When Is The Hype Real In Gaming?

I have a ton of posts coming that dive into my personal life but before that I wanted to cover when the #HypeIsReal for video games and when it’s a dumpster fire. 

Have you over hyped a game for months before it’s release then died a little inside after playing said game you were enthralled about? If not, you’re the wisest soul to ever walk amongst fellow gamers, you’re a God, a Giant amongst men/women, a Jedi, The Man The Myth The Legend, a national hero, a savant, a member of the All-Human All-Star team.

I have fallen into the trap of the hype train far too many times and I won’t stand for it any longer! Will it happen again you ask? God damn right it will because 1) I’m an idiot and 2) marketers are good at their jobs. But I’m gonna be better about it and not so fast *Lee Corso voice* any games that get this treatment.

Let’s start with my most recent hype train disaster. Let’s also note that I’m not saying any of these games are bad, what I am saying is that my brain thought I was going to get gloriousness but I got boredom. I thought I was getting Gladiator but got Robin Hood. 

Ghost Recon: Wildlands

E3 gave us this trailer

 

After seeing this video in 2015 I boarded the first flight on the hype plane and was all-in on playing as Ghosts that hunt cartel maniacs who kill people for looking at them the wrong way. You know that giddy feeling you get when you get your crushes number and you do a few fist pumps out of pure joy and excitement? (while walking out of class and looking like a crazy person)

That’s how I was feeling watching this trailer. Then the beta dropped – Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Open Beta First Look

Was the beta what I was expecting? Yea it was pretty badass. So you’re saying I can sit on the skids of a Little Bird helo as we’re zipping through the sky at night looking through night vision carrying 3 other commandos armed with automatic machine guns, snipers, grenades and a kickass attitude? Only to have the pilot fast-travel mid-flight forcing everyone on the bird to jump to their death or parachute to safety? To get into a MASSIVE firefight surrounded by dudes firing a tsunami worth of bullets at your face?

Sign me up! But remember I said I was going to be smarter about these things. After previously falling into the beta trap and buying a game expecting much more than the beta experience with games like Star Wars Battlefront and The Division, I waited.

A buddy of mine bought the game and I asked questions.

• Do we learn about the Ghosts?
• Is it much of the same in the beta, i.e. just whacking bad dudes?
• Is their a narrative in the story or is it mostly picking off cartel members in the cartel web?

To get these answers

• No, only through dialog radio chatter
• Pretty much, Yes
• Similar to Far Cry in attacking outposts but instead it’s by province and each province has a mini boss. As you progress you fight the main cartel leader at the end when all mini bosses are killed.

So I passed like the smart guy that I am, not this time.

What Games Am I Currently Hyped About?

1. Crash Bandicoot N’Sane Trilogy – June 30th – deserves the hype because it’s a remaster and Crash fans know what to expect. The first 3 games in the series will all be in one. Better controls, better graphics, improved level design, accompanied by the original gameplay will be something that is celebrated as a success. Ratchet & Clank remaster on is one of my favorite games on the PS4 and it was done perfectly. I expect the same result for Crash and hopefully a future Spyro The Dragon Remaster
2. Star Wars Battlefront II – November 17th – Including a single-player campaign this round thank goodness. I’m on the fence but the hype is growing.

Beware of the Hype

Call of Duty WWII – An in-depth look at my feelings towards the announcement of the CoD franchise going “back to its roots”. I swear if there is a scene in the campaign where the protagonist is clinging on the edge with his feet dangling and he looks at the ground while holding on with one hand before climbing back up to safety, I will roll my eyes to death. Happens in literally every CoD game, it’s like it’s a running joke amongst the writers or something. Get a good look at the scenery while nearly but not so nearly escaping death.

I am excited for no health regeneration though, reminds me of my SOCOM II days on PS2 where one mission would take 20 minutes and if a hostage died the mission failed. The OG of Rage Quitting. Nazi Zombies is back though it never left. And a co-op campaign separate from the solo campaign is pretty cool.

Get excited for games just beware of beta traps, cool looking trailers that don’t reflect the game narrative as a whole and the hype train.

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