If...

Drunkalilly wrote:

The original game's sense of pacing. Bayonetta had a great flow of small enemies, quiet sections and big bosses that kept things feeling exciting. The sequel was so loud all the time that it never really felt like any individual moments could shine.

There were some lovely, mad, memorable set pieces in the original, too; I can't remember any such things in the sequel.

It's not very often that I set a question in this thread that I don't have a clear answer to myself... and this is one of those times. I suppose I'd like more references to other games - it was brilliant fun spotting them in the original but again, I don't remember any such things in the sequel.

Anyway!

IF you were in charge of marketing Dark Souls Remastered to Switch owners, how would you do it? Imagine your budget covers everything you want already.

The Souls fans may know better than me but I think everyone knows what Dark Souls is that I don't think you really need anything special part maybe copy Skyrim and talking about this award winning series has finally come to Nintendo.

Dark Souls is a quiet, contemplative game about faith and loss, and the strength of the human spirit as a force for good or ill. It rewards patience, exploration and respect. Naturally, my marketing campaign will be LOUD AND IN YOUR FACE. It will centre around what a ROCK HARD ALL-ACTION BLOODBATH the game is, and the Switch version will come with a pre-order bonus of a DILDO MADE OF SWORDS that will be the only thing that can FUCK YOU TO DEATH with the same fury as Dark Souls. The trailers will be soundtracked by Megadeath and will consist of montages of "You Died" screens and Twitch streamers screaming.

Obviously I can't match Drunka's sex toy of rage. So, serious answer:


Half-minute advert. First five seconds are just people on a train, playing Switches/on 'phones/reading books (because I am old-school) quietly. Five seconds in, bloke with a Switch jumps up, hurls his Switch through a window, yells a roar of bleeped-out invective, and peters out when he realises everyone's staring at him. Shots of startled silent consumers. Finishes with an awkward '...praise the sun?'

Then a voice says 'Dark Souls Remastered, out now on Switch. Prepare to die anywhere.' Over brief gameplay snatches and a shot of the machine.

Final second shows a kid picking up the discarded Switch, intrigued.

To stop joking for a second: Balla's idea is precisely what I don't want.

The Switch advert I've seen the most in recent days has been the one that mentions FIFA '18, Pokken Tournament Deluxe and Splatoon 2. I feel DaSR should be in one of those with L.A. Noire and Skyrim to show that the Switch has grown-up single player games too. It'd have to be shown later in the day, mind.

I think I'd market it steering far away from the "YOU DIED LOL" marketing spin that Souls seems to carry in this day and age. It's really not representative of the game as a whole.

I recently saw some YouTube ads where gaming journos gave short snippets on their experiences with BotW between brief gameplay clips representing what they're speaking about. I'd love a similar sort of ad campaign. Dark Souls is a game that's thrived on word-of-mouth and hearing others rave about it. I think showing that through an ad would work well.

JayMoyles wrote:

I think I'd market it steering far away from the "YOU DIED LOL" marketing spin that Souls seems to carry in this day and age. It's really not representative of the game as a whole.

This is probably fair... My idea just sprang into my head fully-formed as something that'd be entertaining to watch (once), and I had to spit it out. Can y'all confirm that DS2 is a bit more like that, though? That's what I seem to hear.

Just a blank screen, except for the words:


for 30 seconds. You either know it, or might be tempted to Google more information. Or completely ignore it. I'm not in marketing.

Balladeer wrote:

This is probably fair...  My idea just sprang into my head fully-formed as something that'd be entertaining to watch (once), and I had to spit it out.  Can y'all confirm that DS2 is a bit more like that, though?  That's what I seem to hear.

Dark Souls 3 is definitely more like that, and a little repetitive of older games' ideas. I feel like the team were starting to believe their own marketing there.
With 2, I just think there are some missteps with the level design that make certain sections a slog. In that game, if you kill an enemy enough times it can stop respawning, and I think they use that as a crutch in places to prop up sections where the numbers are too high.

I'd probably drive Drunka around Wells while he waves a copy of Pikmin 3 out the window shouting PIKMIN at bewildered townsfolk.

My favourite part was that in the end I couldn't even be bothered to film or photograph it, so it ended up being entirely for my amusement and your dismay.

Drunkalilly wrote:

Balladeer wrote:

This is probably fair...  My idea just sprang into my head fully-formed as something that'd be entertaining to watch (once), and I had to spit it out.  Can y'all confirm that DS2 is a bit more like that, though?  That's what I seem to hear.

Dark Souls 3 is definitely more like that, and a little repetitive of older games' ideas. I feel like the team were starting to believe their own marketing there.
With 2, I just think there are some missteps with the level design that make certain sections a slog. In that game, if you kill an enemy enough times it can stop respawning, and I think they use that as a crutch in places to prop up sections where the numbers are too high.

I see! Might save my campaign for the inevitable trilogy release then.

I doubt Switch will see a trilogy release especially when a trilogy boxset for ps4 only was announced alongside the remaster.

Well you'd hope that because 2 & 3 are already on PS4, it is easy as putting them in a box with the remaster.

Where someone and let's say it's the team doing the remaster, has to port those across to Switch.

Oh I get it just pointing out that if it was going to happen this was the perfect time to do it.

I'm sure they want to release them all separately. Less work if it fails; if it succeeds, they get more o' that lovely Switch Tax.

I was thinking that they can release the second and third for £40 odd each.

Lot of good chat there, team. Good stuff!

I had been worried about being able to sustain this thread over time, but Switch-related announcements keep coming thick and fast. So this time's is... IF you were asked to come up with a design idea for the upcoming Labo, what would it be?

A Poltergust? That's a brilliant idea!

This sort of question requires creative imagination, which I'm not overburdened with. Erm. A real-life Mario Party board, perhaps?