Plot Exhaustion

**Dodie16** · 02-20-2012, 05:19 PM

It's my term (maybe other peoples' too...) for when a game's story just seems to go on, and on, and on, even though it probably should have ended a good while ago. ^^; So has anyone from TFF experienced it at all?

I'm starting to feel it in Skyward Sword. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the game, but damn, how many times do I have to explore the same places looking for stuff? Maybe I'm not really sick of the plot, but just having to explore the same places, but the plot sends me to those places, so it's still valid.

**Taco-Calamitous** · 02-20-2012, 05:33 PM

Well, there's NieR. In that game, there's like the five or so main areas, and you go back to all of them at least once during the game. It advances the plot and develops characters-which are fairly interesting-but revisiting those areas and the game play itself got a bit monotonous for my tastes. And then, in order to get the entire plot for the game, you have to go through from different points in the story to beat the game again. I started the game over again after beating it the first time, got through the bit that was different from the first time, but then I was like, "...I have to do this AGAIN? Nah, eff that for now." And then I didn't go back to it. Would've made a better anime, probably.

Having trouble thinking of anything else... Maybe I'll come back and edit something in later. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

**RamesesII** · 02-20-2012, 05:54 PM

Okami was like that just when you thought you had finished the game by defeating a boss the story expanded take Orochi for example I was sure the game was finished but surprise it wasn't.
Any way you didn't really visit the same places to often except when you get lost like I did

**Zargabaath** · 02-20-2012, 07:53 PM

This post will be referring to RPGs since that is genre I mostly play.

Exact opposite. I'm hardly satisfied. I feel like RPGs are too short. I'll give a pass to the earlier days because of technical limitations. But I want my plots to be like Xenogears or Tales of the Abyss. Something that has real meat on the bones and not slivers. I love FFXII, but when a person sits down and thinks about the plot it is not a very long game. I don't prefer 30 hour RPGs. Give me 60 hours. Give me a true epic. Give proper time to develop the characters, villians, the world, the struggle. Not "wham, bam, thankyou ma'am".

**Alpha** · 02-20-2012, 08:53 PM

I don't find games too long, I just have trouble keeping track of the plot when I can only play a few hours (< 3) every week, and even then invest more time into sidequests. Books don't have you collecting 10 of every monster, or farming for equipment materials. They just get on with it. RPGs on the other hand I find far more difficult to follow.

When I was at the end of Final Fantasy XII I realised that I actually had no idea who, what or why I was fighting. Blame that on the writers, or on how I played the game -- in micro-bursts, over a period of months, and spending more time on sidequests. I had the same thing with Final Fantasy IV. I just don't understand either of these games.

**Andromeda** · 02-20-2012, 09:15 PM

Sounds like you would be right at home with the Persona series Zargabaath. Took me 70 hours to finish one on a first playthrough. And I'm told that Record of Agarest War is 100 hours to complete. Though as I'm sure you already know longer isn't always better, but at least with the Persona series they are awesome from start to end.

But all of the RPGs I've played I have never hit the point where I felt like the story was dragging and I wanted the game to be over. There have been times I've rushed through the game so I could see the end, but I would not really say that it was the same thing as dragging. I just got too excited to see how things play out.

**Zargabaath** · 02-20-2012, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by Andromeda

Sounds like you would be right at home with the Persona series Zargabaath. Took me 70 hours to finish one on a first playthrough. And I'm told that Record of Agarest War is 100 hours to complete.

Oh I have played Persona 4. Love the game. Love the nicely crafted the characters. I got like 120 something-ish hours on that game. Each day adds something to the story plus messing with Persona racks up the hours.

Originally Posted by Andromeda

Though as I'm sure you already know longer isn't always better, but at least with the Persona series they are awesome from start to end.

True, but rarely have I found something that was too long. I'm a detailed oriented guy so adding content, this applies to other media as well, is a plus to me & sometimes needed. More often I find things too short. The only medium that I'm more flexible with are books. There are quite a few short stories that I like, though I do have a thing for them uber long novels as well.

To general audience: Another game, that I have yet to finish, that has done a good job with pacing is Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. 40 hours in, or close to that amount, and I think I'm half-way into the story.

**Andromeda** · 02-20-2012, 10:21 PM

And I thought I relished my time with P4. If you spent that much time with it I wonder how long it would spent on a game like Agarest. Do you spent endless hours on Disgaea, if you've played it? Or is the item grinding and character grinding to perfection not something you do? I'm pretty sure that's where all of the hours are wasted in Disgaea.

**Xanatos** · 02-21-2012, 01:19 PM

Persona 3 Portable was a drag, halfway through I was already asking myself is there end to this game. Way too long and quite horrible story I'm afraid.

**SuperSabin** · 02-21-2012, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by Dodie16

I'm starting to feel it in Skyward Sword. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the game, but damn, how many times do I have to explore the same places looking for stuff? Maybe I'm not really sick of the plot, but just having to explore the same places, but the plot sends me to those places, so it's still valid.

I've been there with skyward sword, but i can easily tell you its all worth it in the end. Its one of those games where you're challenged with the repetition but in the end you overcome it and you start to appreciate all the obstacles you had to face in that game. (Well thats just me, you might end up thinking differently). The key is persistence here.

One game I really disliked after awhile was alpha protocol. I tried a trial of it on a service called onlive and it just seemed to be the same thing over and over again. What really turned me off is the constant electronic disarming I wanted to do and it eventually became too annoying so I just turned the game off.

I don't think this is really plot exhaustion, from what everyone is talking about, it sounds more like a game flow issue (again its just me).

someone is probably going to go "Ha, I told you so!" when I make mention of this lol. 358/2 days is also guilty for the flow it had. You basically do this the whole game, run to one person in the room, start a mission, clear the mission, watch a cutscene, repeat. Sure the missions grow in variety but, likewise, same thing.

Chain of Memories....don't get me started on that one, run up a room, use a world card to enter the world, use cards to enter doors, fight the boss. Rinse and repeat.

So those are my pet peeves for ya.

**Rowan** · 02-21-2012, 03:26 PM

P4 is probably the longest and most interesting game I've played, anyone who disagrees is inexperienced and their opinion doesn't mean anything. A game where the plot has completely lost me is Skyrim. I dont know of any ongoing story in that game anymore.