DS Daily: There's no time

by Candace Savino { Apr 19th 2008 at 10:30AM }

When we posted Amazon's deal on Star Fox Command last week, many of you commented that you hated the time limits in the game. This got us to wonder, though, how you felt about time limits in general.

There's no doubt that they're implemented in order to make games harder, but it's often frustrating when you lose because you've run out of time. Do you like the added pressure and challenge of a dwindling clock? Or, do you think a time limit is a cop out for developers who can't find another way to make their games challenging?

Also, are there any games worth mentioning that have laudable time limits? And, on the other side of the spectrum, are there any titles in which the time limits completely cripple the gameplay?

Tags: time-limits

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Roto13 @ Apr 19th 2008 11:29AM

Shinobi would have been so much more fun without the time limit.

Roman @ Apr 19th 2008 11:57AM

I pretty much hate time limits across the board.

I'm a take-your-time and be-strategic gamer.

This is what has me worried about The World End With You. It sounds like time limits abound.

Quincy @ Apr 19th 2008 1:27PM

Characters in The World Ends With You talk about time limits, but really there aren't any.

CPFace @ Apr 19th 2008 3:39PM

I hate time limits as a general rule, and by extension, racing games or racing challenges. I'm bad enough at video games where I get all the time I need to figure out how to win; I don't need the added pressure of a time limit.

However, I'm one of the few who didn't especially mind the time limit in Pikmin. You don't have to be especially good at the game to rescue Olimar in the 30 day time limit -- I even managed to beat the last boss on my first run through the game.

And, of course, there's the Wario Ware games and Point Blank -- just wouldn't be the same without the time limit.

Gewurztraminer says: R.O.B. is the last Cylon! @ Apr 19th 2008 12:16PM

Usually time limits aggravate me. Along with "protect person 'x' scenarios.

There are some time limits, however, that make sense to have in the game, such as for Smash Bros matches, even though that is a different type of time limit.

And, there are other time limits that just make absolutely no sense whatsoever, such as the 10 minute time limit in the early Sonic games. It rarely affected me, and never bothered me when it did, but I still just didn't understand it's purpose.

Eleniel @ Apr 19th 2008 10:24PM

Yay, glad I'm not the only one who hates escort quests.

And yeah, what's the point of having a ridiculously long time limit on anything?

Aparoid @ Apr 19th 2008 11:32PM

Escorts/defenses are the WORST. I also generally hate underwater/dark levels.

Time limits can get annoying, but it depends on the game. SFC's time limits have never been a problem for me, though

Tom @ Apr 19th 2008 12:18PM

Meh. Time limits have never really crippled games for me. For example with SFC, I can't recall a single incident wher I lost due to time, and PH was more challenging as a result. But some games where you're life is constantly being drained are made less fun, because you're focusing more on trying to live than admiring the game. So there's a limit to how much you can make a game time-based.

Crazylink @ Apr 19th 2008 12:38PM

Majora's Mask did time limits right. You always had enough time to do at least what you needed to do.

manaman @ May 2nd 2008 5:53PM

Yeah,

I totally agree with Crazylink--"Majora's Mask" did time limits really well. Also, the "Mario" games definitely do time limits right. Without the limits there would be countless times I would have exploited a secret but, with the time limit, many times I just had to concede that the level must be beat without.

I think time limits are a viable video gaming approach that I couldn't imagine not having. Can you imagine what the end of "Super Metroid" would have been like without the dwindling clock?

Sure, there are probably some games that could have done without a time limit, but in general, I'm favorable to time limits.

Peace,

manaman

The Rover @ Apr 19th 2008 1:32PM

Time limits in games are an interesting subject. I don't know whether or not anyone has played Contra 4 (i presume you have), once you unlock the Challenge mode a number of the challenges require you to rush to the end of the stage before time runs out.

I mention this because the shear frustration of narrowly missing the time limit by a few seconds on what seems like thousands of times has led me to no longer want to play the game. I feel like there is no possible way to do the stage any quicker than what i am doing. Arggghhh!

I'll name te Challenge in case anyone can offer advice, it's Speed Run 3.

Sakura3210 @ Apr 19th 2008 2:06PM

Time limits annoy the hell out of me, although I didn't realize how badly until Phantom Hourglass. Still haven't finished the game because of that damn Ocean King temple.

Puddles @ Apr 19th 2008 3:15PM

I'm not a fan of time limits in general, but I found the challenge level in Phantom Hourglass to be perfect. The ocean king temple was hard at times, but not excessively so. I wouldn't change anything about that game.

bentendo @ Apr 19th 2008 3:14PM

Time limits have their place, but for the most part I'd rather not have them.

I don't mind games that have time limits for certain story-related sections of the game (the time limit in Phantom Hourglass was fine, IMO). In the same way, I'm ok with minigames with time limits.

OTOH, I've always thought it was kind of silly to have time limits in games like Super Mario (Bros, World, etc.) - I mean, what point does the mechanic serve?

Matt G. @ Jun 12th 2008 5:48PM

In regards to your remark about time limits in Super Mario games, I completely agree. The moment I'd get stuck trying to make a particular jump or if I sought to explore a little, suddenly I'd have 100 seconds left and I'd be busting my little plumber butt through the rest of the level. Not cool.

Mr Khan @ Apr 19th 2008 3:37PM

I'm roundly opposed to time limits as well, I can usually see their purpose, but I don't like playing games under pressure to make a decision, and make one quickly

It turned me off of Majora's Mask completely until a was compelled by the gloriously deep NPC side-stories, and it always kept me on edge in StarFox Command. Phantom Hourglass was hit-and-miss, sometimes the pressure was too much to bear, other times it was quite easy

Jenni @ Apr 19th 2008 4:33PM

Time limits are the bane of my existence.

Especially in Final Fantasy games. Anytime I'd see a timer, my heart would skip into overdrive and my nerves would stand on end.

Back when FFVIII was fresh and new, my boyfriend at the time liked to be around during timed segments, so he could poke and antagonize me during the crucial moments.

rainking187 @ Apr 19th 2008 5:05PM

I don't like it when they don't make it obvious. I was playing some game last week and all of a sudden I get a "Time's Up!" message. I'm just sitting there like "Huh? There was a time limit?"

Dio @ Apr 19th 2008 7:34PM

Where can I get the hourglass in the picture?

Eleniel @ Apr 19th 2008 10:21PM

I hate time limits with a passion. I'm the type of person who likes to take her sweet time. A good example of this is Smash: I tend to bide my time and build up damage, then go for the KO. I pretty much exclusively play stock matches.

The temple of the Ocean King in Phantom Hourglass stressed me to no end.

The shining exception to this rule is Majora's Mask, wherein the time limit actually makes the story and much of the game play and game world work. Also with songs that slow down time and allow you to jump forward, time actually becomes a manageable resource rather than something to race against.

angelbabe531 @ Apr 20th 2008 2:30AM

I'd prefer not to have them, but they're usually tolerable. Majora's Mask worked great, as did Chibi-Robo. Pikmin's time limit annoyed me a bit but it still worked, glad they changed it in part 2. The only one I really hated was in Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life. It became unplayable!!! The chores took way too much time, leaving only a few minutes to do side stuff.

Gewurztraminer says: R.O.B. is the last Cylon! @ Apr 20th 2008 8:21AM

A lot of people mention that Majora's Mask actually works well with it's time limit mechanic. Good to know. That was always the reason I avoided the game.

If/when it comes out on VC I might actually try it.
If I can stomach Tingle. http://fanboys-online.com/index.php?comic=128

Morose @ Apr 20th 2008 11:58AM

Good use of time limits: after running out of time, you can still pick up where you left off, like in Chibi Robo. The flowers you've grown stay there after you run out of watts, then you recharge and go out and grow some more.

Bad use of time limits: You have start over the from the beginning after running out of time, like in Phantom Hourglass. I quit playing that game two bosses in because I was fed up with the Temple of the Ocean King

Nick @ Apr 20th 2008 3:26PM

I'd like to point out that the lack of creativity in the Phantom Hourglass didn't come in its implementation of time limits.

It came with the following glorious design idea:

"Hey, we need to make the game longer. Instead of making new dungeons, let's just make them play the same ones over and over again! Consumers love mindless repetition right! Right!!"

J.K. @ Apr 20th 2008 5:09PM

Outside of the more encouraging/generous types of time limits you find with say Super Mario Bros and the like I'd have to say there is nothing more than I hate as a challenge faker/maker in games than time limits, well that and rubber-banding cheap-o half assed AI.

I'm someone who likes to take their time that's for sure and investigate, but sometimes I do like to plow through a level. The problem is many games these days like to stuff a clock in there with some really crap limit set where you nearly need to run through and get wrecked/shot to pieces nearly praying you don't bite it by the time you hit the area to kill the clock. That is NOT fun, and it's made worse by endless re-dos, or the worse where you have to replay a piece of the stage for the time limit area to retry yet again. I HATE THAT.

Since you used Zelda DS there, I got rid of that game. Why? Primarily having to backtrack everytime you open up a new area/beat a temple/etc to retread that damn time clocked dungeon another level deeper...that sucked and hard. The time limit I never had a huge issue with most the time, but it did add some bad pressure in forcing action when I'd rather be tactical and I hate that too. Had there just been a time limit and no re-tread as you could blue teleport to the last floor I'd have been willing to tolerate it, but no...it was both, and I resold it and lost $10 on it but it made me happy doing so.

I might as well add as a third, and due to less exposure but still nearly as aggravating someone already brought up... escort/defense missions you tend to find a lot in flight combat sims like Wing Commander, Tie Fighter, etc. Those are just bad and when combined with a time clock I'm furious already going into it. Peon AI will only target you if needed (and then furiously,) but usually everything just knows there's a clock and unloads on your protection point/target and that's just bs and wrong. I've had games like that I've put down for days->weeks before doing rotten stages like that again as they're just evil ways to make it last longer sucking every drop of fun out of a game.

Verythrax @ Apr 24th 2008 11:41PM

I second the Dio's question.

I want a hourglass like that!

Kimiko @ Jun 12th 2008 5:43PM

I play games to explore them, learn the background of characters, find interesting spots on the map, etc. etc. Time limits make that style of play impossible, so I hate time limits. Mini-games are usually annoying too.

amphigory @ Jun 12th 2008 7:02PM

Time limits are why I give up on games.
I shut down Zelda DS in disgust when I was in the Ocean King Temple and I realised I had to bring the 3 jewels to the pedestals and I only had 1 min left!! Argghhh!
It's also the reason I gave up on Mario Sunshine - I got stuck on 2 areas that had time limits - one was where you had to clean the beach of gunk, and I always failed as a speck would be left somewhere, and the other was to race that idiot guy within the time limit (I couldn't manage all the "tricks" that you had to do to cut corners). Because of those 2 areas, I couldn't progress in Mario Sunshine.

Personally, I find time limit gameplay design a little lazy to use. In some cases it works out well (there are gameplay elements that work best with a time limit, and they are fine), but when it's used just for the sake of extending playtime, I find that lazy and irritating, as it usually stops me from finishing the game. Also, why should it halt progress in the game??? There should always be an alternative path (say for Mario Sunshine, I just had those 2 areas open, and couldn't do anything else)

Back to Zelda DS: I was enjoying the game, but going back to the temple, working my way through the levels (oh hurrah a midpoint, but it takes off X minutes), then finding out I had to bring the idiotic jewels to the pedestal within 1 min - ugh that just turned me off the game completely.

Jangles @ Jun 13th 2008 2:03AM

I'm right with you there man. There are two reasons why I put down a game early and that is dying several times in a row over something i should be able to get through and failing time trials and times puzzles.

There is a pretty good inexpensive game I got when I first bought my DS called Lost Magic that would be totally awesome use of the stylis except that every single battle in the game has a time limit of 5 mins. There is a lot of symbols and combos you have to remember and have really no time to use some of the best spells.