Making up the third part of a Sony hat trick in this week’s TSA Talks, the company launched its latest “Long Live Play” promotion for the PlayStation 3. What were your thoughts and do you think it will have an effect on casual/non-gamers?
Peter: It was great fan service and just what the millions of PlayStation fans will love to see but it won’t appeal to those who aren’t already gamers. I can’t see it selling the product to those that aren’t already abundantly aware of its features and appeal, much less selling to new markets (like those who would enjoy the casual offerings enabled by Move…) At this stage of the console’s life cycle though, with a new console due in the next couple of years, huge global sales and all the major franchises well accounted for, fan service is probably worth more to Sony than trying to sell it as a Blu-ray player like they did for the first three years.
I think this round of advertising is about keeping fans on board so that when the next console is announced (and even for the Vita launch) gamers remember how they identified with PlayStation. Nobody is going to watch that advert and rush out to buy Killzone 3 or Uncharted 3 and probably not even a PlayStation 3. They will watch it and feel a closer affinity with the brand though, and that is valuable when the brand is in a period of transition. We’ll see what the next twelve months brings for PlayStation but I think everything is lining up for the next stage.
Aran: Loved the advert. Really showed off the diversity that gaming has to offer. Will it appeal to casual gamers or non gamers? It might make a few interested but not the majority. This advert was for the gamers; all those little cameos for us to pick out, all relating to experiences gamers have had. Sony might have been trying to attract new members to the PlayStation family but overall it celebrated gamers.
Blair: I have to admit that the Long Live Play advert was well done, with a lot of cameos from games and characters doing a lot for hardcore gamers, but perhaps little for the casual market. It does show the diversity of the games available though though, with all of the characters in a crowded bar, so this is something that non-gamers will notice.
I feel as though it makes gaming seem like some sort of exclusive club, however, which I don’t like. The video itself isn’t as amazing as everyone is making out, in my opinion, and the ‘To Michael’ part at the end didn’t really provoke much from me; I much preferred the stuff about how it was a gamer that did all of these heroic tasks, that was brilliant and I love that slant.
bunimomike
I don’t know who initially coined the “First Impressions Last” phrase but it’s so very true for most things in a modern consumer-based society. Sony has done a lot of damage with Home and Move and I still sit here waiting for the alleged raft of good reasons as to why I should buy a Move controller. The most frustrating thing is I still want to buy one but I want to see quality AND choice. Something Sony has failed to supply.
After reading people’s opinions on TSA I can see that there are scores of us that feel the same. My biggest concern is that Sony won’t learn from this. They didn’t with Home and it appears they haven’t with Move.
Klart
In everything about the Move, I never once see mentioned that it (also) is an excellent “arcade” shooter device. I mean, we didn’t have one before on the PS & it’s great for that function. Games like Time Crisis 4, The Shoot and soon House of The Dead: Overkill are great fun & work excellent.
MS doesn’t have one.
Jim H [Teabags]
The Gunstringer and Blackwater are both Kinect-enabled shooter but I see your point.
Though good games, Time Crisis and The Shoot aren’t exactly killer apps for the PlayStation Move. House of the Dead may haul in a few new adopters however.
Origami Killer
Move, for me, is a great bit of tech but it just hasn’t had enough support yet. I own only one game purely for Move and that is Sports Champions. Its great but no other “only Move” games come close to it’s standard. I haven’t really liked Move compatibility in KZ3, R3 and LBP2 either.
The Uncharted 3 multiplayer is also a strange move for me which I will never know the reasons behind. It was great at first but now for me it’s unbalanced and inconsistent. There’s only a handful of maps at the moment and very few skins. I will be trying to get as much as of it before it closes.
I loved the Long Live Play advert. It was just great. Mainly as it celebrated the Playstation (as Aran mentioned i think).
Kennykazey
I also found the UC3 MP to be a strange but enjoyable move. I expect it will close at launch, so the addicts will buy the game.
Move is like a really cool sword that’s still to make it’s first kill. There’s a few cool titles, but that’s the problem. There’s just a few. Also Move in R3 is weird, the reticule should be centered at all times, but instead it moves all over the place and makes turning difficult.
The advert was awesome, but screw Michael, what about me?
stueeeee
I agree with everyone that the Move needs to have its must have game to succeed which we haven’t seen yet, and perhaps never will. Maybe if Sorcery sees the light of day…
The Uncharted multiplayer is an odd move as some people could be left feeling short changed from the full game after playing half of it, but I think it’s a combination of Naughtt Dog wanting people to play the MRI player first and get sucked in rather than just goin straight to single player and forever ignoring the online, and Sony wanting PS+ subscribers to feel like they are getting something big and extraordinary instead of the usual monthly stuff. And test the waters for future games and exclusive deals.
Love the ad, screw the casuals, this is what PS is about. Exclusive titles, and it was put together in a brilliant way IMO. MS could not do and advert like that. A far cry from the ‘This is Living’ ads in 2007….
bacon_nuts
Move needs more games, I think everyone agrees with that.
I really liked the LLP advert, I saw it as a unity of gamers thing, but I’m more interested to see where they take it in the future, because it was closed to those who’ve played those games, which is terrible advertising, It’s just preaching to the converted. Where they take it is where it’s at, I just hope Kevin Butler is helming it, he is hilarious..