Discussion on what makes a game sell well.

[NeoZeedeater]

Being on a successful console is usually a prerequisite.

[EternalAlien]

--CG cutscenes. Lots and lots of CG cutscenes.

--It has to be made by Squaresoft or EA.

--Lots of blood and violence.

--Nudity (partial or full, or just well-endowed females in skimpy bathing suits can suffice as well).

--NOT be on a Sega system.

--Not require much thinking or skill.

[Yoshi]

Originally posted by NeoZeedeater
Being on a successful console is usually a prerequisite.

True, but that brings up and a chicken and egg discussion. Does the successful console make a big selling game, or the other way around? I guess it depends on the timing.

Originally posted by EternalAlien
--NOT be on a Sega system.

Yep. I'd hate to only sell the couple of copies that Madden or Sonic sold on Genesis.

[EternalAlien]

Originally posted by Yoshi
Yep. I'd hate to only sell the couple of copies that Madden or Sonic sold on Genesis.

Wow. My jaded cynicism rebutted with sarcasm. How...brilliant.

[Keres]

Boobies

[Lordmrw]

Marketing. Its not enough just to make a great game and put it on the shelf expecting people to look at the back of the box and see it for how brilliant it is. Marketing leads to awareness. Awareness leads to hype. Hype leads to sales. Sometimes all the marketing in the world just doesn't work and a game won't sell. The shit is random like that. Sega unfortunately seems to be the unfortunate victim of that last point time and time again.

[Jeremy]

Word of mouth seems to sell games better than anything else. Look at Goldeneye and GTA III for proof of that.

[Rich]

Being able to kill people and drive cars......and then do both at the same time.

[gamevet]

Name recognition is usually the biggest selling factor, unless the last few titles using that name, have been crap (Tomb Raider, NFL Gameday, Etc..).


Cool factor. Nothing sells cool, better than a game with great graphics, current trend basis and doing something you would get arrested for. Great examples of this include GTA:Vice City (Killing and breaking the law), MGS2, Splinter Cell, Gran Tourismo 3 (Racing Japanese cars and upgrading the equipment, those cars are all over the streets.) and Halo.


I'm sure Rally Sports Challenge's biggest hurdle, was the popularity of Rally Sport racing in the US. While people enjoy games like GT3, most can't think of any other way to enjoy a racer and find RSC to be too arcade like, to be what they would consider enjoyable.

[CorruptedOldGnom(sic)]

hype + hipness + luck + lack of traditional VG challenge