Lots of reviewers have weird conceptions of what it means when a game is X hours long. Bioware's RPGs have always been long and full of content, so Mass Effect is almost certainly over 30 hours of fun when played at a reasonable pace.

Then again, games on the HD consoles have been notably shorter than last gen, so we might be in for a sore surprise.

BTW yojimbo, you can play through FF 9 in 12 hours or less, does it make it that short. No it doesnt. Just because one group of people rush through it to review doesnt mean its that short.

Lost tears of Kain said: endurance said: ckmlb said: Mass Effect's dialogue is supposed to be its strongest quality, also the Witcher is in the 80s in scores, this isn't likely to go below 90%. Even if the main quest is 10 hours, if it's great I'll be playing it many times over with different classes. I'm pretty sure the game is 20-30 hours.   the problem though is its fighting system is clunky Actually if 1up has anything good to say at all ever, they said they liked the combat system =/

really because some previews said its combat wasnt to good

Lost tears of Kain said: Yojimbo said: Lost Tears of Kain: If you dont like what people are discussing in this thread you can leave. 10-20h hours of main quest and 5-10h sidequest is that your definition of decent RPG? No i want people to trust good sites, and know before they speak FF may be 30-50 hours, does it have ANY replay? No, guess what mass effect has? Different characters, different squad choices, different paths, and different endings. Also game informer and Gamertv put it at 30 hours, again dont trust 1 up for the love of hell.

I am not going to discuss 1up with you, if you hate them that is your problem. I still dont understand why people are comparing FF with Mass Effect I am going to play along. It can take 30-50hours if you skip all sidequests. Mass Effect if you skip all side quests (BrainbloxLTD finished it with 9h not sure) but lets say 15 hours. Is it fair to compare those two games? I am not even saying that FF games are long they are just ok.

About FF9 did not know you could do it that fast. Does not mean that I believe you I am talking about average time. Lets see what the others reviwers say how long it will take to finish Mass Effect.

 

Yojimbo said: Lost tears of Kain said: Yojimbo said: Lost Tears of Kain: If you dont like what people are discussing in this thread you can leave. 10-20h hours of main quest and 5-10h sidequest is that your definition of decent RPG? No i want people to trust good sites, and know before they speak FF may be 30-50 hours, does it have ANY replay? No, guess what mass effect has? Different characters, different squad choices, different paths, and different endings. Also game informer and Gamertv put it at 30 hours, again dont trust 1 up for the love of hell. I am not going to discuss 1up with you, if you hate them that is your problem. I still dont understand why people are comparing FF with Mass Effect I am going to play along. It can take 30-50hours if you skip all sidequests. Mass Effect if you skip all side quests (BrainbloxLTD finished it with 9h not sure) but lets say 15 hours. Is it fair to compare those two games? I am not even saying that FF games are long they are just ok.

And people finish FF 9 in 12 hours, again do you say thats the final time? No!

Again, replayability comes not this. FF has virually no replayability. Nor does it possess as many options, its a story with little choosing, with one ending.

Your right they shouldnt be compared, but your sitting it hitting on it for being short, when really its not. 1up rushed it, its not accurate and should NOT be compared to any long JRPGS thats what im saying.

Im saying even FF can be rushed and almost done in single hours, does that mean its the final time, not really. Thats what 1 up has done, we have other sources saying that its twice as long, and replayability is high.

 

i already told you, Game informer put it at 18-30 hours, with a high replay

Gamer tv i believe put it at 30.

The combat is the last thing I'd complain about. After playing KotOR and a few Final Fantasies, I applaud any RPG where combat does not consists solely of pouring through menus and watching cutscenes. Don't compare it to Halo, compare it to other RPG fighting systems and it'll really shine bright.

Ok so they tried the same with Jade Empire, the combat of whic was shallow and sucked, but maybe they've learned something by now. =P

unyieldinghierophant said: shio said: Bioware have average writers and average writing, you only need to check Kotor's and Jade Empire's NWN 2: Mask of the Betraye was developed by Obsidian, which has already been confirmed as a better RPG developer than Bioware: Kotor 2(Obsidian) was, bugs aside, superior to Kotor 1(Bioware) in every way; NWN2 (Obsidian) is vastly superior to NWN1 (Bioware) Never say that Bioware has average writers and writering, completly untrue. Bioware is the best WRPG developer, and KOTOR 1 is superior to KOTOR 2 in every way, have you ever played them ??

Obsidian is the best developer, no doubt. Just ask any wRPG fan who has played both developers' recent games and they'll say the same. Kotor 2 was simply better than Kotor 1. It had better story, characters, interaction, and was more complex. The player's alignment actually impacted the player's choices and sub-plots, instead of the pointless exchange of words from your teammates in Kotor 1.

Lost tears of Kain said: shio said: Mass Effect looks to be a great game, but it may be overhyped like KOTOR was. This year Mass Effect has some competition for RPGOTY such as The Witcher or NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer. Storywise and writing/dialogue wise, Mass Effect will most likely be below The Witcher and NWN2:MotB. And it's combat is limited by the 360's pads. And I heard ME isn't a big length game? I don't think Mass Effect will be the top contestant for RPGOTY. The Witcher will be, or MotB. Considering almost ever site gave it RPG for the E3 convention, and IGn comparing it to SMG for GOTY (dont know if score will be as high) i dont see how it can happen. Bioware is one of the best storytelling devs you can find, go look at some of the scenes you talk to your squad, its amazing.

... Then I tell you to compare to Black Isle's games that CRUSH Bioware's games (except BG2) in terms of storytelling and writing, especially Planescape: Torment. And Obsidian, which coincidentally was founded by old Blask Isle developers, also proved better than Bioware.

All I know is ... the game rocks. I definitely concur the main quest is like 12-15 hours, and could expand to 20 hours with a high replay value.

@selnor

The guy that's your avatar is awesome in the game. He's got a trigger finger ... 

FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, PEOPLE!

Use the edit button!

shio said: unyieldinghierophant said: shio said: Bioware have average writers and average writing, you only need to check Kotor's and Jade Empire's NWN 2: Mask of the Betraye was developed by Obsidian, which has already been confirmed as a better RPG developer than Bioware: Kotor 2(Obsidian) was, bugs aside, superior to Kotor 1(Bioware) in every way; NWN2 (Obsidian) is vastly superior to NWN1 (Bioware) Never say that Bioware has average writers and writering, completly untrue. Bioware is the best WRPG developer, and KOTOR 1 is superior to KOTOR 2 in every way, have you ever played them ?? Obsidian is the best developer, no doubt. Just ask any wRPG fan who has played both developers' recent games and they'll say the same. Kotor 2 was simply better than Kotor 1. It had better story, characters, interaction, and was more complex. The player's alignment actually impacted the player's choices and sub-plots, instead of the pointless exchange of words from your teammates in Kotor 1. Lost tears of Kain said: shio said: Mass Effect looks to be a great game, but it may be overhyped like KOTOR was. This year Mass Effect has some competition for RPGOTY such as The Witcher or NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer. Storywise and writing/dialogue wise, Mass Effect will most likely be below The Witcher and NWN2:MotB. And it's combat is limited by the 360's pads. And I heard ME isn't a big length game? I don't think Mass Effect will be the top contestant for RPGOTY. The Witcher will be, or MotB. Considering almost ever site gave it RPG for the E3 convention, and IGn comparing it to SMG for GOTY (dont know if score will be as high) i dont see how it can happen. Bioware is one of the best storytelling devs you can find, go look at some of the scenes you talk to your squad, its amazing. ... Then I tell you to compare to Black Isle's games that CRUSH Bioware's games (except BG2) in terms of storytelling and writing, especially Planescape: Torment. And Obsidian, which coincidentally was founded by old Blask Isle developers, also proved better than Bioware.

Your saying Kotor 2 was better then 1 by saying obsidian is better then bioware..... your opinion i guess.

Game informer xbox magazine and all the reviewers stated its one of the strongest storys in video games

xbox magazine said "its the best story ever seen in video games....period"

game informer:  "it takes interactive story telling to new heights" "so captivating you will be counting the days to the  sequal" " It made me feel emotions i had never felt in a video game before"

Now i wont argue that your opinion is right or wrong. But im just saying bioware is a fantastic story teller in the eyes of many reviewers and players.