Sales of W&W???

[frostg1ant]

Man...I am pretty irritated with all the so-called "expert" reviewers out there. This game is absolutely amazing. Granted there are a few nit-picky issues that could have been addressed with another patch. However, I cannot believe some of the low scores this game received in the reviews. And of course usenet is worthless, but the game got slammed pretty hard there too.

Maybe people didn't understand the depth or complexity of the game? Or maybe it didn't have enough initial "flash" to it. It is very sad that a game of this quality and imagination did not get more kudos.

So...anyone know how well the game sold and if there will ever be a sequel? I sure hope so...this is one of the best CRPGs I have ever played and the reason why are all the "little things" that make me feel immersed in the game!



frosty

[Sazerac]

I think the game sold well enough...probably not up to "Ackivisions" standards, but good enough to warrant HPI doing another one. Hopefully next time they'll get a better publisher. That was part of the problem, I have a strong feeling!

I loath reviewers and critics. They are birds that foul their own nests, which is perversion defined. So enamoured are they of their own "prowess" and how "kewl" their perceptions are, that they don't realize that in panning these games, they are in effect destroying portions of their own market.

I have long since relied on "word of mouth" to find out about games and given up on reading any gaming magazines for this reason.

-Sazerac

[Wyvern]

Hi frosty!!

I agree - this game is FAR better than the reviewers led people to believe and that hurt sales.
Ziroc is able to contact Bradley - perhaps he could find out how well it did sell and if there will be a sequel. I sure hope so!!

Wyv

[Neb]

I dislike reviewers, often they have no idea what they are talking about, and I have never, ever had them call a game good that I thought good, or call one bad that I thought bad.

[Wyvern]

Funny thing about reviewers -

I've a friend who used to write game reviews professionally and while chatting around Christmas time and discussing various games - we talked about W&W and it was obvious that she enjoyed the game far more than her review of the game let on. This wasn't something that she seemed willing to admit. I came away from the conversation feeling that it was more important to demonstrate how discerning her gaming tastes were than to acknowledge that this "flawed" game was a lot of fun and well worth examining by CRPGers.

Fortunately, I ignored her review and bought the game!

Wyv

[frostg1ant]

Yes, I get the distinct impression that reviewers are more interested in having the respect of their peers and making sure they don't gush about a game that they really like than they are about giving an honest assessment of the game from their viewpoint. Objectivity is one thing, but let's face it...games are very subjective by nature.

When a review becomes tainted because of an adherence to the accepted professional journalistic standards (in this case the reviews it is getting everywhere else) it has crossed the line and the value of the review is degraded considerably.

The end result is it turns off many gamers that would otherwise enjoy a treasure of a game...case in point -> Wizards and Warriors.

My two cents...

frosty

[Elcid]

First of all, reviews are always a matter of taste, of course. If a reviewer does not like "Bard's Tale"-Style CRPGs (like W&W) he will naturally tend to rate it worse than if he loves to play them.
But being a journalist should include a professionalism that leads to a more or less taste-independent point of view. Even if I do not like a particular game for one reason or the other I can still try to give it a neutral rating using criteria like "How are the graphics/sound/music?", "Is there a story? How good is it?", "How detailed is the game?", "Do I want to play the game a second time?", and so on, and so on... The problem with that is, however, that you also have to be quite independent from others' opinions to do that.

In Germany, where I live, we have about 20 magazines dealing with computer- and videogames. In my opinion we had only one game magazine that went beyond being blinded by tremendous graphics. (and I often went by its recommendations, which also brought me to W&W, btw.) The staff went for criteria like gameplay, story, or fun for a rating. They also used a very sophisticated language and a writing style that was fun to read. Unfortunately the majority of the customers seems to ask for only the most simple gameplay like first-person-shooters or wrestling games - the console-type games (I know there are some complex console games, but they are only few). And they seem to ask only for simple-style reviews without depth. The result was, to put it short: not enough ads, not enough sales for the magazine - closure of the magazine.
So now we have to put up with reviews from "experts" who don't care about story or depth in a game, just make it shine bright and boom loud and they are satisfied.
There ARE some very competent reviewers around here, but their high-standard work simply does not sell well enough. We have to stick to our own judgement again.
Sad but true.

Thanks for letting me rant.



[This message has been edited by Elcid (edited 05-25-2001).]

[mammawlin]

You know, this has got to be the best game I have ever had, not to mention the wonderful following it has - like the people of this forum. It is disappointing to know reviewers will not be honest, but instead choose being "politically correct" so to speak. Oh silly me, did I mention "honesty" and "politics" in the same sentence???
Please excuse my bitterness.
Mammawlin

[catzenpewters]

I've never read game reviews. I just go in and look at the screenshots to get an idea of the look. Then I try to find sites dedicated to the game and do a bit of my own research. I much prefer to try a demo if there's one available.

I lucked into W&W - just found it in store and checked out the box and it sounded fun. I've been very impressed! I've never played a game that made me feel more involved with the character. I dream about them for goodness sake! I sure do hope they make a sequel.

[frostg1ant]

You know...Another thing that I think is really cool is the way this game scares the hell out of me!

Last night I was running through the crypt playing "whack a Rumphy" and I came around a corner and ran smack into three skeletons. I nearly jumped out of my chair!

Sometimes when I am turning around to go somewhere and there is something there behind me it has this affect. I hate going around corners too...the suspense is terrible.

frosty