So, as probably none of you know, I am currently playing through the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on 360 for the first time. While my views on the game change day by day, I can safely say that the game is just too big, and too long for the average consumer. Thus far, I have put over 40 hours of my free time into the game, and I expect that I am about halfway through. In this day and age, I am aware that many people are calling various game developers out for creating games that are too short -- 8 hour spectacles that barely live up to the hype that they are given. However, I am calling for the opposite. For the average person, Oblivion is just too massive a game to enjoy. Sure, I loved the game for the first day and a half of gameplay time that I committed to it. However, dungeon crawling and quest-fulfilling is starting to get old ... incredibly fast. My experience with Bethesda-created games is very limited (only played Fallout 3 for a couple of hours before losing interest), but I believe that developers need to focus on creating plot-focused games that deliver more on story-line and action and create less drag than the games that we are now accustomed to.

So, as probably none of you know, I am currently playing through the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on 360 for the first time. While my views on the game change day by day, I can safely say that the game is just too big, and too long for the average consumer. Thus far, I have put over 40 hours of my free time into the game, and I expect that I am about halfway through. In this day and age, I am aware that many people are calling various game developers out for creating games that are too short -- 8 hour spectacles that barely live up to the hype that they are given. However, I am calling for the opposite. For the average person, Oblivion is just too massive a game to enjoy. Sure, I loved the game for the first day and a half of gameplay time that I committed to it. However, dungeon crawling and quest-fulfilling is starting to get old ... incredibly fast. My experience with Bethesda-created games is very limited (only played Fallout 3 for a couple of hours before losing interest), but I believe that developers need to focus on creating plot-focused games that deliver more on story-line and action and create less drag than the games that we are now accustomed to.

I felt exactly the same way with the game. I had the same problem with Fallout 3 and while I normally love RPG's, the sandbox RPG genre for me at least is that I found myself plodding around the world without a purpose or direction. As seems the case with you as well, I needed a stronger story to drive me a long in the game.  
 
Perhaps part of the problem too was that so many of the dungeons took forever to complete. They were just too long for "sidequests" for me personally. At the end of the day I just have to say that it wasn't my cup of tea. 

Well I guess it's one of those games you either love or hate. In FO3 and Oblivion I have 100+ hours of gameplay in. Especially with Oblivion, I just enjoy sightseeing. To each his own.

Exactly.  I keep finding myself completely overwhelmed by the size of the world that I'm thrown into, and although there is a coherent storyline, it just seems too huge for me to really focus on. I mean, there are, what, four different factions in addition to the main storyline that I'm supposed to identify with?  It's really just too much for me.  While I love traditional sandbox games, I just wish that Oblivion was just a little bit more linear in the sense that the game just throws too much raw information at you at once to fully handle and comprehend.

Too long? I don't know, man. You can legitimately cruise through the main quest in ten hours' time. It's just a matter of not getting caught up with the side stuff. 
 
When I first started Oblivion, I had a similar reaction. That first moment, the one where you've just escaped from the sewers and you're standing on the pier and looking up from the basin, out at the forest and mountains beyond. Like, holy fuck. "Overwhelming" doesn't quite cut it. 
 
The real delicate meat of any Bethesda game isn't the main quest anyhow. And it's not really the exploration as a lot of people want to claim, either. The side-quests and factions, though immediately extraneous to the narrative, do a lot of things for Bethesda's universes. Especially Oblivion. They give the game a breathing texture, a more vibrant life, and, on a more pragmatic end, they help you find and come to terms with the vast game-space.

No way.  Oblivion tells you exactly where to go at all times.  The main story is not that long at all.  You don't have to complete every guild quest, you don't have to enter every oblivion gate, all you have to do is the main story quests to complete it.  Then after that, I recommend completing all of the guilds, it's fun. 

Oblivion and F3 are huge games. I'd say Oblivion is much bigger, even with the F3 expansions.
 
However i have put many many hours into both games i lost count. 
 
But don't give up on Oblivion duder! It's awesome.

Problem isn't that it's too big. Problem is the main quest and the general quality of the setting sucks ass.

 But don't give up on Oblivion duder! It's awesome. "

" Problem isn't that it's too big. Problem is the main quest and the general quality of the setting sucks ass. "

Don't play Morrowind. I played Oblivion when it came out on the PC, and I'm still playing Morrowind. We'll never see the likes of that again. Talk to Dave, everything is getting made for the masses now.

" I felt exactly the same way with the game. I had the same problem with Fallout 3 and while I normally love RPG's, the sandbox RPG genre for me at least is that I found myself plodding around the world without a purpose or direction. As seems the case with you as well, I needed a stronger story to drive me a long in the game. "

i fucking loved morrowind

" Don't play Morrowind.

Aw man, that's terrible! I mean obviously each game holds its own appeal for the person playing it, but I thought the freedom and depth of Oblivion's game world was awesome! Granted, dungeon crawling can get quite repetitive, but the way to play is to mix it up: do a few story missions, then a side mission or two, then a faction quest, then find some random dungeons to explore, then go enchant some weapons or something, kill an innocent civilian or two, buy new gear, and do it all again. 
 
It's really a shame you're not enjoying it as much, duder! Make sure to do a wide variety of stuff so you don't get bored or overwhelmed!

"Don't play Morrowind. I played Oblivion when it came out on the PC, and I'm still playing Morrowind. We'll never see the likes of that again. Talk to Dave, everything is getting made for the masses now. "

I could not hang with Morrowind, my attention span is very short and that game was super heavy on text and dialogue trees. Zzzzzzzzzz.

" @Bellum said:

" Problem isn't that it's too big. Problem is the main quest and the general quality of the setting sucks ass. "

I now hate you....J/K but I do like the game. "

" @Claude said:

"Don't play Morrowind. I played Oblivion when it came out on the PC, and I'm still playing Morrowind. We'll never see the likes of that again. Talk to Dave, everything is getting made for the masses now. "

Although in terms of general trends you are completely correct, there are still games like Dragon Age and Demon's Souls which are doing pretty well at keeping grounded in the past while using some new tricks.  "

Oblivion? Big?
Pfah. Oblivion is an empty, lifeless place. Go play Morrowind, then you can talk to me about big.

" @Adamantium: Sure, it was great for a while. From the beginning of the game, I vowed to try and complete every quest that I came upon exactly in that order.  That seemed to be quite the mistake.  Countless times I would find myself waiting hours for events to happen, or different parts of the story to open up. (I was also turned into a vampire really early on in the game [around level 3 or so and spent a good amount of time trying to fix that]).    As far as I am right now, (finished the Mage's Guild questline and the Arena, almost finished with the Fighter's Guild and Dark Brotherhood and haven't really touched the Thieves Guild or Main Questline), I find myself hoping that the game will end quicker so that I can move onto other games. "

Your view of the "Average Gamer" and mine are different.
I enjoyed playing oblivion, And the sheer amount of stuff to do was the main reason for that.
You don't like it, That's fine. But it doesn't mean it's to big for the "Average Gamer"

" @Adamantium: Sure, it was great for a while. From the beginning of the game, I vowed to try and complete every quest that I came upon exactly in that order.  That seemed to be quite the mistake.  Countless times I would find myself waiting hours for events to happen, or different parts of the story to open up. (I was also turned into a vampire really early on in the game [around level 3 or so and spent a good amount of time trying to fix that]).    As far as I am right now, (finished the Mage's Guild questline and the Arena, almost finished with the Fighter's Guild and Dark Brotherhood and haven't really touched the Thieves Guild or Main Questline), I find myself hoping that the game will end quicker so that I can move onto other games. "

I personally like the fact the the game is hella-long. It gives you a reason to keep playing. There's so much to do and all of it sucks you into the whole universe that Oblivion is based around, it's like crack.

Just like my penis.

" Just like my penis. "

At least there's fast travel...In Morrowing you couldn't fast travel at all!

I need linearity in my RPGs.  Otherwise I feel lost.

After I had done the Main Quest, Guild quest and every little mini side quest and expansion I could get my hands on I had a lot of fun just running around looking for Nirnroot and seeing what was "just over there." If that thing isn't your bag picking a Bethesda RPG probably wasn't the best move. Also if you just want to burn through the Main Quest there is no way should would need 40 hours, it could easily be done in less then half that. I don't know off the top of my head but I reckon I would have put in a solid 300hrs + into that game.

The point of Bethesda games will hopefully never be the plot. They're very talented at making you feel immersed and giving the player freedom to make their own story. It's, of course, personal opinion - I wish Oblivion was bigger!
You're right about the average consumer though, I know someone who "completed" it in a day.