Please...let the merchandising end.Its only so long untill we have Master Chief toilet paper

Yay my life is now complete :P

Why do people forget that they had almost the same amount of advertisement for Halo 2? All of this isn't exactly new...

@jihadjoe343: We've forgotten because we're gamers. DUH!

I believe we need a prophet or brute toilet paper. No one wants to wipe their ass with the hero!

Well mountain dew was nice enough to make the most of the halo 2 maps free, that was kinda nice of them dontcha think?

I know I'll be shouted at for saying this, but you know a product is crap when it's on a fuckin' cup in fast foods or on cans of cola.

I'm not a big fan of FPS (except Day of Defeat), but it goes for any game or product. Games are now for the mass and the focus is now based on what generates money. Games are not what they used to be. It seems they have been captured, stripped and exposed to become whores controlled by pimps who have them rub against poles and beg for attention. Now poeple wants guns or half naked chicks.

And then MS wil say "our game is so huge its launch compares to a movie release". I wouldn't touch that game with a ten-foot-pole. How arrogant. And yet they're missing the whole point.

I just pray that they will never stop to make games like Shadow of the Colossus. So humble, that game is. It wasn't designed or marketed to make money. I understand developping games is now costly, but fuck, there's a limit to trying to make as much money as possible with the product.

But hey. I know a lot of people eat and play fast food. I just find it sad that it seems to have become the norm.

@Samaridino: That might sell well. There's a lot of people who wouldn't mind wiping their ass with Halo. That'd be the first merchandising scheme to really appeal to the halo haters out there (myself included ;) )

I'm happy that certain games can actually receive a certain level of fame and acceptance by the general public. I remember a time when gamers had to huddle in basements, for fear of the crowds with torches, pitchforks, and nets.

It's "Lets all rip on a video game time" again.

Last time i was at the grocery store i bought a 12 pack of the new soda, it pretty tasty, a mix between code red and the orange mountain dew. Also does it really effect you that there are Halo themed stuff around? will you remember it in 20 years? No....didn't think so, so what the point in worrying about it, or complaining about it.

Just fyi: Regular Coca Cola - 33mg caffeine per 6 fl oz.
Halo 3 Mountain Dew - 48mg caffeine per 6 fl oz.

I don't know why a gaopif 15 milligrams of caffeine scares me, but as with a lot of the stuff coming out of the Halo 3 machine, it does.

@ARboom:
*gap of

@Kaneda: "I know I'll be shouted at for saying this, but you know a product is crap when it's on a fuckin' cup in fast foods or on cans of cola."

Definitely. Look at this tie-in merchandising garbage, and tell me anyone actually remembers this crap franchise 30 years later. [www.rebelscum.com]

The nerve of those brands that want to cement their market share, I tell you.

:'( ~cries like a 6 month old wanting food~ make it stop... no more... pwease... Halo 3 is making my head asplode.

@Flynn... you make it sound as if your sick of the Halo ;)

am i the only one that thinks that the constant ad-bombing of a product, any product, can only detract from the product itself? i mean, with all the mountain dews, and the doritos and the RSS reader......outside of the the hardcore fans, isn't the build up only leading to disappointment? the bar it set so high, i don't see how the game can live up to the hype.

yes, i have played halo and halo 2 and beat them AND was very bored with the endings.

i think alot of games are going to run into this. GTA4, MGS4, killzone (big time) bioshock, (i really don't see the big deal about this game.) fable 2, etc......

thoughts?

Is It wrong that i want the cup more then the game?

@Hagglegaggle:

The difference between Halo and Star Wars is as wide as the difference between The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. All 4 products have been marketed like hell, but you'll have to admit 2 of them are definitely more raffined.

And hey, I know tons of people are probably happy with the huge wave of Halo madness sweeping the world.

I'm just not the kind to drink Mountain Dew and Budweiser with my goon friends and shoot people online then teabag them while swearing like a stupid grunt with my headset.

If you are though, good for you. The world these days is filled with products designed and marketed just for you. Rejoice.

Coming soon: The Halo 3 medical Halo device!

"The most fun you can have immobilized with stainless steel screws in your skull."

Coming soon: The Halo 3 Halon fire Extinguisher!

"Don't breathe this!"

@Samaridino: I will not rest until I have a spartan helmet toilet bowl in my water closet.

@Kaneda:

"Raffined" is not a word, so I don't understand what you're trying to say.

Hmm, free Live serivce? Intersting goad to get m to download this thing.

It worked.

@stuminus3: Refined.

@ARboom: Mountain Dew normally has more caffeine than Coke. Except in Canada, where it has none. Legislation on the contents of drinks and all.

@Kaneda: Way to stereotype people for no real reason other then the fact that you dont like halo. There is no difference between the amount of merchandising done for halo 3, star wars, harry potter, or lord of the rings. Its all the same. If you want your shit to sell you make it well known. You know you have done your job marketing wise when people know your product even if it has nothing to do with there interests. Is all this Halo branded crap over the top? Yeah id say so, but if it gets one more person to know your brand why not?

@Kaneda: I think using the word raffined kinda negates your argument >.>

I actually like the fact that games are getting more like movies in advertising. Just makes people more accepting of them.

@Kaneda: Nice job stereotyping all of XBL and/or Halo players. Just like everything else in the world, the most vocal people are typically an incredibly small minority. But seeing as you're not even willing to see Halo as a truly good game (because we all know hating on Halo is the hip, cool thing these days) I'm not going to waste my time.

Sorry I'm French.

I should have checked that word.

But hey if you guys want to discuss in French, I should be fine. But I don't expect you guys to be that "refined"..

@JIHADJOE343:

First, I think it's more hip to love Halo than hate it these days.

Second, it's not Halo I hate, it's the whole "money and advertising and fame and sales are more important than new concepts and ideas and killing people and trash talking is awesome" thing.

Mountain Dew Game Fuel:

Liquefied gummy worm flavored.

@Kaneda: Actually, there's no real difference between the franchises. They're all created for the purpose of making money, and they're all quite successful. When we're talking about merchandising tie-ins and endless sequels and spin-offs, we're not talking about quality of content so much as terms like "brand recognition" and "market share".

You might not like all those beer-swilling frat boys tea-bagging their opponents, but Bungie and MS love 'em. That's money in the bank, the same reason EA can release a near-identical Madden with a new chronological designation every 12 months and show maximum profits for minimum investiture. Even when the hardcore fans become disillusioned with repetitive play experience or endless merchandising and move on to other products, the Joe Sixpacks of the world adhere to the franchises they are familiar with.

Incidentally, attacking someone's character when attempting a rebuttal is the psych 101 definition of overcompensating for having a weak argument.

@Kaneda: No, you're wrong, loving Halo isn't hip, just look at any Halo thread that pops up here and you'll see the swarm of "OMG, Halo iz overated!!" posts.

And sorry Halo 3 happens to be a sequel, maybe you should've sent Bungie an email asking for a turn-based trading card game to finish it off. And I'm also sorry Halo is quite possibly the biggest game in the video games market at the moment. And I'm sorry MS has decided to try and make some money off of their number one franchise.

@Kaneda: Tool.

@jfx316: To be fair, MGS4 and Killzone 2 are not going to get anywhere near the amount of hype and co merchandising that Halo 3 is getting. The first Killzone didn't get all these cross promotions. MGS has never had huge amounts of marketing and merchandising behind it; people buy it because it tells a fascinating story and has craploads of replay value, not because Mountain Dew told them to, or because they'll get a free item if they input a code from a Pontiac deal/7-11.

The reason I hate all these marketing deals and crap merchandise is because it exposes the gaming industry for what it really is: A business. When there are animated shorts or books released with a game that has always seemed alright to me, because that continues the story, it expands the game universe. When things like special edition mountain dew, cross promotions with random companies or final fantasy potions are released that simply serves to remind me that the game industry is not here to entertain us out of generosity, it's here to take our money, then take a little more, then a little more.

Please keep in mind that I am not dissing the game itself, it's not my cup of tea but I can accept that other people do like it. I am simply pointing out that all this promotion of the game serves to remind us all that games are not just a hobby, they're a business and I believe that what angers people.

Fair enough.

I knew I'd be shouted at for saying this.

I'll go now.

Take care people.

(Except DETHA and STUMINUS3, The two that can't even express their thoughts in their own language and yet think they are so smart.)

@Kaneda: You didn't deserve it.

@Unastheslayer: "The reason I hate all these marketing deals and crap merchandise is because it exposes the gaming industry for what it really is: A business."

Heh... I think most serious gamers go through this revelation at some point in their 20s when their nostalgia gets brutalized and branded for the sake of a buck. But it's really not a bad thing when you look at the big perspective. Games making money for people who don't know the first things about games means those people keep reinvesting their money back into games, which means the people who DO know something about games, and love making them, get to do what they enjoy and get paid a decent wage for it. Realistically, the big names at the big studios would be working 9-5 on office applications and making a lot more money, (with some casual game design in their garage) if gaming wasn't a "serious business".

As much as I enjoy those indie gems like Cave Story, I also enjoy Half-Life, Halo, Metroid, etc. Big games require big budgets, which requires big business. The key thing as a "hardcore gamer" is not to buy into the hype and marketing, to just go with the games you love and trust your gut as to what exactly makes for a good gaming experience. Anything else is for the casual market that keeps our hobbies well-funded and commercially viable.

Coming from a former Halo hater ( I hated Halo about six years ago because I sucked at it and didn't have an Xbox at the time) , I kind of like all this cross advertising. Not because I like Halo, but because I like to try limited editions of any food/beverage. And Halo 3 is not overrated. If any of you who say it is have played the Beta, you would think otherwise.

@Kaneda: how can you think that the Video Game BUSINESS is not all about money? Come on, get real. Wake up and smell the coffee.

@Kaneda: The Halo fans are edgy when it comes to someone badmouthing their favourite series. Don't take it to heart.

Games are a business, and that's what angers people?

Uh, what? Maybe it's just me, but when I go get consoles and games, I have to PAY FOR THEM. I don't know what sort of communal fantasy world you are living in, but nothing is here just to entertain you for free. I guess you also don't watch TV because the commercials remind you it's a business, go to the movies because the trailers and tie-ins remind you it's a business, or go outside because the advertisements remind you of business at every turn.

If you can't enjoy something because it's a business, you are in for a long life of non-enjoyment.

Furthermore, you want to say you aren't dissing the game, but what you are actually doing is far worse: dissing the players. I don't play Halo because "Mountain Dew told me," but because it is the epitome of the console FPS, the best multiplayer experience available on any console, and a great game to play with friends.

@unastheslayer:
MGS isn't on the same level as Halo. MGS is a cult hit, Halo is a cultural phenomenon. And in that regard, Halo is similar in relation to the Harry Potters, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings.

And you might not like marketing like this, but I would argue that it helps to expand the gaming community. More people equals more money equals more games.

George Lucas and J.K. Rowling can afford to buy nice things, I think game designers deserve nice things too.

And yet, Nintendo can brand anything and everything they want with Mario (NEW YOSHI EGG FLAVORED CONDOMS!) and no one will say boo. There were super mario happy meal toys when I was growing up, but you don't hear people on their electronic high-horse (like our buddy Kaneda here) pooh-poohing nintendo. Why? Because it doesn't give you intercred (that's my new word, it's like streetcred but for nerds). The reason you got shouted down is because the fans are sick of hearing that crap. Go find somewhere else to chug that forty of haterade.

@Kaneda: Nah, wait, one thing I'd like to add about your "final bitch", that no one's probably said yet, is that maybe no one would've shouted at you, poor victim, had you not acted like a complete and utter douche-bag and critically labeled anyone who enjoys a game you don't like as a "mindless grunt". I don't drink but maybe a couple times a year, I dislike Mountain Dew, I think tea-bagging's stupid, and I enjoy Halo. In moderation, of course. I also enjoy Sonic, I enjoy Final Fantasy, I enjoy a wide variety of different titles. Not just guns.

Anyway, hope you've learned some kind of lesson today. One being, if you act like a douche-bag, some people'll treat you like a douche-bag. If not, then well, you're hopeless, and I wasted my time like I thought I would.

P.S. Shadow of the Colossus kinda' sucked.

no one's directly said yet*

@Kaneda:
Speaking of stereotypes, you fit one quite nicely. Namely, thinking you're not only right when you're wrong, but having an unfounded superiority complex for doing so, as if you are "above" the people who are right because they don't agree with your wrong idea. Wonder who's stereotype I'm describing?

Dude, you're wrong, you're not smarter or more clever than anyone else, you're not any better, so just accept you're wrong, make the needed changes, and move on.

While Halo isn't my kind of game, It's good to see that at least a decent game is getting good marketing. It is also nice to see video games getting a place in the regular market, advertising-wise. 10-15 years ago, it wouldn't have been as big, hell, I'd be lucky to see an advertisement for a game outside of a magazine. I like where this is going.

@Doc P:
In all fairness when Nintendo markets their IPs its usually restrained and spaced out. It doesn't suddenly fall on you in a brightly colored clusterfuck of corporate synergy within a span of a week or two like this Halo 3 madness has.