Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 recently came under scrutiny for its seemingly short campaign length. With reports circulating that the game can be neatly wrapped up in a mere 15 – 18 hours and the Platinum Trophy unlocked in approximately 30 hours, gamers are awash with a mixture of surprise and disappointment.
However, let’s pause and reflect for a moment. Is the brevity of the game truly a cause for concern, or is it a misplaced expectation in the vast landscape of game releases?
First and foremost, it’s imperative to acknowledge that a faction of gamers hastily and purposely dashed through the game, not to immerse themselves in the rich narrative, but to promptly claim bragging rights and “street cred” on streaming platforms like Twitch. This rush to the finish line, undoubtedly, skews perceptions of the game’s length and depth.
Insomniac Games’ upcoming title allows players to seamlessly swap between Peter Parker and Miles Morales outside of the main story beats, a significant departure from its predecessors. This innovative approach to storytelling and gameplay dynamics is a nuance that critics of the game’s length seem to conveniently overlook.
The discourse surrounding the length of games is nothing new. Take Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Mirage, for instance. The game offers a 20 – 23-hour playtime, extending to 25 – 30 hours for the completionists among us. This is significantly shorter than its predecessors, like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which boasts a massive 60 hours.
Similarly, Lies of P requires approximately 28 hours for the main campaign and 36 hours with side quests included. The players aiming for the Platinum trophy would need to invest around 54 hours. Alan Wake 2, on the other hand, takes about 20 hours to complete, doubling the time required for the first title in the series without considering side content.
My point is that it’s not just about the sheer number of hours a game provides but also the quality of those hours. The true metric of a game’s worth should be whether it successfully conveys its intended narrative, explores its mechanics fully, and offers an immersive experience for the duration of the gameplay.
This kind of evaluation considers not just the cost-to-time ratio but also the value of the player’s time, which is arguably more precious. It’s no secret that no one wants to feel like they’ve wasted countless hours on a game, irrespective of its cost.
Shouldn’t this be the paramount factor in critiquing a game? In a life packed with work, family commitments, and even the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle, time has become a more precious commodity than money. As a result, choosing which games to play has become a far bigger decision than it previously was.
I am a big fan of indie games, and one of my all-time favorites, Journey, stands as a testament to this, as I completed it in one sitting. Likewise, Playdead’s next release after Limbo, Inside, ranks among the best platformers out there, despite being one of the shortest games, clocking in at just over three hours.
So, before the chorus of discontent rises, before the keyboards rattle with critiques, take a moment to reflect on the experience of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Was it fulfilling? Was it thrilling? Would you, given the chance, swing across the streets of Manhattan again?
If the answer is yes, perhaps the game, with its shorter campaign, has indeed delivered on its promise, offering an experience that is succinct yet satisfying, brief yet beautiful.
