10 Video Games That Should’ve Ended WAY Sooner
Why isn't it over??
It's crazy to believe how, only a few decades ago, nearly every game could be completed in a single sitting. Nowadays, most gamers aren't satisfied unless a title has at least 20 hours of content. When it comes to open-world adventures or RPGs, that goes double. So, if you're playing a title that you can get lost in for hundreds of hours, it feels like you're living the dream.
But bigger isn't always better. When a game is stretched out for the sake of it, it can feel like a drag. At a certain point, you might feel like you're playing it out of habit, rather than enjoyment.
Now, that's not suggesting long games are a bad thing. Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and Red Dead Redemption 2 take an eternity to beat, and yet keep players enthralled from beginning to end.
However, a game that seems like a reasonable length can become dull quickly if it has padding, repetitive gameplay, and grinding sections. Whether the games on this list took ten hours to complete or a thousand, brevity would've benefitted every one of them.
10. Mafia III
In Mafia III, Vietnam veteran Lincoln Clay declares war on the New Bordeaux mob after they murder his family. To exact his revenge, Clay forges his own criminal empire, becoming a part of the very evil that took away his loved ones.
The first Mafia kept players occupied for six or seven hours. The sequel took around ten hours to complete. Naturally, you'd assume Mafia III would be slightly longer. However, this threequel takes about 20 hours to complete.
Now, just because Mafia and Mafia II were reasonably short doesn't mean the third instalment has to be. Theoretically, Mafia III can be as long as it wants, so long as it keeps players entertained.
Sadly, that's not the case. As astounding as the first few hours are, Mafia III is let down by unfun mechanics, lacklustre pacing, and tedious missions. When you see how boring the gameplay is, you can't help feeling frustrated. But when you realise you're not enjoying yourself AND you're not even halfway through, it gives you the incentive to switch the game off for good.
In hindsight, Mafia III wouldn't be as painstaking to play if it was as concise as its predecessors.