The completion of Halo 3 was wildly awaited, 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 video game demos in the history of the Xbox 360. But what many people don’t realize is that the Halo 3 trial download helped make another game ie Crackdown.
But what does the Halo 3 demo download have to do with any other video game? Well, it has a lot to do with the distribution and promotional work for a game that was originally planned for release on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become concerned that Crackdown would not sell well.
And so they employed a marketing tactic, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code to the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked a treat because Crackdown sold 1.5 million copies within the first six months of its release. Those aren’t Halo 3 figures, which sold 8.1 million units in just over a year, but for a lesser well-known game that’s absolutely terrific.
Microsoft had resorted to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of adverse opinions about the game from the play testers. They found the unusual nature of the game confusing, often leaving them wondering what they were supposed to be doing next.
As a result of this, the powers that be thought that something had to be done or the game would be a dud. It may appear dodgy practice at first to attempt to force 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 one bundled with the Halo 3 trial download, individuals play the role of an agent who is detailed to defeat the kingpins or leaders of different gangs. To do this they use some superhuman powers such as super strength and super fitness. In order to gain these powers, players have to accumulate experience by defeating enemies who then release experience orbs. The interesting part of the system was that the kind of orbs released was reliant on the method in which the agent killed the enemy. For example, a firearms orb appears if the enemy was killed with a gun.
So, although at first sight this video bundled with the Halo 3 trail download seems to be no more than a veiled marketing gimmick, in fact, it exposed gamers to a fascinating new gameplay world.
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