Why You Should Still Be Pumped For Watch Dogs

[Sgt Blackout]

Have you played the game? Or is it that you are just pontificating about something you have no personal experience with?

Lack of responsibility? Responsibility for what? Advising you how to spend your leisure money? I am reporting on the basic facts of the game, features, release date, platforms, background info, and developer insight to provide context for an entertainment product. I throw in my impressions when I think they are substantial enough to do so but this is still a form of entertainment we are talking about.

Also, pretending I have nothing to do with it when it collapses? Nothing to do with what? People not liking the game? I don't care if you don't like the game! I'm not making money off its sale.

I enjoy sharing things when I have a positive experience with them, thinking that maybe someone else will really like it too. That is what I did. If you want to believe I am part of the "hype train" and have no "responsibility" for consumers, because I *gasp* didn't rake it over the coals, so be it. You're entitled to your opinion and I won't even call you irresponsible for it!

You're missing the point; This website has previously declared Watch Dog's marketing to be untrustworthy. For that same website to run an article about how "pumped" I should be about it's release, it's clear as day why there's at least some backlash. Whether or not you personally enjoyed the segment of game that Ubisoft cherry picked in order to impress game journalists is irrelevant because they now have precedent for misleading advertisements.

 

[Mahoshonen]

Except what you wrote is a fluff piece, there's no critical eye. As a preview of an unfinished product, there needs to be notes about what is wrong, with the reminder it could be fixed by release. If anything, a preview needs to be MORE harshly judged than the final product because there is NO word of mouth from alternative sources, either warning or promoting the game, because the public has no access to it.

You trying to build hype with such a poorly concealed promotion deserves skepticism.

As for games I've loved? Dark souls, I just got it two weeks ago. More recent title? Saints row 4, love it endlessly. I can keep going and it will stay pretty constant. I don't hate games, I hate this flow of media bull crap that lacks a sense of responsibility towards the people whose attention is what keeps them afloat.

So you keep pushing hype that will inevitably fall flat because you're making it nigh unobtainable. Then when it collapses, you just pretend that you had nothing to do with it.

Have you played the game? Or is it that you are just pontificating about something you have no personal experience with?

Lack of responsibility? Responsibility for what? Advising you how to spend your leisure money? I am reporting on the basic facts of the game, features, release date, platforms, background info, and developer insight to provide context for an entertainment product. I throw in my impressions when I think they are substantial enough to do so but this is still a form of entertainment we are talking about.

Also, pretending I have nothing to do with it when it collapses? Nothing to do with what? People not liking the game? I don't care if you don't like the game! I'm not making money off its sale.

I enjoy sharing things when I have a positive experience with them, thinking that maybe someone else will really like it too. That is what I did. If you want to believe I am part of the "hype train" and have no "responsibility" for consumers, because I *gasp* didn't rake it over the coals, so be it. You're entitled to your opinion and I won't even call you irresponsible for it!

So you played a portion of the game in a tightly controlled environment. In the wake of Battlefield 4, Sim City and Aliens: Colonial Marines (just to name recent examples), is it any wonder that we the readers have a great deal of skepticism with regards to any pre-release promotional material. I don't know what it will take to win back my trust, but just saying "no really, this is going to be great!" isn't the way to do it.

And it's true that you work in the entertainment industry and don't have the same degree of responsibility as, for example, a CPA. But that doesn't mean you can't have standards, and when game after game is mounted on a pedestal of greatness by game journalists before release and regardless of the quality of the end product, forgive me for feeling that the game journalists are contributing to the problem.

Its true that I'm entitled to my opinion just as much as you are. But unlike you, I don't have a platform to broadcast that opinion or present it as some sort of authority. As a regular contributor to the Escapist, you do. And while it's not necessarily your fault, right now there is a crisis of confidence between games journalists and the public.

 

[ghalleon0915]

While my excitement for Watchdogs has certainly dimmed, I'm hoping it will still be a good game, despite its recent stumbles. There have been so much negativity surrounding the video games industry ( most of it self-inflicted) I'm trying not to be completely skeptical and try to be positive, especially when a game is trying to be innovative. I am curious as to how the entire hacking mechanic will end up working out, and I sincerely hope Watchdogs does deliver on that end. At least I hope it is good enough for me to finally buy a game for my PS4, instead of just playing on my pc most of the time.

On a tangent, is it always like this at the Escapist? I'm pretty new here, and I've seen so many forums just deteriorate rapidly. Having a differing perspective seems enough to initiate a backlash. Perhaps that's just my age showing though. Or perhaps just the internet, it's not like this is an isolated incident in any website forums.

OT - While I'm not pumped for Watchdogs as I was when I saw it at E3, I'm still hopeful but now laced with caution. I'll probably give it a week or so and see how it pans out, still keeping fingers crossed though! ( At least it's a new ip and not sequel number 9 of something)

 

[Barbas]

**Sigh** more PR department extension, 'promotional shots' and ramping up the hype train. I expect "Why you should be be pumped for X" as the title for a preview more from a site like IGN. After the PR disaster of dubious early marketing and bad damage control i think the most we can be is "Cautiously optimistic".

Is it so inconceivable to be excited for something? Because this is the Escapist I'm automatically supposed to hate everything? I had a genuinely awesome experience playing the game, plain and simple. But I love video games, and it seems more and more like a lot of this community doesn't love anything.

Ouch...it hurts, but it's true. For me, brand new games are expensive and I try to look at the track record of the company before making a decision. Getting something on day 1 is a luxury and it makes more sense to play Skyrim instead while I wait for the reviews to come in...man, I love Skyrim...so, so much...

Anyway, I'm glad you had fun playing the game. Simply put, though, I'm just filled with uncertainty - I am uncertain about what parts of the game you have played, whether what you played will be in the final product - at least at a similar level of quality (I recently learned of the downgrade in the visual quality Far Cry 3 pre-release[footnote]I should say that this reduction in graphical quality did not take away from my enjoyment of the game (except for some minor texture issues that made caves dark and obscured if brightness wasn't turned up high), as I learned of it years after having played and loved it. Had I seen the videos before release, however, I think I would have been annoyed about being misled. Misrepresentation is not an acceptable tactic in already ailing industry.[/footnote]) - and the policy of waiting for a price drop or the second wave of reviews has never let me down in the past.

The cynicism from customers is something that I can sadly understand, but mere elation about a game (or demo) should not be attacked. What if it were someone else here who displayed this level of excitement about something like, say, an upcoming Final Fantasy game? Despite the live volcano of uproar surrounding that series (which seems to dwarf the controversy over this mere singular game), I doubt the same level of anger would be directed at them.

I am confused by this response: are people objecting to the title of the article, or the content? You seem to have given us a fair amount of detail on several game modes, as well as an interview with a developer. You even said:

Also: I don't do reviews by choice, and it's important to remember this is a preview. I didn't get to see the final game, so it isn't fair to judge it, and analyze it, like it is the final game.

Your impressions of the developing game, your developing opinions on it (which you are, though some people may have difficulty seeing this, entitled to) and the enjoyment you got from what you have seen and played so far are something I'm mature enough to accept. Thank you for the update and I look forward to seeing how the game turns out. Take care.

 

[Zac Jovanovic]

I don't care if you don't like the game! I'm not making money off its sale.

While I'm sure that's true, you ARE selling the game. Surely you realize that.

Personally I just skimmed through the article, skipped a few times through the video and dismissed the whole thing as usual extended marketing for a game. Never giving it a second thought.

Then, I read the comments and it made me reflect on how it got this way.

Simply put, I've been burned so many times I don't give anyone any credit anymore. I've seen literally thousands of articles with this exact form, fake screenshots and nothing but praise for a game. And far too often it all fell apart at launch and left me with nothing but bitter feelings and a lighter wallet, especially with dodgy companies such as Ubisoft.

Honestly, and absolutely no offense intended, this article looks like it was written by an Ubisoft employee.
And this sentence alone, for this specific game, is very, very dangerous.

The build I played looked and felt great. In fact, it looked so great I wrongly assumed I was playing the PC version

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Is it so inconceivable to be excited for something? Because this is the Escapist I'm automatically supposed to hate everything? I had a genuinely awesome experience playing the game, plain and simple. But I love video games, and it seems more and more like a lot of this community doesn't love anything.

I'd blame Yahtzee. He's the one who popularized the idea that "if you're cynical about a game you won't feel sad if it sucks". I'm surprised so many people are willing to admit that they're such delicate little flowers that hyping over a game that failed to live up to expections will completely destroy them

Moreover, I'm surprised by how rude people are acting. We all know the baggage that comes with previews of unfinished games. You're not a super genius for taking a preview with a grain of salt. That doesn't change the fact that Andrearene played something that has the potential to be a fun game rather than a ho hum "Well Watch_Dogs is still on track and looks ok"

 

[grey_space]

We love videogames too. Which is why the current trend of over-promising and under-delivering, coupled with popular media serving as a mouthpiece rather than critical analyser, makes some of us ever so wary of pieces like these.

And one of the reasons I like and trust the escapist is that the reviewers and commenters actually have opinions. Greg Tito loved Dragon Age 2, Movie Bob hated The Amazing Spiderman. Just two examples of instances where I personally disagreed with staff here but I didn't immediately assume that Greg or Bob were 'mouthpieces' for either Bioware or Marvel respectively.

Andrea played an initial version of the game and enjoyed it. Fair enough. While I've never heard a review of hers before who can say weather she's right or wrong, but can I appreciate the genuine enthusiasm in her retelling of her experience?

Sure.

Since I haven't played the thing myself but I am interested in it I'll thank the escapist staff for putting it up,
and mock them suitably if the game ends up being a pile of shite.

edit: spelling

 

[BeerTent]

Didn't we just run an article a little while ago about "crap-shots"?

This industry will never change for the better, only for the worse.

 

[Ferisar]

Didn't we just run an article a little while ago about "crap-shots"?

This industry will never change for the better, only for the worse.

Let's get CYNICAAAAALLLL LADDIIIEEEES

-puts on tophat and grabs a cane-

Lovely place this is, good weather, not too hot not too cold. You know, rains at appropriate times and everyone goes to bed at 8.

The tea is acceptable, too. Mmm.

Let's not get too happy now, though. Take everything with a grain of salt. Or twelve.

 

[jehk]

EDIT: Oh, nevermind, I'm being too hyperbolic.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

How many of those screenshots are genuine and will be in the final game? Zero, I'm sure.

 

[ThreeName]

Moreover, I'm surprised by how rude people are acting. We all know the baggage that comes with previews of unfinished games. You're not a super genius for taking a preview with a grain of salt. That doesn't change the fact that Andrearene played something that has the potential to be a fun game rather than a ho hum "Well Watch_Dogs is still on track and looks ok"

And is the title of the article "I had fun playing a Watch Dogs preview" or "Hey, you should feel this way about this game because marketing"?

I hardly see how being critical is "rude", they're disagreeing with the way that this specific game is being pushed on this specific website after said game's marketing was torn apart on said website. Seems logical to me.

I don't like being told I "should be pumped" for anything, and I think a lot of people on here don't like being told how they "should" feel either. It's patronising and shallow.

 

[BeerTent]

Didn't we just run an article a little while ago about "crap-shots"?

This industry will never change for the better, only for the worse.

Let's get CYNICAAAAALLLL LADDIIIEEEES

-puts on tophat and grabs a cane-

Lovely place this is, good weather, not too hot not too cold. You know, rains at appropriate times and everyone goes to bed at 8.

The tea is acceptable, too. Mmm.

Let's not get too happy now, though. Take everything with a grain of salt. Or twelve.

This made me laugh.

Still though, do you not see it? Waay, way back when it running a business was more about putting something cool out there, something that will last, provide enjoyment.

Now... It's... Well, it feels like running a business feels more like checking to see what your customers will put up with. Your cream eggs are the same size, your hands just grew. Also they're $2.99 instead of just 0.99.

We shouldn't be producing additional hype. We should continue to talk about the mistakes. But that ain't gonna happen, is it? Because people don't work that way. See EA.

It's actually kind of frustrating as fuck! But I'll take your tea. I'm a Tea Tent. I like tea.

 

[Ipsen]

Is it so inconceivable to be excited for something? Because this is the Escapist I'm automatically supposed to hate everything? I had a genuinely awesome experience playing the game, plain and simple. But I love video games, and it seems more and more like a lot of this community doesn't love anything.

I'd blame Yahtzee. He's the one who popularized the idea that "if you're cynical about a game you won't feel sad if it sucks". I'm surprised so many people are willing to admit that they're such delicate little flowers that hyping over a game that failed to live up to expections will completely destroy them

Moreover, I'm surprised by how rude people are acting. We all know the baggage that comes with previews of unfinished games. You're not a super genius for taking a preview with a grain of salt. That doesn't change the fact that Andrearene played something that has the potential to be a fun game

I think we're more cynical to AAA, and anything that would bow down to it than anything else. Im under the impression that if an indie developer had the ability to bring forth Watch Dogs, same fun potential and all, I'd have considerably more froth at the mouth; there's something to be said in comparing AAA and indie on terms of integrity of presenting product. DEFINITELY not a black/white comparison, but history speaks volumes; At this point we WANT scrutiny, or at least a critical eye on what the AAA industry does, even especially for pre-release content, which AAA seems to have a certain infatuation for.

Certainly you're entitled to feel excited for the game, Andrea, but I just ended up feeling that article just wasn't targeted at me. Which I find weird; there is plenty of varying content on this site, but I've hardly felt 'untargeted' by any of it until now.

You seem excited for one reason: the game (granted, an unfinished build). This would spread to me too if, as a highly potential consumer (I.E. one who must chunk out wallet matter to experience such excitement), I did not also have to consider some of the crap AAA companies like Ubisoft tend to pull in marketing their 'Entertainment Products'. I just wish the Escapist shown signs of seeing and serving such a perspective (which I'm certainly not the only one along the lines of).

 

[Drummodino]

Oh for the love of god...

Look guys. A healthy level of cynicism is a good thing. You should always look up multiple previews and reviews before buying a title, especially one such as Watch Dogs which has had a bit of controversy surrounding the final product's quality.

HOWEVER. That does not mean you should go and attack someone who writes a positive article so venomously. Instead, why not ask questions like "were there any issues or bugs you encountered" or "how do the visuals compare to the trailers" etc. Obviously Andrea really enjoyed the game and had a great time with it. She recounted what she got to play and gave her general impression of it. There's nothing wrong with doing that!

Jeez, these forums at times...

snip

I hope you don't get discouraged by the negative comments, I thought it was a well-written article and a useful preview piece

 

[Sgt Blackout]

Oh for the love of god...

Look guys. A healthy level of cynicism is a good thing. You should always look up multiple previews and reviews before buying a title, especially one such as Watch Dogs which has had a bit of controversy surrounding the final product's quality.

HOWEVER. That does not mean you should go and attack someone who writes a positive article so venomously. Instead, why not ask questions like "were there any issues or bugs you encountered" or "how do the visuals compare to the trailers" etc. Obviously Andrea really enjoyed the game and had a great time with it. She recounted what she got to play and gave her general impression of it. There's nothing wrong with doing that!

Jeez, these forums at times...

snip

I hope you don't get discouraged by the negative comments, I thought it was a well-written article and a useful preview piece

While I'd agree for the most part, I feel that this game should absolutely be analyzed with a far more critical eye than demonstrated here. Ubisoft have proven that they are willing to lie to their customers, so I don't see why it's so surprising that people get a little apprehensive when game journalists bash out a story about why we should "still be pumped" for a section of a game they played in controlled conditions, that for all we know may or may not even be in the finished product.

 

[Suicidal Zebra]

Who is attacking Andrea? Plenty seem to be attacking the intent of the article, but the real venom in the thread is being hurled at the AAA-industry, or at those who are reserving their enthusiasm until after they have read actual reviews. I don't think Andrea has been impugned here.

 

[Ferisar]

This made me laugh.

Still though, do you not see it? Waay, way back when it running a business was more about putting something cool out there, something that will last, provide enjoyment.

Now... It's... Well, it feels like running a business feels more like checking to see what your customers will put up with. Your cream eggs are the same size, your hands just grew. Also they're $2.99 instead of just 0.99.

We shouldn't be producing additional hype. We should continue to talk about the mistakes. But that ain't gonna happen, is it? Because people don't work that way. See EA.

It's actually kind of frustrating as fuck! But I'll take your tea. I'm a Tea Tent. I like tea.

Nah. I think people grew up and are having a harder time being amused, so they must fill the in-between with cynicism and ugliness instead of just shrugging. End of the day, if the game's poop, it's what it is. I just can't muster up being angry a lot of the time, especially toward things that don't exist. Seems intangible to get all down and out when there's nothing at all to be out of yet.

As far as the business end, meh. That's what happens when your playerbase isn't composed of young impressionable children that aren't in small numbers and function on a higher plane of hearsay. Then again, I think that this community has a place, but days like this, when someone dares to be happy about something is swept away in some kind of river of nihilism and "expectations of expectations" it just gets cyclical and appears self-referential or comical rather than realistic.

I don't even care about this game anymore because of it! I can't! Who's there to be excited with?

Either way, take your tea dear, we've not much time until the dogs need a goin'.

 

[NiPah]

--snip--

Is it so inconceivable to be excited for something? Because this is the Escapist I'm automatically supposed to hate everything? I had a genuinely awesome experience playing the game, plain and simple. But I love video games, and it seems more and more like a lot of this community doesn't love anything.

To be fair there have been a couple of what I'd say are questionable news articles which seem to be more a paid advertisement and less of a news article.
A few recent examples:

Spoiler

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/133948-OnePlus-One-Smartphone-299-CyanogenMod-Built-In
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/133922-Lytro-Goes-Premium-with-New-1-499-Illum-Camera
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/133919-Casper-A-New-Startup-is-Finally-Taking-On-the-Mattress-Industry
And a few other ones centered around smart phones, but I couldn't find the exact posts

Now I couldn't tell you if they are honest news posts and the editor is genuinely excited about a new smart phone or mattress company, but using a lot of marketing speak and links directly to pre-order pages are a real turnoff when reading what purports to be a news article. It does make me as a user a bit gun-shy, am I reading an opinions piece or just PR someone from Ubi sent the Escapist along with purchasing some ad space.

Now honestly I don't believe this is just you reading from an Ubi press release, when it comes to games the Escapist has always been straight with us.

On a side note I actually agree with you that the Escapist seems entirely too negative about games, I may be biased though because I enjoy GTA5, PCs and consoles, and even (gasp) JRPGs.

 

[Vegosiux]

Oh for the love of god...

Look guys. A healthy level of cynicism is a good thing. You should always look up multiple previews and reviews before buying a title, especially one such as Watch Dogs which has had a bit of controversy surrounding the final product's quality.

HOWEVER. That does not mean you should go and attack someone who writes a positive article so venomously. Instead, why not ask questions like "were there any issues or bugs you encountered" or "how do the visuals compare to the trailers" etc. Obviously Andrea really enjoyed the game and had a great time with it. She recounted what she got to play and gave her general impression of it. There's nothing wrong with doing that!

First of all, nothing personal to andrea.

But the entire "Why you should be pumped for it" approach is simply not very good. Nobody but me is in any position to tell me what I'm supposed to like or be excited for.

Hype advertising is bad. This isn't a "cynical bitter hater" speaking. It's a person who's had it up to here with the hype trains all over the place and is really fed up with the entire "You're supposed to be excited for this" and "You're supposed to like that" stuff.

No. I am not supposed to do either. There is nothing, nothing saying I "should" do either. I prefer to judge things on their own merits, and not on what the marketing machine is trying to tell me my judgement is supposed to be.

I don't mind people being optimistic. That's perfectly fine. What I do mind is people trying to tell me what I'm supposed to like, and people trying to drag me into hype I don't want to get dragged in.