@Barighm: we are kinda of comparing apples to oranges here. First off Destiny was a brand new IP so that really was no case of learning from past mistakes, like Bioware is able to do with Mass Effect. Plus, with Destiny, most of its flaws comes from planned decisions. Marketing the game as, essentially, a fps mmo lead to expectations that the game could never live up to. Along those lines the lack of a true story and the lack of content at release severely hurt the game. Gameplay wise the game was splid. Visuals were good. Performance typically held up. It was a well made game with bad decisions made along the way.
I'm not saying Andromeda will reach expectations, most games don't, or that it won't disappoint but I have a bit more faith in Bioware as this is going to be their 4th ME installment. The first two games were great and the 3rd game was all but there if it wasn't for the ending. I'm hopeful the Bioware has learned from their mistakes and is putting the proper care and attention into this game.
@cboye18: I can understand the point of not putting a female character on the cover. Sure it might appeal to a female audience, a key reason to why my girlfriend is into Tomb Raider is because of the female lead, but I understand a lot of boys and men will see the cover and think "I'm not playing a game as a girl!"
However I'd argue that the reason why "generic soldier with guns" or "male lead character with weapon" covers sell is because: 1. The majority of games with this type of cover are popular, highly rated titles (cod, mass effect, halo, Assassin's creed, etc) 2. The majority of game titles fall into this category.
For me I would just like to see some more art style involved. A game like Sunset Overdrive had the main character with a gun on the cover...but also had much more going on in the colorful, comic book like cover. It is definitely an eye catcher and I know when I see the cover I think "man that looks like it's going to be a blast to play!" I believe these games would sell just as well, if not better, if there was just little bit more creativity used on these covers. Publishers using the excuse "well statics show these covers sell!" Are just using a lazy excuse to use a generic, bland cover
It just amazes me that there are people out there that decide to buy games based on cover art. I can understand it for young kids. I can remember being a child and seeing cartoon characters or superhero characters on a game cover and wanting to buy the game blindly.
But in today's age I don't know how someone, other than a child, could just look at a game cover (front and back) and then decide to buy a game without at least doing a little research. A simple Google search will tell a person everything they need to know about a game. I get it that certain covers will catch person's eye, I'm sure we have all seen at least one cover (game, movie, book, cd, etc) and thought "that looks cool", but buying said product primarily because of the cover is just crazy to me.
The thing that I don't understand is that the reverse cover catches your eyes and looks a lot more interesting. If I walked into a store with no knowledge of any of new titles and see Doom on the shelf with the official cover chances are I'll keep walking. I might pick it up and check out the back, mainly beause of the DOOM name, but I'll leave thinking this is just another run or the mill shooter. If I were to see the reverse cover on the shelf my eyes would be immediately drawn to it. It demands one's attention, it appeals to the vintage look of Doom, and it gives indication that the game is going to be crazy and intense. Overall just 100% more interesting.
Really it is like any highly anticipated. The game comes out and the scores either indicate a great game (scores of 9s and up) or a disappointing game (depending on hype anything below an 8). Once the scores are released the debates truly begin (this game is way overated, this game is so underrated "just give it a chance"). There will be articles titled: "is 'name of game' overated/underated?", "why I am disappointed with 'name of the game'", "why I can't stop playing 'name of game'".
There are sometimes I wonder if people actually enjoy things or if they just like to have an excuse to argue about something.
@Bahamut50: I second your "ugh". It describes my feelings towards this show. I have friends that watch the show regularly and I have heard season 2 has been much better but I see commercials for the show and read articles and I can't help but groan about what I see and hear.
@kappamerc: Well, on top of that, I think many people on this site are seeing the comparison to Destiny and automatically making the assumption that the Division is going to suck without actually considering in what way the games are similar. As you described the game elements that are similar are common place in any online rpg type game. There is going to be some level cap (until more content releases), there can only be so many missions in the base game, and there has to be some way for players to differentiate their characters once they reach the cap (typically with stat based gear).
The games do have similar elements but that is the nature of the genre. We could say similar things about any first person shooter of the last 10 years or so but that doesn't mean because I like or dislike one of those games I like or dislike them all.
What kills me is that people see this comparison and choose not to buy the game as a result. I mean first of all, if there are people that have had an interest in the Division for this long and haven't realised it has a similar concept to Destiny (mission based online multiplayer, rpg elements) then they must have been clueless as to what this game actually is.
Secondly, just because the game is comparable to Destiny doesn't mean a person's opinion of one game will determine the opinion of the other. Disliking Destiny doesn't mean you will dislike the Division and liking Destiny doesn't mean you will like the Division. They have similar qualities but they are still 2 different games.
At the least I would reccomend people to wait and see. One of the big issues with Destiny was that people were expecting something much more and they were disappointed day 1 or a short time after release; however if they read reviews before hand they would have known what to expect. I'd suggest people do the same with the Division (if they are on the fence.) Wait to see what people say, maybe there is more content here than with Destiny. Or maybe wait for the game to go on sale (which will probably be within a month or so) or wait for more content to release.
I feel like Destiny comparisons are used because the game is popular (for better or worse) and well known currently. It is fresh in gamers minds. Plus I feel like most Division gamers wouldn't be into games like Diablo and WoW (this is a complete generalization).
However I dislike the comparisons too. It would be like saying the game features similar cover based shooting as Gears of War. Somewhat accurate but nearly every single third person shooter has a cover system and if you were to play the two games they don't feel the same despite similar mechanics.
scottyp360's comments