Gears of War (Xbox 360)

[TwistedBishop]

10 hours is certainly not typical for non-RPGs. That is a bit short, even if it may be the norm for some recent FPS games. What are you comparing it to? Let's go with similar games for arguement's sake:

Halo: 15+ hours
GRAW: 10 hours
PDZ: 12 hours

So two of those are 10 or near it. Also at about 10 hours in recent years:

Halo 2
Call of Duty 2
Prey
Condemned
Darkwatch

Games at 15+ like Halo or Half-Life 2 (or even RE4 if we want to include it) in the FPS genre aren't common, which is why I did say 10 hours for Gears was a typical length. I don't see how, judging by the majority of games, it can be called "quite short".

 

[Arnwyn]

10 hours is certainly not typical for non-RPGs.

Absolutely true. 10 hours is indeed too short, regardless.

Along with what John Crichton posted, I'm also looking at other action-type games (which GoW is, as it's not really a FPS - but in any case, 'perspective' isn't enough to determine length!) such as Okami (30 hours) for comparison. But Halo, Halo 2, HL2, RE4, Metroid Prime, and God of War are all good comparisons.

Though time-lengths are indeed subjective. Twisted Bishop notes Halo 2 at being around 10 hours, when for my buddy and I it was 25 hours (and we're pretty decent).

But "10 hours" is too short. (And noting overly-short Xbox 360 games doesn't reflect on the 360 very well, either.)

 

[Cergorach]

How long is Half Life 2 and Doom3? (still have to play through these ;-)

I recall seeing Gears of War on a release list for the PC. If there'll be a demo i will certainly try it, the graphics look awesome, read some interesting things about gameplay...

 

[Vocenoctum]

Absolutely true. 10 hours is indeed too short, regardless.

Along with what John Crichton posted, I'm also looking at other action-type games (which GoW is, as it's not really a FPS - but in any case, 'perspective' isn't enough to determine length!) such as Okami (30 hours) for comparison. But Halo, Halo 2, HL2, RE4, Metroid Prime, and God of War are all good comparisons.

Though time-lengths are indeed subjective. Twisted Bishop notes Halo 2 at being around 10 hours, when for my buddy and I it was 25 hours (and we're pretty decent).

But "10 hours" is too short. (And noting overly-short Xbox 360 games doesn't reflect on the 360 very well, either.)

GoW will be more of a Shooter than other games, like RE4, that involve gameplay above and beyond the combat. Even HL2 is probably longer based on the stupid puzzles. (How long does it take to stack bricks in order to hop up to a ledge at shoulder height...)

Halo2's length was short feeling, but the sentiments probably have more to do with the cliffhanger and Arbiter levels than the actual length. Heck, adding in replay value and Live, it's much exceded any reasonable mark for gametime for me.

So, Gears of Wars "10 hour" rating is comparable to other such games, even if not exact, and thus does fit for the actual originator arguement of "gauging memory size".

Sure they could make Gears longer than 10 hours, but it'd probably be by having you spend 3 hours searching the yard for 1 of 3 music boxes to be able to open a door... probably a simple wooden door with a regular doorknob, that cannot be opened by your Machinegun with Grenade Launcher and Buzzsaw attachments.


Heck, in FEAR: Extraction Point (a REAL short game, and just bad on every level), you can't enter doors because they say "no unathorized persons allowed". Sure you're fighting psychic clone horrors, but you can't open a door that says "don't open", that'd just be wrong!


If GoW has a 10 hour playtime, assuming you run directly from the start point to the exit point, then I'll probably get 25-35 hours out of it, then add on replay and online play and it'll be worth it.

 

[Vocenoctum]

As the years go by, expect to see a considerable amount more on high-capacity discs. PS3 just happens to be the only player in that market for consoles right now.

I think the real test is whether the high-capacity issue will be a problem THIS generation of consoles. I'd like to get the better capability of high-mem, but I'd also rather they keep their code tight enough, instead of padding it out with cut-scenes and such.

 

[TwistedBishop]

Absolutely true. 10 hours is indeed too short, regardless.

It may be too short for you subjectively, but that's not really what's in question here. Game length came up in regards to data storage, and if shooters (first or third) at 10 hours were the norm when disc size wasn't even close to filling up, then Gears being 10 hours should not reflect negatively on the 360's media format at all. As I pointed out, typically shooters in recent memory were 10 hours. We can cite Half-Life 2 and RE4 as great games that were very long at over 25 hours, but anomalies don't set a standard.

 

[TwistedBishop]

Heck, in FEAR: Extraction Point (a REAL short game, and just bad on every level), you can't enter doors because they say "no unathorized persons allowed". Sure you're fighting psychic clone horrors, but you can't open a door that says "don't open", that'd just be wrong!

That reminded me I had forgotten the original FEAR, which was also 10 hours. To quote the Gamespot review: "The single-player story should take you a good 10 hours to get through, which is on par with most other shooters."

I'd certainly love to see Gears come in at 25 hours, but I can't exactly blame it for being a normal length. And I suspect, as usual with games, what the reviews say the game length is and what people actually end up playing through will be very different things. Playing a game for review, and trying to finish as fast as possible to meet your deadline, doesn't reflect how most people experience these things.

 

[Arnwyn]

If GoW has a 10 hour playtime, assuming you run directly from the start point to the exit point, then I'll probably get 25-35 hours out of it,

I'm definitely good with that, if that's how they measure playtime.

It may be too short for you subjectively, but that's not really what's in question here. Game length came up in regards to data storage, and if shooters (first or third) at 10 hours were the norm when disc size wasn't even close to filling up, then Gears being 10 hours should not reflect negatively on the 360's media format at all. As I pointed out, typically shooters in recent memory were 10 hours. We can cite Half-Life 2 and RE4 as great games that were very long at over 25 hours, but anomalies don't set a standard.

Do you have a larger sample size? I find your argument as to what the "norm" and "anomalies" are to be unconvincing so far (as I'm sure you do mine!).

 

[John Crichton]

I think the real test is whether the high-capacity issue will be a problem THIS generation of consoles. I'd like to get the better capability of high-mem, but I'd also rather they keep their code tight enough, instead of padding it out with cut-scenes and such.

I think it will make a difference and set the groundwork for what is to come - but we'll only see it matter in the right hands. Sure, some devs will pad their games with the extra space but the people who really know what they are doing will find a way to take advantage of the space this generation.

I agree completely that quality over quantity matters in this discussion and I'm sure there have been (and continue to be) high-profile devs who have really wanted to have extra space w/o having to change discs (and there may be read/access time issues as well that I am not aware of). Having access to a HD and these larger data discs only give these talented folks more tools. Conversely, it does give the folks with less talent (or resources) a crutch. I'm not really worried about the games that will already be crummy or less than stellar. It's the next KotOR, Halo, God of War or Mario that will let gamers know if the extra space will make a difference within the next 4 years.

 

[TwistedBishop]

Do you have a larger sample size?

How much proof does it really need? We've got three times the number of 10 hour games to 20 hour games in the thread. We have Gamespot calling 10 hour shooters average for the genre. There's not a whole lot more to say.