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Are shorter, linear single player experiences something you would like to see more of going forward in the AAA space?
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Absolutely. Short and sweet experiences, don't remotely care about these heavily padded "100+ hours" bloat.
Yeah, the industry is lacking those type of short but tight games it once had. The trend is: more side content, more shitty rpg elements, more checklists and collectibles, it's ruining gaming. When everyone wants open world, rpg and recurring revenue (GaaS aka loot) in everything it becomes bad.
I wouldn't mind a full priced 4 hour cinematic game, if the game is good, I don't care about its length, Journey was a $20 2 hour game, cinema is $20 for a 2 hour movie.
Did y'all start gaming this gen? Some of the best games in Gen 6 and 7 were full priced ~10 hour experiences.
I wouldn't mind a full priced 4 hour cinematic game, if the game is good, I don't care about its length, Journey was a $20 2 hour game, cinema is $20 for a 2 hour movie.
Did y'all start gaming this gen? Some of the best games in Gen 6 and 7 were full priced ~10 hour experiences.
Wut? When? When I think of linear single player game I think of Uncharted 2, Gears etc. Those games have always been $60.
God of War was 20 hours, it was twice as long as the older GoW games, I wouldn't mind a 10 hour game again.
Yes. God yes. I want more games like Resident Evil 2, Detroit and The Last Guardian. Too many times now I've reached the end credits of a game and have felt relief that it's over more than anything.
I voted no.
Not because I don't want or don't enjoy the kind of experiences the OP describes but because I don't think the AAA space has the motivation or ability to take the kind of risks that make these smaller experiences worth it.
Talented, diverse, hardworking, eclectic individuals and small shops are already filling this niche with incredibly interesting and exciting games. I really can't see many AAA teams being able to make a Stories Untold, an EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK, an Obra Dinn or a Hypnospace Outlaw without diluting the personal elements that make them so incredibly special.
Not because I don't want or don't enjoy the kind of experiences the OP describes but because I don't think the AAA space has the motivation or ability to take the kind of risks that make these smaller experiences worth it.
Talented, diverse, hardworking, eclectic individuals and small shops are already filling this niche with incredibly interesting and exciting games. I really can't see many AAA teams being able to make a Stories Untold, an EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK, an Obra Dinn or a Hypnospace Outlaw without diluting the personal elements that make them so incredibly special.
I was using a well known, exaggerated example to illustrate open world gameplay.
Nothing is "required", you can play the most linear game in existence for just 5 minutes and be done with it, having gotten some enjoyment out of it, possibly.
Depends on the person, but I'm guessing most like to finish games without feeling like they've missed out on 95% of it.
Nah, I like choice/dialogue-driven games with stories that can branch based on your choices. I'd certainly prefer it if we could have more of those without all of the superfluous open world junk, though.
I'm thinking, like, the old BioWare model, but even more focused. Honestly, the original concept for Dragon Age 4 is almost exactly the sort of thing I'm thinking of.
I'm thinking, like, the old BioWare model, but even more focused. Honestly, the original concept for Dragon Age 4 is almost exactly the sort of thing I'm thinking of.
Sure but im probably going to just rent your shit or buy it at heavy discount if its a short full priced game. I prefer huge games that take me a bit to complete for the most part though.
Yes, but replayability is important for these kinds of titles. RE2 was short and linear, but it had replayability in spades, and I strongly prefer that kind of game to most open world games.
If it's a 10-15 hour one-and-done experience, I'm waiting for a price cut.
If it's a 10-15 hour one-and-done experience, I'm waiting for a price cut.
Nah.
AAA games have to play things too conservatively to produce linear experiences worth playing. If they did start making them again they'd just start looking like late Call of Duty single player campaigns and uncharted, milked long past their expiration date.
The linear 10 hour game is much better served by the 30-40 dollar Kickstarter market and 0-20 dollar indie market are much better at delivering worthwhile experiences in this field.
AAA games have to play things too conservatively to produce linear experiences worth playing. If they did start making them again they'd just start looking like late Call of Duty single player campaigns and uncharted, milked long past their expiration date.
The linear 10 hour game is much better served by the 30-40 dollar Kickstarter market and 0-20 dollar indie market are much better at delivering worthwhile experiences in this field.
I'd prefer as always something more like Prey or Deus Ex, where you get sandbox levels that give you path choices, but they're smaller, denser and have a beginning and end point based on the story. They also clock in less hours than overly long open-world games now.
Feel like you get the best of both worlds, without the bloat of open-world, or the constraints of straight up linear games.
Feel like you get the best of both worlds, without the bloat of open-world, or the constraints of straight up linear games.
i mean I could also say people equate short linear scripted experiences with minimal player agency to quality
Yes, absolutely. I love the clarity of vision and detail-oriented execution that games like Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice and Dead Space have. Not to say that there's no room for mega-budget, massive open-world games and long RPGs and such, but there is so much in that space that's vying for our attention -- nowadays, I find that 5 to 10 hours of polished gameplay really hits a sweet spot.
I have been playing games regularly since somewhere in the start 80'ies. Current state of gaming is slowly killing my will to play games.
Single-player is mostly open world now and has gotten so formulaic that I no longer want to play a good part of them.
GaaS is slowly murdering another big part of them.
I have been moving slowly to more and more console gaming, since it still has some exclusives that I love, and even though Spider-Man and God of War (Horizon and many others) still suffer from the open world syndrome, they at least still provide solid stories and don't lock my story progress behind having to do a bunch of annoying shit to unlock new areas.
I would *LOVE* more linear experiences with all of my heart.
Single-player is mostly open world now and has gotten so formulaic that I no longer want to play a good part of them.
GaaS is slowly murdering another big part of them.
I have been moving slowly to more and more console gaming, since it still has some exclusives that I love, and even though Spider-Man and God of War (Horizon and many others) still suffer from the open world syndrome, they at least still provide solid stories and don't lock my story progress behind having to do a bunch of annoying shit to unlock new areas.
I would *LOVE* more linear experiences with all of my heart.
OP
OP
This is how I feel as well tbh, I have to say, there is a lot of value in the indie space on PC from what I have seen today, some great games.
But I do like the big budget titles for linear experiences because you get all the bells and whistles with the great voice acting etc so yeah, I would also love for these type of games to make a bit of a comeback.
Shorter AAA experiences are basically what dlc is now. Can't make AAA less than 60. Dlc is a way to leverage existing engines and assets
It's all about replay value, RE2 and DMC5 gets away with relatively short campaigns because the game is designed to be played multiple times to improve performance and challenge.
But at the same time both games have a dedicated fanbase that knows this and embrace it.
Would a IP be as successful? Who knows. People barely even complete games.
But at the same time both games have a dedicated fanbase that knows this and embrace it.
Would a IP be as successful? Who knows. People barely even complete games.
I feel like 9-12 hours is the sweetspot for a SP linear experience, and there's something great about launching a game and knowing I can beat it in a weekend. I like RPGs and open worlds too but I too often I just sit in front of the TV and want a nice linear game to immerse myself in. But honestly, I don't feel like there aren't enough games like that.
Generally speaking? I'm definitely more in favor of well designed non-linear games and systemic design. It's a philosophy of design I feel far more rewarding than being spoonfed a strict progression through a linear path.
On the other hand, there are SO MANY games that seem to go out of their way to ruin their open worlds with poor mechanics and ideas (i.e. random drops and bloated and generic loot systems, pointless collectathon, etc) or simply for the lack of well designed set pieces along the way.
That said, there have been definitely cases of linear games that I liked more than most open worlds/sandboxes. But it was rarely BECAUSE they were linear and more likely because of what they did right at some point.
On the other hand, there are SO MANY games that seem to go out of their way to ruin their open worlds with poor mechanics and ideas (i.e. random drops and bloated and generic loot systems, pointless collectathon, etc) or simply for the lack of well designed set pieces along the way.
That said, there have been definitely cases of linear games that I liked more than most open worlds/sandboxes. But it was rarely BECAUSE they were linear and more likely because of what they did right at some point.
I voted "yes" but I only partly agree with that option. I definitely want linear games to be more common again (I was never a fan of open-world games), but I don't want them to be shorter because of it. Give me 40-50h long games with good stories and I'll gladly buy them.