The question missing from reviews: does the game respect your time?

Reviews measure graphics, audio, mechanics. They rarely answer the question an adult with twelve free hours a week needs: will this game honour the time it asks for? Three questions settle it.

Question one: how much of the game is mandatory? Thirty hours of campaign with five of filler is a better deal than twenty with twelve. Look for the dry curve - the point where the game stops teaching and starts charging patience.

Question two: does progress survive a pause? Games that punish a two-week absence charge a second purchase of time. Quest logs, maps and inventories that re-explain themselves are worth more than they look.

Question three: is there a decent exit point? A game that lets you finish an honest story at 40 hours respects you more than one stretched to 70 with repeated content. A credit roll on time is a feature, not a flaw.

Combined, the three questions turn a purchase decision into something closer to hiring than gambling. And that is exactly what a good review should offer: not a score, a contract.