The Internet has allowed hype and expectations to have lives of their own. Big new projects can build under an increasingly oppressive blanket of hype for years, and although hotly anticipated projects typically turn out well in this industry, there have been disappointments. It's one thing to get your name out there and promote the title of the game. But right now, it almost feels as if astronomical hype can only act as a crutch.
I recently wrote that Gran Turismo 5 had better secure the title of "best simulator ever" ; otherwise, it will be considered a failure. The constant updates, each of which only serve to ratchet up the hype even higher (see this example ), are only amping up the anticipation level to almost unheard-of heights. And what about Killzone 3 ? Throughout the rest of the year, the hype will just get bigger and bigger…but what's interesting is that it may not reach the level of hype surrounding its predecessor so perhaps KZ3 is actually better off. The problem is that gamers are online a lot; they're digesting all sorts of information in record time. There's more of it and it's more readily accessible than ever before; there are trade show videos (who even needs to go to E3 anymore?), hundreds of sites with news and media, etc, etc, etc.
Hence, the hype level can rise very, very quickly. And with each new detail ingested comes another small expectation. I'm almost starting to think that those who don't frequent gaming websites are better off; they know what they like, they do a little research in terms of review scores when the game comes out, and that's it. It's almost as if publishers are shooting themselves in the foot by releasing so much info so early; the hardcore gamers will spend a very long time talking about it, and the result is…well, we know all about the result. We've seen it explode on message boards and in forums all over the 'Net. It's very easy to play a game, compare it to the mass of info gathered before and go, "damn, they said this and it's not really true…" Lastly, it seems that gamers would much rather bash on a game than promote it these days (rampant hostility from being cooped up inside too much, possibly).
Perhaps, as with anything else in life, moderation is the key. We would suggest not inundating yourself with everything GT5 or KZ3-related for the next few months, and maybe then you'll be happier. Maybe you won't be so tense. Maybe when the game(s) finally come out, you'll enjoy 'em more. Just a thought.
Sometimes over hyping has a bad effect like halo 3 and Killzone 1, they both were over hyped and had lots of disappointed people
I thought all Halos were dissapointing?
Personally I loved playing Halo 2 with my friends
Halo 1 was a lot of fun. It was new. But the rest are meh…the game never evolved.
Over-Hype can create a situation where a game literally cannot be perceived as a success. Look at Killzone 2. It was *so* hyped up, that it almost could not succeed, no matter how many copies it sold. The same goes for games like Uncharted 2.
Overhype kind of artificially sets a high bar for the game and if the game doesn't hit the bar, some people call it a failure, no matter how good or successful it actually is.
I must agree that hype can push expectations to an unrealistic point, putting a new game in very risky position. However, I would not consider UC2 or KZ2 to be the best examples of this. UC2 is considered by some to be the best game in this generation and possibly one of the best created. KZ2 seemed to have an incredibly positive response as well, hence the huge amount of anticipation across the board for KZ3.
I used those games because they both were able to meet the huge expectations that built up for them, just as I feel GT5 will meet the expectations. However if you remember before KZ2 became a reality, that E3 trailer was though to have created an expectation that couldn't be met. I wanted to use exampled of games that had been over-hyped, but in the end managed to meet or exceed the expectations created.
I said this a while ago… I can't remember in which article though. It gets hyped to high heaven, and then if it fails to live up to the expectation, it is decried as a failure in the face of its many achievements… I think it was the GT5 editorial that Ben linked in this one…
Peace.
Hype kills a lot of games for me, FF13 hype over 4 years can do that. Hopefully Versus won't disappoint. I understand devs wanna hype their games up but it doesn't seem to be having a positive effect lately, another game hype killed was GTA 4.
I hadn't really discovered the internet prior to GTA4's release and I still hated it. For me it was a simple case of it being terribly boring compared to its predecessors.
Talking about bashing games, the Medal of Honor beta sucks.
As for hype, well yeah, you get a bunch of gamers together in real life or on the net and you'll get some mouths foaming over certain games for sure. It's ok. If we'r let down by the game, we'll just start focusing on part 2 (or 3).
I like to bash things cuz I'm all cooped up in the air conditioning. 🙂
Honestly, hype is pretty damaging. Especially where a sequel is concerned that doesn't improve over the last. Which is why I'm not going to get excited about FFVersusXIII or inFamous 2 until four seconds before they release.
The quality of Sony exclusives, for me, is such that even with the hype (which is often less when compared to others) they often defy expectations, even exceeding them. Of course, the notion of too much hype being deleterious for anything has merit, which is why "sleeper-hits" remain protected, and why I love Sony. And, I have said this since the ps1 and ps2 days. It wasn't because just of the Cell, or Bluray, or free PSN, that I chose PS3 first, though these are all awesome features. It was because of IP's like Wipeout, ICO, SOC, LBP, inFamous, Uncharted, Demon's Souls…All of these games were hardly even on the radar until they were released, or not long before, and all of them delivered and continue to deliver countless hours of enjoyment. These original IP's didn't have to meet expectations. They set expectations, and even managed to break them with every sequel to be released thereafter.
That is not to say that no non-Sony title can come close. Dead Space was an awesome sleeper hit. GTA4, though coming from a well established IP, was a sleeper hit to me, because I hadn't even played a single entry of the series before it. However, more often than not, my sleeper-hits tend to be Sony exclusives, and my library is evidence of that to me. Is it favoritism? Indubitably. However, it is favoritism that has been positively reinforced every time, and every purchase, every hour of gameplay, and not just by hype, or what everyone else on the block has to say, or is playing.
You always do better to ignore it, I ignored all Uncharted 2 hype so when I played it the affect on my senses was double 🙂
Hype is the reason I don't watch trailers. Everyone said how good the InFamous2 trailer was, but I don't want to watch it, also Sorcery`s trailer. But sometimes that's not enough. Information itself (aka articles) sometimes can get you really excited and hyped.
Mostly because I REALLY hate being hyped about a game. I start feeling anxious and everything, and that's not good for me nor my health.
Besides, I usually buy games when they are cheap, even if they are AAA Sony exclusives, so I usually get the first part when you guys are playing the second part. And that's great, because I read the articles about new games, I say "Oh, what a cool feature" and then I realize that I'll get that game maybe when the price drops enough for me to buy it, and that can take months, so I say "well, awesome game, but I'll get into that later" And when I get into that game, other newer games are on the focus, so then I can really enjoy the game I bought, without getting hyped about the new games. As an example I'm planning on buying Motorstorm: PR, Blazblue CT and ACII
Last edited by hellish_devil on 7/13/2010 10:38:37 PM
WAIT! Don't buy BlazBlue CT, the sequel is gonna get released on 27th of this month in NA.
Oh, and Sorcery trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr_BhpVq7ek
>:) (j/k)
Hellish devil,
I'm in the same boat, hype means nothing to me because I'm a collector & since I need every game made, I can't afford it,.
So I usually buy the game 6 months to a year later when it's around a $20 price point used(or higher if it's a Buy2-Get1free deal).
But I do believe over-hype can kill a game and quick, just I think because we tend to over-imagine everything, setting it up in our minds(vivid, wild imaginations anyone?) to be the greatest thing since sliced bread.
So even though it "IS" great, we over-thought it so much that it's now a let-down once we've played it.
As for me, I try not to pay attention to the game hype, and just a little hype against one, so if I do get disappointed, it's by the game itself & not just from a mindful of things that were said.
Hell, I just played Haze & enjoyed it, despite some of it's weird glitches, like an grenade exploding close by & then the whole game's background completely disappeared on me, LOL)
*EDIT* After just seeing all the comments below against Haze, now I'm really glad I didn't hear or pay attention for all the hype for it. Anyway, as cheap as it was, it was certainly worth the $10 price.
Last edited by BikerSaint on 7/14/2010 5:59:57 PM
What does hype do to a game? Just look at Halo 3. Everyone claimed it was the greatest game ever and now everyone finally realizes its a shallow campaign designed to boot XBL Gold subscriptions.
But hype can be a good thing. Uncharted 2 was hyped up and it surpassed all of my expectations. Naughty Dog has all of my respect and they deserve every accolade they received for making a game that exceeds such lofty expectations.
One thing is a game hyped by playstation fans, and another thing is being hyped by microsoft fans.
Being hyped by playstation fans means expect a really high quality game that delivers a truly memorable experience, a.k.a a masterpiece.
Being hyped by microsoft fans means expect another shooter that allows you to blow stuff mindlessly and to be able to curse till your eyes bleed while killing your friends in a reunion of brainless people called xbox live
Last edited by hellish_devil on 7/13/2010 10:51:02 PM
Thats not entirely true. Remember Haze? It was hyped out the ass and ended up sucking.
Haze is a great example of a game that failed to live up to the Hype. Uncharted 2 was hyped up so much it nearly went into warp space on it's own hype. However since Naughty Dog cleverly did not release footage of all the big jaw-dropping (and subtle not so in your face but still jaw dropping) scenes, when we actually got our hands on the game it far surpassed any of the expectations we had. Personally, I can count six major chapters in the game that just left me awestruck, and I had watched a lot of trailers for the game.
A developer needs to control the footage and information they leak. Of course with Uncharted 2 there were so many different game play styles and locations that revealing any one of them in detail had no negative impact on the others.
A straight up shooter like Halo 3 has one primary mode of play, and once that is revealed, it's pretty much all over.
I think the trick is to preserve 90% of your game unseen until release, and tease the rest so that expectations are high, but based on a tiny minority of your game. – Precisely as Naughty Dog did. To a lesser extent, this happened with KZ2, more was teased, but the technical achievement in that game was so great that it didn't matter.
hype can make or break a game
No amount of hype or not anough can change GT5 from being the best game of 2010.
It won't change the fact, it'll change the perspective of each individual that plays it
I think because of the hype we sill still see a lot of let downs, but its for a horrible reason. I can already see some of the reviews now! Hype ruins games, even if its not based on factual things. I have no doubt that GT5 will be great, but I think some people are just waiting to say something bad about it!
If they are then they won't be telling the truth. Gran Turismo 5 is going to be great with no down sides and no lack of detail any where. This been a day one buy for me since even b4 I knew about it because the GT franchise our perfect and can keep you playing there games for years.
People usually have a good while to decide if they want a game. Hype in my opinion has a greater potential to do more harm than good. A good advertising campaign can keep it real without damaging your reputation.
Hype is good for games. But when theres too much of it, well…. "haze" Do I need to say more?
There was hype for haze? I never heard anything about it until I played the demo on psn. Game was terrible.
It "crushes" the potential of a game… if strange ideas and thoughts are introduced and infused into peoples psyche before they have ever played the game or read real tangible good "objective" reviews (by credible reviewers like PsXeXtreme)… then the misguided will follow and think like the misguided…
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
*Currently in Taipei, Taiwan
My thing is is that people let the hype get to them.
I tend to think that people don't understand the technology or the whole big picture behind developing a game, like money, a good team, etc. I think people take for granted what developers are doing, by giving into hype! I think its rediculous to want so much more from a developer every time a game releases.
GG, ND, Sucker Punch, Insomniac, etc, etc, are all good at delivering to the next level. Most devs. can create a great experience though without always having to reach that level. Thats where I get disgusted with the simple minded and spoiled people who think every game should be better than the next. I get really upset when people give into hype so much that a game like KZ2 doesn't live up to its hype in their eyes. News flash it did and more!
You said it. Hype is all down to the individual. Bottome Line.
I can't see anybody being disapointed in GT5. I mean it is going to be flawless and have a such anount of detail.
The potential problem with GT5 hype is people misinterpreting the slowly leaked feature list. For example, I've read comments from people expecting the track EDITOR to be like ModNation's track CREATOR. Talking about loop-de-loops and all kinds o'sh*t.
That was my point earlier. One little thing could throw the game into a internet clubbing. I seriously think people are waiting to say something bad about it. Most of the bad things will come revolving around the time it took to release it, I can see it now!
I'll believe that hype has no effect on games when I see a game that accurately displays the effects of a gunshot. Or at least have an enemy crippled if you hit them in the right places. I don't like in games where they say it will have a definite effect, then you shoot them in the leg, they clasp at it, then stand back up again and keep running like nothing happened.
Hype is tied into the flow of information. It sort of reminds me of how a (flock?) of locusts marches, and as they march, they release seratonin, this affects them by exciting them, causing the release of more of the chemical until eventually they are overcome by it and start eating each other. Queer analogy I know, but as more information (factual or not) becomes public about any given game, we interpret that in whatever way we choose and it interests, intrigues and excites us. It pushes our desire to play this game up higher until eventually we could not want it anymore and we create unrealistic expectations. Thus when the game is released, we are inevitably disappointed when it fails to live up the lofty beliefs we have of it.
Hype is inevitable, but it is very damaging. Factual information is not fun.
Peace.
god of course it can, GTAIV and KZ2 are the perfect examples!
there was so much hype behind GTAIV a year before release it was ridiculous!
than that was only made worse when the reviews started coming out and everyone was giving it 10s.
i had a test on release day, a final one of the most important tests ive ever had in my life!
so i skipped it, just so i could be at the store early to pick up GTAIV since none of my local stores had a midnight launch 🙁
got home, played it for like 30 minutes and than felt like someone kicked me in the stomach!
never, in my life have i been so disappointed!!!!!
not even going to the F1 and seeing kiss live, to than have the trip canceled 2 days before hand disappointed me as much as GTAIV!
same thing goes for KZ2, i was so excited for it, the media was hyping it up as the second coming!
2 weeks before release, you could not hop on the net without seeing at least 10 articles on KZ2 not counting reviews!
hype has killed allot of games for me this gen, i mean another prime example would be GOW3.
im a huge GOW freak, ive got GOW posters littered all over my room!
ive even got a painting of kratos kneeling before ares when he was begging for help, a family friend painted it for me.
GOW3 was such a disappointment, they focused so much on the graphics, tech and gore they forgot what made GOW so great.
the gameplay and puzzles!
heras garden, is still IMO the best part of GOW3 why could they not have more large open puzzles like that?
GOW1 and 2 were riddled with them!!!!!!
also what happened to the brutality GOW is famous for?
where are the famous spikes of hades, or the trap door room?
GOW games were so unique because you felt like you accomplished something once you finished them!
than theres the story, its muddled up and has more holes than Swiss cheese!!!!!!!!!
is it a coincidence that my favorite games this gen, infamous, assassins creed, batman AA, singularity, NFSS, are the most un hyped games?
i was not at all excited for infamous, it looked boring and repetitive to me, but i got it on a limb on release date and here i am now calling it my favorite game of this gen!
o, how could i forget R&C im sorry ted, can you forgive me?
R&C TOD and ACIT had almost no hype what so ever, yes they are kids games but they are the most fun you will ever have playing a game!
just the humor is better than anything i have ever seen!
this ship has ejector seats you know?
lucky cryro sleep does not work on robots…………………. SLAM!
Wow, some insight to the inner workings of the commenter with no name.
I still have a hard time figuring you out. Most of your comments seem tainted with xbox fanboyism or just state things that make me scratch my head to why you whould say it.
I'm sorry you missed your test for GTAIV, the game really wasn't worth it. Maybe now I know the reason to some of your most jaded comments.
I could not agree more with you on the great games that go un-hyped. Sometimes though, I think that is a benefit, not a disadvantage, because a game which is not really favored by the media can sell on it's own merits.
What's interesting to me is whether games like R&C would have had better or worse long term sales if they had been hyped to death?
I don't think that KZ2 failed to live up to the hype. I don't play the GTA games at all, so I have no insight into whether GTA4 met the hype. Personally looking at it from the outside, I don't think it did.
Hes trying to be like Highlander with these long posts. Only problem is HES NOT!
Keep your comments relevant to the topic Cowherd. This is a place for us to discuss the article at hand, not a place for you to rant and rave about every game you hate and love. We don't need a mini review of every game you hate every time you post. Knock it off.
Last edited by Jawknee on 7/14/2010 11:40:58 AM
obviously, hype is important, publishers need to get their game out there.
especially with new IPs, hype can not hurt a games sales it can only improve them.
only thing hype can hurt is peoples opinion on a game.
so if R&C was hyped to kingdom come, i really doubt it would of sold worse, if anything it would of sold better!
BUT i doubt it will sell that much better because allot of people see it as a kids game thats why they dont want to buy it.
me, i think R&C is the best thing since sliced bread!
im really sad to see insomniac put the series to bed for a while, but as the saying goes all good things must come to a end.
Well to be honest with you, being stuck in this air vent does cool me down so i dont focus on raging against games…
as for hype, i think it is important because without it, some games aren't as big as a success as they should be. arkham asylum seems like quite the unsung hero…
Modern Warfare 2 has got to be the most hyped game I have ever seen, and it fell well short of the mark. Whereas games like Uncharted 2 had alot of hype, it met and exceeded the hype.
So hype isnt really a good indication of how good a game will be.
I try not to get sucked into the hype surrounding games, movies etc. as most of the time you will just end up disappointed.
Short-term thinking seems to be the only thing that most of these people are capable of these days. Over-hype a game and I guess it will sell more copies. Who cares if a lot of people are disappointed that it didn't live up to the hype – the sale has already been made. Of course when you come out with your next game, you'll lose sales because of all the people who were disappointed in your last over-hyped game, but that's waaaaaaay to far in the future to think about.
That's probably why I tend to enjoy "good" games rather than the AAA stuff. I go in with no expectations and I'm pleasantly surprised.
The thing is, that in the 'old' days games had much longer sales tails. Now the absolute majority of sales happen in a very short period of time. Partly this is because of the immediacy of the Internet, so unless a game is stellar, word will soon get around. not only that but the mighty Eye of Moron (aka the collective stupidity, ignorance and negativity of the Internet) will soon tear down anything good about the game and replace it with endless moaning about inconsequential or non-existant (imaginary) flaws.
I think that another factor in the speed at which game sales burn out is used game sales. The used game business for GameStop (and others) has become far, far larger in recent years. No matter what argument people try to make, used game sales are bigger than ever and every used copy sold is potentially a new game purchase lose. It takes 2-4 weeks for large numbers of copies of a good game to enter used circulation, new game sales tend to drop drastically after about a month. Sometimes when you put two and two together you do get 4.
So games have to sell very quickly or not at all. As a result publishers hype games mercilessly. They need to drive pre-orders and day one sales because the sooner they capture your purchase the better. if you don't buy the game in the first 2-4 weeks your are far less likely to purchase it new, and they know that.
So really, the industry has to think short term. A project that takes perhaps 3 years to make has to make back it's investment in 3 weeks, or not at all.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 7/14/2010 9:24:38 AM
Excellent insight, Highlander!
I don't pay attention to over-hype. To be honest, I think the more a game is hyped the better the gaming industry is going to do. Let people buy over-rated games, publicity is publicity. The more attention to our favorite hobby, the better.
As far as me liking a game, the over-hype bug does spoil the experience a bit for me. For all the hype that UC2 got, it kind of ruined it for me a bit. It was a great game, don't get me wrong, I just thought it should have been orgasmic with all the praise heaped on it.
There have been few games that have given me a euphoric feeling in my lifetime. The biggest was Jedi Knight II for the PC. Going to the secret base on Yavin IV and meeting up with Luke was EPIC. I couldn't stop smiling on how cool it was.
This generation? the last euphoric moment I had was in MAG. Rushing C while para trooping Valor in a game of sabotage and hearing the gunfire, explosions, and team chat had me feeling like I was in a real war. That was cool.
The hype machine anticipates those feelings and you are let down when you don't experience them. Unfortunately, they are so rare that it is impossible for a game to guarantee it.
Hype has ruined alot of games for me. In example, Red Dead Redemption, my friend was so hyped for it, he fed me details on the game every day. He promised stuff like Bar fights, betting on horse races, horse breeding, every building being accessible ect. then when I finally got the Game, NONE of the stuff he promised was in the game, causing me to be very disappointed with game.
Good god RDR was hyped to no end. They made free roam seem like a revolutionary multiplayer mode. There's nothing to do but shot hang hide outs and annoy other free roamers
Garbage.
Last edited by Jawknee on 7/14/2010 12:43:31 PM
I don't like Killzone, and the 3rd one is going to prove to be even more annoying. I couldn't even watch he whole trailer because of the blandness of it all. Gran Trismo 5, regardless of all the hype, will still be a quality game. I don't care much for car games…ever… but if I am to buy one, it would be GT5. Just hearing the developers for the game put themselves out to be the greatest of the generation is a bit of a put off, so I definitely believe what you're saying about all the hype ruining games.