Jimquisition: How To Sell Games Without Being A Lying Dick

[Hover Hand Mode]

Does anybody else think Nintendo's E3 showing this year was so good simply because the actual presentation was an easy-to-digest 45 minutes long? There was very little filler (except maybe the walls of yarn) and it's easy enough to rewatch the whole thing and get even more hyped over all the sweet gameplay (not bullshotty trailers). If you haven't seen the video of Super Best Friends watching the whole Nintendo digital event this year, I think it's worth watching. They were legitimately amused!

All in all, this year's E3 talked me out of buying a PS4 and made me very happy to be a WiiU owner. That should say something.

 

[Dragonbums]

But I'm curious as to what the take on the supposedly "in engine" obviously scripted and edited (cause ya know, that slow-mo complete camera shift is blatantly obviously not an ingame thing and I don't know how anyones expected to believe it is) Zelda Wii-U thing is.

Well noticed. Nintendo doesn't have a clean record when it comes to E3 Zelda games. Wind Waker was bashed when it came out for the Gamecube because it looked nothing like the Zelda they showed up in the E3 a couple of years before.

But those were explicitly stated as tech demos. Not claimed to of been part of an actual game.

 

[AgentLampshade]

The thing about being a prophet is that nobody takes you seriously until it's too late.

 

[Xelzeno]

It's funny. For me the only appealing console is the Wii U and that is because to me, it does what consoles is supposed to do. Give out a lot of fun co-op, party and gimmicky games that you can sit down with a friend or two and play.

For the singleplayer experiences with nice graphics and such I just buy it for my PC, why would I need a console to do the same thing as my PC? Just worse.

 

[Atmos Duality]

They will stop lying as soon as people stop blindly pre-ordering their games.
That's it. That's all it will take.

AAA PR and marketing is laser-focused on one thing: Getting the most sales on launch. "Slow burn" sales have significantly less emphasis on them because the quicker they make back their big bloated budget, the better it looks to investors on that quarterly report. (that, and due to media bombardment, it's becoming increasingly difficult to impress and hold the attention of prospective buyers; the "shelf life" of a video game is pretty small these days, even for big titles)

And even when a scandal occurs, even when they get caught red-handed, it's still profitable to overhype and lie, then apologize later (or lie some more).

That's why EA and Maxis lied through their teeth about SimCity 13'.
That's why Gearbox heavily doctored their demo for Aliens: Colonial Marines.

And that's why Ubisoft not only doctored their Watch Dogs' demo last year (and then buried the settings in the PC version to preserve parity with consoles), but offered several different pre-order editions and day 1 DLC.

 

[Mangue Surfer]

But I'm curious as to what the take on the supposedly "in engine" obviously scripted and edited (cause ya know, that slow-mo complete camera shift is blatantly obviously not an ingame thing and I don't know how anyones expected to believe it is) Zelda Wii-U thing is.

Well noticed. Nintendo doesn't have a clean record when it comes to E3 Zelda games. Wind Waker was bashed when it came out for the Gamecube because it looked nothing like the Zelda they showed up in the E3 a couple of years before.

There's a tradition of Nintendo showing they new hardware it a Zelda inspired tech demo. Happens since N64, the Wii may be an exception, I can't remenber. But the tech demo never is related with an actual Zelda game.

 

[templar1138a]

And they should make finding the actual dungeon a puzzle in itself again! It was fun trying to find where you had to go, rather than having some flashing dot on the map.

I suppose I could put up with that in a three-dimensional world. I tried playing the first Zelda game on Gamecube and couldn't stand not having any idea where I was supposed to go. I've never liked isometrics that much.

 

[KazeAizen]

I really can't wait for Hyrule warriors.
Also, I like how Bayonette 2 video had her dressed as Link, that looks cool

That was actually Bayonetta 1. Nintendo is fixing the Bayonetta issue by giving people the first game when they buy the second. I presume through download or something. That version will also come with Nintendo themed costumes as you can plainly see in addition to her usual flair. Again more of Nintendo doing something right. A lot of the fanbase was mad it was a Wii U exclusive. Now they can have both on one console AND rope in new people by giving them the first iteration. Probably one of the best examples of cultivating a new IP, that has more of a cult status now, into a full blown franchise. Also their Gamecube controller adapter is just $20. How freaking awesome is that?

 

[Something Amyss]

Usually (but not always) companies get crap for it not because they're using in-engine footage in place of in-game footage, but because they're being dishonest about it.

Well, no. They routinely catch crap for doing just what Nintendo did.

GTA 5, Dark Souls 2 and Watch Dogs.

I bought GTA V online, admittedly, and couldn't give less of a crap about Dark Souls, but I know people who walked in and bought Watch Dogs day one.

Edit: Come to think of it, I have at least one friend who bought GTA Day one, because he tried to "surprise" us with it.

 

[Something Amyss]

The awful truth is that they don't need to learn this lesson as long as we keep giving them money.

The even worse truth is that for every one person that wises up and stopped giving these people money, there's a hundred more casuals and blind fanboys who either don't know or don't give a damn about how they are being royally screwed over just coming into some disposable income who will give the industry money anyway, meaning that refusing to give them money is ultimately meaningless in the end.

As long as people keep telling themselves to justify their purchases, it really will be meaningless. But then, that's less because it's true and more because declaring it meaningless as a justification to keep buying games while protesting gaming is a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's also rationalisation, and gamers have got real good at rationalising.

 

[Squeaky]

Like the new credits prophet! But it is sad how relevant this is. It will probably take an industry collapse or thousands to lose their jobs before Ubi or EA admit they fucked up, even then I have a gut feeling they'd hold face and out flat blame the consumer for "not knowing what we want" or " Inadequately voicing our opinion". When from the beginning of this generation and the majority (of what I could see) half way though the last, gamers voiced a concern as to the direction of the industry.

I've never owned a Nintendo console, say what you will about my credentials as a gamer, money was a struggle when I was growing up for the finer things at least had a commodore 64 mind you xD. But I might pick a Wii U up maybe..

Sadly the gaming industry is run by a bunch of pathetic children.
It's about time for another crash.

Yeah, Nintendo is churning out decades old IPs on their current console as usual and everyone hails them as heroes, just because the other contenders are soulless idiots.

There are no winners here.

Eh, if you get bored with triple-A gaming, you can always turn to indie games. There are plenty of great indie games with actually innovative gameplay and great stories. Or mod some older games from GOG.com. I'd say that if you just say bollocks to triple-A, you win.

Thank GOD! for mods!

 

[daxterx2005]

I really can't wait for Hyrule warriors.
Also, I like how Bayonette 2 video had her dressed as Link, that looks cool

That was actually Bayonetta 1. Nintendo is fixing the Bayonetta issue by giving people the first game when they buy the second. I presume through download or something. That version will also come with Nintendo themed costumes as you can plainly see in addition to her usual flair. Again more of Nintendo doing something right. A lot of the fanbase was mad it was a Wii U exclusive. Now they can have both on one console AND rope in new people by giving them the first iteration. Probably one of the best examples of cultivating a new IP, that has more of a cult status now, into a full blown franchise. Also their Gamecube controller adapter is just $20. How freaking awesome is that?

Nintendomination :3

 

[MidnightRaith]

This is why I don't watch E3 anymore. I've heard that Nintendo stole the show and all, but really while I applaud their strategy and wish other companies would do the same, I can't get excited to buy their software. Nintendo is something I never was a fan of. I didn't play their games as a kid and the games I prefer now are typically multi-platform that I can buy for my PC. Just about their only flagship IP that I could see myself enjoying is Zelda and I won't buy a console for one IP. Sony's stuff is more interesting to me and I know more interesting games will slowly trickle out for the consoles over the next couple of years as it has in the past.

I don't like marketing and advertising for gaming. It's bloated and misleading. I now wait for games I'm interested to actually come out so I can read reviews and watch Let's Plays of them. Pre-ordering is a poison for the industry and we're falling for it over and over as gamers as a whole. In the long run, it won't matter if I myself stop pre-ordering games in the grand scheme of things. Casual gamers and kids especially will always fall for marketing because this stuff was designed to appeal to them in particular and they will always outnumber those of us that read reviews or news about the the gaming industry and games themselves. The only reason to stop is for myself, which is still important. The number of bullshit games I've bought in the last two years has been zero because I finally started to protect myself as a consumer. It won't change the gaming industry and their lies, but it's made my hobby more enjoyable again.

 

[Demonchaser27]

I really did find myself thinking, "well, wait. Would I be bothered by Watch Dogs' visuals if Ubisoft hadn't lied?"

And the answer is "probably not."

Pizza is a decent meal, but you might be disappointed if you got it when you had (pre-)ordered fillet mignon.

The other problem is, as Racecarlock puts it:

Once they make their money, they care nothing about any of their customers after that point. They don't care. Because as long as the marketing is good enough and they make their money, they refuse to give two shits about anything after that.

I mean, what should be the teachable moment from Watch Dogs and what is the teachable moment are completely different. This should have been a moment where we taught them a lesson about how they can't get away with lying to us, but instead, we taught them that they can lie to us, be exposed, spark massive outrage, and still be a million-selling game. Watch Dogs is a dominant media force. What's to stop Gearbox from learning the message that maybe they should lie more or lie bigger next time?

For all the protests, we'll buy the games. Maybe not me specifically, or you specifically, but we as a whole.

And every year, people protest the hype of E3. Each year, the complaints get louder, but EA and Ubisoft and Activision get all the more bombastic. And despite those protests, each year we see these games sell phenomenally well. I can't believe that they will listen until there's a reason to. And we're not giving them cause to do anything but lie more. If you're outraged, but still buying the game, the latter part is all they see.

You're definitely right, but the biggest problem is that we're dealing with a crowd made mostly of people who also honestly don't give a shit about gaming. Most "gamers" don't watch E3, keep up with current events, nor even do research about the games they're buying. What this allows for, is the easy manipulation of a particular demographic/crowd because most of the crowd aren't up in arms. Yeah we're all vocal about it, but most of the buyers of games out there give about as little of crap about gaming overall as the big corporations do. Unfortunately this particular market isn't made of passionate people yet. We're still in the growing phase since the big boom back in 2007-2008 where most gamers just stumbled in because some advertisements appeared on their tv that made games look "cool" or "in" to those people. I'm not gonna say there aren't a lot of gamers that care about gaming as a culture, but there just aren't enough compared to the ones who don't.

 

[Demonchaser27]

I'm worried that the attempts at open-worlding the new Zelda will make it not FEEL like a Zelda game. Still, fingers crossed.

Looks like they're trying to bring back some of the Zelda 1 and 3 feeling, with those being largely open-world and all (more so the former). Will be interesting to see if they ditch the "do three dungeons -> open up real game" formula and maybe have a "short/skipable tutorial -> open up real game" instead. I'm sure the world/animations/combat will all deliver that Zelda feeling, but I hope they really change up the way items are used. I don't want to see more "use item to complete dungeon puzzle, use item to defeat boss". Maybe have items from other dungeons open up alternate routes or secrets etc. And they should make finding the actual dungeon a puzzle in itself again! It was fun trying to find where you had to go, rather than having some flashing dot on the map.

I'm with you there. God, it's hard to play because of limitations now, but I love how the original Zelda felt.

 

[God of Path]

Jim Sterling's 2015 campaign for World Hegemon will be comprised entirely of "BUG PRINCESS!"





And it will be successful.

 

[The White Hunter]

Its funny how the Wii-U is easily the system with the things I want most out of this year (aside from PC and 3DS to an extent) Hyrule Warriors had officially caught my interest and I can't wait for Super Smash Bros U. Hopefully if Nintendo pumps some money into Wii-U marketing and shows its not a shiny expensive peripheral for the Wii, the system will truly start to shine.

Hoping the division will be good, I remember my cousin was stoked for it, he was stoked for Watch Dogs like you wouldn't believe and was left pissed off at the finished result.

The Division looks neat, hope it hits PC at launch and not a year later with a terrible ubi-port.

 

[DataSnake]

Another example of honesty and transparency selling games is Saints Row IV. The trailer and press previews showed what was actually in the game, the review embargo lifted a full week before launch day, consumers got a good, honest look at its pros and cons, and it sold over a million [http://www.destructoid.com/saints-row-iv-sells-a-million-copies-in-first-week-260922.phtml] copies in its first week.

 

[CaitSeith]

Your statement is misleading. There is nothing wrong with Nintendo's record. What you are referring to is a tech demo that they did in 1999. They actually showed Windwaker the following year(still 2 years before the game came out). Yes, some people criticized Nintendo's decision to go with a cel-shaded art style, but it wasn't because Nintendo misrepresented themselves. And time has proven most of the original criticism to be full of shit, as Windwaker is a pretty well loved iteration of the series.

To put the facts clear.

2000 - Nintendo showed the Gamecube potential with an epic battle scene between Gannon and Link with a graphic style resembling to an improved version of Ocarina of Time.
2002 - Nintendo showed the Wind Waker with its cartoonish cell-shaded style. Saying that "some" previously hyped up fans went "WTF is this sh*t!" would be the understatement of the year.
2003 - Wind Waker was released. The game was called childish and boring, and it was bashed as one of the worst Zelda games ever by the gaming community.
2006 - Twilight Princess was released. It's graphics were much more similar to the first Gamecube trailer. Some people didn't like it, but it wasn't as bashed as the Wind Waker.
2011 - Skyward Sword was released. It wasn't a hit, but certainly it wasn't as hated as Wind Waker was at its time.
2013 - Wind Waker HD was released. Wii U owners loved it.
2014 - Nintendo talked about how the Wii U will push away some barriers that hold up the Zelda franchise (open world Zelda), and showed an epic battle scene between Link and a mechanical monster.

Of course things changed with the years, and I bought the Wind Waker when it was first released and finished it multiple times; but it doesn't change the fact that people were hyped up and felt let down at that time. So until they show the proper game with the proper title, I won't take anything for granted.