There is a trap.

[Stavros Dimou]

I think I have realized that when a game says on the cover or a trailer something like "From the creator of X game",usually this game isn't good enough.
Because obviously,if the game was good,there would be a better selling point to show off than that its creator did some other good games in the past. If a game was good,the publisher would have a line about what makes this particular game good and special,to be used instead of a line that doesn't mean much for that game.

So beware costumers,whenever you read or hear "From the creator of the award winning and awesome games X and Y" that means that the publisher believes that there are more chances you will buy this game because you know who made it,than buying it for what it is.
It probably means this game doesn't have something interesting itself.

 

[yuval152]

This is not always true, EA did it with Bioware but Borderlands 2 is awesome and they still said that Gearbox made it.

Captcha: Do more sit-ups

What are you implying?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I guess all those games with Sid Meier's name on them were bad after all, and not classics like everyone always assumed.

 

[aguspal]

Well..


Now this is a rather weird way to have an idea of the game´s quality before the game itself is on stores...

I dont know what to say. I guess its okey. But I would personally just watch the trailer itself to see if its of my interest or not...

 

[SajuukKhar]

I don't agree with the statement that a "This game is made by a guy who made X game" statement in a trailer usually means a game is bad.

I don't think it often mean its bad.

I do think that sometimes it can mean a game is bad, but then again, literally every marketing technique has that same chance also.

 

[Stavros Dimou]

I didn't say that all games that say who made them are 'BAD'.
You guys have a bad habit of misinterpreting written texts.
Actually what's bad and what's not has to do with individual's taste.

What I said was that when a Publisher pushes that the one who made this game has also made other games as a selling point,it shows that the publisher isn't very confident that this game has another feature interesting enough to boost sales,which might or might not say something about the quality of the game.

@BloatedGuppy: I didn't said about games that feature the name of their creator in the title. I said about the use of the creator's legacy as a selling point by the publisher.

 

[SajuukKhar]

I think I have realized that when a game says on the cover or a trailer something like "From the creator of X game",usually this game isn't good.

I didn't say that all games that say who made them are 'BAD'.

Actually, you kinda did.

Saying that a game "usually isn't good" is saying that "usually it is bad".

 

[Stavros Dimou]

Perhaps there could be less misunderstandings if I added an example.


Look at RAGE.
It's main selling point is that it is made "BY THE CREATORS OF DOOM AND QUAKE".
Why did the publisher decided to market that game,with this slogan ? Why not market it because of its gameplay,or story,or technology,or you know, characteristics that define its experience ?
The answer ? Because everything this game did,had already been done. Post apocalyptic wasteland ? Fallout series,STALKER series,Metro series,etc. Free roaming ? Nothing new,let's move on. Vehicle sections ? Halo,Half Life,DNF,Perfect Dark,Battlefield... move on.. Nothing that would make you buy this game instead of another one,except that it was made by people who made marvelous games in the past.
Do you get my point now ?

 

[Stavros Dimou]

I think I have realized that when a game says on the cover or a trailer something like "From the creator of X game",usually this game isn't good.

I didn't say that all games that say who made them are 'BAD'.

Actually, you kinda did.

Saying that a game "usually isn't good" is saying that "usually it is bad".

Yup. Perhaps I forgot to add a word to the phrase, 'enough'.
I'll edit that in a moment. What I meant was kinda different,read my RAGE example.

 

[DoPo]

I didn't say that all games that say who made them are 'BAD'.
You guys have a bad habit of misinterpreting written texts.

Yes, you actually said that they "aren't good". There is a distinction, if you want to make one.

What I said was that when a Publisher pushes that the one who made this game has also made other games as a selling point,it shows that the publisher isn't very confident that this game has another feature interesting enough to boost sales,which might or might not say something about the quality of the game.

No, it doesn't necessarily say that. It could also try to call in fans of the other games. "Hey, I liked X and Y, I'll try this now"

 

[aguspal]

Perhaps there could be less misunderstandings if I added an example.


Look at RAGE.
It's main selling point is that it is made "BY THE CREATORS OF DOOM AND QUAKE".
Why did the publisher decided to market that game,with this slogan ? Why not market it because of its gameplay,or story,or technology,or you know, characteristics that define its experience ?
The answer ? Because everything this game did,had already been done. Post apocalyptic wasteland ? Fallout series,STALKER series,Metro series,etc. Free roaming ? Nothing new,let's move on. Vehicle sections ? Halo,Half Life,DNF,Perfect Dark,Battlefield... move on.. Nothing that would make you buy this game instead of another one,except that it was made by people who made marvelous games in the past.
Do you get my point now ?

Yes I do.


I still disagree with your example because RAGE was a pretty good game IMO. But I get what your saying...


Its really a bit situational... this.

 

[Moth_Monk]

Oh noes OP you better abandon the thread quickly, I think you've rather upset some chaps here!

If a game's *only* selling point is that it is made by some well known game devs, when it's marketed then that probably is a sign that the game is not good. After all, wouldn't there be more to show, if it was good, than "uh...well it's the same guys that made X"

 

[daveman247]

im pretty sure a bullet point on the bioshock marketing was "from the makers of system shock". So i think your point is incorrect :L


I think it can work. If i enjoyed said game that they made before, i am more likely to check what they have made now. Its like when mass effect came out it was from "the makers of kotor".

 

[Twilight_guy]

now that that's out of the way.

Psychonauts had Tim Schaffer's name on the front and it was good. Obviously your situation could occur but its not like its a red flag that immediately signals bad times.

 

[burningdragoon]

The reason games are sometimes marketed that way has nothing to do with the quality game. It's just the easiest thing to market.

Movies like to point out when famous directors are working on a movie. Books are advertised as "by best selling author so-and-so". This is what marketing is.

 

[Lucem712]

Eh, I don't really think so. We see it frequently done in movies, "From the Director of 'X', comes the blockbuster of the summer!"[footnote]Now, it isn't the tag line, but it is in a-lot of the trailers.[/footnote] just an easy way of showing that the film/game has a creator with previous success.