DS Daily: Hopes regarding a certain ninja

Dude, Sonic & Knuckles can be completed in four hours. And I'm sure I've seen a completion video of Super Mario Bros in under an hour.

Five hours is the perfect length if the gameplay is flawless. Would you prefer a game that is double the length but mired in mediocrity? And don't most DS games, aside from RPGS, clock out at around the 5-7 hour mark?

I agree, around 5 hours is a good time for a game. It won't be to too intimidating for the less hardcore gamers and the more hardcore gamers can play it over at a harder difficulty or to unlock stuff.

I hate to make an analogy, but its like a roller coaster. You wait for the ride for about an hour for 5 minutes of fun. Afterwards you wished it was longer, but you were glad you went on the ride none the less.

I'm not talking about what "can" be done. In a previous post somebody mentioned Contra 4 being only a few hours long, which is technically correct except when you spend days or weeks trying to finish it. My understanding is that Dragon Sword is five hours long in normal gameplay. I can't see any responsible reviewer rushing through the whole game to get the fastest time possible and then presenting that as the game's length. We're talking averages here.

And I don't believe the flip-side to a too-short game is one "double the length and mired in mediocrity," because I don't buy those either. It shouldn't have to be an "either/or" situation. If games like Phantom Hourglass, Animal Crossing, and Super Mario 64 can stuff a cart with entertainment AND reasonable longevity, I don't see any reason Dragon Sword couldn't as well. It seems like such a waste to put all that work into gorgeous graphics and fun gameplay without offering more world in which to enjoy them.