Quote:
Originally Posted by Periglo
I just finished Beyond Good and Evil, and loved the introduction of many AG features in an action game. The same happened to me with Psychonauts. Well, it seems these two games have other things in common: being commercial failures; at least according to
wikipedia (some other old friend on the list, by the way.) Could this mean action players dislike adventure elements? I know the opposite is true in many cases... |
I remember reading that BG&E was mis-marketed and released at one of the worst times in the year (immediately eclipsed by other high profile games in the media and stores). Now that I think about it this game was HORRIBLY marketed - that is, there was really never a truly aggressive campaign to pimp it. It was actually a critical success, the reviewers loved it, and the scant number of gamers savvy enough to know about it to buy it loved it. For a while there was a huge buzz over whether a sequel was in the works.
Either of these things could easily happen to many a game (and has), a sure way to ruin its chances of succeeding in this otherwise overcrowded market.
As for Psychonauts, I'll venture to state that it's akin to caviar - it's an acquired taste. It was a very decent enough platformer and was surprisingly deep. However, it was too weird for most people, with its very dark psychological humour and subversive pop culture references. It challenged you on certain levels that could make you feel uncomfortable. You get it or you don't.
I don't think it's that action players dislike adventure elements. Many of them, myself included, actually grew up on adventure games, so it's no problem for us. Many times it has to do with how a game is marketed, to whom, and whether that market is large enough to justify the game. Other times it may just be bad timing, the zeitgeist preventing a certain 'flavour' of game from being understood and appreciated.
