How hype can make or kill a games reputation

I have been pondering about this subject for a very long time, but recently it made me wonder even more. Destiny and Shadow of Mordor have been the complete opposite when it comes to hype. Shadow of Mordor has reilied on the word of mouth and just showing off the game rather than big TV commercials that Destiny has had.

Destiny has been in the spotlight since Sony revealed the PS4. Everyone knew that this was Bungie teaming up with Activision. It was going to be a big game in the industry. Shadow of Mordor had more of a discreet reveal where they released videos online and had the big reveal on E3.

Because Destiny has been on everyone's mind, people might have thought that it was something different than it was. People played the alpha and the beta knew what kind of game they were playing and were surprised when it was the same when it was released? All the reviews, in my humble opinion seem not to get what the game really is. MMO's get away with mundane tasks when you are level up and give you a deeper experience when you are done leveling.

People are acting like this is the exact same game as Halo, instead of for taking it what it is. That's what people have done more so with Shadow of Mordor. It's a great game so far from what i have played, and it deserves the recognition. But would it have gotten the praise if it had the same hype as Destiny. I personally don't think so.

Hype can kill of a game when it comes to enjoying a game and these are just two examples that i think got a different treatment just because of it. I don't know if i am just rambling on, but i think that some games are just getting an unfair treatment because of expectations that make the game to something that it isn't

Hype doesn't kill Games

People kill games !

It definitely affects games. Hype is an extremely difficult force to contain. Once it gets out of control, people will have already formed their opinions about the game, even if you tell them something completely different. This is what happened with Destiny. Even after it was explained many times that it was an MMO with RPG elements, people were still expecting the next Halo. Bungie's reputation simply preceded them.

With Shadow of Modor, I didn't even feel compelled to buy the game until it actually released. It looked like just another Assassin's Creed knock off, which is why it never clung to my radar until the positive word of mouth began pouring out.

I totally agree, but do you think it would have been the same if it were the other way around? I don't think so

@Lulu_Lulu: Hype colors peoples' opinions of games, so yeah, there's a direct relationship there. And gamers can save games as well. Take a look at some of the older cult games that barely got any sales despite good reviews when they were first released, and are now becoming popular due to gamers talking about it in a positive light (think games like The Legend of Dragoon, Psychonauts, Ico, Okami, Beyond Good & Evil)

@mastermetal777

Yeah but my post is shorter and cooler ! :) (its also the least helpfull, but don't tell anybody that).

Oh, I'm sure. Let's go back in time and have Bungie change their name to something else. The game would have been receive much better than it is now.

@Lulu_Lulu: oh no I'd never tell. Only cuz you did it yourself

@mastermetal777

Its my understanding that Brackets makes words turn invisible.... :D

@Lulu_Lulu: nope. Not at all.

@mastermetal777

Damn It ! That Witch lied to me !

Well thats 50 bucks (The exact dollar value of my soul) down the crapper... :(

i would agree to that. But it is what it is. There are other games i would make the same argument about, but the fact that even proffesionals let it take over their proffesionalism is stunning to say the least

dude, you're totally right. hype murdered Destiny. (no sarcasm)

To think that proffesionals thought that it was a game that based everything on the singleplayer, which it doesn't.

That's why we have to be smart consumers and not allow ourselves to get caught up in brainwash advertising!

i agree, but i personally think that Destiny is an excellent game. It's just that hype can destroy a game before it's even out. There is also the other side where games are crap yet people buy them like COD or Madden

@The_Last_Ride

or we can just make our own games. :)

When you "Hype" a game, never EVER expect it's gonna be a 10/10 would bang of a game cause if your expectations are high or something absurd and it falls under your expectations guess who's fault it is (answer is: yours).

We're at a day in age that we can see gameplay, trailers, streams and the such, so you should have a grasp on what you're getting into/buying when you follow/hype a game. When I hype a game it's cause I want to play it, I want to grab it with my greedy hands, stick into my console or dl in on my PC and just go to town and immerse myself into the game.

It really depends on who is hyping a game.

For example, when Miyamoto-san finishes Legend of Zelda Wii U, Iwata-san might hype it as a revolutionary game for the Zelda franchise. That is very different than someone a forum or a game journalist pronouncing it to a revolutionary game because who is announcing it makes the message seem different. The maker, the leader of the maker, and the consumer advocate of the company ran by the leader along with the game maker; and the consumer of the game all are in different positions with different goals.

The maker seeks to make a quality game which satisfies his creative ambition and sells. The leader of the maker seeks to make sure his company flourishes, so though he seeks the same as the maker, he is more about the success of his business than of the maker's creative ambition (Though it is a company known for its creativity, it is a business company at its core). The consumer advocate seeks to insure the integrity of a game, maker, and leader. The consumer seeks an enjoyable product and buys what he or she approves of for whatever reason they so choose. When any one of them says that game is revolutionary, the perspective of the speaker is pondered with credence for their previous titles, overall company image; and journalistic integrity; and personal critiques; respectively.

It's a tricky business. You want as much exposure for a game as possible, but that leads to heightened expectation that sometimes can't be met.

@BranKetra: I can understand that a company does hype a game, that's their job. But when i see journalists talk about it nonstop on previews and news articles combined with why they are telling you to buy the game is stupid. Then go around telling you they shouldn't buy the game because it's mediocre...

Agreed and those are 2 perfect examples! :)

At one time we could rely on gaming journalist, but now with most of the media being corporate sponsored, you can only take what they say with a grain of salt.

It depends on the way it is hyped.

I feel that all of the sites have been hypcrites for both Watch Dogs and Destiny. They aren't GOTY material, but they are great games. They have all given us previews, gameplay, interviews, etc all telling us to buy it. And when the game comes out they suddenly turn around and say don't buy it. I just don't get it. I get that the sites want clicks and release content given to them. But you can also be critical by actually doing some investigative reporting instead of just giving your view when the game is already out

Dude, you expressed yourself, that's NEVER a waste. I gave the short version and you gave the extended version!! People process information differently, some people might need a more detailed example of what was said!! It's a WIN WIN bro! lol

The problem with Hype is that it creates false expectations, which in most cases created by the consumer themselves and that were never intended or part of the original developers, so, can it kill a game ? kill, not per se, but once part of the consumers have tried it and find it falls short of their expectations the word spreads that it´s not this or that.

For example, GOW Judgement, a lot of people think the game is not good ( I´ve even read comments saying it´s "terrible" ), every single follower of the franchise was so eager for a new GOW after the success of GOW3 that imediately assumed when the word was out that a new GOW was in progress that it was going to be something out of this world ( hype ), I got it too, in my opinion the game is as good as the previous games and it has many elements that makes it even better than GOW1 and 2.

Destiny ? a good example of hype too. I got it, haven´t played it yet ( yes believe it or not I haven´t touched it yet ) but my son has played it and I´ve been watching him as he plays, I think the game looks beautifully made, interesting scenery, cool weapons, something like mixture of Bordelands and COD, the kind of game I could play for years to come, my only beef is that part that you have to be online to play it, that was the dissapointment.

@raugutcon: unfortunately that is the case here and people should rather stick to the facts of what the game actually is and not expect something else.

It is online because it's like an mmo. That's why it has DRM

I was hyping both Shadow of Mordor AND Destiny. Love Shadow, didnt really care for Destiny.

I dont think it was so much the hype, it was what the developers say about the game versus what they actually delivered.

They didn't undedeliver. People played the alpha and the beta. They knew what they were getting...