games  anime  |  toys
Destructoid is gaming news, community, videos, and sometimes love. Take the tour or jump in with Facebook:

 


Bethesda: Halo 3: ODST backlash is Microsoft's fault photo

One of the major problems people have of Halo 3: ODST is that its campaign is incredibly short. However, apparently our perception is at fault here, not the game itself. Bethesda's production director, Ashley Cheng, believes the game was marketed in entirely the wrong way, and that consumer backlash could have been avoided if Microsoft hadn't "bungled" the advertising.

"Microsoft and/or Bungie totally bungled the marketing on this," he argues. "First saying it was a standalone expansion pack, then coming out and saying wait, no, we’re charging full price because -- surprise! -- we put 'more' stuff in it and it’s called Halo ODST now, vs it’s original title, Halo Recon."

"Like Microsoft was ever going to sell this for less than full price. It is a new Halo title, it’ll sell like hotcakes no matter what.

"Because of the waffling, reviewers are now mentioning that Halo ODST may not be worth the price point, that it should’ve been cheaper, etc … Give me a break. First off, most games -- especially first person shooters -- are anywhere from 5-10 hours. Tops. What makes Halo different from others? You can’t just ping Halo ODST for it. I bet if Microsoft hadn’t screwed up the marketing messaging, there would less talk about pricing."

Harsh, harsh words. Do you agree? Should Microsoft had been more smart about its marketing, or is ODST truly not worth full price?


Continue: More Xbox 360 stories





prev
next 50 comments

100 comments | showing # 1 to 50

artha14's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:23
artha14
M$ wants money any its screwing them over?
Death by Yeti's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:25
Death by Yeti
Someone who wasnt blinded by hype? How dare you!
laika one's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:25
laika one
harsh, but true.
unreal999's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:27
unreal999
The difference is that this game has 2 year old multiplayer for 60$.
Ganjookie's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:27
Ganjookie
...so says the man suing Interplay for people "misinterpreting" Fallout trilogy pack for Fallout 3
Arkhon's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:28
Arkhon
He has a point. Six or seven hours is pretty much average for a shooter, especially when it focuses so much on the multiplayer aspect.

Also, in before Gene Eric.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:29
Holyetheline
after reading Death by Yeti's comment all I can think is... "Blinded by the hype! wrapped up like a...." yeah.
Count Grishnack's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:29
Count Grishnack
God, only an 85 on meta, what a fucking failure.
Arkhon's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:31
Arkhon
@unreal999:

Two year old multiplayer that's still good and still being played plus a new multiplayer mode.
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:31
Jon B
I'm going to simply say this.

This is Bungie. They can get away with it.
Diverse's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:32
Diverse
Jim I love your avatar. It shows off your flirtatious side very well.
Capt Hilarious's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:32
Capt Hilarious
He mentions most FPS games are about 5-10 hours. Call of Duty 4 was only about 6-7 hours but the single player and multiplayer were an entirely new experience. ODST has a short single player and the exact same multiplayer component that was released 2 years ago aside from the DLC and one new mode. A mode that is basically Gears of Wars' Horde.
SovietMudkipz's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:38
SovietMudkipz
Man, I didn't know the situation was this bad.

Almost concidering cancelling my preorder.
Steel Squirrel's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:38
Steel Squirrel
Haha Grishnack... I really hope you are joking.
Jawmuncher's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:38
Jawmuncher
Don't know what all the bitching is about.
I'm not even that big of a halo fan and fine that it was worth the 60.
the campaign is very enjoyable and I enjoy firefight mode.
It's also nice to have all the maps from halo 3 on one disc now.

I have spent 60 on far shorter and worse games than halo odst.
oberoi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:41
oberoi
Well... here in Sweden we got the game for about 45 dollars. I just finished the game and it was well worth a full price, especially concidering the multiplayer bonus disc. But as I said - we got the game cheaper. We deserve that after getting fucked over on the console price cuts.
Nitex's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:42
Nitex
Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man! Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man! Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man! And that's all I have to say about that!
dunderdolt's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:47
dunderdolt
In a way, he's saying that the reviewers are too stupid to recognize that it's a full game. The game looks fun.

I haven't bought it because I read it doesn't have matchmaking. No matchmaking? Does that mean I can only play it with friends? That kills it for me.
Rucksack's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:53
Rucksack
Just because Bethesda says that we shouldn't think that it's overpriced, doesn't mean that it's not actually overpriced.

It brings nothing new to the table other than horde mode, and justifies its price point by adding a "bonus" disc with multiplayer maps that most Halo players already have.

If you take away the multiplayer maps, you're left with a six hour campaign and a warmed-over horde mode. That's not a insignificant package, but it's certainly not worth 60 bucks.

Also, requiring that you purchase ODST to have the "privilege" of becoming a bug-hunter for Reach is just plain insulting.

I like the Halo franchise a lot, but I'm just being honest with myself here.
oberoi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:53
oberoi
@dunderdolt

I think only the firefight mode lacks matchmaking. But still... It should't.
KIHP's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:56
KIHP
It's a full game plus more, but people quantity not quality. Linear games are still good. Even if 5 hours is only half a game that's $30 then $10 new multiplayer, $10 new maps, a beta and the old multiplayer, so I'd say by this very skewed perspective it's worth about $75 and for only $60.
oberoi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:58
oberoi
@Rucksack

I'm not sure I agree. A lot of FPS-games takes about 8 hours to finish and have no replay value. I just finished ODST and want to replay it again because of the way the achievements work. Also, ODST has 6-8 hours of pretty quality while a lot of other games release 6-8 hours of crap and still charge 60 bucks.
Xzyliac's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 18:58
Xzyliac
Soo...it's another Halo game?

I haven't touched ODST so I won't judge it but suffice it to say after Halo 2, which was long and unvaried, the single player campaign in Halo has gotten the shaft. It's actually why I'm not very interested in Halo or MW2. Those of us who suck online get a half assed campaign. Last time I played online was when I played Nazi Zombies in WaW and 80% of it was spent listening to 12 year olds call each other gay in ways I haven't even conceived of and insult each others genatalia. Then a girl showed up and we bailed a played Rock Band.

FACT: Chicks make better online gamers.
Gamernerd101's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:00
Gamernerd101
From reviews I've seen the game has gotten more credit than is due if the game were as short as most claim it was than it is simply barbaric to think thin that Microsoft... wait Microsoft never mind the price is justified.(sarcasm). I truly think ODST is the start of a beautiful milking that really began with Halo 2 for the money hungry powers that be.
oberoi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:03
oberoi
@Xzyliac

After Halo 2the serioes got bad? But you haven't played ODST? So all you are saying is that Halo 3 was bad? Which I do not agree with.

And why is everyone bashing on the campaign when they havent even touched it?
Hcapt's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:05
Hcapt
I really think that Bungie should consider calling the next game "Halo Multiplayer".

I find it a little annoying that Halo: ODST doesn't pay you back autimatically for the Halo 3 map packs you bought before it was released, or at least offer a partial refund.

Personally, I think they should sell us every Halo map in a single game with the first three Halo campaigns and call it "Halo Trilogy," then sell that for $60 dollars. It would be cheap to make, but no one could accuse Microsoft of not supplying a game worth $60 dollars.
oberoi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:07
oberoi
@artha14

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2002/7/22/
Hcapt's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:07
Hcapt
@ Oberoi - As a multiplayer game Halo 3 was awesome and unparalleled. As a single player game it becomes badly overshadowed by dozens of games with better campaigns.
Xzyliac's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:08
Xzyliac
@oberoi
What I'm saying is it doesn't surprise if there's a boatload of complaints about the campaign.
Rucksack's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:08
Rucksack
@Oberoi

You raise a fair point, although I don't know if I agree with your conclusion.

The fact that other crappier games charge full price, doesn't justify Halo ODST's price point. Essentially, that's claiming that it's okay for Bungie to rip you off because everyone else is doing it.

It's still a bad thing, no matter how many people take part in it.
PEICanada7's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:10
PEICanada7
"First off, most games -- especially first person shooters -- are anywhere from 5-10 hours. Tops. What makes Halo different from others? You can't just ping Halo ODST for it."

The rehash of Halo 3 online is the the main problem here. People don't get upset at all the other short campaign shooters, because for instance Modern Warfare 2 isn't using the same online as COD4: Modern Warfare had from two years ago.
oberoi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:10
oberoi
@Xzyliac

Yeah, I guess. I just watched the Gametrailers review of the game and it got about a 9 without any pricing complaints.

All I'm saying is that Mirrors Edge takes about 4-6 hours to finish and it lacks multiplayer. Noone thought that was overpriced.
covah's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:12
covah
Here's Microsoft's timeline of events for ODST

1. It's an expansion, so we're going to charge less for it yay!
2. Wait, we don't make money
3. It's $60, and TOTALLY not an expansion anymore
4. Jerk off, instead of expanding game
5. $$$
oberoi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:13
oberoi
@Rucksack

VERY true. Most games today are overpriced, which sucks, but I do not think we should blame Bungie for overpricing quality, we should overprice the companies that overprice crap.
Xzyliac's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:13
Xzyliac
For the record I'm not saying the game isn't worth $60. The game has every reason to cost $60. Doesn't make it the best thing ever or invincible to the common pitfalls of itself.
oberoi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:13
oberoi
*blame, not overprice.
pascuz46's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:21
pascuz46
My one friend whos a hard core Halo fan beat the Halo 3 campaign in 3 hours, at least thats what he said. To be honest with you, I belive him, cause hes pretty fucking good. Anyways, that game didnt get the same BS like this game is getting, so I dont see what the problem is. If someone doesnt have Halo 3 or does and doesnt have the DLC, this is prefect. On another related note, I want to play this game. Im not a halo fan, I dont even have an Xbox, but this game looks really good to me and the way the story is told intrigues me alot. I would love to play some of the night time stealth style missions. So there you go if this game comes to PC Im picking it up for sure.
Electrium's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:23
Electrium
I can pretty much guarantee if Halo was produced by Sony or Nintendo or some other imaginary first party developer, they would do the same thing.

I don't get why ODST is singled out for being "too short" either. The same applies to every freakin' CoD that gets rehashed ever year...yet when Halo releases the 4th game in the series, somehow, that's considered milking the franchise.
Xzyliac's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:26
Xzyliac
@pascuz46
I remember hearing a ton of complaining about how short Halo 3 is. I wouldn't have cared if the plot had gone somewhere.

Still I have high hope for Reach. I just think this reminds me too much of Halo 3 which left a terrible taste in my mouth.
DinnertimeNinja's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:27
DinnertimeNinja
I think the problem here is that, when you stack up what's inside, this really only sounds like an expansion's worth of material.

--A 4-5 hour campaign mode (and I don't care what people say, 4-5 hours is WAY short for ANY single player mode. 8-10 seems to be the norm, and that's twice as much.

--Several map packs that many people that would be interested in this game probably already have.

--A new multi-player mode. This is the kind of thing you'd pay $10 for in a normal expansion pack.

--Halo: Reach beta access. So many games offer beta access for free these days (or for the price of reserving the game) that this seems like a moot point.


I'm not saying the game is bad. In fact, from hearsay the single player campaign (though short) is quite great. I DO agree, however, that the game is overpriced. Even a decrease of $10 would have communicated that the game was at least SOMEWHAT an expansion-level experience. If I had to guess, I think MS is probably behind the price hike. There are already several stories of developers wanting to bring things out cheaper or for free with MS standing in the way.

See The Orange Box for how to do a proper full-priced expansion.
wifienabled08's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:28
wifienabled08
I think it's worth it, the game oozes quality and firefight is awesome.
Shoopuffman624's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:30
Shoopuffman624
I agree with rucksack,

I think it comes down to what it's worth to YOU. I wouldn't pay $60 for a glorified expansion, but some people would, and they have and it shows. If people don't think it's worth it, i would hope they wouldn't buy it at that price point. Plain and simple. By buying it at full price, you're proving to bungie that it IS worth it, thus validating their motivations and handing them the right to screw you. And if you bought it at $60 and are pissed about that, by this point you shouldn't complain, because in this case you likely knew beforehand that it was probably a bad idea and you should have probably rented it.

And on another note, Halo 3 still doesnt have the option of hosting your own servers and setting up your own game types. Multiplayer games have only been doing this since 1998. Seriously. Some people don't want to play griffball 15 times in a row. Fixing the matchmaking would have made it worth $60.
Arkhon's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:35
Arkhon
@pascuz46:

That's nothing. I've seen people beat the original Sonic the Hedgehog in about twenty minutes.
Arkhon's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:40
Arkhon
@Shoopuffman624:

If you don't want to play Grifball fifteen times in a row (and I don't really know why not, Grifball is a blast), then just change to one of the other playlists. And yes, you can set up your own gametypes in the custom game mode. Matchmaking helps group players of similar experience/skill levels.
oberoi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:42
oberoi
@DinnertimeNinja

4-5?

Im pretty okay when it comes to Halo. Me and my friend beat the game co-op on Heroic and it took about 6-7 hours. It doesn't matter how good you are, if you do not play on easy and don't skip all the cutscenes there is no way yo beat it on 4 hours. If so - I feel bad for you case you rushed through a great experience.
Crunshii's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:47
Crunshii
who cares, (Halo) fans would buy a brick for $59.99 if it had a printed paper of the main character and wrapped with a rubber band. So Microsoft has every right to override Bungie and charge full price. More money.

I am a hardcore FF fanatic and I don't buy the FF versions that I don't like. but thats just me, others are the same.
Shoopuffman624's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:52
Shoopuffman624
@ Arkhon

I enjoy a good game of griffball every now and then. But some days, you know, you just want to play a whole lot of CTF on a few certain maps, or spend the day playing One bomb on Valhalla or something, while still being able to have a full game with strangers when there aren't friends online. using hte custom game mode limits you to your friend list. I guess I just miss the PC gaming days of server lists and such. Killzone 2 had a good hosting system, too bad the online has turned to crap.
oberoi's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:52
oberoi
@ Crunshii

Did you actually contribute anything to this discussion? How can you blame anyone for liking Halo? They have released four good games with amazin multiplayer and keep delivering quality. Final Fantasy hasn't really been great since FF9.
DinnertimeNinja's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 19:59
DinnertimeNinja
@Oberoi,

I'm just going off of word of mouth as I haven't played it myself. I've read in half a dozen places that it's 4-5 hours long.

And no, I'm not telling people it's bad or not to buy it, but from an occasional Halo fan's perspective, this game doesn't look like it's worth full price to me.

On a similar note, I'm also fighting with myself over weather or not Katamari Forever is worth $50. Though I'm leaning closer to that than I would be to ODST.
Rucksack's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/22/2009 20:07
Rucksack
This thread has dissolved into: "Oh ma gawdz I luvz da halos", or "Oh ma gawdz I hatz za evil Halos!!".

We're not discussing the topic anymore.
prev next 50 comments

Comment with Facebook





Click connect and comment instantly!

Comment with Dtoid





New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds

Comments policy

Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?

Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!

 
New on Destructoid.TV play all videos

Loading
Loading Destructoid Videos

    Win this!
    Dive in! meetup+play for a chance to win a PC

    Dtoid Twitter    Got news?   tips@destructoid.com

    Reviews & Previews
    Crossfire Remote Pistol review
    Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles review
    Left 4 Dead 2 review
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reflex review
    Arkedo Series - 02 SWAP! review
    more reviews
    Driver
    Avatar
    GT Racing Motor Academy
    Bad Company 2 beta dishes out meaningful experiences
    Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks
    more previews


    - The Dtoid Army is 50924 strong -

    Showing Cblogs with 3+ faps   show all

    Call for entries: do the wrong thing
    New to Dtoid? Read the survival guide




     Originals
    Jonathan Holmes: Why No More Heroes HD could mean a Wii total victory





















    More Destructoid Originals



     Popular now more






















    Team Destructoid   tips@destructoid.com
    Nick Chester
    Editor-in-Chief    		 Niero
    Founder, publisher
    Jim Sterling
    Reviews Editor    		 Hamza Aziz
    Community Manager
    Dale North
    News Editor    		 Rey Gutierrez
    Video editor & director
    Anthony Burch
    Features Editor    		 Colette Bennett
    Tom Fronczak Brad Nicholson
    Ashley Davis Ben Perlee
    Conrad
    Zimmerman    		 Chad Concelmo
    Jonathan Holmes Jonathan Ross
    Brad Rice Jordan Devore
    Will Maddock Matthew Razak
    Dyson Joseph Leray
    Topher Cantler Samit Sarkar
         
      Dexter
    Adam Dork
    Daniel Lingen
    Hollie Bennett
         		Joe Burling
    Mikey
    Stella Wong
    Josh Tolentino




     

     
      get involved

    register or login
    post a blog
    post a forum
    enter a contest
    contribute a news tip
    suggest a feature
    be a guest editor
    		 support

    new member's guide
    login assistance
    tech support
    report abuse
    email our editors
    read our dev blog
    nuclear crisis?
    		 keep in touch

    RSS feed
    Twitter
    Facebook
    Myspace
    Flickr
    Game nights
    Meetup+play online     		seriously

    about Destructoid
    advertising
    terms of use
    privacy policy
    jobs at MM
    buy our crap     		our network

    Tomopop
    Japanator
    Despingation?



    Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press
    living the dream since March 16, 2006