When I was kid, I could sit in front of TV for hours and sink a day or two away into a game and have no problem having to start the game over from the beginning. Time meant nothing to me and I wasted it like it was a near infinite resource.

Now I am a parent and ain’t got time for some of the nonsense that’s in games nowadays. I’m lucky if I have even an hour to play each night.

A good example: Forza Horizon 5 allows you to switch cars mid game without traveling back to a house. That to me is a huge time saver compared to the recent NFS games.

Contrarily, Forza Motorsport (2023) makes you do qualifications every round. While realistic, a big time sink.

That said, what are some of your favorite games that have respect for your limited time?

  • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1·
    3 months ago

    That really depends on what you’re looking for. In general, I find shorter games to respect my time more. So here’s my process:

    1. collect some recommendations (here, reddit, game reviewers, etc)
    2. look up time to beat on How Long to Beat, and add to wishlist if it seems reasonable (e.g. <10 hours for a puzzle game or platformer, 10-20 for an action/story game, etc)
    3. buy games when I run out based on reviews on the games in my wishlist

    Some examples:

    • Little Nightmares, INSIDE, Darq, and A Juggler’s Tale - 2D puzzle-platformers at <5 hours each
    • Ori and the Blind Forest, Blue Fire, and Headlander - metroidvanias at 5-10 hours
    • Manifold Garden, Return of the Obra Dinn, Portal/Portal 2 - puzzle games a- 5-10 hours

    Some longer games are also great, and I mostly look for lack of grinding, ability to save whenever, and praise for the story, such as:

    • Yakuza series - can play in 5-10 min increments, but reserve an hour for boss fights (super long and high quality cutscenes)
    • Ys series - older games are short (1&2), later games are longer, and saves aren’t super frequent (about 15-20 min between save points), but I think the gameplay and story are worthwhile; favorites are Ys 1 (really old), Ys Origin (11-ish hours per play-through, 3 play throughs needed, but each is satisfying); grinding is quite rare for a JRPG

    I find that the more I avoid the super popular AAA games, the happier I am with my limited playtime.