When is an RPG to long?

[Iron Rooster]

This thought has come up since lately I have been borrowing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from my friend in exchange for me lending a PS3 to him. Now, I have about 70+ hours logged and I have barely touched the main story. As the title says, when do you think an RPG is too long?

Before you get on me for thinking 70 hours is long, I logged about 150 hours on Final Fantasy X, with about 20 of that being spent on blitzball alone.

[Action_Bastard]

Yeah I played Oblivion, and yeah it was long, but the story is actually rather short if you stick to it and only it.

[IrkenEvangelion]

In my opinion, it can't be too long but it can be played for too long. Like if you sit down and play it non stop I think that's a bit much, but playing it when you're board now and then I think it'll last you a long time.

[Action_Bastard]

I second that.

[Iron Rooster]

Oh, I have plenty of time. My contract for a job I had expired, so I've got lots of time to kill before school starts. It's amazing how much story complexity the nature of RPG's allows. With the newer game systems and the increased capacities of storage devices, I can see the time it takes to milk an RPG of all of it has to offer grow exponentially. At 150 hours, I milked FFX of just about everything but maxing out my blitzball players' levels. I personally want to know just how long FFXIII is gonna be since it's gonna be on a blue ray disc first.

[IrkenEvangelion]

I know! Games really have come a long way. But once in awhile I like to run my NES emulator and play all the classic games. I also have an NES system but the games are a pain to get working.

[Action_Bastard]

You need to give them blow-jobs, they like that.

[Formless One]

Its only too long if it needs multiple DVD's just to fit the story. Sure, FF7 was one of the greatest RPGs of all time, when the guy who wrote it dies he should be buried next to Gary Giggax himself. But the technology has gone beyond what was possible then, so these long sequel laden deathtraps have no excuse left.

Of course, the only problem is when stories don't go anywhere. If this were TV we would have the option of turning the thing off and unless we smash the TV, we haven't wasted any money. But after you buy a game and have it in your console or computer for 10 hours and the story is not interesting, you have wasted not only your money but your time as well.

[Action_Bastard]

True dat.

[NemZ]

I haven't really liked a FF game since 6 (okay, and the original FF tactics). 7 had a decent story but the character advancement system was horrid, as it has been for every game in the series since IMHO. Rigid classes are too limiting and outdated, fine, but completely customizable characters might as well be just different graphic skins rather than recognizable individuals.

I'd say an RPG is too long when you either don't remember why the hell you're supposed to care about the current plot or when the repeated twists have left the plotline utterly unbelievable.

[Dartz]

I've been involved with a Pen & Paper RPG for over a year and a half now at this stage.... and it's still moving along.

[zimlord]

I clocked around 400 hours on Pokemon Ruby. And then some fool stole my game and started a new file. Twas a shame.

[IrkenEvangelion]

That sucks. I loved the Pokemon games, but contrary to popular belief, it is impossible to 'Catch Them All'.

[Maverick]

I tried playing Oblivion, but the storyline was too shallow.
If I'm not mistaken, the longest, and good, RPG I've played is Baldur's Gate 2.

[Action_Bastard]

Ah, yes, Pokemon. I used to be addicted to that. The games are great, I mean really, but they get old and repetitive very fast. And yes, you can never catch 'em all

[Formless One]

Actually, you could catch them all, but to do so meant you had to trade with *reverb*YOUR FRIENDS!*reverb* Which naturally were few and far between because you were spending all your time playing the game.

[IrkenEvangelion]

I used a CodeBreaker

[ThroneofDravaris]

A RPG is only too long if it doesn't have enough content to support its gamelength and has to be padded with overly long fetch quests and grinding.

[Sailor Star Dust]

Forum-based RPGs: Depends on how long people are able stay interested.

Video-game RPGs: similar thing really. Though I haven't played many RPGs lately, I think the length of FF7 was good though it was on the long side. Actually, the length of the Eva2 game (espeically the PSP version) is decent I think.

[Action_Bastard]

Actually, you could catch them all, but to do so meant you had to trade with *reverb*YOUR FRIENDS!*reverb* Which naturally were few and far between because you were spending all your time playing the game.

If that was aimed towards me, it shouldn't have been. I did have friends and guess what we did, played pokemon.



Unless you are using "you" as a general term, then it is perfectly ok.