The commercial with Garrus seems really nitpicky here. It was meant to be funny. And in the commercial, the Shepard with Garrus is clearly male, so of course Garrus is going to refer to him as a "man." The entire article just seems really forced to me.
Marketing Effect 3
- Thread starter Shamus Young
- Start date
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How much of this is Bioware/EA? I know the developers have to design the DLC in the first place, but how much of this was pitched/is being handled by an outside marketing company? Or at least outside marketing consultation?
I simply mean to suggest that it may not entirely be the creators themselves who aren't showing care in the marketing like they are in the game and world.
Speaking as someone who actually has not played more than a couple minutes out of the whole series thus far, this campaign seems very effective (on me at least) at grabbing the attention of people not already engaged in the ongoing narrative. Current fans were sold on 3 as soon as 2 ended (I imagine.) This marketing is trying to pick up new fans.
Sorry, but some misrepresentation of the game and what it stands for sounds like standard marketing faire to me.
I simply mean to suggest that it may not entirely be the creators themselves who aren't showing care in the marketing like they are in the game and world.
Speaking as someone who actually has not played more than a couple minutes out of the whole series thus far, this campaign seems very effective (on me at least) at grabbing the attention of people not already engaged in the ongoing narrative. Current fans were sold on 3 as soon as 2 ended (I imagine.) This marketing is trying to pick up new fans.
Sorry, but some misrepresentation of the game and what it stands for sounds like standard marketing faire to me.
I'm confused here. I don't remember any hate towards Portal 2, while ME3 is receiving all of the hate. Also, when ME2 came out, there was a commercial where Shepard teleported the bad guys into a toilet. The trend of silly marketing gimmicks isn't exactly new.
I agree that there is a dissonance between what Mass Effect is supposed to represent at its core and what is being represented through a lot of the marketing. I think, in a lot of ways, Mass Effect is nigh impossible to market to established fans because the things make the experience memorable don't make for great bullet-points on a marketing statement.
I have never been more excited for a game to be released before, however most of the marketing has been lackluster for a fan who is on board for the intimacy that is offered in a character driven narrative.
Quotes such as '[w]e fight or we die...' are taken out of context and used as catch phrases which inherently shift attention away from the merits of the franchise and give the impression of a throw-away, Friday night action film. Playing the demo, I actually found that piece of dialogue appropriate in its given context, as our hero (avatar) is trying to rouse Earth's leaders to act while the Reapers are descending around them.
Despite a lot of silly marketing, I really enjoyed the launch trailer and a few other choice trailers that weren't trying to force 'stratified' DLC upon me as a consumer. Being able to see how weapons are customized, the voice cast, the story elements and also have a taste of the spectacle is what wets my appetite for Mass Effect 3.
I do wish that marketing would stick their DLC policies up their fucking ass and blow it out the window. I think consumers need consistency and cohesiveness and the selling of Mass Effect 3 leaves a lot to be desired.
I have never been more excited for a game to be released before, however most of the marketing has been lackluster for a fan who is on board for the intimacy that is offered in a character driven narrative.
Quotes such as '[w]e fight or we die...' are taken out of context and used as catch phrases which inherently shift attention away from the merits of the franchise and give the impression of a throw-away, Friday night action film. Playing the demo, I actually found that piece of dialogue appropriate in its given context, as our hero (avatar) is trying to rouse Earth's leaders to act while the Reapers are descending around them.
Despite a lot of silly marketing, I really enjoyed the launch trailer and a few other choice trailers that weren't trying to force 'stratified' DLC upon me as a consumer. Being able to see how weapons are customized, the voice cast, the story elements and also have a taste of the spectacle is what wets my appetite for Mass Effect 3.
I do wish that marketing would stick their DLC policies up their fucking ass and blow it out the window. I think consumers need consistency and cohesiveness and the selling of Mass Effect 3 leaves a lot to be desired.
You missed the point then jumped straight to entitlement, congratulations sir. I do not care for any of this DLC nor do I care about Valves hats.Wakikifudge said:
The point was that Portal 2 received so much rage over something that did not affect the game. All it affected is how a player character looks during co op. All of the DLC EA is attaching to all this extra stuff directly affects the main game in the form of special weapons, armor etc. Hat doesn't change anything while guns could change something.
So then why is it that people will whine and rage over aesthetic hats but not over in game weapons that can only be received if you buy all their extra stuff? Simple answer? People are massive idiots and hypocrites. Bioware gets a pass while Valve gets screamed at over giving people the ability to optionally wear a hat. Those people should be whining about ME3.
Personally, I think that all this advertising is just an effort to hush up the nearly continuous leaks, most of which are being received in a heavily negative light.
Basically EA trying to milk it as fast as possible before word of mouth really can get around.
Basically EA trying to milk it as fast as possible before word of mouth really can get around.
I have a theory, all this marketing is aimed at the COD demographic right?
Thats genius. Because everyone else is going to buy it anyway right? Why not focus on a new market?
Thats genius. Because everyone else is going to buy it anyway right? Why not focus on a new market?
My apologies I misunderstood your post. I thought YOU were whining about the guns affecting gameplay. I see your point now. I didn't actually know that people were outraged about the Portal 2 hats. Isn't that the same as Valve's micro-transactions in TF2?Waaghpowa said:
However, is this point he's making actually true? I could be remembering wrong but I'm pretty sure a lot of people have raged about the in-game weapons. IMO Anyone who rages about either of these things is a self-entitled jerk (which is what I mistakenly thought you were).
Yes, kinda. What few items there were, and by few I mean like 5 things, are also available simply by playing Portal 2 single player. Why anyone would buy the items when they just get them from playing is beyond me.Wakikifudge said:
Of course people have raged about it, but the point is that it hasn't received equal or greater ridicule. If Portal 2 could receive all that crap for the hats, then why isn't Mass Effect getting a hurricane katrina level of shit storm?
Maybe it's because people feel more betrayed by Valve because in so many gamer's eyes, they are a spectacular developer who can do no wrong so when this minor offence (if you could even call it that) occurred, people felt betrayed.Waaghpowa said:
Bioware on the other hand is owned by EA and I guess people just don't feel as surprised or betrayed when EA does something like this.
This is the only "reasonable" explanation I can think of.
The only reasonable explanation is people are hypocritical morons. Hats do nothing and affect nothing. There's absolutely no reason for anyone to get so worked up over something so trivial. Then again, this is the internet. Valve does offer special cosmetic items for TF2 when you pre purchase a particular game, but it doesn't change the fact that they do absolutely nothing.Wakikifudge said:
Don't worry, the core-gameplay mechanics will be the same, the story and the choices will be the same.SurfinTaxt said:
There are just emphasizing the actiony features to target a new demographic.
Shamus, Shamus, bro, buddy, pall.
Didn't you get the memo? Mass Effect stopped being "food for thought" a long time ago. Mass Effect IS "big, dumb and loud".
Its not a space opera RPG anymore, its a shooter. You are carefully led by the hand from cinematic speech to cinematic speech and romance option with "whack-a-mole" combat encounters as filler in between.
These ads are exactly targeted at the people they want, the hyperactive GOW, HALO, COD no-scope submarine bunnyhoper. They do not want -you-, or -me-.
We are not significant, 14 bazillion shooter fans are, and for them "LOL GUNZ!" is exactly what matters.
I think the thing about Portal 2 was that most people assumed Valve was above such ridiculous nonsense, no matter how frivolous or pointless. That they had more respect for their product and their customers than to make a selling point out of the ability to put silly hats on your robots. Discovering that they didn't kind of rocked their world. Everyone "knows" (yes those are real sarcasm quotes, not just "durr I don't know how to make italics" quotes) that EA are the sort of commercialist pigs who would saw their own grandmothers' arms off and sell them back to them as "DLC," so nobody bats an eye when they pull stuff like this.
People expect EA to be money grubbing dicks, Valve are supposed to be nice guys.
If a reputed nice guy does a dick move it is more off putting than a known jerk doing the same thing.
If a reputed nice guy does a dick move it is more off putting than a known jerk doing the same thing.
rembrandtqeinstein said:
I think you guys both hit the nail on the head.Steve the Pocket said:
It's like the teachers in school who don't care when the scaly wag doesn't hand in his homework, but throw a wobbly when the A+ student misses one due to complications.
It's an unfair double standard, but I think it's just that visceral, honest gut reaction that people get.
I think that's why we all flip our shit over Bioware games. The once great RPG King has gone senile in his old age and burning all of his dearest friends that got him to where he is.
It's both sad and infuriating. Losing something that was once so great, mixed in with a more then unhealthy dose of betrayal. The recipe for a perfect shitstorm.
I wonder when the COD kiddies grow up, will they and their generation have this shame problem? Will the 14 year old racist Live players be complaining about the casualisation of their FPS games some years down the line?
Will we look on in our silver years, and give a bitter chuckle, before going back to our business (or playing Planescape again for the 631st time...)?
