by John Carle, Jan 24 2011 // 3:00 PM
Take a bunch of women in their late forties to mid-fifties and show them graphic images of violence and mutilation from the upcoming Dead Space 2 (which comes out tomorrow, January 25th) and record their reactions ranging from utter terror to complete revulsion. Then make sure to tell people just how violent your game is over some not so violent in game videos. Slap a “M for Mature” tag on it and there you have your ad campaign with the tag line, “Your Mom Hates This.”
Give me a break. There are so many problems with this campaign that is insulting to the gaming community as well as general consumers. Let’s break this down in a logical manner, even though obviously the advertising agency didn’t.
Dead Space 2 is a rated M game, meaning it should only be targeting players over the age of 18. But, the message of “Your mom hates this” is something that marketers would gear towards a younger self righteous and rebellious person in their early teens. By the age of 18, most people have evolved in to at least somewhat freethinking individuals who make decisions based more on personal preference than just trying to do something to tick their mom off.
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Posted in: Editorial · Editorial and Opinion · Electronic Arts · Games · Horror · Kids · Marketing · PC Games · Playstation 3 · Sci-Fi · Trailers · Video Games · Xbox 360
Tagged: Dead Space, Dead Space 2, EA, Editorial, Electronic Arts, PC Games, Playstation 3, Video Games, Visceral Games, Xbox 360
by John Carle, Mar 3 2010 // 8:00 AM
Dead Space came out in late 2008 to both critical adulation and strong sales. There was no doubt a sequel would be in the works for this third person horror shooter. But how do you keep a story going where the player is the sole survivor of his infested ship?
Nintendo Wii took the path of a on-rail shooter prequel Dead Space: Extraction. Though a critical darling, sales were dismal. Now, Dead Space 2 readies itself for store shelves with the next chapter of Issac Clark’s survival. As with most sequels, Issac is expected to encounter a host of new baddies.
EA has taken an interesting path in revealing these new “necromorphs.” For more than a week, a zoomed in image has slowly been revealed over the game’s Facebook page. Now, finally fully revealed, we have been given a glimpse at a delightful fellow named “the puker”.
Possibly a lovechild of an original Dead Space necromorph and the Boomer from Left 4 Dead, the Puker already looks like a villain we are not looking forward to running into in the cramped hallways of a barge floating through space. But as long as he doesn’t send the Horde after us, we think we will be able to manage. T
ake a look after the break and let us know what you think. Dead Space 2 is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2011.
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Posted in: Electronic Arts · Games · PC Games · Playstation 3 · Video Games · Xbox 360
Tagged: Dead Space, Dead Space 2, EA, PC Games, Playstation 3, Puker, Visceral Games, Xbox 360