trivard676
Making video games in today’s market is a big risk. Making anything in today’s market is a big risk. Developers and publishers of all sizes put forth countless hours and capital to put out a product it hopes that gamers everywhere will enjoy.
There’s always the very honest and heartfelt belief that if a game is good enough, it will sell itself. In some instances this has worked extremely well and saved a fortune in advertising costs. However oftentimes, the real world is not so heartwarming. For shareholders looking for big returns on their investment, this concept means nothing. For a company as big as Capcom, for a franchise as big as Resident Evil 6, it’s expected that the marketing department would go into overdrive.
Spanning 15 years and dozens of games, to pass Resident Evil 6 off as ‘just another game’ would be foolish. It finds itself in a rather precarious situation as well, perched at the crossroads of going for a broader appeal, while effectively cutting lose its fans of long ago. Or does it risk losing that hot new fanbase and serve as a love letter to those old fans threatening to abandon all hope?
Regardless, there’s one thing that should be made very clear: Capcom really wants to sell you Resident Evil 6.
Really.
We already brought you news about the insane Premium Edition – currently exclusive to Japan – that depending on fan feedback might be available in the US. For the price of a used car, you could pick up the game, a couple of iPhone covers (yes, they’re iPhone covers) and a leather Jacket modeled after Leon’s in-game attire.
Then we have the Resident Evil 6 Anthology and Archives. Anthology is for the Playstation 3, Archives is for the Xbox 360. The A Editions (that’s an unofficial, personal title) will feature every canon game in the series. Archives will also feature Code Veronica X HD and the film Degeneration. At $89.99, it’s the much more attractive option for the budget savvy consumer, particularly if you don’t already own those titles.
In Europe, the Resident Evil 6 Collector’s Edition is looking pretty attractive too. The game itself in a nice looking steel book, a hooded sweatshirt, three medallions to represent the game’s main factions, an art book, a voucher for a dynamic theme for the PS3 or an avatar for the Xbox 360 all wrapped up in a Needle Bomb collector box.
Odds are, much like the Premium Edition, Capcom is mulling over bringing this to the rest of the world.
Now, the first of what will probably be many, we have news of a pre-order bonus! If you order the game directly from Capcom’s website, you’ll receive a free premium, full-sized Umbrella Corporation umbrella! I am not making this up. I kind of wish I were.
Jim Sterling (to paraphrase) called out EA for this, but one can’t quite help but feel that Capcom comes in a close second. For being an embodiment of the bloated, chaotic, excessive mess that is the triple A video game market. A market fuelled out of fear of losing (or even losing out on) ridiculous amounts of money.
The marketing for Resident Evil 6, throwing in all sorts of goodies and treasures comes off almost as desperation. They’re desperate to make as much money with Resident Evil 6 as they did with Resident Evil 5. And to ensure that, they’re throwing as much crap as possible in with the collector’s editions on the off chance that you’ll buy one of those instead of the regular versions.
Even the game itself throws in a little bit of everything: shooter, action game, melee brawler, and a little bit of survival horror thrown in for good measure. The game is featuring characters from all over and plot points have been thrown out left right and centre. In the end, it looks like something that, while maybe promising in some areas, just seems like it’s trying to be too many things to too many people.
What do you think?
