History Main / FakeLongevity

** In both the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game, unlocking all of the custom moves and gear takes ''forever'', since it's comprised mainly of RandomlyDrops, and things you've already collected will keep popping up.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'' both averts the trope and plays it straight in different instances. On the one hand, the sandbox world allows an awesome degree of exploration and many side-quests to find. On the other hand, the main quest/plotline is about four hours long if you focus on it and rush through. And to make things even more confusing, partaking in the length-enhancing activities is optional and does not contribute anything to your ability to complete the main quest. In fact, due to a lopsided case of RubberBandAI and EmptyLevels, it is easier to finish the game if you do so as early as possible and without distractions than it is after some secondary adventuring. The end result is that there is a lot of longevity present, but it is only "fake" when taken in the context of the main plot. And you need to clear ''multiple'' Oblivion Gates to beat the main quest, of which there are only seven maps. On top of it, they are 99% empty of rewards with a lone RandomlyDrops sigil stone at the end.

** In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'', you have to collect all of the Golden Bananas in order to get the true ending.
** In ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'', the extra mode (or "Hard" mode) must be completed just to get the remaining concept art.

* ''VideoGame/JetForceGemini'' forces you, right before the final level, [[RescueArc to rescue every Tribal on the game]]. You must rescue them all in one go for each level you attempt; if you miss or let die at least one of them, you must restart that level. They have an annoying habit of running around in the middle of crossfire and some Drone soldiers are specifically programmed [[SpitefulAI to held them hostage and kill them the moment they spot you.]] You must also rescue those on [[GuideDangIt out of the way Bonus Worlds]]. Have fun.

** The un-remastered Cardassian story arc. Untouched since game launch, almost every mission in it is a MarathonLevel with LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading between space and ground maps multiple times per mission, and usually involves a MassMonsterSlaughterSidequest full of GoddamnBats. And then there are missions with the simple goal to interact with a few objects, except there are usually hordes of RespawningEnemies you have to chew through, and you are forced into BackTracking through them most times. All the loot including the mission rewards are little better than VendorTrash. Word has it though that the Cardassian missions will be overhauled with the release of Season 11 in late October 2015.

* Games based on ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':

** There are also the balloons and security cameras that can be destroyed. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that you can get Riddler information on your map by interrogating specially marked green-hued thugs for Riddle information, and TYGAR security terminals give map information on where the cameras are.

** The scene right before the FinalBoss lasts over five minutes and can't be skipped.

* The sidequests in ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'', there are literally hundreds of them, a lot of them are just TwentyBearAsses or MassMonsterSlaughterSidequest. There are also the collectibles in each area, there are dozens for each area, they spawn mostly randomly, and they don't do much unless you like grinding for RelationshipValues, which is another thing that makes the game longer.

Similar to FakeDifficulty, except that it isn't difficult per se, it just makes the game longer to play. The claim that a game [[ReplayValue contains 50, 100, or more hours of gameplay]] is often a sign of this. It may also exist in a milder form where the time-consuming element is part of an optional quest. Note: this doesn't mean that [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools it can't still be fun]].

** Finding all six of the orbs in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'' without a walkthrough is near-impossible, as they're scattered all over the world map, and the only hints you have are random tidbits of information from various townsfolk and a flute that you can play to see if an orb is in the area. This can lead to a lot of wandering.

** In the prequel/ExpansionPack ''Torna ~ The Golden Country'', there are two points in the game where the main story stops while the party has to go around [[FameGate raising the community level]], which feels especially life this if the player has been avoiding sidequests up to this point.

** One segment near the last quarter of the game has Mario seek out General White, an NPC that [[ItMakesSenseInContext can help him get to the Moon]]. You travel to the location where he was last seen, only to be told by another NPC that you ''just'' missed the guy and they tell you where he went. This repeats several more times as you literally have to travel to every single major location you visited throughout the game and this can span over 30 minutes between the walking and the cut scenes showing your vehicle taking off to another region. To add more insult to injury, General White retunrs to ''your starting point'', falls asleep, and you have to hit him in order to wake him up a couple of times. There is also a sidequest involving General White that basically has you repeat the goose chase a ''second time''.

** One segment near the last quarter of the game has Mario seek out an NPC that can help him get to the moon. You travel to the location where he was last seen, only to be told by another NPC that you ''just'' missed the guy and they tell you where he went. This repeats several more times as you literally have to travel to every single major location you visited throughout the game and this can span over 30 minutes between the walking and the cut scenes showing your vehicle taking off to another region. There is also a side quest involving the same NPC basically has you repeat the goose chase a ''second time''.

** The fourth chapter is very bad about this. When you defeat the chapter's boss, you'll find that you have to go through the Twilight Trail again. And again. You have to go through that trail four times!

** There are very few sidequests of the TwentyBearAsses or MassMonsterSlaughterSidequest variety, compared to the first game. All of those have moved to the blade [[Main/SkillTree affinity charts]], where many nodes are of those variety. However, most of those [[AvertedTrope can be essentially skipped over]] by sending characters off on merc missions, meaning most of those sidequests end up being unnecessary, even for 100% completion.
** Played straight with Vess and Ursula's affinity charts. Maxing out Vess requires using her crafting skill 100 times, which means tracking down hundreds of miscellaneous items with almost no indication of where they can be found. Ursula's requires a long series of mercenary missions, which even under optimal conditions takes 16 hours. It can at least be done in the background while progressing through the game normally, but that way you'll spend most of the game getting interrupted by missions returning every few minutes and have to set up and send off the next one.

* The sidequests in ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'', there are literally hundreds of them, a lot of them are just TwentyBearAsses or MassMonsterSlaughterSidequest. There are also the collectibles in each area, there are dozens for each area, they spawn mostly randomly, and they don't do much unless you like grinding for RelationshipValues, which is another thing that makes the game longer.
* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'':
** There are very few sidequests of the 20BearAsses or MassMonsterSlaughterSidequest variety, compared to the first game. All of those have moved to the blade [[Main/SkillTree affinity charts]], where many nodes are of those variety. However, most of those [[AvertedTrope can be essentially skipped over]] by sending characters off on merc missions, meaning most of those sidequests end up being unnecessary, even for 100% completion.
** Played horribly straight with Vess and Ursula's affinity charts. Maxing out Vess requires using her crafting skill 100 times, which means tracking down hundreds of miscellaneous items with almost no indication of where they can be found. Ursula's requires a long series of mercenary missions, which even under optimal conditions takes 16 hours. It can at least be done in the background while progressing through the game normally, but that way you'll spend most of the game getting interrupted by missions returning every few minutes and have to set up and send off the next one.
* The ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' series is infamous for its needlessly long and wordy {{Unskippable Cutscene}}s. Especially annoying for the final boss of the first installment, which had two forms and was preceded by an incredibly long dialogue scene. At least it allows saving anywhere, and with the E-shop rerelease, you don't need to worry about your GBA's batteries running out during your battle anymore...
** During a battle, characters lose their turns if their target gets defeated before they can attack. It's played for 'strategy' but in reality, random battles take longer than they have any right to if you just want to mash the attack button (no 'auto' option). Thankfully, the sequels switch to the attack moving to another target.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'' force you out of a level every time you collect a Power Star or a Shine Sprite, even if another one is readily available within the same mission. This can often make levels feel repetitive if you have to go through the same platforming challenges several times to get each one, such as Tick-Tock Clock. Both [[https://youtu.be/BRAKFmTcxfI?t=565 KingK]] and WebVideo/ExoParadigmGamer [[https://youtu.be/re6qlTbQB4w?t=1200 have criticised]] this as a padding tool and antithetical to a CollectathonPlatformer, though Exo [[https://youtu.be/YT5Fg_sxQ5c?t=894 considers it more excusable]] in ''Sunshine'' as the levels do change significantly from one mission to the next. Conversely, [[https://youtu.be/enanPKRXK4U?t=1337 KingK]] considers it ''worse'' in ''Sunshine'', arguing that it breaks the sense of immersion that Isle Delfino and the main levels try to build up.

* The original version of ''NineHoursNinePersonsNineDoors'' on the DS requires you to play through the whole game at LEAST twice, based on a choice you made at the beginning of the game. And, if you're a completionist, playing through the WHOLE game with all puzzles and story beats a whopping ''six times'' to see everything. Certain puzzles you'll have down by playthrough two or three. The UpdatedRerelease shortens this by giving you a story map where you only have to backtrack to the room that gives you the story choice instead of restarting the whole game.

* ''VideoGame/MafiaTheCityOfLostHeaven'' has very few actual driving mission, but before almost every mission you have to drive from your don's bar to the target, at a city with many few points of interest, in a slow vehicle, that have hard time turning, and with a speed limit that force you to drive even slower (40 mps for the first half of the game 60 in the second) if you don't want to trigger the police. the police is very stupid, but because your vehicle is not really made for chase and the condition to losing the police is almost impossible, most times it's just better to restart the drive if you got the police attention.

** Mossrock Theater has three Mini Paint Stars, two right next to each other in a room near the end. Thus, you'll have to go through a majority of the level three times to get them all. However, these two are thankfully optional, unlocking shortcuts to previous levels you've beaten.

->''"You have to beat the game ''twice?'' Hehehe. You have to beat the game twice. In a row. That's just great, because this time I'm TWICE AS FUCKING PISSED OFF! Beat the game twice. I'll show ''you'' twice! After all that hard work, who'd want to do that shit again? It's like building a house and right after you're finished, you tear it down just to build it one more time. 'Oh yeah, we could have made twelve stages, but instead, let's just make six and make people have to play the game twice'."''

->''"You have to beat the game twice? ''[chuckles]'' You have to beat the game twice... in a row. That's just great because this time I'm TWICE AS FUCKING PISSED OFF!!! Beat the game twice. I'll show you twice! After all that hard work, who'd want to do that shit again? It's like building a house and right after you're finished, you tear it down just to build it one more time. 'Oh yeah, we could have made twelve stages, but instead, let's just make six and make people have to play the game twice'."''
-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''', on ''VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins''

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII'' gives you a lot of access to endgame spells at, well, the end of the game, along with one of them that's not accessible until midway through the final level. Many players are tempted to spend hours grinding them out, and due to the low learn rate of these spells, this can add hours and hours of additional playtime. Not to mention making a variety of chains of bets in the coloseum, learning Strago's blue magic spells (most of which are in the final dungeon as well), learning Gau's various rages which are heavily influenced by the RandomNumberGod, and you can easily spend 40-50 hours to beat the game when it's reasonably doable in less than 30 as the final boss is rather [[AntiClimaxBoss easy]].