A Halo 3 Product that DIDN’T Sell as Well as Expected?
November 27th, 2007For those so inclined, you can purchase the Halo 3: Legendary Edition set for the same price as the standard edition ($60) today only, from Amazon. While this is by far the best deal I’ve seen for the Legendary edition, it seems like these Legendary boxes have been widely available ever since their release. Weren’t these supposed to be “limited” special edition? They’ve probably sold a reasonable number, but the fact that they’ve been available for so long and are now basically being liquidated by Amazon probably means Microsoft really overshot the demand for the product.
Maybe most people really aren’t willing to pay over double the price for extraneous crap that they don’t need.
Posted in Jeff, Microsoft, Xbox 360 |
November 27th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
“Maybe most people really aren’t willing to pay over double the price for extraneous crap that they don’t need.”
Thank God.
Perhaps my musing about the world coming to an end were a bit premature. Kudos to the brainiacs who didn’t buy this consumerist poop.
November 27th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
So what, people are stupid for buying stuff related to things they like?
I have a legendary edition right behind me and couldn’ty be happier with it.
Now if you wanna talk stupid, how about those retards who pay extra for a crappy plastic guitar so they can pretend they are rock stars. Now that’s stupid.
(of wait, that’s a double standard.)
November 27th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Well, I didn’t exactly say people were “stupid”… that’s putting words into my mouth. I said it was “crap” you “don’t need”.
Theoretically, you don’t need any of these things. They’re just games and luxuries. But, assuming you want the “core” game experience, you certainly don’t need a non-wearable Spartan Helmet.
As for the guitars, there’s a big difference in that, assuming you want the core experience for Rock Band or Guitar Hero, you DO need them. It’s part of the experience.
In any case, if you’re happy with the Legendary Edition, fantastic. If someone didn’t get it before and they want it now, now’s their chance to pick it up on the cheap. The point of this post was not so much to call people who wanted this stuff “stupid”, but rather to show that Microsoft must have way over-estimated the demand for this product which, yes, includes “crap” that you don’t need.
And yes, of course we are all guilty of buying “crap” from time to time (even things we really like may still be “crap”), but apparently the demand for Halo 3 “crap” isn’t what Microsoft was probably hoping for. Not that they should complain too much, as they probably still sold a fair share of these, and obviously sold about 30 bajillion copies of their game anyway.
November 27th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Just for the record, Jeff *did* purchase Rock Band. =)
November 27th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Geoff-
Exactly… We all buy “crap”. =)
That being said, again, the “crap” that comes with Rock Band is necessary for the experience. I’ve been having a blast with it, and don’t think I’d be getting quite as much use out of a decorative Spartan Helmet, but hey, if that’s your cup of tea, great.
For the record, if I HAD wanted something “decorative” from the Halo series, I would’ve preferred a figurine or something (along the lines of the Bioshock Big Daddy). I still wouldn’t have bought it (and didn’t buy the Bioshock Big Daddy either), but the Helmet didn’t seem like a very good bonus to me (and given the fact that it’s still very available, apparently that went for a lot of people). And if it just had to be a helmet, a wearable one would’ve at least been good for costumes.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Let me clear this all up.
Spartan Helmet for $120 = Stupid (Sorry, Jeff is being kind, but yeah, its stupid)
Rock Band with guitar/Drums/Mic = Awesome
Spartan Helmet = Silly Nonfunctional collectible =huge waste of money
Guitar/Drums/Mic = fully functional controllers that are fun for everyone because they are actually part of the game
November 27th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I’m with cisco, mostly. Now, I’m as much of a collector nerd as the next guy, and if the helmet floats your boat then more power to you, but to compare a self-indulgent game replica to a guitar controller is asinine.
November 27th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
I’m confused. Why is buying a statue “collecting,” but buying a statue bundled with a game “stupid”?
You may not value a Spartan helmet yourself, but I don’t really see it being any different than a Lord of the Rings Balrog statue or a Harry Potter wand replica or a Salvador Dali poster. People buy them because they like the source material and want to identify with it. (To be honest, there’s not a lot of intrinsic worth in the art I bought last month either - but I like it and was willing to pay for it.)
The comparisons with a guitar are erroneous. Just because something is bundled with a game doesn’t mean that it’s worthless solely because it’s not part of the game itself.
November 27th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Don’t confuse paying $120 for a game plus a $3 plastic helmet made in China with “collecting” art. Thats what they want you to do so you don’t recognize the complete and utter fleecing that just occurred. I’m just glad that not many people fell for it and that now they have to liquidate the overstock at more reasonable prices (i.e. free helmet). Maybe they won’t be so quick to try this next time. Admittedly to a big Halo fan its probably kind of neat, I could understand if the helmet was free with a preorder, or $5, but $120 with the game? No, thats just ludicrous. They were clearly taking advantage of the popularity and trying to milk an already enormous launch. Thankfully, it didn’t work as well as they hoped.
November 27th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Well I see it this way:
Spartan Helmet for $120 = Damn awesome. Nice conversation piece, it holds all 3 of my games and looks nice while doing it.
Rock Band with guitar/Drums/Mic = Stupid. yay! It’s like I’m really a rockstar…only I’m 200 bucks poorer…and I’m still not getting laid. I suppose I could do some drugs…but alas…I spend all this money on a guitar and drum set i’ll likely have to rebuy when the NEXT game comes out.
Spartan Helmet = Fun, attractive and optional
Guitar/Drums/Mic = mandatory, garish and stupid. If you want to play an instrument, go and learn. If not, then your a poseur playing with a toy.
See! You aren’t the only one who can present opinion as fact. And as a bonus, I can be just as full of myself about it too.
You know, were I the kind of brainiac that didn’t buy the legendary edition…I might be able to see some kind of lesson here…about how just because you do not like something, it doesn’t make it bad. Perhaps i could even see a way that sentiment could have a special significance in the gaming community. But alas, i evidently am not, and this is all mindless rambling.
November 28th, 2007 at 12:18 am
The hell with lame ROck band and stupid Halo.
Everyone who likes platformers and the concept of third person camera in 3d gaming, read this:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16386
now.
November 28th, 2007 at 1:05 am
Dave, knock it off. Your analogy is poor and you know it — I don’t really have a problem with people buying the helmet, but your comparison is inaccurate. The helmet is collector cred and eye candy; the controllers are functional and critical elements of the game.
As for the “go play a real guitar” argument, I’ve played every “instrument” in Rock Band, including vocals, for years on a serious level. They’re different experiences and people play Rock Band and Guitar Hero for fun, not as a stand-in for a real instrument.
cisco’s argument isn’t that you shouldn’t want the helmet — it’s that the purchase price is wildly out of sync with the cost required to produce it, and he sees it as an attempt to take advantage of series fans.
November 28th, 2007 at 1:21 am
Mass Effect review by ars:
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/11/26/game-review-mass-effect-xbox-360—dont-edit-dont-touch-dont-even-look-trust-me
Very honest and high quality, well written as usual. I only would add this to the review: the game appears to be boring. [altho I haven't played the game, and won't get it], but it’s nice to discuss different perspectives.
November 28th, 2007 at 1:24 am
Okay, so the link didn’t come out right, let me try again:
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/11/26/game-review-mass-effect-xbox-360—dont-edit-dont-touch-dont-even-look-trust-me
Note: if the above link fails, go to ars technica, go to ‘gaming’ tab, and scroll down to ‘game review: mass effect [xbox 360]‘
November 28th, 2007 at 2:00 am
“yay! It’s like I’m really a rockstar…only I’m 200 bucks poorer…and I’m still not getting laid.”
I’m sorry, but I just totally LOL’d at this.
As if to imply that the spartan helmet CAN get you laid.
Holy shit I think I may have just wet myself.
Oh no, now all the hookers in my basement playing rock band will laugh at me. But wait, maybe if I go buy a spartan helmet for my cat, I’ll be cool again and they will want to discuss my sweet conversation piece!
November 28th, 2007 at 2:00 am
I haven’t written about it yet because I feel like I’m only starting to scratch the surface of the game… It’s not really “boring” to me so far, but it’s definitely a slower-paced game than, say, Mario Galaxy or Halo 3.
My problems with the game so far stem from the graphics and framerate. The framerate kind of chugs along at sub-30 FPS and while the graphics look fantastic sometimes, the human faces look like play-doh or something. Aliens, on the other hand, look great. Overall, it just feels like the game lacks a certain polish. I kind of wish they had gone with a “simpler” graphical style rather than trying a really “realistic” style and locked the framerate down at 30 FPS.
Still, I’ve been having fun so far and I think I’m at a point where the game is about to really open up.
November 28th, 2007 at 3:24 am
1. I suggest you put in many hours and at least complete a fair chunk of ME before putting in your impressions.
2. The technical complaints are sung by many different reviewers. The frequency and severity of these complaints makes it seems as if teh PS3 version of Asassin Creed play like 120fps 1200p cum-filled buttersmooth fellatio in comparison.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:55 am
Rob
Then you obviously don’t understand what I’m trying to say. Lord knows cisco doesn’t.
It’s called exaggeration. See i really don’t care whether or not somone pays rock band or what they pay for it since its their money. Who am i to judge someone else’s purchase?
To me, all those so called music games are a rough equivalent of those baby toys shaped like real objects with all the lights and REAL (insert object name here) SOUNDS! and were I in pre school I could seriously see the appeal. But i’m not gonna start pissing on everyone who buys something just because I don’t like it….which is what I was getting at earlier.
November 28th, 2007 at 11:53 am
@Dave,
I get what you’re saying, but exaggeration and poorly formed comparisons due little to further any argument.
As for the baby toys you mention, even those are more useful than the helmet. And they cost a lot less. ;P