I don't like overly hard games. Frustration is the opposite of fun. So I don't mind games getting easier, up to a point.
I think that's why many games do have difficulty settings (where you select when you start the game up) or difficulty sliders (which you can manipulate at anytime during the game) - so the gamer can set the game's difficulty accordingly.
Games like the original Fable: TLC, as great as I thought it was - man, I wish the game had difficulty settings...
But I do mind very much games getting shorter.
I agree - b/c they ain't being priced according.
Articles like this make my heart sink. I get a glimpse of a bleak future with nothing but short downloadable diversions.
If companies priced them accordingly, it wouldn't be such a big deal. I think this is the problem on the market. This is why when I see things like SC: Conviction's SP and Modern Warfare 2's SP are so short, I just refuse to spend that new release price-tag ($40-60). I don't know - I just don't seem to be into the Multiplayer portions of these kind of games as much as the old Quake 2 days - as I don't feel MP in general has evolved enuff over the years (for the most part) to keep me playing for quite the while. While other gamers might get tons of hours out of MP, I just don't seem to, for the most part. I think the whole storytelling element is lacking in many competitive MP games, which I think might be why I actually have an interest for even Bioshock 2's MP - I'll let y'all know what I think of Bioshock 2, once I get it.
When I see games like Fallout 3, Oblivion, Dragon Age: Origins that will give me the gamer w/ 30-plus hours or so - these games, I might be willing to part w/ the full price-tag (as long as they ain't riddled w/ performance issues and bugs) b/c I know I am going to get that long game that'll be plenty bang-for-the-buck.
My favorite games provide rich open worlds to inhabit, explore and conquer. They allow me to save at any time, so I can play for whatever length time I have for a session without missing or repeating a beat in the next session. And I want them to deliver a huge amount of gameplay, the more the better. If that is passe, well, then so am I.
Amen, Cobra - I love these open-world games, as well. I hope we keep seeing this made. I think we will see these open-world games and long 30-hour plus RPG's keep on trucking. I mean, there will be a Fallout: New Vegas; Dragon Age 2; Mass Effect 3; SWTOR MMO looks ridiculously HUGE; Two Worlds 2; Witcher 2; Drakensang 2 is out in Europe (and there's already talks of Drakensang 3 coming); we know for sure there'll be a GTA5, in due time; etc etc.
And, yes - I also like these short games, too. I mean, there are times when I just don't want that 40-100 hours epic and just need something to play for a short time for that quick satisfaction. But, like I said - these short games need to be priced more appropriately for me. $20-30 or less is quite fair - as short 4-6 hour SP games is really the cost of what expansion pack sized games offer up.