The release of Halo 3 was wildly awaited, as the video was the third in the original trilogy of the Halo games. Therefore, the Halo 3 trial download was one of the most downloaded game demos in the history of the Xbox 360. But what many people don't realize is that the Halo 3 trial download went on to make another game ie Crackdown.
But what does the Halo 3 demo download have to do with any other video game? Well, it has a lot to do with the distribution and marketing effort for a game that was originally meant for release on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become worried that Crackdown would not sell well.
And so they used a marketing gimmick, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code to the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked a treat because Crackdown sold 1.5 million copies within the first half year of its release. Those aren't Halo 3 figures, which sold 8.1 million copies in just over a year, but for a lesser well-known game that's absolutely fantastic.
Microsoft had turned to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of adverse opinions about the game from the game testers. They thought the unusual nature of the game confusing, often leaving them wondering what they were supposed to be doing next.
As a result of this, the powers that be knew that something had to be done or the game would be a loser. It may seem dodgy practice at first to attempt to push sales of a game that's expected to be unpopular, but in retrospect people like the game and it was a good thing that they were able to get the chance to play it.
In Crackdown, and that includes the one bundled with the Halo 3 trial download, people play the role of an agent who is detailed to defeat the kingpins or leaders of different gangs. To do this they make use of some superhuman powers such as super strength and super fitness. In order to gain these powers, players have to build up experience by beating enemies who then release experience orbs. The clever part of the system was that the kind of orbs released was reliant on the method in which the agent killed the enemy. For instance, a firearms orb appears if the enemy was killed with a gun.
So, while at first sight this game bundled with the Halo 3 trail download seems to be nothing but a veiled marketing gimmick, in reality it exposed gamers to an exciting gameplay world.
But what does the Halo 3 demo download have to do with any other video game? Well, it has a lot to do with the distribution and marketing effort for a game that was originally meant for release on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become worried that Crackdown would not sell well.
And so they used a marketing gimmick, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code to the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked a treat because Crackdown sold 1.5 million copies within the first half year of its release. Those aren't Halo 3 figures, which sold 8.1 million copies in just over a year, but for a lesser well-known game that's absolutely fantastic.
Microsoft had turned to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of adverse opinions about the game from the game testers. They thought the unusual nature of the game confusing, often leaving them wondering what they were supposed to be doing next.
As a result of this, the powers that be knew that something had to be done or the game would be a loser. It may seem dodgy practice at first to attempt to push sales of a game that's expected to be unpopular, but in retrospect people like the game and it was a good thing that they were able to get the chance to play it.
In Crackdown, and that includes the one bundled with the Halo 3 trial download, people play the role of an agent who is detailed to defeat the kingpins or leaders of different gangs. To do this they make use of some superhuman powers such as super strength and super fitness. In order to gain these powers, players have to build up experience by beating enemies who then release experience orbs. The clever part of the system was that the kind of orbs released was reliant on the method in which the agent killed the enemy. For instance, a firearms orb appears if the enemy was killed with a gun.
So, while at first sight this game bundled with the Halo 3 trail download seems to be nothing but a veiled marketing gimmick, in reality it exposed gamers to an exciting gameplay world.
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If you like Halo 3 and are interested in reading more about it, why not pop over to Halo 3 Info on our website entitled Halo 3 Insider Secrets
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