The release of Halo 3 was wildly anticipated, as the video was the third in the original trilogy of the Halo games. As a result, the Halo 3 trial download was one of the most downloaded game demos in the history of the Xbox 360. What many people don't remember is that the Halo 3 trial download helped make another game - Crackdown.
But what does the Halo 3 trial download have to do with any other video game? Well, it has a lot to do with the sale and promotional effort for a game that was originally planned for playing on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become worried that Crackdown would not sell well.
So they used a marketing tactic, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code for the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked because Crackdown sold 1.5 million copies within the first six months of its release. Those aren't Halo 3 numbers, which sold 8.1 million units in slightly over a year, but for a lesser well-known game that's fantastic.
Microsoft had turned to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of poor opinions about the game from the play testers. They found the nonlinear nature of the game off-putting, often leaving them wondering what they were supposed to be doing next.
Because of this, the powers that be knew that something had to be done or the game would be a dud. It may appear dodgy practice at first to attempt to force sales of a game that's expected to be unpopular, but in retrospect people love 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 free download, people play the role of an agent who is detailed to beat the kingpins or leaders of various gangs. To do this they use various superhuman powers such as super strength and super fitness. In order to gain these powers, players have to accumulate experience by beating foes who then release experience orbs. The interesting part of the system was that the kind of orbs released was reliant on the manner in which the agent killed the enemy. For example, a firearms orb appears if the enemy was killed with a gun.
So, although at first sight this video bundled with the Halo 3 free download seems to be nothing but a veiled marketing gimmick, in reality, it exposed gamers to an exciting new gameplay experience.
But what does the Halo 3 trial download have to do with any other video game? Well, it has a lot to do with the sale and promotional effort for a game that was originally planned for playing on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become worried that Crackdown would not sell well.
So they used a marketing tactic, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code for the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked because Crackdown sold 1.5 million copies within the first six months of its release. Those aren't Halo 3 numbers, which sold 8.1 million units in slightly over a year, but for a lesser well-known game that's fantastic.
Microsoft had turned to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of poor opinions about the game from the play testers. They found the nonlinear nature of the game off-putting, often leaving them wondering what they were supposed to be doing next.
Because of this, the powers that be knew that something had to be done or the game would be a dud. It may appear dodgy practice at first to attempt to force sales of a game that's expected to be unpopular, but in retrospect people love 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 free download, people play the role of an agent who is detailed to beat the kingpins or leaders of various gangs. To do this they use various superhuman powers such as super strength and super fitness. In order to gain these powers, players have to accumulate experience by beating foes who then release experience orbs. The interesting part of the system was that the kind of orbs released was reliant on the manner in which the agent killed the enemy. For example, a firearms orb appears if the enemy was killed with a gun.
So, although at first sight this video bundled with the Halo 3 free download seems to be nothing but a veiled marketing gimmick, in reality, it exposed gamers to an exciting new gameplay experience.
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If you like Halo 3 and are interested in finding out more about it, why not go over to Halo 3 Info on our web site entitled Halo 3 Insider Secrets
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