[Tanukitsune]

I've recently suffered a case of hype and blockout, nearly at the same time...

We all know what hype is, it's when a company tells us that a game will be the greatest thing ever, and the media is usually flooded with info on this game...

But I suffer a special case of hype.... Self hype...

I visited the site daily, watched every video and read all the news about that game....

I convinced myself it was the greatest game ever...

The name of the "game"...

Nintendogs...

When I finally got my hands on the game, I noticed that even though it't probably the best pet sim ever made, it wasn't as great as I expected it to be...

After a few weeks, I barely bother to turn on my DS to play with the pup, I only use the DS ot play Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow and Metos...


Then comes the "blackout" (is that the proper word?), I blacked out Fahrenheit, I had no idea how the game would be, I only tried the demo a few seconds to make sure the game would run on my PC...

It may be Shenmue with an insane plot, but I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end! (Ok, I hated the climbing sequences...)


The issue is, should we blackout all games? Should we avoid all hype?

If you had the oportunity to follow a game's development from start, would you do so?

You'd get hyped beyond bounds, yet it's something I think everybody should do once, just to see how a game is developed with your own eyes....

And what about games from VERY small companies? You might not even know if the game is still being made or if the company still exists!

Will a game blackout insure you'll enjoy a game?

Sometimes, not knowing a thing about a game might be bad...

It could be bad, it could be the "wrong" genre, who knows!

So, when should we "blackout"? Should we blackout?

[Jayel]

I always thought less you know, the better.
One possible exception being Duke Nukem Forever. I wanna see it dammit

[Intrepid Homoludens]

It depends on a lot of factors, really. I've done both, following a game very closely from initial announcement to gold status, and doing a gamer's blackout (same as blockout). For the most part I've had successes in both ways, but it really does depend on the game and your individual interests.

<-- Trep high on hype

The very first time I ever heard about Max Payne was when it was featured about five years ago in a Gamespot article on upcoming cutting edge games that'll push the envelope. Among the titles mentioned were Peter Molyneux's Black & White, Unreal II, and - surprise! - Duke Nuken Forever. Max Payne got my attention because it was heavily story driven and inspired by film noir and the over-the-top Hong Kong action movies. It was different, it was stylish, and it was drop dead gorgeous in its hyperrealistic photo-digitized sleekness. I couldn't get enough of any new screenshot, previews, and interviews coming out regularly. On the day it arrived in stores I rode my bike several miles to the nearest Gamestop for my copy, still warm from the shipping box. I didn't regret one penny I spent on it.

<-- Trep annoyed by hype

I first started getting the buzz from Black & White here at the AG community and at other gaming forums. The hype was infectious and everyone was saying how this could be the god of god games. I was intrigued. I bought the game as soon as it came out, and after a couple weeks trying to make my way through the first three levels or chapters, I gave up. The game was incredibly banal, repetitive, and buggy in how the A.I. worked. Peter Molyneux was so hyped up on his own hype that he forgot to fill out his game with an actual game.

<-- Trep doing a gamer's blackout

So when I started hearing about Project Ego and how Molyneux was pimping it as the ultimate RPG, I rolled my eyes and looked the other way at other games coming up. I did a gamer's blackout on it. I would occasionally catch wind of new features to be included in Project Ego and soon forget about them, as well any Molyneux fanboy making a fool out of himself. I did read a couple of previews on it, though, to see how the game was coming along, but for the most part I stayed disinterested. When this game finally came out for Xbox, it was now called Fable, and I bought my copy. It was fantastic, magical, and charmingly engaging. I felt like a little kid playing in a fantasy world of knights, magic spells, and evil beasts - exactly as Molyneux wanted. Fable wasn't the ultimate perfect game he wished it would be and I could sense through it that there were things missing that should have been there, but overall I felt my enjoyment was augmented by the fact that I blacked out the game's hype. In this case, ignorance really is bliss.

[SoccerDude28]

The only time I get a blackout is when I overdrink.

I usually get hyped up about games I like, like Psychonauts or Freedom Force. I read everything about them, and sometimes screw up some of the story. I wish I can just ignore them, but I get way too excited.

[Kolzig]

I usually get a little overhyped by Remedy games.

[Fairygdmther]

I try to strike a middle ground. I look at the screenshots, and read a review or two, (but not 27 of them). I don't usually do the demos, because of spoiling it for me, nor the trailers. I did do the demo of Myst V and last year of Syberia II but I don't enjoy them, and they're just teasers for me. I try not to get really hyped up, but some games DO get to you. I know I'm really hyped about Dreamfall, for instance. While there are others I'm looking forward to, none has me hooked like Dreamfall.

Lynsie

[reno6]

Unless I'm waiting very desperately for a game (for example, the DS's Trace Memory and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow -- I've been waiting for TM since it was first shown alongside the DS's unveiling as 'Another,' and Dawn of Sorrow since, well, Aria of Sorrow) I try to ignore hype. Some screenshots here and there, maybe a video when people rave over it, but that's about it. I especially ignore reviews for a game I want; I'll read reviews for games I'm not particularly excited about, like Halo 2 or or other overhyped games, but never for one I really want. I like to have my own opinion about a game. If the reviewer nitpicks at, say, repetitive levels, that trait'll be more apparent since I know it's coming, whereas if I'm not watching for it, I probably won't notice. I just get more enjoyment out of games that way.

I never 'blackout,' though. I like having games to look forward to, and I can't do that if I don't know anything about them. All Things in Moderation.

[RLacey]

I get hyped about games, but I always approach the final product as a cynic (it's in my nature, sadly). I always expect the game to have been overhyped and to be far worse than everyone has been saying it is, so I tend to end up being less disappointed with the game as a result.

[Huz]

The last time I got excited by a game before its release was Escape From Monkey Island. Since then, ignoring hype hasn't even taken a conscious effort. I'm just not that interested any more in looking at pretty pictures or reading about how awesome a game is going to be - I'll believe it when I see it.

And fortunately, more often than not, I do see it. As an example, I was amazed at some parts of Half-Life 2. Would I have been so bowled over if I knew what was coming? I'm sure there were more than enough screenshots and preview articles to show off the game's most innovative features, after all. Knowing I was about to see some striders marching across the screen could only have lessened the impact.

Ignorance really is bliss, I reckon.