tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9611352.post115919189169885384..comments2024-02-19T19:53:01.688-08:00Comments on Cathode Tan: Do We Still Want 40 Hours Of Play?Joshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04260309971152360156noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9611352.post-1159226918975558782006-09-25T16:28:00.000-07:002006-09-25T16:28:00.000-07:00I'll say again - I still consider the eight hours ...I'll say again - I still consider the eight hours of gameplay that I got out of Fahrenheit to be a superior use of my game-buying dollar to the going-on 150 hours I've gotten out of Guild Wars. And I love Guild Wars and all, but if I saw those two things side by side for the same console I know which one I'd recommend to a friend.<BR/><BR/>Game length should be regarded as just a deliberate design decision. There's a place for the 100+ hour Final Fantasys of the world, and there's a place for the ten-hour Lego Star Wars thingies. As long as you get a complete, rounded experience within that game length, and the game's appropriately paced, then it's all fine. Short games are only really a disappointment when they don't have a resolution, like Zone of the Enders or Halo 2.Greg Tannahillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00823898295759037081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9611352.post-1159198897654816682006-09-25T08:41:00.000-07:002006-09-25T08:41:00.000-07:00Rentals can make all the difference with this, I t...Rentals can make all the difference with this, I think. Being able to just return a game after a couple hours of play and not feel guilty about the cost really lowers the need to finish them.Joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04260309971152360156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9611352.post-1159196719884741202006-09-25T08:05:00.000-07:002006-09-25T08:05:00.000-07:00Oh, I'm right there with ya. Used to like those lo...Oh, I'm right there with ya. Used to like those long long games. Used to MAKE a long game out of what wasn't really a long game by design - rolling over the score in space invaders, playing Adventure long, long, long past the point of it having any point to it (and for that, discovering the easter egg without anything even remotely like the internet to tell me that it was there, and how to find it - a reward! for being a crazyass!).<BR/><BR/>But these days I kinda just want to wrap it up in about the same amount of time it'd take to watch a movie, maybe two. If it's longer than that then heck, make a sequel.<BR/><BR/>That is incredibly stupid on my part, considering how much games cost - but meh... I rent 'em. So no it isn't.<BR/><BR/>I like to pretend that I am the average guy, so this all makes perfect sense to me - but not so much to I guess everyone else, given the length and cost of most games.Jeff Freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04619334976438544593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9611352.post-1159196096017842782006-09-25T07:54:00.000-07:002006-09-25T07:54:00.000-07:00I'm not gonna spend 40+ hours on one game unless i...I'm not gonna spend 40+ hours on one game unless it's an RPG on par with Morrowind, but equally, 9 hours is too little. I think my ideal is probably around 20-25 hours. If I can squeeze out an hour a day on average (not unreasonable during a quiet week or weekend) I don't want to be finished in just over a week.<BR/><BR/>Not for £50 at any rate. Or even £30. Sin Episodes from Steam was okay at about 10-11 hours for £10. (My first FPS, okay?) It did throw out the same henchman a hundred times but it was short enogh that it wasn't too boring.<BR/><BR/>I think the sense of progress is most important part of longevity. Most well-rounded adults like yourself probably can't find more than an hour in a day to play regularly. You're not going to look forward to that hour if you know you're going to spend most of it timing jumps and perfecting reflexes. I think every standalone game should be made with a significant sense of progress after an hour's play.<BR/><BR/>(And no, 15 minutes of cut-scene is not progress)Weefzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10024523538933211232noreply@blogger.com