The Hype Has Got To Stop

Destiny is the second high-profile release of the year to disappoint many players, while simultaneously breaking sales records.

Mark Butler argues that hysterical pre-release hype is conning consumers into expecting revolutionary experiences from unremarkable games.

[DanJenkoFMV]

Glad I waited on reviews for Destiny, looks really repetitive and bland.

[mochachino]

It is, but it's also fun with friends. Somehow a bunch of inferior parts made a very addictive whole.

[n4rc]

Very true.. Despite all its faults, its amazingly addictive

It doesn't need to stop.. The only ones disappointed are the ones believing all the hype.. Its on them..

[GodGinrai]

@mochachino

You summed it up perfectly. They key words? "play with friends" Not sure why anybody would play destiny by themselves anyway.

[KAEM7]

@GodGinrai: plenty of people do.

OT: Hype actually is a sort of negative side-effect from huge marketing efforts of publishers. The majority of gamers will not preceive the marketing as too much and will nog get 'overhyped'. The marketing is aimed at all gamers. That some hardcore game fanatics get overhyped and ultimately dissapointed is just collateral damage.

[SilentNegotiator]

The only people "falling for the hype" are people that are on the internet too long every day, watching previews and articles about one game, over and over.

They weren't lied to and they weren't given the wrong impression...they just got hung up.

[Joe913]

@KAEM7 they have always said this was going to be something made more for social than single players just people can play through single player if they want but it was made with social online so to me it is not hyped people either got the wrong idea or a bunch of fps fans played it and it is too much like a rpg where you go on raids all the time I can see how that can be repetitive to a fps fan I think if it was third person maybe people would have like it more.

[GodGinrai]

@KAEM7

"plenty of people do"

Then I would not be surprised if they are the most vocal of, of the vocal minority that are not enjoying this game. To play this game online is to play it the way bungie intended. That is one of the reasons it has a hard time shaking off the "mmo" tag.

Fact is they are the ones who are not getting the whole destiny experience ( for whatever that is worth, depending on how you feel about this game), so it stands to reason that they would be the most vocal.

[Goku781]

Destiny is a great game when played with others and leveling up past 20. People need to realize the MMO of this game and that it will be constantly growing. With time it will only get better and better.

[DanteVFenris666]

It's actually really fun. You'll be disappointed at first. But as it goes on the planets seem bigger the quests start to have more variation with more boss fights. Your person as he starts to look badass. Sure it has faults but very fun 8/10 for me. Hopefully the sequel can push the ground work that's already in place. With space combat(at the least pvp), proxy chat, split screen, and a quicker group up system for randoms. The group system is friendly for friends but not much more unless your doing the instances which auto group you. I want that system be an option in the free roam

[ion666]

Question. who in the hell plays split screen anymore?.

[Dontworrybhappy]

I have been balls deep. Playing with a group of 10 or so friends and alternating players based on what people are in the mood for what. I swear the more I play, the MORE I NEED to play. I think I have around like 10 hours of sleep for the past few days. O_O Help

[ion666]

Same here. My advice stock up on redbull.

[lifesanrpg]

Articles like this, which simply repeat what we've heard thousands of times, need to stop.

[Blastoise]

What's the difference between being excited and hyping something up?

As long as you don't listen to Ryan Mccaffrey telling you to "Believe the hype" or believing developers when they use the words "Revolution" ect I don't think there's anything wrong with a bit of hype

[hkgamer]

no hype doesnt need to stop. its keeping the industry alive in a sense. what needs to stop is people going out and buying a game and then complain that they didnt think it was mind blowing.

if hype didnt exist then gaming journalism, gaming news might aswell just stop. we read news about new games because we are excited and hyped. this site wouldnt exist if there was no hype.

[spacedelete]

second game to disappoint ? you mean three including Destiny, Titanfall and Watchdogs. ironically all new IPs. this is why sequels sell because new IPs always have a chance to disappoint.

[chrissx]

Hype is ok, Overhype however is the problem we are having with games these days. That's got to stop

[f4steddy]

The problem is gamers need to realize that hype is pretty much marketing. There are people called marketers that are paid to create this hype. This kind of stuff happens in every other market. Why in hot hell would a company hold back on marketing and hold back on creating hype for their product?

[DeusEx-Machina]

They could cut a good healthy piece out of that fat marketing budget and add it to that little one that actually goes into the development of the game.

Instead of over hyping it, they could let the game speak for itself.

[bazinga_91]

Destiny is a great game. Keep up the good work bungie.

[ShowGun901]

HERE HERE!

im loving destiny, played it about 8hrs a day this weekend... before i knew it my whole day was gone! LOL

[Clown_Syndr0me]

Articles like this need to stop too. Individual games get to much attention, and articles like this just adds fuel to the fire.

[uth11]

The current situation where games are announced more than a year before they are released is ridiculous. I'd say they should only announce at E3 games that will be out within the same year. That will help preventing games from taking on a mythical status before release, like Watch Dogs, Destiny, The Last Guardian, etc.

But of course when off-the-scales hype translates into huge sales, there's no incentive to change the current paradigm.

[vivid83]

but it's been like that since ps2 xbox days

[Spotie]

Just stop falling for it. Hype doesn't kill enjoyment for games; expecting games to live up to arbitrary expectations based on hype does.

But that's on the individual.

[Jdoki]

Most of the hype is generated by the media - not the gamers.

Destiny was not over-hyped - An alpha and a beta allowed people to see exactly what they would get, and word of mouth was generally good. People were more excited than hyping it to be the best FPS ever.

Destiny is not a disappointment to the millions of players online, the many I encounter on a daily basis still playing, and those Friends who I still game with online regularly.

The problem is solely with the media. There's not enough real news to sustain most journalists in the industry. And with half assed blogs looking for hits it is in all their interests to make sure they gain the maximum number of hits with the most inflammatory subjects.

Which is why we get the constant flow of:

Game announcement hype

Game is perceived to have concerns because 1) someone leaves the company, 2) someone played a 10minute demo and made assumptions

Game gets close to release, so we get a huge amount of hype and negative articles

Game is launched and everyone rushes to review it

Game gets dissected, leading to millions of 'Did the game deserve score X'. 'Did the developer get favourable media attention'. 'Did the game live up to it's hype', 'Game isn't in Resolution X and at fps Y'.

And finally we get the 'meta-articles' like this, that then question the reason behind all the other click bait articles.

And so on and so on and so on with various flavours of article, all intended to do nothing more than generate hits rather than valid discussion.

I guarantee there were certain sites that already had the 'Was Destiny overhyped / did it really deliver' articles written before the game was even launched.

EDIT: I'm not saying Destiny did not deserve some criticism, although I love it. But I am saying that claims of Destiny being over-hyped, failing, being a terrible game are bullshit

[AKissFromDaddy]

I disagree w/ everything you wrote.

"An alpha and a beta allowed people to see exactly what they would get..."

On one hand, you wrote an alpha/beta is exactly similar to the entire experience. On the other hand, other ppl, devs, press & marketers will counter w/ the opposite, claiming our experience of even a demo of a game, just a slice, isn't indicative of the final product.

If you can empathize w/ why people would believe that an alpha/beta of Destiny weren't indicative of it's final release, than we're much closer to understanding each other, even though we have opposite views about Destiny's overall quality & affection towards it.

"Destiny is not a disappointment to the millions of players online, the many I encounter on a daily basis still playing, and those Friends who I still game with online regularly."

Ppl still playing Destiny don't feel disappointed. However, you're likely never going to meet ppl who dislike Destiny after playing the alpha/beta or retail copy in Destiny ever again.

"...a hefty proportion [of people] have been left deflated, dejected and underwhelmed by an experience that seemed to promise so much more." If you can place yourself as a critic & try emulating their expectations, it's likely you'll feel their disappointment as well, regardless of your personal bias.

"The problem is solely with the media. There's not enough real news to sustain most journalists in the industry."

New video games, previews, trailers, guides & tips release weekly. Likely, a video game convention or two is happening once a month, somewhere in the US alone, let alone the world. This list is too long to write, link will suffice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

"Game is launched and everyone rushes to review it. Game gets dissected, leading to millions of 'Did the game deserve score X'."

Press traditionally gets review copies abt 2 weeks prior to launch. Traditionally, a review is a dissection of all, if not most, parts of a game, similar to movie reviews, book reviews, electronic reviews, and etc.

"And finally we get the 'meta-articles' like this, that then question the reason behind all the other click bait articles"

"Game On: The hype has got to stop" to my reading, never questions reasons behind hype, or "click-bait", articles. Mark strives to disincentives readers into falling for hype.

"I'm not saying Destiny did not deserve some criticism, although I love it. But I am saying that claims of Destiny being over-hyped, failing, being a terrible game are bullshit"

That's your opinion & it's logical that you'd defend a product you "love". We'd likely do the same. I love The Last of Us, but an insignificant minority dislikes it. In many ways, they're absolute right,...because it's true for them.

My favorite action game, Bayonetta, is critically acclaimed, yet sold horribly & I'm personally hurt by that. Nevertheless, my younger brother dislikes Bayonetta b/c he's reminded of Devil May Cry, compelling him to play DMC and he dislikes playing as a woman.

I know Bayonetta is better than any DMC, but his views are absolutely correct..., at least for him.

The many, many ppl, like myself, that dislike, hate or feel underwhelmed by Destiny are as valid as people, like yourself, that love or like it.

It's likely shocking how many people actually dislike Destiny. However, that shock goes both ways. Anyways, just try empathizing.

[averagejoe26]

I can see where you're going here... But the low reviews for this game are indeed bullshit.

It is clearly being ripped apart for specific reasons which other games like call of duty and battlefield fail at... Yet they end up with 9 and 10 and destiny gets 6 and 7s.

[InTheLab]

Left out Titanfall. Even the new mode they spent no time on is a disappointment.

[Blacklash93]

If you feel burned by hype, that's your fault. Marketers will do their job, but you choose what to expect from the information provided. People knew what to expect from the Beta, so the end product is no surprise.

That said, Destiny was still disappointing to me. Destiny fails to meets even standard quality in some aspects, which are disappointing with or without hype. I expected much more interesting and varied mission design and enemy variety from Bungie and a project this big, in particular.

[GoPanthers999]

Based on the Game Informer review of DI 2.0 it is happening again next week.

[SonyMontana]

I tried telling people this yesterday on an article about Horizon the new GG IP. We have exactly 0 confirmed details and people were already announcing their love for the game and day 1 collectors edition purchase. As soon as I said to set realistic expectations and don't get overly hyped, I was the bad guy and a downer. Face it people this industry sells on hype and that train isn't going to stop moving. These people eat it up and as long as that continues nothing will change. SMH...

[uth11]

yup pretty much.
Even when Bloodborne was leaked as "project beast" with nothing more than a few screen shots and no details. The hype from gamers was off the charts.

Sometimes I think gamers create more hype themselves than the game publisher and media combined!

[urwifeminder]

I personally enjoy it the comments alone are worth 20 out of ten when hype runs wild, I say we need twice the hype as now.

[AKissFromDaddy]

About Watch Dogs and Destiny: "The real reason for these games’ success is not that they are groundbreaking, earth-shattering or at the pinnacle of their respective genres: it’s that they have been "expertly marketed", "trumpeted and sold" – "hailed as great classics-in-waiting" before they even hit the shelves."

I share the same viewpoint.

"Advance publicity for titles can fuel excitement, anticipation and a sense of guaranteed greatness over many weeks and months. For an awfully long time the vast majority of websites, publications and games writers were telling us just how "incredible" Destiny was set to be – focusing on its lush graphics, colossal budget and "lofty sense of ambition" – and that makes it easy for all but the most jaded cynics to fall into the trap of taking this praise at face value."

I couldn't agree more if I wanted to.

"In Destiny’s case, the "review embargo" meant that critics couldn’t have their say on the title until days after launch, and by then it was too late. Millions had already banked on the pre-release hype being well and truly justified. And while many of those do seem to be having a good time with the game, a "hefty proportion" have been left deflated, dejected and underwhelmed by an experience that seemed to promise so much more."

I had Destiny pre-ordered and I canceled upon reading review copies were delayed, likely by Activision, until the day before their release. Reminiscent of Alien: Colonial Marines, where Sega embargoed reviews until its release day. It felt the same, it is the same.

"Destiny has great visuals, highly competent core mechanics and a top soundtrack, but it remains – at least at this point – far from the groundbreaking online saga we were promised. It’s "Borderlands" without the "humour"; "Halo" without the "story"."

My younger brother plays Destiny, on his Xbox One, everyday with his friends and he likes it because he plays with his friends. The graphics are nice, the shooting is competent and I watched him play Destiny, almost in it's entirety. Personally, I dislike Destiny, dodged an expense and wondered why he played so much.

He confirmed to me that Destiny's addicting factor is the time investment already sunken in, co-op and the lack of other games to substitute it with. He done with Titan Fall.

I wanted to share my opinion. I wanted Destiny to have a compelling story, character-driven if possible. A story on par with my personal favorites, such as Mass Effect, The Last of Us, Half-Life, Bioshock, Dead Space and Halo. I expected another classic. That's it.

I can't even imagine Half-Life 3 living up to hype surrounding it. That's likely never coming out. That's my opinion.

[LightofDarkness]

Ok, the defence of overhyping around here is getting ridiculous lately, and it's plain to see why. Suddenly people are rooting for Activision too, but it's only when in relation to the success of Destiny. I'll let you do the math as to why that is.

Ever heard the expression "once bitten, twice shy?" This applies here too. If we continue to condone over hyping and blame the consumer when they're disappointed regardless of the quality of the product you will see the death of new IP. People will stop taking chances on new IPs when they're told to pre-order because this one's a guaranteed winner, only to find they've been led up the garden path on launch day. When the reviews trickle in confirming their disappointment they will begin to distrust not only the gaming press, but the gaming scene as a whole, especially when people are all in here defending it to the death because it so happens to be a vehicle for their platform of choice.

All I'm saying is "have some integrity." If You can say Titanfall was overhyped and under-delivered and in the same breath defend Destiny, you're part of the problem.

[averagejoe26]

You've unfortunately misunderstood "the problem"

[DevilishSix]

The author cited two releases this year, but I think Titanfall should be included. It was hyped beyound belief and although it scored averages in the 8's and had great gameplay it has many of the problems Destiny has. Little to no story for both games and lack of content. At least Destiny has Legendary gear to grind for and daily, weekly events, end game content like raids and strike playlists. As fun as Titanfall gameplay was the AI was fodder and there was little content to keep coming back. I am not saying Destiny is better than Titanfall, I am just saying Titanfall was disappointing for me and many others and should be included with Destiny and Watchdogs as crazy hyped games that didn't deliver on those expectations.

[jmac53]

The reason there is so much hype is that there are so few AAA game releases. Everyone focuses on those releases.

[Ark_]

Hype is not a problem; feels great ...
Games not living up to the hype can be a problem.
Aggressive marketing overstating and distorting what's actually in the package is a definite problem.

The average consumer is unfortunately suggestible and oblivious.

Btw I have no specific titles in mind here ...

Edit: Alien: Colonial Marines maybe a good example for deceptive marketing, though.

[ion666]

I'm not dissapointed. I love the grind and it is no aliens colonial marines. This game is 10 times better than that. As a matter of I thought borderlands was lame. The only reason I played it was because it was free on psn. I will never buy a gearbox game ever again. They truly srewed gamers but destiny is not one of them. I wish everyone would actually play destiny for a while before crucifying it.People are easy to hypnotize. WOW

[Godmars290]

Not hype but over hype. Offical PR sources saying there's a feature or element like open world when there isn't.

[destroyer11687]

I see it as a failure on the part of the consumer more than anything else. People seem to want to believe that some game is going to be the "be-all end-all" that will bring them total satisfaction and utter bliss. These are simply unrealistic expectations for any game, even ones coming up (witcher 3, arkham knight, mgs V). Games are about having fun when it comes down to it. It is not their responsibility to propel you to some new dimension where all your wildest dreams come true and life is no longer filled with shitty parts. All it takes is a realistic outlook and half a brain to know what is coming IMO. Before watch dogs was released lots of people had reservations about the graphics downgrade that should have at least made you pause about the final quality of a game that was deceptively marketed a bit. Both titanfall and destiny had betas that gave you a pretty accurate outlook on the game. Even some gaming sites vocalized their concerns about both games before they were released. Sites like kotaku and ign voiced their concern that destiny may not have as much substance as hoped. People just need to go in with a clear head instead of hoping a game is that magical pill that will solve all of life's problems.

[danny818]

I was hyped at first because it was, at the beginning was gonna replace halo for me. But its not thats why i never got hyped. And the beta was just not my type. But i know alot of dude bro gamers got burned with this mentality.

[Ethereal]

I agree. The lack of games and a new console generation is raising expectations of gamers. The hype is getting out of control. I for one, am extremely happy with Destiny. I kept my hype for it reasonable. It's far from perfect but its a fantastically addicting first step towards something great.

[SegaGamer]

It's because they hype up the wrong games. It's always the first person shooters that get all of the hype, enough already.

The games i usually find the most enjoyable are usually the ones that get little hype and are rarely advertised. Maybe for once there should be more focus on those games.