[Update: I've been informed that the ads weren't "patched in" via any new update. The functionality was always there and it just seems that it's recently started throwing the ads out there.]
In a move that can be filed under "Kind Of Sleazy," a new update for Deus Ex: Human Revolution has snuck in commercials for the upcoming Star Wars Blu-ray release. Loading screens now promote Lucas' latest attempt to ruin his life's work, which is charming.
Seriously, I think it's a little rich to sneak ads into a $50 product, especially when fans are still waiting for an update that actually fixes problems with said product. Smuggling the adverts into a game once money's changed hands is pretty damn tacky, to say the least.
With dynamic in-game billboards and a proven ability to pop ads into loading screens, this is something that looks set to continue. That must be why Eidos Montreal told us all to play the PC version. That's where the Benjamins are!
[Thanks, Charrr!]
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
8:00 AM on 09.16.2011 | 
Prolly gonna trade it in.
i think there might be something wrong with me.
Granted, Star Wars has been changed and augmented so much its barely the same as it was 30 years ago too.
...I'll show myself out.
Must be piracy.... that seems to be the go to answer for just about everything.
I don't mind billboards for real world products in open world games and this where it does make a degree of sense, but this is beyond the pale.
I don't really care about in-game adds as long as its relevant to my nerdy interests. At any rate I'm just going to remove them manually anyway and when you can't do that just replace them.
**Breaking news: riots continues in the streets with protesters in front of LucasArt studios, the world's leader in films augmentation**
- These people, they are like Phantom Menace, always hiding behind graphics and over-choreographed lightsaber duels...
I never had a choice of what happened to me.
- How are you feeling about JarJar, Adam? The body may heal, but the mind is not always so resilient.
Corporations have more power than the fans, everyone is fighting for power, for control...
- I'll take you to HELL! You'll never find the original version of Star Wars: A new hope!
...I'll never stop looking."
Surely there's better things to get upset over.
Also, SexualChocolate, yes, there is something wrong with you.
Game of the year.
PRECEDENTS. Starts with a small ad in the corner and next thing you know you're doing sidequests with Jar Jar.
No sir, that comparison doesn't hold at all. The major mitigating difference is that the ads in Deus Ex don't delay your experience at all the way commercials on a tv show will. Two minutes out of every 10 is devoted entirely to ads on a tv show. In Deus Ex, it's just a little picture in the corner of a delay you already had in the first place.
Seriously. Not worth the calories you and I are burning typing about it.
Just remember when Cable first started there were no commercials since it was a paid service. Then they started adding "limited" commercials and no one really complained.
Now we can all enjoy our paid cable with the same amount of commercials as free broadcast television.
The same thing started to happen on Satellite radio but people put their foot down. It probably hasn't stopped commercials on Satellite radio but it has probably slowed it down a good few years.
Is it a big deal now... not so much but all big deals typically start off as a series of insubstantial deals that add up.
But ads put in this fashion is something I'd only rather see if it meant that the cost of the release was lowered because of the sponsorship ameliorating costs. Kind of like how you don't pay for basic network TV because advertising covers that.
I found the characters extremely boring, especially the protagonist. Also, since I'm a completionist, I felt compelled to hack every single door and computer for XP, which means likely thousands of times. The production is pretty shit (Don't believe me? Throw a gas grenade at a group of enemies and watch them all start to fall down in a Thriller-esque, identical choreography) and the takedowns got old very quickly. As far as the story goes, I just kept waiting for something interesting to finally happen, and as soon as it did, the game was over.
I have no regrets in selling this and putting the money toward Dark Souls.
Maybe if the game was free Id be fine with it but its inexcusable
i dont know about most of you , but i have never seen a commercial for something(in a video game or other media) and then wanted to buy it right after. NEVER. now i can see why a company would put ads in a game, to make money from the company with the ads. but i really dont see this shit bringing in money for the advertised product.
like some kid is playing DE:HR and is like "oh shit you mean starwars is on BR now? mom go buy me this right now. i can pause my game and go buy this drek asap!"
when is The Greatest Game Ever Sold: brought to you by Carl's Jr. coming out?
Besides, the PC version's community will have this "patched" back out in a heartbeat, for anyone who cares enough to make use of it.
Sadly, I can see JUST THAT happening lol.
McDonalds did it in 5th Element, but you will notice the logo and everything still looked exactly the same as current day.
And sexychoc, there's nothing wrong with you. You just have bad tastes in games, old bean :-p
What part of the whole little things that add up didn't you glean from that? You do know they have adages like "give them an inch and they will take a mile" for a reason, right? This represents little more than a foothold, insubstantial by itself but important to the whole.
But thank you for reassuring me that its an invalid comparison and history never repeats itself... I was actually almost worried that within 5 years we would all be subjected to full commercials during the loading screens and there is no way that will ever happen.
PS enjoy your full commercials....
In ways I find it worse
Atleast with DVDS the ads are separate
They dont happen during the context, ripping you out of the atmosphere
Im never gonna buy the star wars pack so why do I have to stare at an ad for it every time the game loads? What if you already have it? Talk about annoying
Ok, I can respect that. Ineffectual? Fine. Annoying? Fine. I'm just personally a little burned out on the typical internet gamer culture of COMPLAIN ABOUT ALL THE THINGS!!!
It's like some people just feed on anger and misery. It's getting old.
Totally inclined to agree with your logic on this. Sure, it may be minor NOW, but the simple fact is corporations like to make money, and if this is even REMOTELY successful in boosting sales, they are going to want to do it more and more and on a bigger scale. As long as the developers also want money enough to allow the ads they will just get more prevalent. Hell, if it drove the price of games down for little ads like this, maybe it wouldn't suck as much, but paying 60 dollars and then having to stare at it is a little ridiculous. Corporations are successful because they take advantage where advantage is given.