Seems many people feel BioShock will bomb

[Newbeing]

I think once the ratings come pouring in and once word of mouth (the most powerful form of advertisement) begins to spread BioShock will be adopted by gamers from many different gaming backgrounds.

[Raveness]

I think once the ratings come pouring in and once word of mouth (the most powerful form of advertisement) begins to spread BioShock will be adopted by gamers from many different gaming backgrounds.

I have a huge doubt about it "be adopted by gamers from many different gaming backgrounds". All I hear from the four corners of the gaming communities I frequent on the net are peurile excuses as to why non-genre gamers discount the game: "Oh its graphics look like crap" "It isn't action-oriented enough" "It's not RPG-based? screw it" "I don't care for retro games"

So far I haven't seen any indication that the game has moved out of its established genre fanbase.....

[splicer]

Are these people actually looking at the graphics?-They are as close to sublime as possible,I wish these stuck-in-the-mud gaming types would take a hike,though of course the publishing giants love them,cos they can re-package last years tripe and spoon feed it to them all over again,and know that the massess will lap it up.more fool them.

[qaz88aof]

However, on topic, I think a big reason Bioshock might get overlooked is because of it not having a mutilplayer component, and not the 'type' of crowd it might get. $60, as least for us console people that will be buying it, is a lot of money for just a single player game, no matter how good it is (although I'll be getting it on day on). Halo sells for it's great mutil play and that people can system link with buddies, also co-op is another factor.

I'm not saying BS should have mutil-player (although lord that would be fun, Big Daddy free for alls, ) but I think it's a strong argument to look at if it doesn't sell well.

$120 for us down here is Australia (and ppl wonder why no one will buy the ps3... who has a spare $1000 lying around). Agree with you on those points btw. Multiplayer increases the 'longetivity' of a game by a kajillion (even bigger than a terabyte). I hope Bioshock's game mechanics allow for 'fun' replayability (emphasizing the word 'fun' there). On another note i could see Bioshock's mechanics working well in multiplayer... 4 player deathmatch... each character using different plasmids... hmm...

[Raveness]

Are these people actually looking at the graphics?-They are as close to sublime as possible,I wish these stuck-in-the-mud gaming types would take a hike,though of course the publishing giants love them,cos they can re-package last years tripe and spoon feed it to them all over again,and know that the massess will lap it up.more fool them.

As much as they can through myopic eyeballs. Trust me, it's harder to sell down on the IQ scale than it is to sell up. The audience that we'd like sales to spear into is just not interested in having their game experiences anything more than formulaic with new technology slapped onto it, that's why they use any excuse, no matter how ludicrous and full of logical gaps, to discount Bioshock.

If it's not brand name, it's nothing to them

[splicer]

Agreed.A brand name can carry an appalling franchise a long way,what saddens me most is that Our beloved Bioshock has the potential to become a fantastic franchise,that could possibly spread over several years were it treated with the same care thats been lavished on this first game.
Utimatley though,its the ching ching at the cash tills that will determine its fate,publishers may have deep pockets,but they are quick to do an almighty U-turn when things go pear shaped.
Deep down I feel that Bioshock will be appreciated by many,but those numbers wont be sufficent to brand Bioshock a success,at least not in the eyes of the money men.Shame.

[Ruptured Rapture]

Bioshock will be a success. I feel that Shock 2 was a bigger hit than we think. Its a real cult classic. So, Bioshock may take more time past its launch date to really bring in the money.

But, im sure Bioshock will be Irrational's biggest hit. Which will allow them to go on to bigger and better things. Personally, I'm hoping for a Terra Nova remake

[whitefroguy]

Look
we are gamers
think this way
Bx might bomb
then again it might not

games bomb for several reasons
quailty (which bx doesn't seem to have a probelm with)
games released around the time it will
a list of 2 ofthem would be
Halo 3
Timeshift
and intial response

think FEAR
it was a wonder ful game
the gun fights where so much fun and just raw
the game on the whole was a wonderful thriller
but it hit the window like a bird
not many people looked in to it
soo..

i guess what im saying is
Bx has a chance to get its foot in the door

[Newbeing]

As much as they can through myopic eyeballs. Trust me, it's harder to sell down on the IQ scale than it is to sell up. The audience that we'd like sales to spear into is just not interested in having their game experiences anything more than formulaic with new technology slapped onto it, that's why they use any excuse, no matter how ludicrous and full of logical gaps, to discount Bioshock.

If it's not brand name, it's nothing to them

Perhaps, but your speaking of people who haven't even touched the game. They can say all they want towards the previews and screenshots, but the proof is in the pudding and once they get a taste they may leave their ill conceived prejudice behind.

But your right, that prejudice towards a unique genre does exist.

Sort of makes me wish game stores like EBgames or Gamestop would allow their employees to put up personal favorites/ recommendations, much like book stores, so customers' interests would be peaked.

[Raveness]

Perhaps, but your speaking of people who haven't even touched the game. They can say all they want towards the previews and screenshots, but the proof is in the pudding and once they get a taste they may leave their ill conceived prejudice behind.

That's the pipe-dream we all hope comes true, that a demo or video or word of mouth recommendation pops on a lightbulb in their head. Perhaps that is why Irrational is marketing the game more action-oriented, and for the existing base they give tastes of the more artistic-oriented. Hopefully this double-pronged effect pays off in spades, but I still doubt there will be much market penetration beyond the established one.

One barrier is the time their selling the game conflicts with the release of cash-in titles which will preoccupy the thoughts and dollars of the mass audience. Bioshock may win some over, but lose those purely by timing.

[ZippyDSMlee]

Forgive my interjection but is not marketing everythign to pubs/devs now adays brands are nice but 2ndary to want they can sale enough of in the first couple of months to make a profit to move on to the next sub par hit.

I feel from what I have seen, "evolution in gameplay" is squandered by devs and pubs more interested in a quick buck thus brands like Castlivaina and DMC even FF are hell to evolve from their inane state (gameplay wise).

As for PC titles I was shocked when I found Quake 4 was so watered down for "todays market" the same can be said for other games I wonder WTH is happening why are they moving backwards sure graphics and phisyics have improved but my god some of this stuff makes doom or duke 3d look superior...altho I have a tendency to focus on gameplay to the point of being a drooling fanboy so I dunno if its age, death of IQ or what...

All I can figure out is mainstream media from film,TV,domestic anime DVD and Video games are not made for me I would be a geekish 32 year old whos mind set is a mature 15 year old.

LOL

I think I am havign a good grammar day *L*
(because I am not fried from proofing it)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgraphia)

(bah to no basic 2 line no pic sigs)
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Now adays a demo is a must no demo no preorder, end of story.