There's nothing wrong with a story-focused cinematic that reveals almost nothing of actual gameplay, provided that cinematic excites people and interests them in the game's setting. But Microsoft and Remedy must to do much more than this if they me to take Alan Wake seriously.
The problem is we were offered the same vague hints at gameplay, albeit presented through superb graphics, over three years ago with the launch of the Xbox 360. Alan Wake screenshots and videos were a vital selling point for the console's release, yet still today there's nothing beyond Remedy's reputation suggesting that this is an actual game. Judging from its use years ago in 360 marketing, I'm inclined to think it's really a tech demo which is merely being glittered with gameplay.
I could be wrong, and I hope I am. I like the concept of alternating players between safe daylight (investigation) and dangerous night (defense).
But if this really is a game through-and-through, it still seems Microsoft marketed this game too strongly when the developers hadn't solidified anything beyond the most basic premise and graphics. To use something unformed and unproven as a major selling point seems unethical to me. What do you think?
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I think it reminds me of Fable being hyped at the launch of the first XBOX. It took two tries and a new generation of consoles to live up to that particular slice of hype-pie.
ReplyDeleteThis morning I was thinking of Killzone 2 for the PS3 and how misleading the original trailer was (link. It was so misleading in fact, that the game isn't even out yet (that trailer was from 2005). The trailer is not in-game, yet Sony gave us the impression that it was, fueling hype about the wonders of the PS3. I consider this a far more offensive gesture than what happened with Alan Wake.
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