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Games with pitch-perfect pacing--not too long, not too short

MinerArcaniner

MinerArcaniner

Member
Oct 29, 2017
6,307
We all have our most favorite and least favorite games. But there are also those specific games that, while good or even great, either end way too abruptly or overstay their welcome for one reason or another.

Then there are those games simply flow like butter from start to finish. The ones that last just as long as they need to, and would be worse off if they were shorter OR longer.

So my question is: what are the best paced games you've ever played?
 
Acquiescence

Acquiescence

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
10,257
Lake Titicaca
The Last Guardian has a perfect structure and sense of escalation. It feels like a journey that finishes just at the right moment.

Max Payne 2 and Shenmue 2 as well perhaps.
 
Mirage

Mirage

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,603
TheDarkKnight said:
I'd say Chrono Trigger is up there. Not Rushed, and has no real bloat
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I just finished playing through Chrono Trigger this week for the first time and the pacing of it was great. Especially since I had just played through FF6 previously the the pacing in the second half of that isn't so great.
 
Nobleman Swerve

Nobleman Swerve

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,608
Titanfall 2's campaign was exactly as long as it needed to be.

I'd rather replay a brilliant six hour campaign than slog through a mediocre nine hour offering.
 
Malawhur

Malawhur

Member
Oct 27, 2017
175
What Remains of Edith Finch. Quite short by normal standarts but very impactful and perfectly paced.
 

Deleted member 10737

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
49,774
portal 1 and 2
limbo and inside
hollow knight

games of varying lengths, but all of them were hard to put down, had no filler and justified every second spent on them.
 
vestan

vestan

#REFANTAZIO SWEEP
Member
Dec 28, 2017
24,736
Splinter Cell 1
Half-Life 2
Super Mario 3D World
Uncharted 2
Resident Evil 4
Dishonored
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Vanquish
Bayonetta 2
 
ZeroX

ZeroX

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,266
Speed Force
mazi said:
portal 1 and 2
limbo and inside
hollow knight

games of varying lengths, but all of them were hard to put down, had no filler and justified every second spent on them.
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Hollow Knight has atrocious pacing. It's basically the longest game in the genre wtf. I gave up to after five hours because it took ages to get anything and the huge amounts of backtracking even with fast travel.
 
Spring-Loaded

Spring-Loaded

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,904
Gitaroo said:
Uncharted 2
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Indelible said:
I thought Uncharted Lost Legacy was the perfect length and it never dragged.
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NKnight7 said:
Titanfall 2's story campaign and Uncharted Lost Legacy.

I thought both had the perfect length.
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Strongly agree.

Titanfall 2 less than the other two, but it still provides an impressive diversity of action throughout.

Uncharted 2 after Borneo up to right after the train sequence is something I can play without ever wanting to stop.

Lost Legacy was the breath of fresh air in terms of pacing after 3 and especially 4. A return to form.
kurahador said:
Arkham Asylum. The game has this really precise and clear direction from the get go.
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Somewhat disagree—it has clear direction on where to go at all times, but there's a lack of diversity in encounter design that causes some of the overlong group fights and requires backtracking which undercuts the pacing.
 
Eggiem

Eggiem

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,808
ZeroX said:
Hollow Knight has atrocious pacing. It's basically the longest game in the genre wtf. I gave up to after five hours because it took ages to get anything and the huge amounts of backtracking even with fast travel.
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Same. But it's a great game if you have the time to play it and try all the different paths and stuff.

A Way Out is perfect for one long coop session with your best friend.
 
Max|Payne

Max|Payne

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,049
Portugal
I think Mass Effect 2 has the best pacing of the whole series. Provided you don't go too deep into the side stuff, that game is just a joy to play and it never feels like it's wasting your time.
 
ZeroX

ZeroX

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
21,266
Speed Force
Uncharted 2 I feel has perfect pacing until the final level. It's just a little too long in the one area and things like the arena and mob encounters could've been toned down a little. There was a few too many.
 
eraFROMAN

eraFROMAN

One Winged Slayer
Member
Mar 12, 2019
2,922
DMC 1. If I'm starting it, I'm also finishing it in the same sitting. No memory card, only a few breaks, and the game's over in 2 or 3 hours. Very satisfying game.
 
ghibli99

ghibli99

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,994
Most recently, Astro Bot and Celeste. Games with absolutely minimal bloat IMO, even when going for everything (except for maybe those gold strawberries in Celeste!), with so much imaginative level design and creativity. Celeste demands more from the player, but Astro Bot is no slouch either when it comes to getting golds on all the challenges.
 

Deleted member 34949

Account closed at user request
Banned
Nov 30, 2017
19,101
Parasite Eve 1 is just as long as it needs to be. Never really feels like the game ever drags at any point.
 
Weiss

Weiss

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Oct 25, 2017
64,265
I played Hollow Knight for over 70 hours my first playthrough and never once got bored, so I'll go with that.
 
Spring-Loaded

Spring-Loaded

Member
Oct 27, 2017
19,904
Also, I don't agree with the notion that a game's pacing is directly dependent on length—there are other more important factors that contribute to the pacing.

A really long game can have good or bad pacing, same with a really short game.
 
OP
OP
MinerArcaniner

MinerArcaniner

Member
Oct 29, 2017
6,307
Spring-Loaded said:
Also, I don't agree with the notion that a game's pacing is directly dependent on length—there are other more important factors that contribute to the pacing.

A really long game can have good or bad pacing, same with a really short game.
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The idea is that the game's length is a good fit for whatever it sets out to do, whether that requires 1 hour or 100.
 
Dreamboum

Dreamboum

Member
Oct 28, 2017
22,955
Resident Evil 4 is automatically disqualified for that island section. Not only it is nowhere near as good as the castle, it's just terrible outside of a few sections I could count with one hand

and an underwhelming final boss
 
BuBu Jenkins

BuBu Jenkins

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,069
Spider-Man 2018, the perfect open world pacing that doesn't drag while also being meaty enough to not feel too short. The only blemish is the awful forced stealth MJ/Miles sections which at least go by quick.
 
Elfotografoalocado

Elfotografoalocado

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,618
Spain
Portal 2, Metro 2033, Half Life 2, Wolf: The New Order, DOOM 2016, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice...

I don't get when people hate crafted, "Linear" experiences like those. They are the best games!
 
TheBaldwin

TheBaldwin

Member
Feb 25, 2018
8,316
Nobleman Swerve said:
Titanfall 2's campaign was exactly as long as it needed to be.

I'd rather replay a brilliant six hour campaign than slog through a mediocre nine hour offering.
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NKnight7 said:
Titanfall 2's story campaign and Uncharted Lost Legacy.

I thought both had the perfect length.
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Yep. Titanfall, Portal, and Uncharted Lost Legacy are the absolute perfect Length.

I'd also add most call of the duty early campaigns.
 
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