RED BANK, Tenn. — Local gamer George Reed is excited to play Nintendo’s latest release, Mario’s Cement Factory 2, which earned an ideal 20 hours on clear-time aggregator HowLongToBeat.
“As a big Cement Factory fan, I was worried there was no way the sequel could live up to the hype and expectations after decades of waiting. Clearly I had nothing to worry about,” said Reed. “Hitting 20 on HLTB proves that Nintendo gave this game the attention and care it deserved, making it neither too long nor too short for the everyday gamer to complete over a long weekend. It’s a dream come true.”
Mario’s Cement Factory 2 is the first game of 2023 to hit the coveted 20-hour mark, which Reed believes puts it in elite company.
“Look, there are some great games and hidden gems in the 30-hour range and beyond, but getting that perfect 20 has put the rest of the industry on notice,” said Reed, who rarely even reads about a game without first checking the score. “When awards season rolls around, there is going to be a clear favorite for Game of the Year. It will go down as an all-time classic.”
Despite Reed’s enthusiasm, his roommate David Wilkins said the game’s HLTB score left him unmoved and unlikely to purchase the new game.
“I’m glad George is excited, but if anything, a score that great is a red flag for me,” said Wilkins while scrolling through beat times. “When a game does that well on HLTB, that just tells me it’s another mass-market people pleaser. I’m sure it’ll sell well and all that, but there’s no way it’s pushing the envelope for the medium. If you ask me, the real shit is in that 10–15 hour range.”
The roommates were able to set aside their differences when discussing Nintendo’s upcoming release, The Super Mario Bros. Movie., agreeing that unless its runtime lands right around a clean 90 minutes, it will likely be another silver screen flop for the video game industry.
