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 free download was one of the most downloaded video 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 great deal to do with the distribution and promotional work for a video that was originally meant for release on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become worried that Crackdown would not sell a lot.
And so they used a marketing tactic, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code for the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked a treat in that 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 resorted to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of adverse opinions about the game from the play testers. They found the nonlinear 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 dud. It may appear shady practice at first to attempt to push sales of a game that's expected to be unpopular, but in hindsight 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 trial download, individuals play the role of an agent who is assigned to defeat the kingpins or leaders of various gangs. To do this they make use of some superhuman powers such as super strength and super agility. In order to gain these powers, players have to accumulate experience by defeating enemies 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 wiped out with a gun.
So, although at first sight this video bundled with the Halo 3 free download appears to be no more than a veiled marketing trick, in fact, it exposed gamers to a fascinating new gameplay world. - 30202
But what does the Halo 3 trial download have to do with any other video game? Well, it has a great deal to do with the distribution and promotional work for a video that was originally meant for release on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become worried that Crackdown would not sell a lot.
And so they used a marketing tactic, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code for the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked a treat in that 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 resorted to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of adverse opinions about the game from the play testers. They found the nonlinear 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 dud. It may appear shady practice at first to attempt to push sales of a game that's expected to be unpopular, but in hindsight 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 trial download, individuals play the role of an agent who is assigned to defeat the kingpins or leaders of various gangs. To do this they make use of some superhuman powers such as super strength and super agility. In order to gain these powers, players have to accumulate experience by defeating enemies 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 wiped out with a gun.
So, although at first sight this video bundled with the Halo 3 free download appears to be no more than a veiled marketing trick, in fact, it exposed gamers to a fascinating new gameplay world. - 30202
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