EA Launches Mass Effect 3 Discs into Space

[Wintermoot]

imagine Aliens trying to play it but failing due to the DRM.

 

[Nexxis]

Awww. I thought they meant out in orbit or further. It would've been nonsensical, but amusing. However, I fear the sort of thing that could happen from this.

And next week we shall have a new news story about how fights broke out at the landing zone of Mass Effect 3. Several people will be injured, at least one hospitalization, and possibly a death will occur. EA will then be shocked, shocked I tell you, that their latest retarded marketin stunt ends up bein a massive failure.

Something kinda like this. Maybe not quite as extreme, but close. It almost seems like they're trying to see just how many flaming hoops customers are willing to jump through for their product.
Also, used games must not be hurting their sales too much if they're able to pull off stuff like this.

 

[Bat Vader]

So... EA's marketing department hasn't learned any lessons from their previous gimmicky failures? No? Nothing from Dante's Inferno or Dead Space 2? ...okay then.

Especially when this game honestly doesn't need it. "Mass Effect 3." ...upon hearing that, you know if you need it or not. Launching discs into space and tracking their decent to Earth... it sounds cool, doesn't it? But it's so cheap and attention-grabbing, and does nothing for the game. ...I'm not a fan of this. Not at all.

Actually I think this is a great idea. Dead Space 2's advertising was horrible, and Dante was just even worse, but unlike those two, this one doesn't actually hurt anybody, at all. I don't see any harm in this and think this is great.

It doesn't hurt anyone until a parachute fails and one of the games fatally clunks someone on the head. In that case a game will have literally killed someone.

 

[Screamarie]

Does anyone else get images of the movie Rat Race in their head? But hey I can't say that if the game landed in my little town I wouldn't go get it. But it won't so, hey, no need to worry about it huh?

 

[Corporal Yakob]

(Peering through binoculars) "I see the game, yes yes I see it! Its coming down.....its coming.....its coming!!! Aaaaaaaaand it just landed in that volcano....."

 

[scorptatious]

Holy crap that sounds awesome!

If only I was lucky enough to get one of those copies...

For some reason, that one clip of Peter Griffin from Family Guy snatching that baseball from that sickly looking kid comes to mind.

 

[Monkeyman O'Brien]

Ha. They do this. Someone gets it. Uploads it to the net. Everyone gets the game weeks early. EA bitches and moans about it being pirated to fuck weeks before its official release.
Dumbasses.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Hello extravagant publicity!

Also wouldn't there be a good chance of it landing in the ocean? Are the nerds going to hire ocean going boats to aid them in the search in that situation?

 

[mjc0961]

Actually I think this is a great idea. Dead Space 2's advertising was horrible, and Dante was just even worse, but unlike those two, this one doesn't actually hurt anybody, at all. I don't see any harm in this and think this is great.

It doesn't hurt anybody at all... Until multiple people show up to each landing site for each copy and start assaulting each other to try and be the one to take it home.

This is quite possibly the dumbest thing EA has ever done. It makes the Dante's Inferno and Dead Space 2 advertisements seem great by comparison. Organizing it so that 6 groups of people around the world will be beating the shit out of each other to get an early copy of a game that's less than 3 weeks away. Think it won't happen? Think about all the violence people desperate to get PS3s did back in 2006. Try to remember the last that Black Friday came and went without at least one person getting seriously injured or possibly killed. People will be injured trying to get these games. People might even die trying to get these games.


At this point, I'm fully convinced that the EA marketing department and the Bethesda quality assurance department are one in the same. Bunch of incompetent idiots.

 

[vxicepickxv]

A few copies of Mass Effect 3 are heading into space, and EA isn't responsible if they bring the Reapers back with them.

Of course not. EA doesn't think it's responsible for anything, except profits.

EA isn't responsible for the series destroyed by buying up developers, and later abandoning them after forcing them to quickly release a slapped together sequel.

/Maybe I should have put them in a sarcasm tag.

 

[Kajin]

I wonder how bad the PR would be if one of the games killed someone on reentry.

 

[Al-Bundy-da-G]

Erm, where exactly do you go on their site to track the games? I must be blind...

Anyways, that's a good idea, imo. Especially if it lands in my neck of the woods

Funny story I found a meteor after it punched a hole through my roof two days ago (insurance covered it, who knew).

Maybe I'll get another gift from above. One that won't cause me to move out of my house or two and a half months

 

[Boris Goodenough]

What is it that they say? There is no such thing as bad plublicity.

 

[The Human Torch]

A few copies of Mass Effect 3 are heading into space, and EA isn't responsible if they bring the Reapers back with them.

Of course not. EA doesn't think it's responsible for anything, except profits.

EA isn't responsible for the series destroyed by buying up developers, and later abandoning them after forcing them to quickly release a slapped together sequel.

/Maybe I should have put them in a sarcasm tag.

There, there, they can't hurt you anymore... *pats on back*

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

So... EA's marketing department hasn't learned any lessons from their previous gimmicky failures? No? Nothing from Dante's Inferno or Dead Space 2? ...okay then.

Especially when this game honestly doesn't need it. "Mass Effect 3." ...upon hearing that, you know if you need it or not. Launching discs into space and tracking their decent to Earth... it sounds cool, doesn't it? But it's so cheap and attention-grabbing, and does nothing for the game. ...I'm not a fan of this. Not at all.

Are you seriously criticizing ADVERTISING for being "attention-grabbing"? Seriously? That's like complaining that your soda is too wet, or that your car goes too fast.

Dead Space 2 and Dante's Inferno campaigns shed a bad light on the industry and gamers in general. This is entirely harmless.

I'm criticizing it for being attention-grabbing of itself, as apposed to for the product. The advertising itself is what will garner attention here, as apposed to the game. ...I'm not so much criticizing it, I guess, as just being baffled. It seems a waste of resources, for such a cheap gimmick. ...but otherwise... meh. You're right, it is harmless.

 

[MercurySteam]

So aliens get to play ME3 before we do? They didn't even preorder it!

 

[Imbechile]

NOOOOO!!
Don't do it!
The aliens will think we are some stupid, shallow morons.
If you want to, launch something good, like Planescape Torment, not some powergaming dating-sim.

 

[chiefohara]

Heh i can just imagine some poor slob tracks one of these ballons, follows it intently for one week, does insane calculations as to where and when it lands, books flights to the part of the world the game lands in, packs his Xbox with a mobile generator and TV to crank up the game to be ready to play it the second he gets it. Beats to death 20 other people determined enough to get it .... glasps hands on the gleaming awe inspiring rare early copy of mass effect 3 to see..... that its a PS3 Copy!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO