Let's see. We can agree Activision/Blizzard, EA, Microsoft and Sony all have adequate money to spend on advertising right? We likely can agree that all four are well known name brands that have customer loyalty as well correct? So no real advantage there is there? None of them charge any more than World of Warcraft does for their monthly MMO service charges either, so no advantage there.

So what else could possibly explain why Activision/Blizzard has the most successful MMO of all time? Is this the rhetorical part you were speaking of?

If it is then yes you are correct, the answer is quality.

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Don't use console games to illustrate your point either.

People can make mistakes on a single purchase especially based on hype and marketing.

MMOs require a monthly re-commitment of dollars to their game. By paying every month you are at the very least implying that you are satisfied more than you are dissatisfied.

It's why you can't judge an overall mmo's success rate based on initial buyers but more on sustaining subscribers.

The purchases are too different between something like ET and an MMO.

Incidentally i bought ET for my sister when i was a teen... I played it as well. it did suck.

 

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You still have not answered my question.

Edit: Holy jacked up formatting.

 

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HOUSING!

The removal of the Path of the Titans before Cataclysm's release.

The going backward instead of forward in gameplay mechanics in Cataclysm, harder less "fun" dungeons, crafting "orbs" being BOP, the streamlined talent trees, and no new evolution in gameplay and end game model to freshen up end game.

 

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The most intriguing in that to me are the people who constantly pretend the game is crap, Mc Donalds, etc... yet still keep on paying to play it for years and years. I guess it means exactly what you said... that despited their claims, they are still satisfied by their "Mc Donalds" gaming.

 

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I never said WoW was not good. (Despite my cancelled sub.) It's a gaming marvel. It arguably IS the best MMO that's ever been made. I was merely making the (I thought) OBVIOUS statement that just because something sells well, doesn't mean it is GOOD.

Either way, I am not going to go on debating something so ridiculously common sense. Lots of things factor in to a game's success.

 

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HAVE plenty of money for marketing, and USE that money to market a MMO are two different things. You aren't telling us that other game companies have marketed their products anywhere near as much or as well as Blizzard did with WoW are you?

This is just anecdotal evidence but I'll post it anyway. My brother plays WoW, it's his first ever online MMO. He used to razz me all the time for paying to play a game when there were so many you could buy and play for free, I don't know what got him to try it, perhaps his kids. So in a conversation one day I talked about UO, AC, DAoC, EQ and the upcoming (at the time) Warhammer. His response to each and every one of those games was "they suck" without having any experience or prior knowledge of how the games worked or played. This is the mentality of a lot of people who play WoW that I've seen, if it's their first and only MMO experience. WoW made online gaming mainstream. WoW made it ok to pay to play a game and people finally understood that us gamers weren't just losers living in mom's basement sucking back energy drinks. (at least not all of us!) WoW is a great success no doubt. How many of those 12 million subs are new players who've never played the old time games? I'd say a large majority since the online gaming market was so much smaller pre-WoW. Does that mean WoW is a great game compared to all those old time games? Not really. To me it mostly means they got people to actually play the game, largely through advertising, and making the stigma of being a gamer less embarrassing.

WoW is a good game, made for the mass market, advertised to everyone and anyone and made so anyone can succeed. Does this make it a great game? Not at all. Popularity does not automatically equal greatness.

I still don't know who the f%&$ this Justin Beeber guy is or why I should care.

 

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I disagree it's a great game, but it is unfortunately the best to chose from. A large reason for that imo is because of it's huge success that devs are trying to attain that as well, instead of making something new, and fun, and different that might work and work well but may not hit the 10 million sub mark. Instead of trying for a double every company is swinging for the fences, but using WoW's bat and batting glove and batting helmet, and stance, and swing and thinking it's the only way to go.


You like that analogy better?

 

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I know he is a singer with annoying hair. Can't name any songs, but I did see on Conan that he recently accidentally lit his mom's hair on fire during a show. (On stage) Awesome.

 

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