Help Us Interrogate Bioware Scribe Patrick Weekes!
We appreciate games with great writing and are happy to have author Patrick Weekes on episode 75 of the Rated NA Podcast. Mr. Weekes will be joining us tomorrow from the wilds of Canada to discuss his brand new novel “The Palace Job”, which is available now on Amazon.com. If you have any questions for Mr. Weekes about Mass Effect, Bioware, writing, or The Palace Job, please ask here or send us a message on Twitter @NerdAppropriate.
Personally, I think this type of hype makes the creators look ridiculous and diminishes the credibility of the game. I realize it’s probably pretty hard for a studio to release a new IP in the land of sequels and there needs to be a catch to make it stand out, but a commercial that uses the phrase “premier badasses of motherfuck town” is a fail in my book. Game studios and publishers please stop trying to get people hooked by being edgy with foul language, and just make good games. I’m still on the fence about this one and the Gear of War 3 multiplayer beta still isn’t enough to make me want to buy it. Also, Powerthirst is my energy drink of choice. SPORTS!
Despite the strange tactics used in Bulletstorm’s “powerthirst” marketing campaign, I do feel as though it’ll be good game. I’ve realized however that I’m not the target demographic for this game, and the marketing campaign is probably geared toward young males under the age of 18 for whom swearing is still novel.
Hasn’t there been a poll somewhere showing that 35 is the average age of a gamer? If so, wouldn’t it make more sense to tailor the ads to that demographic. Perhaps I should quit trying to use logic.
So who exactly do you think the “powerthirst” campaign is targeting?
I don’t remember the last time an advertisement made me not want to buy a product I was ready to try out. I would be ashamed if I told a friend I was into bulletstorm and they looked the game up and found this video. It must be targeted for 6th graders because thats the last time I got a positive response for double flicking off a camera and then allowing them to collide as I make an explosion noise. Really? You just did that?
Haha… The thing that I find amusing is that I know the maturity level of a lot of our readers, and it’s not as if we’re these stuffy stuck up suit types. We’re just normal guys and girls that love a good fart joke as much as the next guy, but something about this just doesn’t sit right.
We can be childish and not be meatheads. This is ad is probably targeting the “over compensator” or maybe the “something to prove” personality types? I get a general feeling of “I was picked on in high school, now look how bad ass I am” vibe from the commercial and game. I know the point of a lot of video games is to be a bad ass, but let me feel like one through the game play and story. I for one feel like the savior of universe as Commander Shepherd, even on insanity. That’s a true bad ass. Ash, excellent point and I completely agree, something about this just doesn’t sit right.
I think I’m going to start using the “middle fingers colliding and exploding” gesture in my everyday life. For instance when someone asks me how my day is going… queue gesture.
Haha, last period of the day… show them how you feel.
And yes, I am probably the most childish ass in this group, along with my gay, I mean happy, docking partner (What, we have a motor boating business… you know, ahh nevermind) and this still makes me embarrassed.