10 Video Games That Were Too Damn Long - Commenter Edition
When video games just didn't know to pack it up and go home.
Video game length is one of the most hotly debated aspects of the medium these days, with players considering the value of short, cinematic campaigns compared to AAA open-world experiences crammed with time-wasting collect-a-thon "content."
While some might argue that no bad game is short enough and no great game is too long, there are definitely excellent video games that outstay their welcome by at least a few hours.
With developers worried about reviews complaining their game isn't long enough, there's a tendency for them to over-egg the pudding rather than risk delivering a product that's just not worth a full retail price.
And so, we end up with so many modern games in particular that are just bloated out with extra content in the misguided quest for "value."
These 10 video games, most of them genuinely great titles, all ended up running far too long with their over-indulgent storytelling, relentless repetitive dungeons, and generally infuriating disregard for the player's time.
Obviously everyone who spends £70 on a new PS5 game wants to know they're not going to beat it in six hours, but a game that leaves you tired and drained can be just as frustrating as one that wraps up abruptly...
10. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Uncharted 4 was, at the time, the peak of Naughty Dog's powers as innovators of slickly cinematic gameplay.
There's a fair argument to be made that the three prior entries into the franchise also all outstayed their welcome by an hour or two, but the finale to Nathan Drake's story takes this to frankly exhausting extremes.
As gorgeous and brilliantly crafted as the game is, fatigue begins to set in roughly two-thirds of the way through the near-15-hour campaign, when it's clear that Naughty Dog has more-or-less run out of fresh ideas to keep the gameplay exciting.
The formula of exploring an area, platforming around, and engaging in an inevitably prolonged firefight becomes wearisome long before the end, and by cutting down some of the more snoozy platforming segments, the game could've clocked in at a more palatable 10-12 hours.
Naughty Dog clearly heard the complaints loud and clear, though, as The Lost Legacy spin-off project was a spry, lean six hours and all the better for it.