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Which games sell best? Games that are advertised for months on end, or those that just appear in the shops without a word to anyone? Obviously it could depend greatly on the game, but the fact is, advertising works, and Sony just happen to be masters at this art.
Third party developers (companies producing games themselves, and offering them to large companies like Sony or Nintendo for their machine) have to make sure that they are equally competent at making sure everybody knows about their upcoming releases. Television adverts, magazine and newspaper articles, and even poster campaigns can all help, but the final touch now seems to be video demonstrations of what the game can do.
If you visit a magazine store, or a computer game shop, you`ll notice that many PS2 magazines on the shelves are sold with a DVD demo. In the cases of magazines such as PSM2 and PSW, these demos are rolling demos (you can only watch footage of the games, rather than actually play the games). Whilst this may not give you a good feel for the gameplay, it can certainly be used as a powerful tool to impress potential buyers. Another form of demo is the playable demo, found only on the official PS2 magazine. A greater insight into gameplay can be found with these demos, and it also gives you a chance to see the parts of the game the developers might have hoped you wouldn`t.
Two good examples of games that utilise demos effectively are Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid. With the Final Fantasy series, those people that played the game were often split into two groups. There were those that went from beginning to end in the game, and those that stopped before an hour was up - simply never allowing themselves to get involved in the story properly. To use a playable demo with Final Fantasy could potentially put people off, as the game relies on a couple of hours play to completely immerse you in its powerful storyline. This is why most demos of these games are rolling demos, showing beautiful computer generated scenes. Beauty sells Final Fantasy, whilst the story keeps you playing.
However, the use of rolling demos only was slightly abused earlier this year with the release of "The Bouncer". The game looked fantastic, and appeared to packed full of action, plot and pace. However, when finished code was finally released to the reviewers, it turned out that the gameplay really didn`t have the depth or pace to make it a must buy title.
The second example, Metal Gear Solid, is a game that seems more suited to playable demos only. This is because the gameplay is the kind where you need to be the one in control, rather than being a mere spectator. The playable demo that came with Zone of the Enders is like no demo before it. It was like a whole game as it could last hours if you wanted it to, even if it was completeable in twenty minutes. However, Hideo Kojima seems to understand exactly how to make a trailer, and I never fail to be impressed every time I see a new clip of Metal Gear Solid 2. He finds just the right balance of fast action, plot previewing, and graphical showing-off. This is then mixed with a superb sound track that makes the trailer a huge reason to buy the finished game.
Clearly demos, either rolling or playable, are a great tool to show people how good a game looks, and with the ability to play DVDs on a PS2, more and more developers are investing time in video demonstrations of their product. Rather than occasional showings at E3 or Tokyo, developers must now be prepared to hand out demos to magazines around the world. To do this, the demos must be exciting, graphically superb, and mixed with an impressive sound track.
A quick word of warning though - demos are a great help to us when we are looking for good games, but they must be used wisely. They should not be your only source of information. It is important to read about the game in articles as well, and learn about all areas of a game. I think that many people who bought the Bouncer will understand exactly what I mean.
Third party developers (companies producing games themselves, and offering them to large companies like Sony or Nintendo for their machine) have to make sure that they are equally competent at making sure everybody knows about their upcoming releases. Television adverts, magazine and newspaper articles, and even poster campaigns can all help, but the final touch now seems to be video demonstrations of what the game can do.
If you visit a magazine store, or a computer game shop, you`ll notice that many PS2 magazines on the shelves are sold with a DVD demo. In the cases of magazines such as PSM2 and PSW, these demos are rolling demos (you can only watch footage of the games, rather than actually play the games). Whilst this may not give you a good feel for the gameplay, it can certainly be used as a powerful tool to impress potential buyers. Another form of demo is the playable demo, found only on the official PS2 magazine. A greater insight into gameplay can be found with these demos, and it also gives you a chance to see the parts of the game the developers might have hoped you wouldn`t.
Two good examples of games that utilise demos effectively are Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid. With the Final Fantasy series, those people that played the game were often split into two groups. There were those that went from beginning to end in the game, and those that stopped before an hour was up - simply never allowing themselves to get involved in the story properly. To use a playable demo with Final Fantasy could potentially put people off, as the game relies on a couple of hours play to completely immerse you in its powerful storyline. This is why most demos of these games are rolling demos, showing beautiful computer generated scenes. Beauty sells Final Fantasy, whilst the story keeps you playing.
However, the use of rolling demos only was slightly abused earlier this year with the release of "The Bouncer". The game looked fantastic, and appeared to packed full of action, plot and pace. However, when finished code was finally released to the reviewers, it turned out that the gameplay really didn`t have the depth or pace to make it a must buy title.
The second example, Metal Gear Solid, is a game that seems more suited to playable demos only. This is because the gameplay is the kind where you need to be the one in control, rather than being a mere spectator. The playable demo that came with Zone of the Enders is like no demo before it. It was like a whole game as it could last hours if you wanted it to, even if it was completeable in twenty minutes. However, Hideo Kojima seems to understand exactly how to make a trailer, and I never fail to be impressed every time I see a new clip of Metal Gear Solid 2. He finds just the right balance of fast action, plot previewing, and graphical showing-off. This is then mixed with a superb sound track that makes the trailer a huge reason to buy the finished game.
Clearly demos, either rolling or playable, are a great tool to show people how good a game looks, and with the ability to play DVDs on a PS2, more and more developers are investing time in video demonstrations of their product. Rather than occasional showings at E3 or Tokyo, developers must now be prepared to hand out demos to magazines around the world. To do this, the demos must be exciting, graphically superb, and mixed with an impressive sound track.
A quick word of warning though - demos are a great help to us when we are looking for good games, but they must be used wisely. They should not be your only source of information. It is important to read about the game in articles as well, and learn about all areas of a game. I think that many people who bought the Bouncer will understand exactly what I mean.
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ssxpro wrote:
> I do indeed! I bought it only a week or so after the game. Its not exactly an
> essential purchase, but its quite a lot of fun.
You can connect it to your
> hi-fi, or keyboard if you have won. I think it also does electric guitars if you
> want to. The more embarrassing option is to sing into the microphone, but the
> only reason that was fun was because you can speed up your voice and make
> yourself sound like a chipmunk.
Thats it I am getting that. That last bit about the chipmunk did it for me.....
> I do indeed! I bought it only a week or so after the game. Its not exactly an
> essential purchase, but its quite a lot of fun.
You can connect it to your
> hi-fi, or keyboard if you have won. I think it also does electric guitars if you
> want to. The more embarrassing option is to sing into the microphone, but the
> only reason that was fun was because you can speed up your voice and make
> yourself sound like a chipmunk.
Thats it I am getting that. That last bit about the chipmunk did it for me.....
sPiKe2k wrote:
>Silent hill 2, smackdown 3,
This one surprises me. I didn`t think it would be easy to use a demo of SH2 to impress. They must have done a MGS2 style job on the trailer. Made it all cinematic and all...
>Silent hill 2, smackdown 3,
This one surprises me. I didn`t think it would be easy to use a demo of SH2 to impress. They must have done a MGS2 style job on the trailer. Made it all cinematic and all...
I do indeed! I bought it only a week or so after the game. Its not exactly an essential purchase, but its quite a lot of fun.
You can connect it to your hi-fi, or keyboard if you have won. I think it also does electric guitars if you want to. The more embarrassing option is to sing into the microphone, but the only reason that was fun was because you can speed up your voice and make yourself sound like a chipmunk.
You can connect it to your hi-fi, or keyboard if you have won. I think it also does electric guitars if you want to. The more embarrassing option is to sing into the microphone, but the only reason that was fun was because you can speed up your voice and make yourself sound like a chipmunk.
I like the sound of that MTV2 music thing, and for £20 it sounds worth every penny, may get it after xmas sometime!
Speaking of MTV2, I am going to get this game because I like making my own songs. I can get it for £20 in any shop. But Phil have you got that mic thing compatible for that game
Quite a few demo's have impressed me, SSX, Silent hill 2, smackdown 3, but next months disk sounds even better!, so i am looking forward to it!
...so mostly PSone games. Fair enough. I think that demos have affected my decision with Crazy Taxi, TimeSplitters, Red Faction, Onimusha, MTV 2, Fur Fighters and Dead or Alive 2. All of these titles I bought after being impressed by the demos.
ssxpro wrote:
> Which games were they?
Ok, ISS Pro Evolution, Abes Exodus, V-Rally 2, Music and more
> Which games were they?
Ok, ISS Pro Evolution, Abes Exodus, V-Rally 2, Music and more
i am going to send off for that Dynasty warriors 2 demo i want to have a good go on it to because i played it in the shop and it seemed quite good so i will wait for Dynasty warriors 3
the demo is from the PS2 box sheet that you send off
the demo is from the PS2 box sheet that you send off
i wish they would send demos through the post like sony do. At least then the postman might bring something worthwhile.
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