How long do you play a game to decide if its good or bad?

[pathos]

If the ui is bad, controlls are crap, or the game just makes my eyes bleed, I'll usually set it down in less than an hour.

For example, the last dungeon siege game. Controls were pretty horrid, imo, and I set that one down in around 45 minutes.

For everything else 1-5 hours.

I remember playing the 2nd Knights of the Old Republic game, and just wanting to finish that first planet already. Seemed to go on for hours and hours.

But, once i finally got off the planet, I loved the game (rushed ending or no)

 

[rivan]

Depends on the type of game. Some you can tell almost immediately, while others it takes a few hours. I try to give any game a fair chance of a couple of hours but if it has something I just don't like and can't get over I will just quit it.

This for me, but the older I get the more often I'll stop after 10 or 15 minutes. I don't have hours to sink into a game that isn't fun right out of the box.

 

[Danimal1209]

Developers should take note of how much impact initial reaction has.

 

[irishScott]

If a game doesn't get me involved within 30 minutes, it's probably not that good by my preferences.

That said, you have the rare exceptions like Mass Effect 3 that are good for 99% and then blow up in the last 1%.

 

[werepossum]

Depends on the type of game. Some you can tell almost immediately, while others it takes a few hours. I try to give any game a fair chance of a couple of hours but if it has something I just don't like and can't get over I will just quit it.

This. I decided I didn't like MOH: Airborne in the first fifteen minutes and haven't gone back even though I bought it at launch. On the other hand, I played the last Aliens v. Predators game for several hours before deciding it wasn't going to be worth finishing. And I finished every single quest in Far Cry 3 even though I think it's a bad game. Whether or not a game is "good" is to some extent subjective, notwithstanding games like Daikatana, therefore the amount of time to decide it is "bad" is also subjective.

One can also be wrong, of course. I disliked Blackhawk Down so much I unloaded it, but later re-installed it and had a pretty fun time. Long story short, I had found a way into town that the developers had not planned and thus did not cross several triggers, so the people I was supposedly taking down had not spawned. Even more disconcerting, a ship and perhaps two dozen bad guys appeared and disappeared depending on which side of buildings I passed. I therefore decided the game was bad, but later I was able to isolate and reproduce the bug, and by NOT coming into town that way reduced a deal breaking, game ruining bug to a non-event. I thought the game was a piece of crap with wings when in reality everything I was suffering came from one "wrong" path.

 

[werepossum]

This for me, but the older I get the more often I'll stop after 10 or 15 minutes. I don't have hours to sink into a game that isn't fun right out of the box.

I agree with this as well. I have a couple dozen unplayed games; why on Earth would I intentionally spend several unfun hours on one game?

I've done it, of course, on games like the last Aliens v. Predators where I so loved the second game that I refused to admit reality. But in general, no. I do sometimes come back if I like the genre though, and sometimes I like it better the second time around.

 

[Aikouka]

I start assessing a game immediately upon launching it. For example, I hate sitting through splash screens, and if you make me do that, I will get annoyed each time. I don't like being annoyed with games, because they're supposed to be a fun and relaxing experience.

When it comes to other aspects of the game that may be more game-related, those are quite variable. For example, I may just not enjoy the way a platformer feels, and I can get that within the first few minutes. I may not enjoy the way combat feels in a game as it's too slow and clunky compared to what I'm expecting. Even if it gets better later in the game due to unlocked combos, etc., I don't want to play through (potential) hours of boredom just to have a little fun. I'll find a game that keeps me entertained all the time.

Some of you guys make me laugh. I mean, there are some games like RPGs that start off very boring with lots of character introduction, plot set ups, easing you into the combat, explaining special tactics and such. All before you are given your freedom. These can take hours to get through all the character dialog and things like that. If you give up in the first 10 minutes you never even got to play yet. You were riding the train to the game and haven't arrived.

Honestly, I don't think that you're really making a strong case for the games to which you are referring. If a game starts off very boring (for whatever reason), then it isn't doing its job! A game is supposed to keep the user engaged through one of its aspects (gameplay, story, etc.), but if a game is boring, then it isn't accomplishing that goal. You mentioned Persona 4 (in a portion that I cut out of your quote), and I think that's a great example of this. I bought Persona 4 Golden awhile ago, and I had a hell of a time trying to play it. The problem was... the game was just too boring up until you actually start fighting (it was somewhat more interesting when you first fall into the TV). I think it took me about an hour and 15 minutes to hit that first part and I've finished the portion where you start fighting and I'm at about two hours. What made it really boring to me is that it's just full of normal day-to-day sort of things, which means there's very little character development and minor bits of story introduction.

I recently read through the Final Fantasy IV translation comparison, so that game is a bit fresh on my mind. It probably takes about 15 minutes to hit the prologue for that game (when you leave Baron Castle with Kain), which is an hour less than Persona 4, but I'd argue that it accomplishes just as much. Ni no Kuni is a recent JRPG entry, and it takes... about 10-15 minutes to get you to the other world, which includes quite a bit of story elements.

 

[FalseChristian]

I usually play games for about 10 minutes before I decide. For instance STALKER: Shadows of Chernobyl I played for 10 minutes only because I couldn't get past the road block no matter what I did.

I played Crysis 3 for 15 minutes but stopped because I had to find a way to open this red door but I couldn't so I moved on to FarCry 3 which is a much better experience, IMHO.

 

[Arsinek]

Well, does me not liking something make it bad? It took me maybe an hour or 2 to turn Dota2 off and I may never play it again. And there are plenty of rabid Dota2 fanboys on this forum alone that would see me skinned alive for saying it was a bad game, so I guess to them its a good game though I didnt care for it.

But for me to determine whether I like a game or not depends on the game. Dota2 an hour or 2. Planetside 2 a month. It really depends on the game and I dont know if that makes the game bad. I played WoW for 3 yrs and thought it was great up until the last few months.

 

[Montsegur97]

Give most games at least an hour...some though, you can tell within seconds it'll be terrible. Rpg's you always have to give a bit more time since the pace can ramp up much later on.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I start assessing a game immediately upon launching it. For example, I hate sitting through splash screens, and if you make me do that, I will get annoyed each time. I don't like being annoyed with games, because they're supposed to be a fun and relaxing experience.

When it comes to other aspects of the game that may be more game-related, those are quite variable. For example, I may just not enjoy the way a platformer feels, and I can get that within the first few minutes. I may not enjoy the way combat feels in a game as it's too slow and clunky compared to what I'm expecting. Even if it gets better later in the game due to unlocked combos, etc., I don't want to play through (potential) hours of boredom just to have a little fun. I'll find a game that keeps me entertained all the time.



Honestly, I don't think that you're really making a strong case for the games to which you are referring. If a game starts off very boring (for whatever reason), then it isn't doing its job! A game is supposed to keep the user engaged through one of its aspects (gameplay, story, etc.), but if a game is boring, then it isn't accomplishing that goal. You mentioned Persona 4 (in a portion that I cut out of your quote), and I think that's a great example of this. I bought Persona 4 Golden awhile ago, and I had a hell of a time trying to play it. The problem was... the game was just too boring up until you actually start fighting (it was somewhat more interesting when you first fall into the TV). I think it took me about an hour and 15 minutes to hit that first part and I've finished the portion where you start fighting and I'm at about two hours. What made it really boring to me is that it's just full of normal day-to-day sort of things, which means there's very little character development and minor bits of story introduction.

I recently read through the Final Fantasy IV translation comparison, so that game is a bit fresh on my mind. It probably takes about 15 minutes to hit the prologue for that game (when you leave Baron Castle with Kain), which is an hour less than Persona 4, but I'd argue that it accomplishes just as much. Ni no Kuni is a recent JRPG entry, and it takes... about 10-15 minutes to get you to the other world, which includes quite a bit of story elements.

The part you're missing is that the game is not inside the TV. That's the side part, the whole idea is you are supposed to allot your time for building your bonds with characters so you can create new persona. a good 80% of the game is spent deciding what to do with the little time you have and with whom. Some of your social links are only available on certain times or days. So the little boring bits for the first couple hours are meant to introduce you to the every day life in the game so that when you are left out on your own you have a starting point.

It is one of those games that definitely doesn't revolve around combat so much as the character development.

Games with deep story and meaning don't have to start off with 500 deaths. Not every game is going to be God of War.

 

[Aikouka]

The part you're missing is that the game is not inside the TV. That's the side part, the whole idea is you are supposed to allot your time for building your bonds with characters so you can create new persona. a good 80% of the game is spent deciding what to do with the little time you have and with whom. Some of your social links are only available on certain times or days. So the little boring bits for the first couple hours are meant to introduce you to the every day life in the game so that when you are left out on your own you have a starting point.

It's not like I'm disinterested in the whole daily life thing as I've played those (sometimes really weird) Japanese daily life sim games in the past. The problem is that even in the beginning... there really isn't that much of a choice. You're pretty much running on rails for a bit, and I don't really think it's required to understand the game... especially since you aren't doing much more than going wherever they want you to go (school, home, Junes, etc.). I guess I just want to feel like I'm doing something.

Oh, and another important thing with RPGs that I think gets ignored sometimes... the soundtrack! If I can't remember a few songs after playing the game, then the soundtrack is worthless. I can turn on songs from Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy VI or Chrono Trigger and picture the scene(s) from the game where it takes place. That is the definition of a memorable soundtrack... to me at least.

 

[Bonesdad]

if i play to the end of the game, it was a good game. I have a LOT of unfinished games...

 

[pontifex]

if i play to the end of the game, it was a good game. I have a LOT of unfinished games...

I kind of agree with this. I have a ton of unfinished games as well. The games start out fun, I play for awhile, but then lose interest. Too much of the same thing over and over or dwindling story is usually what kills it.

 

[hardhat]

Depends on the game.
I was so angry after 15 minutes of the Dragon Age 2 demo that I shut it off. On the other hand, I have over a hundred games of SC2 because it took me that long to realize the game wasn't for me.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Some games i can like at first then absolutely stop playing,Far Cry 3 was one as well as DNF.

Chasing down mystical mushrooms 2 hours into a fps game to save your friend meaning Far Cry 3 isn't what i had in mind nor is saving random people who have nothing to do with the main story from being ripped to pieces by crocodiles but shooting was and well DNF wow there isn't enough i could say.

Some games like Hard Reset i have enjoyed enough that i could play them over and over again.:thumbsup:

 

[tacosrcool]

For me its just about 2 hours or so. Usually I stop playing them forever if they suck that bad

 

[Raduque]

For the most part about an hour. The only game that took less time for me to realize it sucked was Demon's Souls. That one took about 15 minutes, and 300 deaths. It's like Dragon's Lair with modern graphics.

 

[Wardawg1001]

I didn't answer the poll because it doesn't really make sense. Different types of games require different amounts of effort.

RPG's are generally story and combat based, and often the story and combat mechanics take quite a while to really build up. I'll generally give RPG's at least 3-5 hours to decide if I want to continue - by then the story should have started to develop enough to where I can decide if its interesting at all, and the combat mechanics will probably be not quite fully developed but I should have a general idea of the basics and where its heading.

RTS's similarly require a lot of time to really understand if I will enjoy the game (multiplayer at least, I don't play RTS single player games). Even 3-5 hours is hardly enough time to learn how deep the mechanics are, how the balance is, learn some basic strategies, etc. I'll probably have done some research before buying a RTS game though, so I'll have some idea of what I'm not sure about and what I'm looking for, so after maybe 5-10 hours I'll probably know whether I want to continue playing or not.

RPG's and RTS's both suffer from a similar problem - bad controls can really ruin the game. Even a really well designed game with good graphics, a good story, and good mechanics can really be ruined quickly by clunky controls. While this is true of most games in any genre, its probably the one thing that can (and often does) make me give up on a RPG/RTS game within an hour.

Other types of games I can usually tell a lot faster though. FPS games usually drop you right in to the action and a lot of the enjoyment simply comes from the feel of the controls and weapons. Action-adventure games and action-RPG games also usually don't take that long - controls, graphics, and mechanics are usually the main source of enjoyment and reveal themselves pretty early on in the game, and theres not a lot of depth that requires you to play for a long period of time to get a grasp of.

I'd say cost and expectations also play a role sometimes as well. I'm guilty of buying games on a whim from Steam sales on numerous occasions, and if it is a cheap game that I didn't really know much about before buying, I'm likely to toss it away after a much shorter trial period than I might give to a very similar game that I had been looking forward to for a long time from a developer I respect.

 

[JoetheLion]

Sometimes you can tell even without playing the game, judging by the portfolio of the company (if you played anything by them of similar genre for example), trailers, game play videos, screenshots. But these are the cases of budget developers or developers that make the same game over and over again by using a certain template (yeah modern action games and shooters! I am look at YOU!).

But if I am interested in a game, I put in enough effort to play at least for few hours, to get a hang on the interface, explore all the possibilities of the game play. It's important to play through the "tutorial part" in the story-driven games, because it takes some time for the actual story to unravel. Some older RPGs taught me that, although their mechanics were fun from the start even without story (yeah, actually I liked temple of trials in Fallout 2, Candlekeep in Baldur's Gate and Mortuary in Planescape: Torment).

There were some games so good from some angles, that I didn't hesitate to suffer all the bugs and crashes just to play it (Morrowind, Arcanum, KOTOR 2). And I guess this is partially a sign of quality - that even though there are some issues that piss you off, you still cling to the game. So the most important (and obvious) factor for me is to not get bored by the game. If I am bored for more than an hour or more than a certain quest/mission that I have to overcome in order to move forward in the game and the actual experience doesn't change, I quit it.

 

[exdeath]

I don't decide. The game decides.

If its worth playing, Ill automatically be hooked. If not I could play for hours then simply just not find time to come back after the first day.

Its not really a conscious decision.

Ni no Kuni is the first game in a long time that caused me to watch the clock at work and run straight home.

 

[kalrith]

One glance tells me if the game is at least 60% good.

 

[slpnshot]

It varies between a couple of minutes to a few hours for me.

I'll quit bad games within the hour.

Some games that aren't bad but bland will take a couple of hours for me to quit. I remember I was halfway into Kingdom of Amalur and I just didn't want to play again the next day. There was nothing overly bad about the game. I certainly wasn't up in arms and wanting a refund. I just ended up losing interest. Same with Borderlands.

 

[Sixguns]

Im a little of the first two options. I wont play a game for just minutes though before I decide if I wont play any longer. Not saying that the first few minutes isnt important though. If its cluttered and doesnt look very well put together it will set the mood right away.

 

[Hinda65]

I need to give a game 2 sessions...so around 4hrs before I am willing to make a decision on how bad I want to sit down and play a 3rd session....

The only games I can ever remember not completing were Silent Hunter 4 and Red Orchestra 2