in general, i spend what... $15/game? b/c i don't typically care if i play them a year after they come out.

but, my exception are xbox live games that i want to play (leagues, etc). so halo2, i picked up. forza, i just got.

when moto gp3 comes out in a few weeks, i will gladly plunk down $50 for that game.

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as to the original post, i agree w/ the comment of value. if i had paid $50 for Beyond Good and Evil and Prince of Persia 2, i probably would have been disappointed. but for $10-$15, they're damn good games.

Some short games are ok.....but I probably do nto want to spend $50 on them.

Recently, TimeSplitters:FP and SW:Republic Commando had very short single player, but luckily there was multiplayer. Although, SW:RC LIVE play sucked, so I traded that back in. I guess I recycle through a lot of my games lately with GameRush trade in deals.

I guess this is why I play sports games or LIVE games mainly...much more replay value with them. It's rare when I get a game that is single player only....

Mercenaries was good...and GTA:SA will be my next one.

It is hard to match the value of sports games if you like that genre. NCAA College Hoops 2K5 was only $20 and I've easily played 300 hours on it.

I would usually like to get 30-50 hours out of game whether first time through or because the game has high replay value.

I spent $50 on Panzer Dragoon Saga and though the game only took 12 hours to finish it was so good I played it through 3 times so I got plenty of value out of the game. So short games are not always bad as long as there is replay value.

I'd actually pay more if games had no cutscenes and a minimal story. As I've gotten older, I've realized I don't give a shit WHY I'm killing aliens, I just want to start shooting. For example, the opening of Half-Life is the single most infuriating gaming experience I've ever had.

I've been gaming since the 2600 and I've NEVER played a game where the main appeal was the story. This includes games like KOTOR, FFVII, the aforementiong Half-Life, etc. I cannot get invested in video game characters. It just doesn't work for me.

That's another reason I like the 10-15 hour games: quick, dirty, fun, movin' on.

I don't mind cutscenes as long as they are short. The overly long cutscenes is one reason I never liked the Metal Gear Solid games. Does anyone seriously enjoy watching 20 minute cutscenes? I really wish Konami would fire Hideo Kojima and get someone else to direct the MGS games.

To make a tangent on your point. As far as graphics have come and stories becoming more intricate, I can barely think of any games whose characters I really started to care about(what happened to them rather). Sure there are favorite characters and ones I've grown attached to for whatever reason, but based off of story and story alone? Practically none. A lot of people mention Aeris' death being this great powerful and moving thing, but I just never felt it. It wasn't even an "Oh shit!" moment for me though, so maybe thats a bad example. I do like a good story in a game though.


Fixed. -wink-

I like both games without stories and games with stories.

I try to play one involved game with a story and one without simultaneously most times.

That way I have a game I can just pick up and play when I have a little bit of time and another I can get into if I have a few hours to play. i.e. at the moment I'm playing MGS2 and Donkey Konga (also have Metroid Prime 2 going, but putting that aside as I'm stuck at a boss).

The stories often help me stick with a game as I want to see what happens. If I get stuck in a storyless game I'm much more likely to give up and sell it.

Let's use Ninja Gaiden for an example. I pretty much skipped every cutscene I could. I have no idea what the story was in that game. But when I got stuck, I felt a real sense of accomplishment when I progressed. I couldn't care less about the actual story.

Hey, I wasn't arguing your point.

Different storkes for different folks. :D

I don't like hard games, so I never even bothered with Ninja Gaiden. :D

I play games more to relax and unwind than to challenge myself and get a sense of accomplishment.

But of course I like some challenge, I don't want a game I'm going to blaze through in a couple sittings and never die either. Just not a challenge to the point of where I'm fighting every boss 20+ times. :D

I don't mind short, as long as it is a fulfilling experience and has replayability. I typically do not buy at $50, but will buy at around $35-40 if a good sale hits within a couple months (which happens at Target a lot it seems).

I do however like some long games, such as good RPGs, some of the lengthy GBA strategy games, etc. If a game has a strong story, in-depth gameplay, etc., I do like to be drawn in and engauged for awhile. For RPGs, part of the whole is charcter development, side-quests, exploration, etc., so those tend to need to be longer.

I totally agree. When I was a kid, I had a limited gaming budget so I loved long games. Now that there are so many games out and I can afford to get any game I want. I like when they are short as long as they are fun, and have enough to them that you feel the experience was complete. I also like to beat all the games I play, now that I have all three systems I'm so far behind I need them a little shorter.

The other thing about videogame playing time is how you play. If you are the type of person who rushes through and only completes what you have to that drastically shortens the game. Most Mario and Zelda games can be beat in 30 - 40 hours. However, if you collect everything and do all the side quests they can easily be 60 - 80 hours.

I agree. I don't like frustrating games. But games that reward skill (like Ninja Gaiden) are my preferred type of game. The story is so low on my list of highlights in any game that I'd be a lot happier if they just got rid of that aspect all together.

I use games to "turn my brain off" too, but I have to be engaged in what's happening to make the hobby worthwhile. Since I don't give a shit about the story, the only thing keeping me going is finding out the next cool thing I get to do (be it a new weapon, vehicle, boss fight, etc.)

I prefer shorter - arcade, puzzle - games, actually. The biggest reason that I've decreased my participation in gaming is (what I perceive to be) the industry's collective shift from skill-based content experiences to narrative-heavy exploration experiences.

I'm amazed that people would rather play a 20+ hour game, no matter how drawn out it is, then play a much shorter 5-10 hour game. I personally can't stand all the 20+ hour games out there that go on and on and on making you do stupid tasks just to say that you beat it. Gimme a game like Contra:SS, etc. any day. A few levels and I'm good to go.

For the most part I agree. With time at a premium now (married and have a 9 month old), story takes a backseat. I want to skip the cut-scenes but I can't. This is mostly because the story is poorly done. Some do grab you and they are better for it. Like Eternal Darkness or Beyond Good and Evil. Hopefully both series are continued next gen.

For example take these two games, I recently beat both of them and they are both pretty much identical as far as weapons go. Even psi-abilities are pretty much the same. And they both took about the same amount of time to complete.

Second Sight
Psi-Ops

I thought both were great, but they had a distinct difference. Story. Second Sight grabbed me and was very entertaining. I wasn't expecting that. Psi-ops though lacked in story but it was much more fun in the psi-department.

I like short games to break up the monotony of long ones. If I just played through a game that took 20 hours, I want something light and easy for my next one, before I start another long one. Also like most have said, length isn't too much of a factor when you buy most of your games at the $15-$20 price point.

I don't mind playing shorter games either. It seemed like everyone was complaining about the length of Max Payne 2, but even though I finished it in around five hours, I've still enjoyed playing through the game quite a few times since then. I'm replaying it again now, trying to make it through without the use of any saves or level restarts.

That said, I do also enjoy longer games, but I sometimes find myself losing interest before finishing them. I've done that with way too many games.

Depends on the game. For example, Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time is extremely short (I beat it under 10 hours my first playthrough and now it only takes me about four hours to beat and I've heard that some people have beaten it in two hours or less) but it was so enjoyable I just wanted to play it all over again once I finished.

Others are more a case of "that's it?" as was the problem with Devil May Cry 2.

I don't think anyone has said that. People are saying they'd rather play a great 20+ hour game that's fun all the way through and not drawn out, over an equally good 5-10 hour game.

And even more so that it's not that there's anything wrong with 5-10 hour games per se, but it ridiculous to consider paying more than $10-20 for them.