The old adage says that bigger is better. Given the power of consoles and PCs today, one would think that’s truer now than in years past. Yet there’s an inherent danger to these large scale games. We’re reaching a point where too much is far too much. One game overlaps into the next, and an overwhelming backlog is born.
I bring this up because of something I’ve been going through personally. I have developed more than a passing interest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt . However, after Dragon Age: Inquisition , I made a solemn vow I wouldn’t acquire any new, open-world games until I’d done everything I felt I needed to do in Dragon Age. .
As you can probably tell, there is quite a bit I do need to complete in Dragon Age: Inquisition , because the title is ridiculously, perhaps even obnoxiously, huge. Yet, an amazing deal on Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor made me break that promise to myself. Which means I have two open world games that need to be played to near-completion, and odds are The Witcher 3 can’t even be considered until Black Friday 2015 rolls around.
The problem is, these open world issues aren’t remaining within the realms of such games. If we only had to deal with one or two Grand Theft Auto V or The Witcher 3 sorts of titles a year, we could easily manage. However, they’re bleeding into other genres. Like Batman: Arkham Knight . It’s the largest game in the series, which is great. But it also means it can’t be completed (assuming a full-time job and other responsibilities) in a month or less, like the original Arkham Asylum . It becomes another competitor for your attention.
And the situation is only going to get worse. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Mad Max are coming in just over a month, both releasing on September 1, and will give us massive new worlds to explore. Assassin’s Creed Syndicate and Fallout 4 are going to follow in October and November. Each one is a game that will require a minimum one month investment to really get a good feel for the adventure.
It’s amazing that we live in an age where each game can have a virtual world’s worth of adventures waiting for us. It’s the sort of thing one would have never thought possible. Yet here it is, and it isn’t as wonderful a prospect as it seems. While it’s amazing to point to a game like Batman: Arkham Knight and say it’s still keeping you busy and surprising you with new things months later, it’s also keeping you from moving on to new experiences.