Video Games Should games be shorter?

Just wondering what your opinion is on this. Now, I love Final Fantasy, and I can go through a FF game that takes 50-80 hours and love it. But the problem is, now that I'm in college, I never have time for anything other than fighting games. I simply do not have enough time to play, and if I play a game sporadically I don't enjoy it as much. I am delighted that some RPGs are now becoming a little easier to manage (clocking in at 20 hours or less), but I still really only have time for them when I am on holiday breaks and the like. I have also noticed that a lot of unnecessary stuff could have been cut from some games to make them shorter without affecting the story or gameplay.

I think it would be nice if a few RPGs were made shorter so that people would be able to devote more time to them, but they would still be enjoyable. Do you think some games should be shorter? Or is this a bad idea?

 

I beat Final Fantasy 7 in 22 hours. The only way it takes 80 hours is if you go for every single item and get your characters to level 99.

If you want to just play through the storyline, without any sidequests, (which would basically be a 'short' RPG), then you can finish the game rather quickly.

FF7 for example, requires very little effort to beat the main storyline, but if you want to be able to defeat everyone and get every item, breed Chocobos, etc... it takes longer.

It's all about what you want to get out of the game. If you are in college, just play through the story. Short RPGs are rarely successful, because RPGs require a long time to develop characters, gain levels, etc...

If you are having problems, just don't play a game all in one sitting. Play, maybe an hour a night, or whatever, and you'd be surprised how quickly you advance through the game.

Developers won't make short games, because they won't sell.

So, I'm going to have to say "No" to your suggestion. If you want a short RPG, you want an adventure game.

 

Just a few idle comments:

One: Not all players can beat a game like FFVII in, say, a day (in total hours). I know I, myself, took about fourty hours as some random battles I tended to run away from, leaving my weak and causing me to spend a lot of time in leveling; this was also my first time through, before I had bothered to try and get Vincent and Yuffie or the hidden Materia.

Two: Short games are made and sold (Shinobi, Contra, Gungrave, Castlevania, pretty much every fighting game, most Survival Horror games). If you want to be more specific, maybe try saying "short RPGs".

I think some games should be longer, personally. But that's just me.

 

Dear God, no! Games should not be shorter!

I fork out 60-100 bucks for a new game (unless its been out for a couple years) and I want as much bang for my buck as possible!

To be honest, games seem a lot shorter nowadays. Maybe its the ability to save, but games feel very short and often unfulfilling. Super Mario Sunshine felt way too short for its own good.

However the best way to go about getting shorter times while being satisfying is, well, quality. I just finished Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force, and while in retrospect it actually wasn't much longer than the average FPS (if at all), it felt like it due to all the content inside. There were also a couple of parts where I thought the game was going to end, but lo and behold, next mission!

(on a side note, am I the only one who finds old RPGs for the SNES more satisfying and fun than the newer breed of RPGs for PS/PS2???)

 

I my-self like long game like RPGs. I wise that the Dot.hack game were just I bit longer my-self but. Game seem to take longer because they a whole bunch of ex. stuff, even Fighting game have a-lot of ex. stuff now like Soul Caliber 2.
I wise some game were a little longer my-self, but not Xenosaga. though I like that game it mostly story(FMVs).

 

I don't they should be shorter, in fact, the longer the better!

Finishing a game in a few hours will leave you bored and yet rather angry. But it's all in the story. For example, the length of Max Payne was just enough, although the second one was too short in my opinion.

And to mention this, SNES games are somewhat more solid than some GameCube of PS2 games. I mean, who here has finished all 95 levels + all the star levels + all the secrets of Super Mario World ?

- T

 

I know what you mean BakaMattSu, to go and apend mony on a game you thinks going to be good and every thing, I'm a BIG Dot.hack(I mean a big one), and I preordered the 3rd one, Outbreak and end up whating one more month then planed for it to come out, thin I beat it in 4 day, I was disaponited.