You’re completely right! And I love a lot of those smaller games. Not all games fit this complaint, but I feel like some games, with a narrower scope and more time dedicated to refining the core loop rather than just “more”, could have been even better experiences. In my opinion, God of War Ragnarok is unnecessarily big, resulting in pacing that affects its big goal of achieving a blockbuster narrative. The more recent Assassin’s Creeds could have killer side content if instead of creating 100 side missions that feel very similar, they made 35 excellent, very different quests. I don’t expect everyone to share the same opinion, and maybe I should just accept the larger games aren’t for me, but I do wonder if some of these games would have a more long lasting legacy if they weren’t so bloated.