80+ hours later… Did Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth waste time?

REPUB: A title with the biggest gaming cliffhanger of the decade has me reflecting on what 'well spent' gaming time should look like.

All those map icons still trigger me!

This is a republished version of an earlier article with some new context. I’m returning from my break in April.

This article still resonates with me when I play open-world games. In fact, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (which I reviewed earlier this week) was perhaps the first one I’ve played in a while that I felt got it right in terms of its volume of side content and not thrusting it on the player. I often wonder if this is an age thing or sign of changing tastes among gamers? Now in my 30s, I have less time to play games. So I prefer them to be shorter and to the point than more immersive. But it's a criticism I've seen across the board from a myriad of reviewers of all demographics, so perhaps it's just a trend in gaming.

Another key game worth pointing out here is Baldur's Gate 3. It's a long game. But it encourages multiple playthroughs by actively barring access to parts of the game as a result of your decisions. No matter what you do, you c…