Disclaimer: I don't believe there is any "wrong" or "right" with these Specials (or with anything really) -- essentially, only infinite speculations and possibilites. Debate and discussion are strongly encouraged in the comments for these!
With fear of sounding like an old grouch, I recall days when the Internet was not so popular, or even not popular at all. For the video game world, this carried with it one wonderful positive: mystery. It's not that print media was completely free of giving us some juicy details months (even years) before we played a game, but it retrospect, it seems it was more tastefully done, and well-orchestrated, as opposed to what the rabidly curious nature of the Internet produces.
This Special was initially inspired by a story I spotted on NowGamer last week, which ran the headline "Mass Effect 2 has bloodbath ending". The game doesn't come out for at least seven months, and I already have a good idea of one of the endings (not to mention a wad of other details, from that story and various other sources). I hope it's not just me, but I prefer some mysterywith my games. I don't want to know every dirty detail about it seven months or more before it ships -- I want enough to know if it's something I'm interested in, and then I want to open it up on the release date, stare at the package in awe, wonder what lovely things are inside, and let myself become absorbed into the experience. I know almost no details as such on this game, yet still more than I like. In either case, I do know it's something I'm interested in, and here's why:
It's from BioWareI really enjoyed Mass EffectThe concept art is quite niceFor this particular game, that's all I need to know. Maybe like many felt with KOTOR versus KOTOR II, the game won't live up for me in the end, but I'm interested in the meantime.
Console owners have the advantage of being able to rent a game to see how they feel before purchasing (if they do), assuming there is no demo. As a primarily PC gamer (for now anyway), no demo means I have to rely on the opinions of friends and reviewers who share my perspectives. To bring the point home, and not to sound self-righteous, these are the only things I need in whether or not I decide to buy a game, and if I do, for the best experience thereafter.
A second example (there are many) is BioShock 2. If you check out all the news we have on this game on GameGrep, you'll see damn near all of the game pretty much laid out for you. Multiplayer details, screenshots, nine straight minutes of gameplay footage, setting, villians, etc. This is why I loved 2K's initial teaser so much, cleverly snuck into the PS3 version of the game and shortly after put out onto the Internet by a fan. Let's take a look:
I got really excited over this with a friend of mine as we tried to interpret exactly what it meant. Did it take place in an overground city? Was there just one Sister left? Oh, the possibilites. But that all went downhill in the ensuing months, and before I knew it the gaming community had revealed and dissected nearly every possible detail to death.
Of course, this is typically more the fault of publishers who want to build as much hype as possible before release, and make the biggest possible return for their investment in the end. Though I understand this, even from a capitalist perspective: is that the best way to build anticipation? I'm just one person, of course, and I realize a good portion of the gaming community just has no patience at all, but maybe that's the point; maybe we need to learn patience, maybe publishers need to learn money shouldn't get in the way of mystery, and that it's largely a good thing for them anyway.
All I knew about BioShock before playing was the following:
It takes place underwaterIt has a dystopian premiseThe graphics are real niceThe story is original (judging from the trailer below)
I'm a sucker for a good dystopia, and have always been fascinated with tales of Atlantis, so I dove right in knowing only these things. The result, I can tell you, is a more engaging experience. Because I didn't have any preconceptions going in, I very much felt like I was Jack, in this new world, with no idea of what was going on or where I was or what to expect. In my opinion, this is how the game is meant to be played, and if the sequel lives up, the way it is to be played for the best experience, too.
Ubisoft is one team that seems to know how to do it properly, perhaps because they develop great games, too. Case in point here is Prince of Persia: after launching a teaser website campaign, featuring pretty much only the image you see at the top of this article and some nice music, I was definitely intrigued. They followed this with some fan service, noting an Altair skin would be unlockable in the game, and a series of trailers; one in particular is easily among the most beautiful I've ever seen:
This alone swooned me; I knew it was something different, and something well-worth playing, despite what any dissenters had to say (including myself, at one point). Having played it, I can state it's every bit as wonderful as you could hope from that footage.
So with that, I say there's more than one way to promote a game, and I implore gamers, members of the press, and publishers to keep some of the mystery alive: it only adds to the experience.
