Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Just one more chance
For the many G readers who do not actively follow or even play video games, this may come as a bit of a shock - Bungie is going to allow the world to play a pre-release version of Halo 3. Yes, a beta will be bestowed upon Microsoft's loyal subjects in just a few short months. And you doubt the existence of god. Clearly, a benevolent force greater than us does exist. We should gladly jump through any hoop Microsoft constructs, no matter how flaming it may be, to take part in this once in a lifetime event. Who wants to Play Beyond when they can just Jump Into Halo?
Microsoft has devised three plans, each more cunning than the last, to allow gamers a chance to put Halo 3 through its paces a tad early. Our first opportunity surfaced late last year. For one glorious 24 hour interval, MS opened a website to register prospective gamers. From this massive collection of eager Halo nuts a select few were tagged, the most randomly elite of the blindly chosen, to play this beta when it surfaces in a few months. The rest, the people who bought an Xbox 360 at launch, the people who slagged through Full Auto and Call of Duty 2 when nothing else was available, are left grinding their teeth for another day.
The hype had begun.
Two months later, Microsoft tapped gamers on the shoulder and reminded them that Halo is king. To bow before other games, or - wash your tongue! - other systems was to spit in the face of modern gaming conventions. During the first three days of February, Microsoft opened a door to the future by way of the past. "Remember your chosen hero!" MS bellowed, urging players to take part in a few more explosive rounds of the aged but still glowing Halo 2. People who missed out in the initial selection process still had a chance to play the Halo 3 beta. They just needed to log onto Xbox Live and play three hours of Halo 2. Just 180 minutes of Warthog stealing, sword swinging, grenade sticking action and they were guaranteed to have a chance to play the Halo 3 beta. A few more people were selected while the rest, the people who want Halo 3 more than sweet ice cream and fluffy puppies combined, were left to anxiously wait for the third and final round of selections.
Time is getting short. Two opportunities have come and gone. How will the remaining diehards, the people who have actually taken the time to read Halo-themed novels and are already holding tryouts for their Halo 3 clan, how will they be able to take part in the Halo 3 beta? These are the people, they would argue, who MS should want to be involved. This is a beta after all. Not some sleazy demo. You are a part of the development process. You will have a direct link to Bungie's ear. Rifle too powerful? Pink suit too girly? Man cannon too sexy? Tell Bungie. You have the power of a tester. If there was only some way to guarantee a place in the beta.
Lucky for you, you can buy your way in. No more suffering through cruel fate's twisted sense of humor. For $60, you can buy a place in gaming history. Oh yeah, you get a full copy of some other game as well. I think it's called Crackhouse or Caulkdown or something. Who cares about that? It's all about the Halo 3 beta.
Sadly, I will not be taking part in this cultural experiment. I do not like to be teased, prodding and taunted. I rarely play demos anyway. Demos may inform casual gamers what's coming out soon, but how does that help me? I know all about Lost Planet and Crackdown and all the other demos that hit the marketplace. I would rather play through one of the many games in my always growing backlog than waste time checking out a game I won't be able to fully enjoy for many months down the road. So, if the idea of a demo annoys me, and the only hoop one has to jump through to play that is both large and inviting, why would I bother with a stress-inducing beta?
Microsoft is placing all of their stock in Halo 3. It makes sense, since Halo is the most popular exclusive franchise in America, but I can smell the desperation from here. They are either ignoring their other titles completely or blatantly insulting them. Realtime Worlds spent three years developing Crackdown and it looks like a damn fine game, but the buzz surrounding it is all about the Halo 3 beta. Sure, MS is getting Crackdown into the homes of many more people, but at what cost? All of their attention is focused on Halo, the all mighty Halo, with the other titles shunned in some awful dank corner somewhere.
Microsoft's tunnel vision could lead to their downfall this generation. They have a plethora, a bonanza even, of quality games coming out, but everything without the big LO in it will be ignored. Look at last year's marketing debacle. Viva Pinata muscled its way into every relevant critics top 10 list, but it sold exactly 23 copies worldwide. Blood and chainsaw carnage may be all the rage, but why not promote a quality title in a genre that is not completely overdone? There is more to gaming than Halo. At some point, Microsoft will realize this.
Microsoft has devised three plans, each more cunning than the last, to allow gamers a chance to put Halo 3 through its paces a tad early. Our first opportunity surfaced late last year. For one glorious 24 hour interval, MS opened a website to register prospective gamers. From this massive collection of eager Halo nuts a select few were tagged, the most randomly elite of the blindly chosen, to play this beta when it surfaces in a few months. The rest, the people who bought an Xbox 360 at launch, the people who slagged through Full Auto and Call of Duty 2 when nothing else was available, are left grinding their teeth for another day.
The hype had begun.
Two months later, Microsoft tapped gamers on the shoulder and reminded them that Halo is king. To bow before other games, or - wash your tongue! - other systems was to spit in the face of modern gaming conventions. During the first three days of February, Microsoft opened a door to the future by way of the past. "Remember your chosen hero!" MS bellowed, urging players to take part in a few more explosive rounds of the aged but still glowing Halo 2. People who missed out in the initial selection process still had a chance to play the Halo 3 beta. They just needed to log onto Xbox Live and play three hours of Halo 2. Just 180 minutes of Warthog stealing, sword swinging, grenade sticking action and they were guaranteed to have a chance to play the Halo 3 beta. A few more people were selected while the rest, the people who want Halo 3 more than sweet ice cream and fluffy puppies combined, were left to anxiously wait for the third and final round of selections.
Time is getting short. Two opportunities have come and gone. How will the remaining diehards, the people who have actually taken the time to read Halo-themed novels and are already holding tryouts for their Halo 3 clan, how will they be able to take part in the Halo 3 beta? These are the people, they would argue, who MS should want to be involved. This is a beta after all. Not some sleazy demo. You are a part of the development process. You will have a direct link to Bungie's ear. Rifle too powerful? Pink suit too girly? Man cannon too sexy? Tell Bungie. You have the power of a tester. If there was only some way to guarantee a place in the beta.
Lucky for you, you can buy your way in. No more suffering through cruel fate's twisted sense of humor. For $60, you can buy a place in gaming history. Oh yeah, you get a full copy of some other game as well. I think it's called Crackhouse or Caulkdown or something. Who cares about that? It's all about the Halo 3 beta.
Sadly, I will not be taking part in this cultural experiment. I do not like to be teased, prodding and taunted. I rarely play demos anyway. Demos may inform casual gamers what's coming out soon, but how does that help me? I know all about Lost Planet and Crackdown and all the other demos that hit the marketplace. I would rather play through one of the many games in my always growing backlog than waste time checking out a game I won't be able to fully enjoy for many months down the road. So, if the idea of a demo annoys me, and the only hoop one has to jump through to play that is both large and inviting, why would I bother with a stress-inducing beta?
Microsoft is placing all of their stock in Halo 3. It makes sense, since Halo is the most popular exclusive franchise in America, but I can smell the desperation from here. They are either ignoring their other titles completely or blatantly insulting them. Realtime Worlds spent three years developing Crackdown and it looks like a damn fine game, but the buzz surrounding it is all about the Halo 3 beta. Sure, MS is getting Crackdown into the homes of many more people, but at what cost? All of their attention is focused on Halo, the all mighty Halo, with the other titles shunned in some awful dank corner somewhere.
Microsoft's tunnel vision could lead to their downfall this generation. They have a plethora, a bonanza even, of quality games coming out, but everything without the big LO in it will be ignored. Look at last year's marketing debacle. Viva Pinata muscled its way into every relevant critics top 10 list, but it sold exactly 23 copies worldwide. Blood and chainsaw carnage may be all the rage, but why not promote a quality title in a genre that is not completely overdone? There is more to gaming than Halo. At some point, Microsoft will realize this.
// posted by Tom @ 12:52 PM 
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