I think what they are doing is a great market stategy.
While the history of this game is rooted in a PC sim, they have to push the fact that this is also an arcade game.
Most everyone here is a hardcore sim lover, as am I. I would love to see some simulator footage. I think it would be a mistake not to release some of that soon. However, we also know that the sim mode uses cockpit view only. If they were to push the sim footage, then nobody would be able to see or appreciate all of the detail this game has. From a video perspective, it would look like a game on rails.
Lets take a look at all of the previous "aviation" titles on the 360:
Over G fighters I think was first. A game that was highly underrated...but why? OGF was a game that was designed for release on the original XBOX. As such, there was no room for all the graphics that would have improved the game without sacrificing the quality of the flight mechanics. While it was not perfect, OGF significantly raised the bar on what was thought impossible to market on consoles. It was not a game that recieved much media attention, but word spread quickly throughout the gaming communities. The only real downfall of this game was the lack of those graphics in which to relate you speed to. Eventually it seemed to lay the first bridge from sims to consoles.
Blazing Angels (1 & 2) and Ace Combat 6 were fairly similar in design. They were both great arcade games, but lacked any sense of realism. While fun to play, they really didn't offer hardcore gamers what they wanted. However, sales skyrocketed. The games hard landing came when the multiplayer modes seemed to feel more like an action shooter. While the younger and more casual gamers didn't seem to mind, hardcore fans were once again out in the cold. These games became the market standard for future publishing ideas.
H.A.W.X was a major disapointment. A game that promised so much, but fell so short. There was no sense of realism at all, and the controlls felt like trying to drive a 700hp oldsmobile with bad shocks around an Indy track. Once again sales were a plenty. Why? because the creators catered to the younger more casual crowd. It was something anyone could plug in and play.
Essentially, hardcore console gamers have to realise that we consist of about a third (or less) of the console aviation genre. We are never going to be the primary focus of ANY marketing strategy. Thats what makes BOP so special. One game, and everybody is happy. Any good marketing team knows that the hardcore fans are constantly searching the internet and available resources for information. BUT...the more casual gamers are only going to buy what is shoved in front of them. This is why the marketing team has pushed the arcade mode so much. They know what we are all talking about here. They know what we want, and they have promissed it to us. We just have to trust them to deliver it. And they will, lest they ruin their reputations.
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07-11-2009, 01:18 AM
Didn't I just say that? And what footage do you think they might use for commercials? Maybe the same trailers we see on the internet?
Hybrid Mode
