Don't Worry, Ubisoft Promises Star Wars Outlaws Won't Be a '300 Hour Epic Unfinishable RPG'

I wouldn't mind a long game if it felt fresh. Skyrim and Witcher 3 moved the rpg genre forward not because they were perfect games(no such thing I'm afraid), but because they added many new features and increased the scale in a meaningful way.

Ubisoft used to do the same exact thing with AC2 and FC3, but immediately afterwards they started copying what worked elsewhere and making their UI's and quest design as insulting to the player's intelligence as possible.

I can't even fathom playing the old games a decade ago and being happy with the current state of AC. It's like using the bank that has no problems telling you annually that they are the worst the industry has to offer.

Call me crazy but I do hope there is enough optional side content to let me sink 300 hours the way I done with Valhalla. Just don’t make it mandatory.

@Tharsman at last somebody talks sense. Side quests should be just that. Thats one of the things i really enjoy about these huge games is that you can skip the side content and focus on getting through the main story. However if you are a trophy hunter then its bad news for you as you almost always have a trophy that requires 100% completion of the side quests.

@Tharsman Agreed. Don’t kill off exploration and optional missions for the sake of a streamlined game.

This game looks properly good though and day one for me!

Ubisoft logic:

• original game: 20h campaign.
• game with a couple of paid season passes: 200h campaign

I miss linear games...thats manageable to me. Open world are just confusing

I'm currently playing through FFVII Remake and I know it was widely acclaimed but some criticisms I've seen have called it a "hallway simulator". But I'm really growing to appreciate how focused it is. I'm glad that the gaming industry as a whole seems to be exploring what it means to respect the gamer's time and that they're not trying to lean on "you can play our game forever!" anymore.

@Brydontk The irony behind you using that game as an example of respecting players time when it's a three hour portion of the original stretched out to 40 hours of heavy padding... cheers.

@Cordyceps Don't know what to tell you my dude. How streamlined the story is compared to the original wasn't what I was talking about at all but go off I guess?

I was referring to the fact that every area you play in is pretty efficient (You know, similar to the content of the article talking about how the game's not going to be an endless time sink). I don't have to worry that much about missing anything while it's still big enough for me to explore and experience the world/story it wants me to engage in.

Give me a nice long game any day. As long as it's not bloated out for the sake of length like they seem to be in their recent games.

@Kidfried No thanks. This isn't even a final fantasy article.

I don't mind a long RPG although I will start to lose interest if it feels 'uncompletable'. I enjoyed Odyssey and the expansions, but Valhalla was just too much.

Personally, I love massive open world games with lots of different activities and collectables that I can do at my own pace.

Call me crazy, but if this is as good of a story as they are making it out to be, I want this to be at least 60h+ Main Story and over 150h including side content with more dlc, à la Valhalla. one of the few games i am looking forward to. Just do me one favour Ubisoft, make sure its playable unlike Jedi Survivor.

It's not the amount of time that's the problem, it's filling games with boring content that's the problem.

I stand by my firm belief that a Disney owned studio would deliver the Star Wars game we all want. Ubisoft are essentially a mercenary studio - doesn't mean they will make a bad game, but it does mean they will inevitably fall short. They always do.

The best games usually seem to be somewhere between five and 20 hours in length. The greatest RPG games will often have you wrapping up the story in around 40 hours. Anything more than that, it just becomes exhausting, needless padding.

I spent about 150 hours on Odyssey and really enjoyed it, the side quests were generally quite fun and interesting. I don't see it as a bad thing if the side quests are worth your time doing, spending 200-300 hours in the Star Wars world sounds pretty awesome if it's done correctly.

@Triumph741 The sad thing is that the newer RPG AC games could be (if not fixed, then massively improved) by removing half of everything that isn't a main quest or meaningful side quest, and making what's left 'pay out' 50% more XP and in game currency. You wouldn't need to change the story or world map, at all.

@Chaosbros But how do you do that in a bounty hunter game? If every single quest is 'kill this guy, steal this thing' with no story twists, like a watered down, bloated version of the newer Hitman games, I'm going to find it pretty tedious after a few hours.

Don't even need activities, as such. A game like RDR2 or similar, you do sink time into and explore because it's been meticulously crafted as a world, not because it's packed full of stuff, and the odd event and side quest adds to that.

All I want from this game, besides an 8/10 storyline, is the ability to make my own fun, and explore where I want to, because I want to. And it sounds like maybe that's the goal with their planets and zones. Intrigue will be there for those that want to seek it.

These rpgs don't have to last 300hrs ,you could be done with them 30,40hrs, if you so choose,I actually like all the ubisoft filler and if this game is only 30hrs long, without massive amounts of side content, ill be disappointed.

@Mythologue a 40hr rpg ,one doesn't exist in my world,games take me ages

@Fyz306903 like I said if it's done correctly. They would have to get creative. Not holding much hope with it being Unisoft though, be most likely fetch quests with little to no background or story. Even in Odyssey, although some of the side stuff was really good, there was a fair few fetch quests too.

@Tharsman Absolutely. I don't see no problem with Valhalla's massive hours. I'm enjoying it immensely. I don't get how people like to spend 1000hrs shooting the same stuff or scoring the same goals in CoD/FIFA online but want to complain about single player being 300hrs...if someone wants to spend that many hours in SP what's your business...

It probably won't either be epic or finished too.

@Northern_munkey I really like that approach personally. Easy platinums bore me. Someone just wants to play the story, let them. Someone wants the platinum? Then do all the side content.

I actually rather do 300 hours of side content for a platinum than. Repeat levels to collect missable collectibles or replay the game in new game plus or do some shoe-horned online mode.

It worries me that it won't.

Phew, always reassuring to know a modern game won't be offering me extensive amount of gameplay routines and other content as opposed to... the arcade-inherited trollish difficulty of the past classic I grew up with and am nostalgic about.😁

@Triumph741 well, I'm playing AC2 these days (following AC1) and I'm fine with the current state of AC, so I guess I can fathom it alright.😄

@nhSnork sadly, games with too much content, take too long to play through. That, in turn, aggravates reviewers and "influencers", so the narrative is spun that such games are "bad".

@Kidfried Thanks! I had the Ps4 version and upgraded to PS5 and I have Ps Plus Extra so I got Integrade through Extra. I'm loving the game so far, currently at Ch. 12. So best believe I'll be playing Yuffie once it's over 😂

The more I hear, the more I want this.

@Brydontk People have said that about Final Fantasy for almost 20 years now.

Honestly, I'm still burnt out from AC Valhalla and I finished that game 2 years ago. I'm not sure I can get into another Ubisoft game.

@Kidfried How long does that dlc last? I haven't bought it yet

@Kidfried 5 hours is good enough for me and especially when I'm hearing good things about it! I didn't want it to be like 15's where it lasts 2 hours or even less so I will happily pick it up!

I'm hoping it's going to be similar to AC Odyssey which was the last good AC game. Valhalla was a Viking simulator which was fun, just squeezed into an AC game

Glad to hear that some developers are treating a shorter game length as a feature! I'm having trouble even finishing Final Fantasy 16. 25 hours is plenty long for me!