In-depth review at Avault

[stonelorn1]

There's a new in-depth review of Wiz 8 at Adrenaline Vault site.
4 stars out of 5 overall !!

oops here's the link:
http://www.avault.com/reviews/review_temp.asp?game=wiz8

[vesselle]

what a great read that was! thanks for letting me know. i really love reading the reviews on this game, because it seems every jaded gaming reporter seems to be blown away by it. oh, and actually play it, too!

V***V
::who really loves seeing this game get such great publicity::

[stonelorn1]

Yeh, It is nice to read the reviews...and they're all good!!! If you've noticed none of the gaming mags have even covered Wiz8...no news or previews or anything. (At least I haven't seen anything). It just shows you that if the product is good you don't need a lot of advertising and stuff...the game stands on it's merits and quality. Maybe the model of distribution without a publisher needs to be looked at as an option somehow. It seems that's usually the publisher that pushes unfinished products out to the stores without regards for the developer. At least here we have a finished and polished product.

[frudi_x]

good point there stonelorn. every now and then a great game comes out of the blue, no hype and previews for two years before it's release [img]smile.gif[/img] . perhaps just a community of fans who know it's coming... sometime in the future.
the situation with Wizardry 8 reminds me of System Shock 2 or Deus Ex. two of the best games I have ever played and I hadn't seen a single preview or any hype anywhere before they were actually released. and even when they were released gaming magazines were hit completely by surprise; of the two that I read neither put either of these games on the cover or honor them with a long and in-depth review they deserve. it just seems to me that a review score of 90+ has a bigger impact if it comes after a four page review and not a single page one.

unfortunately the Wizardry/System Shock parallel has another, very sad, similarity... Looking Glass is no more and it seems Sir-tech will follow

[fable]

If you've noticed none of the gaming mags have even covered Wiz8...no news or previews or anything. (At least I haven't seen anything). It just shows you that if the product is good you don't need a lot of advertising and stuff...

Ah, but I can name you a good half dozen games that were released without a lot of advertising, that failed for lack of it. What made the difference in Wiz 8's case were two things. First, it had brand recognition--an advertising term for a brand name with a core base of loyal users. Second, it had visibility in EB, which fits under the "and stuff" part, since that's marketing. And that contract with EB cost a ton, since retail software chains are renowned these days for milking their stranglehold over distribution.

I wish I could say otherwise, and agree with you. But I'll believe advertising doesn't matter when a great and unique game like A-Sharp's King of Dragon Pass becomes a big hit. (Which isn't meant as a slug at Wiz 8, one of my faves.)