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jepsen1977: Here's the problem, Hydrophobia had 2 things going for it: water physics (which isn't enough to recommend it all on its own) and story. The story started out strong and they just flubbed it in the end with a clumsy To Be Continued (so far no word of any sequel), actually one of the worst handled TBCs I've ever seen.

So the length wasn't terribly long, but for 3-10 bucks probably long enough for most (but if you're pinching pennies, no, there's better titles in that price range, both new and old, better and with longer, engaging gameplay). But the quality just wasn't there, the gameplay in the demo leaves out any of the gunplay, only showing some of the platforming and story (platforming is average, but passable enough that folks would not have been turned off by any means), the latter seeming quite good. It's only once you buy it that you get to see all the ugly bits (or read reviews), such as the really clumsy gunplay and horrid ending (I might have waited for all parts to be released before buying if I knew it had such an ending, I would not have been alone, I'm sure).

So in the end, I felt like the game was misrepresented on several levels. When all parts were presented, and not just the best parts, the game seemed a whole lot more mediocre (or even subpar). But it retailed for 15 bucks originally (10 now is retail, though sales range from 3-5). The hours spent playing felt like a waste as well, with such an ending, I could have put my time into a dozen other games I haven't played yet that actually gave a crap about presenting a complete product.
I haven't played the game yet (I have a backlog the size of Manhattan) but I do agree that good water effects are not enough and I also hate when companies try to scam me into buying something with a dishonest demo/trailer that will "trick" me - rather than simply showing off the entire game as is (the first few hours of it).
Hydrophobia also shows the damgers of episodic gaming where a story is incomplete butt where we won't see the continuation of the story - leaving us with a game that is literally broken, like owning half a book.
I might try the game in the future but like you said there are so many other games that we should spend our time on.