Short games Vs long games

[Gemini-Phoenix]

I was reviewing the games which I mostly play, and I noticed that although I play a lot of games, I mostly tend to play really short games more often...


Things like Gitaroo Man and Parappa The Rapper seem to always be in my PlayStation, as is Vib Ribbon and DDR.

My DC seems to always have either Jet Set Radio or Space Channel 5. Tony Hawk games also seem to be in and out of various consoles.


As much as I like a good RPG or survival horror game as much as the next gamer, I always find my attention span is longer if I am playing something shorter. The whole premise behind Warioware games I believe...

[pixelsnpolygons]

I'm the same. It's funny, if asked I'd say epic adventures are my favorite type of game. The Zelda's, Shenmue games, any other RPG or adventure... but with every passing year I find myself with less time. Games like the above I hardly ever have a chance to play a second time because they're too time consuming and between work and a family it'd take me a week or more (whereas in high school it'd take, what, a weekend - a weeknight?) to play through. I can't spare that kind of time for a game I've already completed, even if it does hold good memories.

I find myself drifting towards games like Burnout 3 and other short or "arcadey" type games - which were always favorites, but now they're the main course of my gaming diet, not the midnight snack. I'm yet to finish any of the Splinter Cell games, and I've enjoyed them. In fact, come to think of it, out of the hundreds of games I play per year I maybe get a chance to finish half a dozen and they're usually always really short games. Hell, I still haven't finished The Wind Waker and that makes me feel like something has really gone wrong with my life.

I'm having a blast with WarioWare Touched, as I did with the GBA original. You know, if the Revolution somehow featured games that were as original and engrossing as WarioWare Touched, I would think they are dead-on with the simple and short game theory. I somehow doubt their ability (or anyone's) to be that prolifically creative but if they could pull it off, the Revolution might be the go-to system for most of my gaming needs.

[AlexKidd]

I generally prefer short games. I like shmups, pinball games and other arcade type games which I can just put on for a little while at a time. I enjoy long rpg's but with a few exceptions(ff6, chrono trigger) I usually just start them, play for a few hours and play something else. I think there should be more short rpg's like fable and the Ys series.

[Uzi 9mm]

Short games for me. I never really have the time to finish a long game, so I just usually pick up a short game, or a game that has no real end (Animal Crossing, DDR, etc.). The only real "long" game I ever beat was Final Fantasy X, and maybe a few other RPG's that I can't remember at the moment.

[felix]

For me, it depends on where I am. I tried playing FFX here at work and quickly got frustrated from the lack of pause option durring the cutscenes. I tend to play a lot of shooters or platformers like Ratchet and Clank when I'm at work. If I have a lot of time at home like a day off with no interuptions, I really enjoy longer, more in depth games.

[smokehouse]

I used to play the epic titles. Back in the day it was Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy/II/III, Secret of Mana, Mario RPG, etc. Now I have to choose my battles wisely. I played Paper Mario 2 through last winter and can say that it was the first lengthy game I had played since destroying FFX in early 2002. Now days I’m like many of you, I play older, quicker titles that I can enjoy for 20 minuets at a time. Sadly, I don’t play newer titles right now; I have just lost interest for some reason. Possibly when the next-gen consoles come out…

[Zilla]

I usually tackle 3 games at a time. Thing is I make sure its one long game and 2 shorter ones. That way depending on the time available I play one of the 3. Right now I've got Mutant League Football in my Genesis, NES Open Tournament Golf in my NES, and FF 7 in my PS. The first 2 get played when i know I dont have a lot of time and FF7 gets played when i have an hour or more. My system works well for me.