Marketing?

To me, less is more. I want to be surprised. I like the unknown, because it leaves more for us to toy around with and discuss the "what ifs" and potential leading up to the game. The lead up to the game is usually my favorite part with each release, other than when we first get to play it of course. However, a month after the game has been out, most of us won't really care anymore, and sure we'll still play it here and there, some more than others, but it's the lead up that has the most suspense and excitement in it.

Yes, with the lead up, we must have content to keep us talking and the excitement peaked. However, we still have 3 months to go. That's quite a bit of time to try and hold that excitement and anticipation. Now, once we get into the last month or two, that's when the flood gates will up. Embargoes will be lifting left and right on exclusive info and footage, as well as gameplay modes, characters, what to expect from story etc.

To me, I prefer months of just a few tidbits of info and character reveals to tide us over, only to blow us away with stuff closer to the game to kick the excitement into full gear. Making every day, a day that we have to come visit here and discuss with each other or else risk misssing some hot new info.

Moderation. I don't know about you, but I would get burned out if I was to be expected to be hyped up and excited for 6 months leading into a game. I would lose interest, and all the info would spoil a lot of the experience and fresh feeling the game would have otherwise.

Guess I am the only one though, as was similar to MK. 9/10 people were always saying the marketing was poor etc. constantly saying it would lead to poor sales and this and that. The game was the best MK game in years, largely attributed, imo, to the fact we didn't see half the roster until the last 2 months, and some we didn't see 'til the last week. We didn't get gameplay trailer after gameplay trailer. When a character was announced, we didn't get all their moves, special, intro, and outro shown to us in a 2 minute compilation. We were left wondering what all those things might be. Leave it to us to discuss and speculate, and that, to me, IS the fun.

Once they reveal all the characters in detail, stages, game modes, and what story is about...and shown us multiple clips of each...they have effectively "shot their load" as it were. What's to keep me interested and speculated once I know all there is to know? No more "I hope ___ makes it in!" speculation or ideas. No more "I wonder if this is why this is happening". No more "I wonder when ____'s gameplay will be shown". "I wonder what ____ will look like". etc. etc. etc.

Some may see Green Lantern only getting a picture on the box as a poor reveal, I see it as a nice tease to let us speculate on how he'll play, to see his moves, his special...the works. Same with the Joker, Bane, Lex etc. I don't want every character to be that of Catwoman, Arrow, or Deathstroke in that they are completely shown off all at once.

In the end, it's a matter of personal preference, not good or poor. I want the foreplay and the teasing, the build up, before we just go balls deep and sooner than later we're sitting here wishing we savored the moment and took our time before we turned up the heat for the big blow off.
 
Blackcyborg said:
Guess I am the only one though, as was similar to MK. 9/10 people were always saying the marketing was poor etc. constantly saying it would lead to poor sales and this and that. The game was the best MK game in years, largely attributed, imo, to the fact we didn't see half the roster until the last 2 months, and some we didn't see 'til the last week. We didn't get gameplay trailer after gameplay trailer. When a character was announced, we didn't get all their moves, special, intro, and outro shown to us in a 2 minute compilation. We were left wondering what all those things might be. Leave it to us to discuss and speculate, and that, to me, IS the fun.

Once they reveal all the characters in detail, stages, game modes, and what story is about...and shown us multiple clips of each...they have effectively "shot their load" as it were. What's to keep me interested and speculated once I know all there is to know? No more "I hope ___ makes it in!" speculation or ideas. No more "I wonder if this is why this is happening". No more "I wonder when ____'s gameplay will be shown". "I wonder what ____ will look like". etc. etc. etc.
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Not me though.
I'm quite the opposite, as far as characters go.
Just because they didn't show Sheeva or Sindel right away doesn't mean that they are interesting to me.

When NRS showed off MORE stuff in the game, I was even MORE hyped for it.
Hell, I remember when they first revealed the revamped Subway Fatality with Jax and I was like "HOLY SHIT, I WANT TO GET THE GAME, AND DO THAT FATALITY RIGHT NOW!!!!"
When they showed Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Sonya and some of the MK1 and MKII stages I became even MORE hyped.

I had to pry myself away from the TRMK boards for about 2 1/2 weeks because people were about to spoil too much.
I was so tempted to find out who got killed in story mode, but luckily my will power was strong and I just played through Story Mode at midnight, on April 19th.
 
Araknyd_Commander said:
Not me though.
I'm quite the opposite, as far as characters go.
Just because they didn't show Sheeva or Sindel right away doesn't mean that they are interesting to me.

When NRS showed off MORE stuff in the game, I was even MORE hyped for it.
Hell, I remember when they first revealed the revamped Subway Fatality with Jax and I was like "HOLY SHIT, I WANT TO GET THE GAME, AND DO THAT FATALITY RIGHT NOW!!!!"
When they showed Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Sonya and some of the MK1 and MKII stages I became even MORE hyped.

I had to pry myself away from the TRMK boards for about 2 1/2 weeks because people were about to spoil too much.
I was so tempted to find out who got killed in story mode, but luckily my will power was strong and I just played through Story Mode at midnight, on April 19th.
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Exactly. However, what people are making it out to be, is as if these things won't come at all. We will get a lot more footage and reveals, with all sorts of goodness. Just not 3 months out from release. Heck, one person even questioned if the game will be pushed back because they haven't shown us more. Not thinking that they might not want to show us everything so soon. Maybe as fans some don't realize it, but there are negative effects when too much is shown, too soon. Interest will peak and start to die down. The talking and headlines will peak, then die down. You want the game's hype and anticipation to peak when the game is closer to release.

We have become spoiled over the years with the internet and how much is put out there for some games. This is not the case for all games though. One of the best selling games, Grand Theft Auto, usually has very little revealed before release. Heck, back before 2000, most games, the most you'd get, were just some screens in a magazine. Yet, a lot of people's favorites, are the ones they went in without knowing 90% of what it entailed.

I get your point, and i'm the same. I loved every reveal for MK last year. I loved seeing every character's vid and I like to see everything I can. That's why it's up to them to make sure not to oversaturate it. I want to be surprised and kept on edge all the way up to release. Mainly, I want to be able to talk with all of you, about what we think will happen, who will be included, what moves they'll have, the plot potential, DLC options, stage choices, and anticipate when we'll be getting something new.

Just like bbblp said in another post, he's starting to feel the hype similar to the lead up to MK9. That's good. And with the game getting closer, it's only going to get better. Had they revealed all the characters and stages and story details by now, we'd have a long freaking 3 months ahead of us. They are keeping the excitement in check. As you said, each thing shown gets you even more excited. Well, think of how long of a wait and how much it'd drag on and suck if you got all the footage 6 months out, compared to spread out over the course of a 2-3 months leading up to the game.

It's easier this way, and better. As a fan though, of course you want more. But as I said, sometimes less is more, and patience is a virtue.
 
See Black, I would agree with you if this game was guaranteed to be good. Like a MGS game or a GTA game. They tease the hell out of their fans because the product is almost always golden.


But Injustice is a new beast. We still know very little about the gameplay itself. It took forever before we could get a video of somne blocking. I still have sleepless nights wondering about Grundy's grappling and dashing.
 
back said:
See Black, I would agree with you if this game was guaranteed to be good. Like a MGS game or a GTA game. They tease the hell out of their fans because the product is almost always golden.


But Injustice is a new beast. We still know very little about the gameplay itself. It took forever before we could get a video of somne blocking. I still have sleepless nights wondering about Grundy's grappling and dashing.
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That I can understand.

Anyone who has seen my posts, probably knows i'm not a competitive high level gamer. That's not my thing. I love competition, and doing my best in a game with friends, but i'd never study it or take the time to try and learn every in and out etc. So, with that in mind, yes, I guess I don't have those same concerns as a competitive type player might. So with that said, yes, I could see why gameplay footage is important. To ensure balance and all that jazz.

For me though, doesn't really matter if it's 100% perfect in that department, i'm still going to have fun with it, as I have with every MK. Of course when it is balanced and all that, it helps, and offers a better experience for everyone. Still, Iguess that's not as big of a worry of mine.

1. It's made by NRS, and although some MK games could have been much better, they've all been at least "playable" and had interesting story elements.

2. It's superheroes, and they are working in collaboration with DC on the story. So i'll love it for that. I mean...the guy who wrote the Injustice comics even said he was dreading reading the story because he didn't expect much, and ended up loving it, reading it in one sitting. Add that to more awesome cinematics like MK had, along with great voice talent that fit the characters(Kevin Conroy as BAtman as it should be, and most of the same actors/actresses who did the character voices in animated series or Arkham games etc. reprising roles), story mode alone is enough for me to be happy with it. :P

3. MK9 was great, so I see no reason why they would disappoint with this. I think a 2D game under WB, is what they've needed to be doing all along

So I have almost complete faith in what they are doing.

But yes, I get your point, and it's valid.
 
Myself, I'm incredibly interested in INjustice, and I'm 100% sure i'd play it just for story mode.

I play Blazblue 100% for the story. I'm super free in that game.



But for REPLAY value, I highly value the fighting mechanics. If they aren't good, or allow for some gay gimmicks that is easy for someone to execute but incredibly difficult for someone to get around.

See Kenshi vs Rain or Jade in MK9

Then I'm gonna be upset. And probably not buy it in the future and just watch youtube videos of the storymode.

I'll only support it with my cash if it has replay value to me.


Now on the case of the 3-D mortal kombats. I did buy those. But I think the RPG elements they put in for story mode intrigued me enough that I didn't mind. Even if the elements were actually quite shallow. the thought of Fighter+RPG.

I plan on playing INjustice at full price this time. Cuz I strongly expect a good game along with storymode.

we'll have to see how much my love for Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm brews when it comes out a month before, and wether or not I want to spread out the time I spend doing either MK9/SSBM/SC2/Injustice. Sometimes I just want to quit 3 of these games and just strongly focus on one and become a top pro.
 
I have faith that the story will kick all the ass

I believe the side single player content will be insane

And I believe the characters will be represented perfectly



I never had any major gripes with MK9. I thank you for understanding my point, I understand yours too. I was the same way pre MK9 release. MK9 is the game that got me into frame data and the fgc.

But I am terrified of seeing how NRS will handle a hold back block system. They've never done it. I'm expecting som putrid ambiguous crossups and traps. Cyborg also. A zoning character that can replenish his health with the tap of a button? Plus players who have played the game talked about how ass broken he is. There is time to fix it, but pre MK9 release people talked about Kung Lao being broken, and we all know how pre patch Lao was on launch.



This is my fear because I rarely play with friends in fighting games, and when I do, its only of they're better than I am. Critical in MK and Kzaoo in Tekken. So I'm playing Ranked 24/7. Where the dirty dirties live. The play to win people are. The users and abusers. So balance scares me for this game, that's where my skepticism comes from
 
back said:
See Black, I would agree with you if this game was guaranteed to be good. Like a MGS game or a GTA game. They tease the hell out of their fans because the product is almost always golden.


But Injustice is a new beast. We still know very little about the gameplay itself.
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Blackcyborg said:
3. MK9 was great, so I see no reason why they would disappoint with this.
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I share the same concern with BBBLP.

As far as MK9 goes, people had an idea that it would be good because NRS was going back to 2D with an oldchool type of gameplay feel, mixing MKII and MK3 gameplay, and Ed Boon said in various interviews that it was a reboot taking place in the MK1 thru UMK3 era.

MK1 thru UMK3 era
MK1 thru UMK3 era
MK1 thru UMK3 era

That was my favorite era of MK, and probably the best one too, IMO, so when Ed and the peeps at NRS told us that, they hype train was already started (at least for me), and I didn't NEED to have screen-shots and videos every other week because I more-or-less had an idea of the direction that they were going in.
It's different with comic book characters, though.

With comic characters you don't know what properties are given to the fighting mechanics of the characters, and you kind of just have to take their word for it, if there aren't many gameplay videos to go by.
 
C-Sword said:
Does anyone else feel that the game isn't being promoted properly? I'm not asking for a character reveal every 2 weeks, but the game is coming out in 3 months, we still haven't seen a gameplay trailer or footage of The Joker and Green Lantern. Bane and Lex Luthor were revealed in a magazine I've never heard of before and since when do people still read magazines? What's the point of taking pre-orders for the game now if you cannot guarantee me that some of my favorite characters will make it? How often have we seen Wonder Woman in action?
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That is true, i am a fan of MK and i found about this game just a few days ago lol but it looks great, (better then MK vs DC for sure xD ) and i just hope that there is more characters to choose then in MK vs DC or MK 9 i really want to play with many DC heroes and villans... I want scarecrow, ares, clayface,... And i think it would be nice that they put the unlockable characters, but not few of them... many of them, it would be great (for me) if there are 30-40 characters or more and at the beggining you have like 15... or more... or less xD anyway i think that with that many people will play the game for a longer time... because we will have to play with more characters so we can unlock a new one... but that is just my opinion :D
 
I used to be for unlockable characters. Felt like it added longevity, but it just isn't fair. Especially when you throw online play into consideration. Offline tourneys as well.


Twisted Metal 2012. I have been a Twisted fan since 2. And every chance I get, I use either Grimm or Darkside. In the new game, I can use neither. Not until I grind out online matches for hours to unlock everything in the required tiers before the two mentioned characters are even available for unlocking. But its hard as hell because I can't win. I can't win because I'm forced to use shitty unfamiliar cars to get the ones I've been using for years
 
back said:
I used to be for unlockable characters. Felt like it added longevity, but it just isn't fair. Especially when you throw online play into consideration. Offline tourneys as well.


Twisted Metal 2012. I have been a Twisted fan since 2. And every chance I get, I use either Grimm or Darkside. In the new game, I can use neither. Not until I grind out online matches for hours to unlock everything in the required tiers before the two mentioned characters are even available for unlocking. But its hard as hell because I can't win. I can't win because I'm forced to use shitty unfamiliar cars to get the ones I've been using for years
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lol i have twisted metal too and i have to agree with what you said, and to unlock warthog is imposiblle xD... but i was thinking it would be good for single player like in Tekken... you play with one character, defeat the boss (that isnt so hard) and you see his story and then you unlock a new one... but it will be fine if they dont put that in the game, they just need to make a lot of characters and with that i will buy the game as soon it comes to my nearest store. (eaven if i dont like some of them)
 
Blackcyborg took the words right out of my mouth lol

Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree that when it comes to marketing, it's all about that build-up. The anticipation for something greater to drop. That's exactly how I feel about this game and most games, I love speculating pre-release. I can understand the gameplay concerns, but I'm more or less a "casual" gamer who plays with friends (well, for fighting games anyway) so all that doesn't phase me as much. As long as the game is fun, doesn't have any major gameplay problems, and the characters have great movesets, I'm guaranteed to like it.
 
NRS was trying to prove itself in a time when the series was falling out of favor, hence the big marketing campaign for MK9. Consumer confidence in the MK team has been renewed since then, so there is a less pressure to convince their audience that they should buy their game.
 
Less pressure? They've alienated their core audience by removing blood and the block button. Out of all the responses I've seen to this game, most have been positive, but a large number have been weary
 
Since it's not a proper MK game nor is it trying to be, I believe people are more likely to be cut them some slack for the absence of blood and a block button. If other developers can branch out within the fighting genre, why can't NRS? Not everybody is going to be pleased, so it doesn't hurt to have another title to fall back on and expand the consumer base.
 
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