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The only short game I’ve ever played to death was Conker’s Bad Fur Day, a good game, overall… the storyline, although a bit awry, was quite absorbing - the graphics good and the sound excellent, but the reason for the lower than expected sales figures could have been the games length. For advanced gamers the game only took 8-10 hours, on par with recent games such as Max Payne and THPS3 (Easy if you’ve played the predecessors!). To be honest, the only thing that disappointed me was the ending… it was Rare’s last title on the N64, and they could have gone out in style… rather than the mystifying, low-key, thought provoking exit they chose. But still… I enjoyed the game thoroughly.
Another game that must have been smoking throughout development was Max Payne… an amazing game, according to YH and Goatboy; yet both, I think, talked about the length. But still, for a game like that to get a port on to the PS2, it can’t have been that bad!
But what’s the deal with long games? They take ages, get boring quickly, drag on, and most of them call you to go back to the ‘same old place’ to do the ‘same old thing’… pointless! Half the owners don’t complete them anyway! Ever completed Jet Force Gemini for the N64? What a lame ending, and to think I collected all those stupid Tribals! Where’s the merit in uncovering a stupid family feud, where you could have destroyed a massive boss and made way for a superb 128-Bit sequel?!
So, anyway, it seems we need a decent medium. Somewhere in between… I’m sure you’ve all played a game with perfect length. I’d have said GTA3 was one. You can, in fact, complete the game over a weekend’s gaming, yet the length of the game is entirely up to you. You can play it straight and make it a worthwhile rent, or you can mess about for 70+ hours and pay just 57p per hour of gameplay! (Game Price £40) So maybe criminal games are the key! Maybe not… but certainly those game with quite a lot of backing, and side tasks and the option to roam freely.
But going back to short games, they seem a lot more acceptable than long games. You’re absorbed in the game for the duration, and the developers obviously haven’t prolonged any bits without reason just to lengthen the game. The chances are also, that the gameplay won’t be too samey. In Luigi’s Mansion, you don’t just ‘suck up ghosts’… but you collect money, solve puzzles, and unlock routes too; Yet this game, according to Shane Shattersfield (Gamespot, USA), will last you no more than a weekend… although that opinion might be flawed seeing as he isn’t in Nintendo’s target market for the game.
But what is a short game? People might rush a game, or try and make it last and ruin the gameplay. It’s quite a hard thing to pin-point, and saying a 12-hour game is short, but a 14-hour one not can’t really be done, because of peoples different abilities. Conker was short… I mean, if a well below average gamer like Grix can complete it in 8-9 hours, it has to be, but I’m sure he’ll be the first to recommend the game (to a person of suitable age :D).
I feel there’s a real future for shorter games… despite the length, they’re normally great fun, and leave the gamer satisfied with a purchase, especially if there’s a decent multi-player mode! Games like Devil May Cry, Luigi’s Mansion, PIKMIN and Max Payne have made great impressions on almost everyone, regardless of their length! I hope State of Emergency is like GTA3, in that it can be as long or as short as you want. Short for when you lend it to people, and long for when you want to play it! :D
Thanks for reading, anyway!
Game
The only short game I’ve ever played to death was Conker’s Bad Fur Day, a good game, overall… the storyline, although a bit awry, was quite absorbing - the graphics good and the sound excellent, but the reason for the lower than expected sales figures could have been the games length. For advanced gamers the game only took 8-10 hours, on par with recent games such as Max Payne and THPS3 (Easy if you’ve played the predecessors!). To be honest, the only thing that disappointed me was the ending… it was Rare’s last title on the N64, and they could have gone out in style… rather than the mystifying, low-key, thought provoking exit they chose. But still… I enjoyed the game thoroughly.
Another game that must have been smoking throughout development was Max Payne… an amazing game, according to YH and Goatboy; yet both, I think, talked about the length. But still, for a game like that to get a port on to the PS2, it can’t have been that bad!
But what’s the deal with long games? They take ages, get boring quickly, drag on, and most of them call you to go back to the ‘same old place’ to do the ‘same old thing’… pointless! Half the owners don’t complete them anyway! Ever completed Jet Force Gemini for the N64? What a lame ending, and to think I collected all those stupid Tribals! Where’s the merit in uncovering a stupid family feud, where you could have destroyed a massive boss and made way for a superb 128-Bit sequel?!
So, anyway, it seems we need a decent medium. Somewhere in between… I’m sure you’ve all played a game with perfect length. I’d have said GTA3 was one. You can, in fact, complete the game over a weekend’s gaming, yet the length of the game is entirely up to you. You can play it straight and make it a worthwhile rent, or you can mess about for 70+ hours and pay just 57p per hour of gameplay! (Game Price £40) So maybe criminal games are the key! Maybe not… but certainly those game with quite a lot of backing, and side tasks and the option to roam freely.
But going back to short games, they seem a lot more acceptable than long games. You’re absorbed in the game for the duration, and the developers obviously haven’t prolonged any bits without reason just to lengthen the game. The chances are also, that the gameplay won’t be too samey. In Luigi’s Mansion, you don’t just ‘suck up ghosts’… but you collect money, solve puzzles, and unlock routes too; Yet this game, according to Shane Shattersfield (Gamespot, USA), will last you no more than a weekend… although that opinion might be flawed seeing as he isn’t in Nintendo’s target market for the game.
But what is a short game? People might rush a game, or try and make it last and ruin the gameplay. It’s quite a hard thing to pin-point, and saying a 12-hour game is short, but a 14-hour one not can’t really be done, because of peoples different abilities. Conker was short… I mean, if a well below average gamer like Grix can complete it in 8-9 hours, it has to be, but I’m sure he’ll be the first to recommend the game (to a person of suitable age :D).
I feel there’s a real future for shorter games… despite the length, they’re normally great fun, and leave the gamer satisfied with a purchase, especially if there’s a decent multi-player mode! Games like Devil May Cry, Luigi’s Mansion, PIKMIN and Max Payne have made great impressions on almost everyone, regardless of their length! I hope State of Emergency is like GTA3, in that it can be as long or as short as you want. Short for when you lend it to people, and long for when you want to play it! :D
Thanks for reading, anyway!
Game