| IllegalPaladin said: lol, funny you bring up Dynasty Warriors because that game has you mash the same combos like mad. For me, it's fun in small chunks. Maybe get in a really good spree for a week and then get back off it for a a little while and then come back depending on my urge to play it.
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*edit* Actually what worries me about asking for longer games from developers is that they're just going to fluff it up with crap instead of making it an awesome experience. Some games rock, but others just feel like a bunch of things were just added to put on some time rather than to enhance the experience. |
Dynasty Warriors succeeds on several levels with several Musou modes as well as many different characters (discoverable ones too) and items to find. To play through a single Musou will take about 6 hours, more or less depending on the Musou and the player's skill. However, with a single Musou, you can unlock about 6 more characters and many new items. Possibly more Musou modes as well. Then add in cooperative mode, vs mode, mini-games...etc.
Based on all of that, the replay value of a single Dynasty Warriors title is enormous. Even if you're repeating a lot of the same moves, the game changes that up by adding more combos with a level-up system as well as new effects via items. Get bored with the same moves? Pick a new character. A modern Dynasty Warriors title has well over 30 of them some of which are similar and some that are very different. Playing with Yue Ying is a very different experience compared to playing with Xiahou Dun or Pang Tong.
A single Dynasty Warriors title will offer a lot of value in terms of main storylines and replays. Heavenly Sword doesn't bring nearly as much to the table.
As for your edit, consider what you just said. Your fear is that developers will fluff with crap rather than quality to pad the length of the title. Why do you think that is? In order to make a longer game, you either need a bigger budget or you need to make use of your current budget in a more efficient manner. No one is going to claim that Heavenly Sword had a small budget so why did all that money turn into a 6 hour game? Where did it all go?
The key to management isn't getting more money, it's about figuring out the cost/benefit ratio of each game feature. Koei and Dynasty Warriors are already at the point of experience where adding certain features is not costly as they already have an understanding of how to implement them. They can implement previous features more efficiently (and cheaper) and thus have more room for expansion within that framework.
Ninja Theory and Heavenly Sword do not have that luxury. Now, if they made a terrific game engine for the PS3 in Heavenly Sword and were able to reuse that, how much content would you expect to see in a follow-up title? Would it be a lot? Maybe, maybe not. The problem right now is that it looks like a majority of their budget went into art and taking maximum advantage of the PS3's art capabilities. The result is a game that looks pretty but delivers a short experience. At some level, it's almost more of a technical demo of the PS3's capabilities than a full-blown game. However, art isn't gameplay. Art isn't solid content. Which would you rather have: absolutely perfect hair physics or a couple hours of extra content (levels) and maybe more variety/use in Nariko's moveset.
As its own game judged in a vacuum, Heavenly Sword is disappointing. However, if Ninja Theory is allowed to build upon that and can transfer some of those resources from art to content/level/extra design, the potential for a stronger sequel, one that is in excess of the 6 hours Heavenly Sword hits, is there.
Games aren't just measured in hours of play, however that is a valid measurement. If a game cannot provide a number of hours of entertainment to be worth the price, the game has failed. For each person this is different however, and I'm sure Heavenly Sword was indeed worth the price for some... as a rental. ^_^
