The release of Halo 3 was fervently anticipated, as the video was the third in the original trilogy of the Halo videos. Therefore, the Halo 3 free download was one of the most downloaded game demos in the history of the Xbox 360. But what many people don't realize is that the Halo 3 trial download went on to make another game ie Crackdown.
What does the Halo 3 trial download have to do with another video game? Well, it has a great deal to do with the distribution and marketing effort for a game that was originally planned for playing on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become worried that Crackdown would not sell well.
So they used a marketing gimmick, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code to the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked in that Crackdown sold 1.5 million copies within the first six months of its release. Those aren't Halo 3 numbers, which sold 8.1 million copies in just over a year, but for a lesser well-known game that's terrific.
Microsoft had resorted to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of poor opinions about the game from the play testers. They found the nonlinear nature of the game confusing, often leaving them asking themselves what they were meant to be doing next.
Because of this, the powers that be thought that something had to be done or the game would be a loser. It may seem dodgy practice at first to try to push sales of a game that's expected to be unpopular, but in hindsight people like 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 version bundled with the Halo 3 free download, people play the role of an agent who is assigned to beat the kingpins or leaders of different gangs. To do this they make use of various superhuman powers such as super strength and super agility. In order to obtain these powers, players have to build up experience by beating foes who then release experience orbs. The clever part of the system was that the sort of orbs released was reliant on the method in which the agent killed the enemy. For instance, a firearms orb appears if the enemy was wiped out with a gun.
So, although at first sight this game bundled with the Halo 3 free download appears to be nothing but a veiled marketing gimmick, in reality, it exposed gamers to an exciting new gameplay world.
What does the Halo 3 trial download have to do with another video game? Well, it has a great deal to do with the distribution and marketing effort for a game that was originally planned for playing on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become worried that Crackdown would not sell well.
So they used a marketing gimmick, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code to the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked in that Crackdown sold 1.5 million copies within the first six months of its release. Those aren't Halo 3 numbers, which sold 8.1 million copies in just over a year, but for a lesser well-known game that's terrific.
Microsoft had resorted to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of poor opinions about the game from the play testers. They found the nonlinear nature of the game confusing, often leaving them asking themselves what they were meant to be doing next.
Because of this, the powers that be thought that something had to be done or the game would be a loser. It may seem dodgy practice at first to try to push sales of a game that's expected to be unpopular, but in hindsight people like 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 version bundled with the Halo 3 free download, people play the role of an agent who is assigned to beat the kingpins or leaders of different gangs. To do this they make use of various superhuman powers such as super strength and super agility. In order to obtain these powers, players have to build up experience by beating foes who then release experience orbs. The clever part of the system was that the sort of orbs released was reliant on the method in which the agent killed the enemy. For instance, a firearms orb appears if the enemy was wiped out with a gun.
So, although at first sight this game bundled with the Halo 3 free download appears to be nothing but a veiled marketing gimmick, in reality, it exposed gamers to an exciting new gameplay world.
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If you like Halo 3 and are interested in finding out more about it, why not go over to Halo 3 Info on our website called Halo 3 Insider Secrets
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