The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Does Too Much Pre-released Game Commentary affect our enjoyment of the game?
Cast your minds back to the days leading up to Vice Citys release date. The excitement and the expectation levels were increasingly high as the period went on. Many websites were launched to keep gamers interested. Some were official like the vice city.com site and Kent paul. This also spawned thousands of unoffcial wannabe sites too. The sites that interpreted gaming in general were mostly interested about Vice city than other games.
Magazines always tried to entice readers with snippets of info. Editors and writers were squeezing as much of the proverbial juice from the tropical fruit that was Rockstar North. Even I, a hot headed rockafella spent many a time surfing the web even for one droplet of vice city based info. And it was refreshing at first. At first I was extremely excited, even if some detatils were slightly exaggerated. "New GTA 3.5 times bigger than Predecessor" , "Vice city confirmed to have 60 weapons and 200 cars". Okay, so these quotes are not completely legitimate but such headlines were not far off. It kept me going back nevertheless, for a while at least. This was in late August. The game was released in November.
The repetitive urge to go and find new info which I probably already knew was offputting. This coupled with the frustrating months of waiting ultimately changed my views on Vice City. In time I found that it wasn't just me who became pathetically obsessed with anything Vice city related. Websites and magazines would make an extremely big deal over things like 2 new screenshots and a small peice of info. Eventually I forced my self to forget it and just wait for its release, so much so in fact that there was an extremely thick layer of Vice city hatred wrapped around my skull.
It didn't matter much, because as soon as the package fell through my letterbox, Vice Citys mighty and heroic sword shattered the thick shell that had blinded and warped me. Yeah I was a little dissapointed but i have only myself to blame. If the build up to GTA:VC was a person then I would probably be banged up for a few years for stalking it. Indeed alot of aspects of the game did not amaze me as it might of had i not have had a too tightened grip on it. On the other side of the coin, no game website or magazine could not stop me at amazing myself on the motorbikes or the sheer thrill of roaming the skys in a helicopter. I did in the end find the game quite enjoyable.
Build up and commentary are not the only factors that can bring down a games potential. There was a Metal Gear Solid 2 Demo available at least 6 months before the full game was released. Granted this was mostly due to the free demo that came with Z.O.E. Although this for me was a mistake. Such a quantative potion of the game available to gamers an extremely long time (in gaming terms) before release deserved to be punished. And in my eyes, was. MGS 2 could of been one of the best games ever released just like its predecessor. If the game designers had not give in to the relentless fans and released that demo then maybe the game may have been more revolutionary.
Another more recent example is The Getaway. Despite the fact this game was released a colossal amount of time after first expected Sony were clever in there build up to the eventual discharge of their London Mob game. They kept every single small detail to themselves until the very end. Granted a demo was available with a magazine just before the the full game was released, but for me it did not matter because, the game had an excellent story telling to it. You might point out that in your opinion MGS 2's narration made up for in its repeatitive gameplay like the getaway. I would reply that the getaway's real life approach is much more gripping and believable than MGS 2 fictional/futuristical/surreal approach.
A final thought which goes to gamers and game designers alike: Too much hype can leave a sour taste before and after a games release.
All I'm trying to say is that when and if the new GTA and other popular games are released, try and steer clear of its hype this time.
Cast your minds back to the days leading up to Vice Citys release date. The excitement and the expectation levels were increasingly high as the period went on. Many websites were launched to keep gamers interested. Some were official like the vice city.com site and Kent paul. This also spawned thousands of unoffcial wannabe sites too. The sites that interpreted gaming in general were mostly interested about Vice city than other games.
Magazines always tried to entice readers with snippets of info. Editors and writers were squeezing as much of the proverbial juice from the tropical fruit that was Rockstar North. Even I, a hot headed rockafella spent many a time surfing the web even for one droplet of vice city based info. And it was refreshing at first. At first I was extremely excited, even if some detatils were slightly exaggerated. "New GTA 3.5 times bigger than Predecessor" , "Vice city confirmed to have 60 weapons and 200 cars". Okay, so these quotes are not completely legitimate but such headlines were not far off. It kept me going back nevertheless, for a while at least. This was in late August. The game was released in November.
The repetitive urge to go and find new info which I probably already knew was offputting. This coupled with the frustrating months of waiting ultimately changed my views on Vice City. In time I found that it wasn't just me who became pathetically obsessed with anything Vice city related. Websites and magazines would make an extremely big deal over things like 2 new screenshots and a small peice of info. Eventually I forced my self to forget it and just wait for its release, so much so in fact that there was an extremely thick layer of Vice city hatred wrapped around my skull.
It didn't matter much, because as soon as the package fell through my letterbox, Vice Citys mighty and heroic sword shattered the thick shell that had blinded and warped me. Yeah I was a little dissapointed but i have only myself to blame. If the build up to GTA:VC was a person then I would probably be banged up for a few years for stalking it. Indeed alot of aspects of the game did not amaze me as it might of had i not have had a too tightened grip on it. On the other side of the coin, no game website or magazine could not stop me at amazing myself on the motorbikes or the sheer thrill of roaming the skys in a helicopter. I did in the end find the game quite enjoyable.
Build up and commentary are not the only factors that can bring down a games potential. There was a Metal Gear Solid 2 Demo available at least 6 months before the full game was released. Granted this was mostly due to the free demo that came with Z.O.E. Although this for me was a mistake. Such a quantative potion of the game available to gamers an extremely long time (in gaming terms) before release deserved to be punished. And in my eyes, was. MGS 2 could of been one of the best games ever released just like its predecessor. If the game designers had not give in to the relentless fans and released that demo then maybe the game may have been more revolutionary.
Another more recent example is The Getaway. Despite the fact this game was released a colossal amount of time after first expected Sony were clever in there build up to the eventual discharge of their London Mob game. They kept every single small detail to themselves until the very end. Granted a demo was available with a magazine just before the the full game was released, but for me it did not matter because, the game had an excellent story telling to it. You might point out that in your opinion MGS 2's narration made up for in its repeatitive gameplay like the getaway. I would reply that the getaway's real life approach is much more gripping and believable than MGS 2 fictional/futuristical/surreal approach.
A final thought which goes to gamers and game designers alike: Too much hype can leave a sour taste before and after a games release.
All I'm trying to say is that when and if the new GTA and other popular games are released, try and steer clear of its hype this time.
Does Too Much Pre-released Game Commentary affect our enjoyment of the game?
Cast your minds back to the days leading up to Vice Citys release date. The excitement and the expectation levels were increasingly high as the period went on. Many websites were launched to keep gamers interested. Some were official like the vice city.com site and Kent paul. This also spawned thousands of unoffcial wannabe sites too. The sites that interpreted gaming in general were mostly interested about Vice city than other games.
Magazines always tried to entice readers with snippets of info. Editors and writers were squeezing as much of the proverbial juice from the tropical fruit that was Rockstar North. Even I, a hot headed rockafella spent many a time surfing the web even for one droplet of vice city based info. And it was refreshing at first. At first I was extremely excited, even if some detatils were slightly exaggerated. "New GTA 3.5 times bigger than Predecessor" , "Vice city confirmed to have 60 weapons and 200 cars". Okay, so these quotes are not completely legitimate but such headlines were not far off. It kept me going back nevertheless, for a while at least. This was in late August. The game was released in November.
The repetitive urge to go and find new info which I probably already knew was offputting. This coupled with the frustrating months of waiting ultimately changed my views on Vice City. In time I found that it wasn't just me who became pathetically obsessed with anything Vice city related. Websites and magazines would make an extremely big deal over things like 2 new screenshots and a small peice of info. Eventually I forced my self to forget it and just wait for its release, so much so in fact that there was an extremely thick layer of Vice city hatred wrapped around my skull.
It didn't matter much, because as soon as the package fell through my letterbox, Vice Citys mighty and heroic sword shattered the thick shell that had blinded and warped me. Yeah I was a little dissapointed but i have only myself to blame. If the build up to GTA:VC was a person then I would probably be banged up for a few years for stalking it. Indeed alot of aspects of the game did not amaze me as it might of had i not have had a too tightened grip on it. On the other side of the coin, no game website or magazine could not stop me at amazing myself on the motorbikes or the sheer thrill of roaming the skys in a helicopter. I did in the end find the game quite enjoyable.
Build up and commentary are not the only factors that can bring down a games potential. There was a Metal Gear Solid 2 Demo available at least 6 months before the full game was released. Granted this was mostly due to the free demo that came with Z.O.E. Although this for me was a mistake. Such a quantative potion of the game available to gamers an extremely long time (in gaming terms) before release deserved to be punished. And in my eyes, was. MGS 2 could of been one of the best games ever released just like its predecessor. If the game designers had not give in to the relentless fans and released that demo then maybe the game may have been more revolutionary.
Another more recent example is The Getaway. Despite the fact this game was released a colossal amount of time after first expected Sony were clever in there build up to the eventual discharge of their London Mob game. They kept every single small detail to themselves until the very end. Granted a demo was available with a magazine just before the the full game was released, but for me it did not matter because, the game had an excellent story telling to it. You might point out that in your opinion MGS 2's narration made up for in its repeatitive gameplay like the getaway. I would reply that the getaway's real life approach is much more gripping and believable than MGS 2 fictional/futuristical/surreal approach.
A final thought which goes to gamers and game designers alike: Too much hype can leave a sour taste before and after a games release.
All I'm trying to say is that when and if the new GTA and other popular games are released, try and steer clear of its hype this time.
Cast your minds back to the days leading up to Vice Citys release date. The excitement and the expectation levels were increasingly high as the period went on. Many websites were launched to keep gamers interested. Some were official like the vice city.com site and Kent paul. This also spawned thousands of unoffcial wannabe sites too. The sites that interpreted gaming in general were mostly interested about Vice city than other games.
Magazines always tried to entice readers with snippets of info. Editors and writers were squeezing as much of the proverbial juice from the tropical fruit that was Rockstar North. Even I, a hot headed rockafella spent many a time surfing the web even for one droplet of vice city based info. And it was refreshing at first. At first I was extremely excited, even if some detatils were slightly exaggerated. "New GTA 3.5 times bigger than Predecessor" , "Vice city confirmed to have 60 weapons and 200 cars". Okay, so these quotes are not completely legitimate but such headlines were not far off. It kept me going back nevertheless, for a while at least. This was in late August. The game was released in November.
The repetitive urge to go and find new info which I probably already knew was offputting. This coupled with the frustrating months of waiting ultimately changed my views on Vice City. In time I found that it wasn't just me who became pathetically obsessed with anything Vice city related. Websites and magazines would make an extremely big deal over things like 2 new screenshots and a small peice of info. Eventually I forced my self to forget it and just wait for its release, so much so in fact that there was an extremely thick layer of Vice city hatred wrapped around my skull.
It didn't matter much, because as soon as the package fell through my letterbox, Vice Citys mighty and heroic sword shattered the thick shell that had blinded and warped me. Yeah I was a little dissapointed but i have only myself to blame. If the build up to GTA:VC was a person then I would probably be banged up for a few years for stalking it. Indeed alot of aspects of the game did not amaze me as it might of had i not have had a too tightened grip on it. On the other side of the coin, no game website or magazine could not stop me at amazing myself on the motorbikes or the sheer thrill of roaming the skys in a helicopter. I did in the end find the game quite enjoyable.
Build up and commentary are not the only factors that can bring down a games potential. There was a Metal Gear Solid 2 Demo available at least 6 months before the full game was released. Granted this was mostly due to the free demo that came with Z.O.E. Although this for me was a mistake. Such a quantative potion of the game available to gamers an extremely long time (in gaming terms) before release deserved to be punished. And in my eyes, was. MGS 2 could of been one of the best games ever released just like its predecessor. If the game designers had not give in to the relentless fans and released that demo then maybe the game may have been more revolutionary.
Another more recent example is The Getaway. Despite the fact this game was released a colossal amount of time after first expected Sony were clever in there build up to the eventual discharge of their London Mob game. They kept every single small detail to themselves until the very end. Granted a demo was available with a magazine just before the the full game was released, but for me it did not matter because, the game had an excellent story telling to it. You might point out that in your opinion MGS 2's narration made up for in its repeatitive gameplay like the getaway. I would reply that the getaway's real life approach is much more gripping and believable than MGS 2 fictional/futuristical/surreal approach.
A final thought which goes to gamers and game designers alike: Too much hype can leave a sour taste before and after a games release.
All I'm trying to say is that when and if the new GTA and other popular games are released, try and steer clear of its hype this time.
It depends on how good the game actually is:
If the game is good you think yes this is amazing just like they said it would be.
or you dont find it interesting because you know what is going to happen.
if the game is bad then your thinking that preview was lying completely gotta tell the world not to buy this crap.
If the game is good you think yes this is amazing just like they said it would be.
or you dont find it interesting because you know what is going to happen.
if the game is bad then your thinking that preview was lying completely gotta tell the world not to buy this crap.
hype is usually used with sequels or big hits coming over from other consoles e.g, Vice city or Splinter cell