It has been a hot topic of debate for weeks now: The surprisingly short length of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes .

Granted, it's an introduction, a prelude of sorts to the main course, The Phantom Pain . However, the latter may not be out until later next year, and the pricing for Ground Zeroes (despite a $10 price drop for the physical PS4 and Xbox One versions) still isn't agreeable to most gamers. That's because of the reported length: Some are saying the game can be completed in less than an hour now. That's not good news.

Personally, I've always felt that critics put an inordinate amount of emphasis on a game's length. I understand the concept, of course; you want as much bang for your buck as possible. Not every game can be Journey , but I think that's an example of how length is essentially irrelevant when determining the overall quality of an artistic product. Even so, a lot of people are upset about the length and price of Ground Zeroes , and that could be reflected in the review scores we see this week.

The million-dollar question is, of course: Is that fair?

Related Game(s): Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes