleted member 568892]

I think a game's main quest should be 20-30 hours long and postgame and side-quests and postgame content should have enough on offer to double it's playtime. Side-quests shouldn't be semi-mandatory where if you don't complete them you're too underpowered to continue in the main story.

 

[micp]

I have a love/hate relationship with side quests. I personally enjoy the grind but there comes a point in the game where you've either -

a) finished the main story so you're grinding them to get to 100% completion.
b) you are going through them because you can't get any further on the main story without needing the XP/extras/whatever due to being underpowered.

I'm not sure if I'd prefer a longer main story that integrates a lot of the side quests and then a smaller sub-set of optional side quests that you can take or leave.

 

[ital]

As long as it takes to tell the tale without getting boring, repetitive or filled with fetch quests.

So many games could benefit from an editor with their vociferous vichyssoise of visuals and verbiage, verily veering vexatious and vivifying my volition to vision my visage twisted in rage as I remember a simpler age in which all your base are belong to us.

Now that was storytelling.

 

[Taleweaver]

Ugh...no thanks. I want a game with a hook in the gameplay department and a satisfying but varying gameplay loop. I'd much rather have a shorter game that doesn't drag than that same game filled with unnecessary stuff just so you can faff about some more ("oh noes! This powerfull enchantment is taken by this person in THIS EXACT LOCATION...but I'm too stubborn to move even an inch in that direction").

Then again, I'm not in the market to just grind until some skinner boxes fill my dopamine level to the point where I'm satisfied with repetition (and am somhow rewarded for it as well). Just gimme something different. I know it's harder to do, but I'm a parent. I barely got an hour a day to game, let alone 20-30 with double that after I'm finished with it (ey...who do I look like? Someone with a backlog of 0 games?).

 

[FAST6191]

I would be content to have a game I could play for the rest of time. Procedural generation may one day give that to me.

Something I could explore, refine, replay as entirely different setups... that can clock many hours.

 

[ital]

I would be content to have a game I could play for the rest of time. Procedural generation may one day give that to me.

Something I could explore, refine, replay as entirely different setups... that can clock many hours.

Thats called life. You should try it some time.

GBATempers think its overrated apparently.

 

[FAST6191]

Thats called life. You should try it some time.

GBATempers think its overrated apparently.

I tried it. Finished the Ur Mum sidequest and from there it seemed boring so went for other things.

 

[hippy dave]

No longer than 12cm if you want it to fit in the optical drive.

 

[City]

IMO every game stands on its own. A pacman game that's 30 hours long definitely overstays its welcome. A 2 hours Final Fantasy game is a joke.

The way I see it, a game should never have filler, even if it's short (looking at you, "The First Tree").

 

[Caleck]

There isn't an ideal game length. It all depends on the gameplay, how it keeps people interested, and its replayability.

 

[sukh69]

Long enough to be enjoyed.

I would take a 5-6 hour game that's fun over a 20-30 one that's a bland mess.

 

[AncientBoi]

Hard to say. Some game have Mini ones embedded in them.

 

[hippy dave]

No longer than 12cm if you want it to fit in the optical drive.

Not a single reacc. You people don't appreciate quality posting

 

[CraddaPoosta]

I kind of miss the days where you could just pop a game into your NES or SNES, play for an hour, then move on to something else.

90% of all games that come out these days, you can't even play if you don't have at least two or three hours to sink into it.

Pretty much the only games that don't fall under this category are games like Mario Kart, Mortal Kombat and MAYBE a few of the FPS games.

I like having dozens of hours of content in a game that I plan on playing for hours on end. I would still be happy with a few more casual-style games that you can pick up and put down without having to fully immerse yourself in it to enjoy it.

 

[FAST6191]

Not a single reacc. You people don't appreciate quality posting

Because you are incorrect

Many a true nerd has used an acetate pressing/dub plate to do an even cooler audio (think tape player) load of an emulator. There are also rumours of those using laser discs if you are stuck on optical but I don't know there.

 

[hippy dave]

Because you are incorrect
View attachment 343026
Many a true nerd has used an acetate pressing/dub plate to do an even cooler audio (think tape player) load of an emulator. There are also rumours of those using laser discs if you are stuck on optical but I don't know there.

I'm not stuck on optical, but you can't disprove a statement regarding optical drives with a photo containing no optical drives.

 

[SylverReZ]

I'm not stuck on optical, but you can't disprove a statement regarding optical drives with a photo containing no optical drives.

I'm still using optical disc drives for messing around with recordable media and preserving my music CD and game collection.

 

[godreborn]

Dunno, but one thing I hate is stuff that's missable. I have so many games right now that most games only get played through once.

 

[CoolMe]

Yea, i also dislike grinding, fetch quests, collectables, & whatever filler/ padding they can come up with to bloat the game. With a few exceptions of course.

 

[godreborn]

Yea, i also dislike grinding, fetch quests, collectables, & whatever filler/ padding they can come up with to bloat the game. With a few exceptions of course.

I like collectibles, but I hate grinding as well. Fetch quests where you have to go back and forth suck too.