Portal ARG

It's been updated... looks like if we play enough of the Potato Sack games, they'll release Portal 2.
 
rcorporon said:
It's been updated... looks like if we play enough of the Potato Sack games, they'll release Portal 2.
Click to expand...

Hah. Pro trolling as usual from Valve. Hilarious.
 
I think it's pretty awesome, supporting the indies like that.
And it's a good excuse for me to try that new Amnesia level that came out recently.
 
Yeah... giving tons of exposure to small indie games is terrible... Valve = EA...

Also, I can see how maybe releasing their games a tad early is nothing but evil...
 
I do wonder how that whole release early thing is going to work vis-a-vis retail and PS3 copies.

Also, terrible? Evil? EA? Man, you got issues, dude. It's just a game company running an ARG. Frith knows where you're getting this stuff from.
 
It was sarcasm based on your silly post BN... I don't see how this is a "troll" by Valve at all.
 
rcorporon said:
It was sarcasm based on your silly post BN... I don't see how this is a "troll" by Valve at all.
Click to expand...
You don't? It's a marketing ploy. They drum up extra interest in Portal 2, they get a ton of free publicity because everyone treats it like news, and then they sell more of the Potato Sack stuff by telling people to buy it and play it if they want Portal 2 to be released early. 'Cause every time people buy something on Steam, Steam makes more money. Pretending they're just giving Indies extra exposure is silly. It's marketing and sales trolling. It's pretty genius marketing and sales trolling, but it's still trolling.
 
It's not trolling... if you own a copy of Amnesia (bought before the Sack deal) and play it now, it counts.

All it's doing is getting people to play games and we may get Portal 2 early. It's also probably drummed up sales for games that people may have otherwise overlooked.

Kudo's to valve.
 
Brother None said:
I do wonder how that whole release early thing is going to work vis-a-vis retail and PS3 copies.
Click to expand...
EA is probably gonna give them shit for releasing it earlier on steam.
There will be lawsuits! ROLL OUT THE DRAMA MACHINE!!

Or maybe they cleared it with them in advance just to ruin the prospect of a good ol' shitstorm.


Also: Where'd your links that made no sense go, BN?
 
rcorporon said:
It's not trolling... if you own a copy of Amnesia (bought before the Sack deal) and play it now, it counts.
Click to expand...
Yes, and if you don't and you buy it it counts too. Valve doesn't care how you play games, it's just using this to sell more games. As any company would. That's not a negative, it's just smart marketing, but it's hardly praiseworthy either.


rcorporon said:
All it's doing is getting people to play games and we may get Portal 2 early. It's also probably drummed up sales for games that people may have otherwise overlooked.
Click to expand...
Hence, sales trolling.

Also you seem to be forgetting that if Valve really wanted they could just release Portal 2 like, now. People playing games isn't actually helping them get it done faster or anything. Hence: a troll. They're getting people to do stuff that's completely pointless, but making them believe it has a point.
 
PlanHex said:
EA is probably gonna give them shit for releasing it earlier on steam.
Click to expand...

EA is just distributing. I'm more curious as to how Sony feels about it, considering the whole Valve-on-PS3 thing was kind of a big deal.

PlanHex said:
Also: Where'd your links that made no sense go, BN?
Click to expand...

*shrugs* Figured they added little to a thread that's about to descend into another "how dare you hate on Valve?"-storm anyway. No thanks. I wash my hands of this thread's faith.

rcorporon said:
It was sarcasm based on your silly post BN...
Click to expand...

No, it was belligerent and needlessly insulting. You can call sales ploys whatever you like, they're still sales ploys. Expert trolling.

rcorporon said:
we may get Portal 2 early.
Click to expand...

They could just unlock it now, y'know. An ARG is good fun, but kudos? For what? Having you do stuff to unlock a game they could unlock right now?
 
Brother None said:
PlanHex said:
EA is probably gonna give them shit for releasing it earlier on steam.
Click to expand...
EA is just distributing. I'm more curious as to how Sony feels about it, considering the whole Valve-on-PS3 thing was kind of a big deal.
Click to expand...
Ah, I thought EA was publishing the retail versions.
Guess they have no reason to be outraged then.
 
I don't like it, but it's still a pretty smart idea. Now I wonder when the people will "finish" this.
 
Marketing ploys are one of the necessary evils of nearly all industries. If we have to have them, then I'd prefer them to be original and well-wrapped like this one. It's clever. Also slightly funny to see people fall for it.

Trolling has a negative connotation though (maybe just for me?). I'd frown on trolling. I don't think this marketing stunt needs to be frowned on though. Maybe that's where the Valve-defending came from?
 
It's kinda hard for me to hate on them when they're putting indie games in the spotlight like that.
I mean, sure: They make money off it and simultaneously markets Steam as an indie-friendly platform, gaining the public's trust and probably getting indie developers who were on the fence before to commit to Steam, but it's still pretty damn neat.
They could've just as easily put it all down to Valve games, selling HL2 eps, TF2 or L4D2. Maybe make people lug that damn gnome around.
Gabe_Trollface.jpg
 
Wow, the ARG has lit the Steam forums ablaze now. People seem to be upset they bought products on sale and Gabe Newell didn't come down from the heavens to give them eternal life or something. I knew the Steam forums were bad, but damn... they seem to be so gullible about the whole thing and yet yell so loudly when what they get for 'free' is not quite enough for them.

And that's not even counting the bombing of Metacritic user scores seemingly just because the game has a pointless micro-transaction shop in it with items that do not affect gameplay. Seriously? How much of an entitled ass can you be? I was already dubious about those user scores, now I can't possibly take them with any kind of seriousness. Damn butt-hurt nerds.

As for the game itself, played it just an hour, but it looks to be really similar to the first, amazing. The introduction had me laughing almost the entire time, already have spotted several priceless lines and Whestley's voice acting is top-notch.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top