Riposte
Member
A few months before it came out in 2011, Human Revolution had a huge leak where its whole first chapter/city hub could be freely downloaded and played - with questionable legality, admittedly. For context, there was concern over the idea HR would be a bad game because of the status Deus Ex holds and still holds today. I myself consider DX my unquestionable favorite game of all time. DX remains fairly unique in its quality even today, but back then it was something symbolic given the perceived notions of how gaming was changing (this is a tendency I'm come to strongly dislike, actually). I remember that era as being more cynical in character to begin with, at least I think that was true for myself, given I was still occasionally posting on /v/ at the time. The overall reception from game journos at the recent E3 was pretty negative too, although it should be noted the positive previews tended to be the more detailed and articulate ones.
So the thing comes out and spreads pretty quickly. There's a thread on NeoGAF where you were allowed to talk about your reaction, but obviously not post links to how to get it. The reception turned out to be overall very positive with some people going as far as saying they preordering the game because of it. I was one of them; I did it as soon as I finished it (and it was my first time using Green Man Gaming, in fact). I was very hyped up at the time - I mean I played it twice, back to back. I like to look at it as we got something of an overgenerous demo that couldn't have represented the game better (and there may have been an atmosphere of excitement owed to the fact it was a leak). Reading my posts in that old NeoGAF thread, I was a little surprised by how enthusiastic I was, because ultimately I was not enamored with the game itself. Combined with lowered expectations I no longer had for the final release, I think the "demo" ended up being the most solid hours of the game. I hadn't realized my problems with its level design, its progression system, and how it plateaus pretty early (if not during the leak's hub), naturally. Maybe my Deus Ex fanboyism is just too strong! Anyway, one thing that cracked me up about that thread is how people were tearing up the negative E3 impressions now they could play the game themselves.
The leak has been something I've occasionally thought about in terms of its use as a demo. I wonder if something like this, just handing out a huge chuck of your (single-player) game, could or should be purposefully replicated. Maybe it was a perfect scenario to see the most benefit from it, considering the state of PC gaming cynicism. There has been a lot said on how having demo may end up hurting your game, so I don't really know. Square-Enix (having recently absorbed Eidios) ended up suing the guys who leaked it, although it was for a relatively paltry amount. What was unusual, and appreciated, was how the devs turned around and turned this into an opportunity:
Considering the sequel is coming out soon, it's something that's been on my mind. Although I would consider Human Revolution to be somewhat mediocre overall, it's a kind of game that I'm glad exists and was happy to play it even when it disappointed at times. I'm going into Mankind Divided perhaps not nearly as excited as I was for HR, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a good time with it. If the first 5-10 hours of MD were to drop into my lap suddenly, now would be a good time.
So the thing comes out and spreads pretty quickly. There's a thread on NeoGAF where you were allowed to talk about your reaction, but obviously not post links to how to get it. The reception turned out to be overall very positive with some people going as far as saying they preordering the game because of it. I was one of them; I did it as soon as I finished it (and it was my first time using Green Man Gaming, in fact). I was very hyped up at the time - I mean I played it twice, back to back. I like to look at it as we got something of an overgenerous demo that couldn't have represented the game better (and there may have been an atmosphere of excitement owed to the fact it was a leak). Reading my posts in that old NeoGAF thread, I was a little surprised by how enthusiastic I was, because ultimately I was not enamored with the game itself. Combined with lowered expectations I no longer had for the final release, I think the "demo" ended up being the most solid hours of the game. I hadn't realized my problems with its level design, its progression system, and how it plateaus pretty early (if not during the leak's hub), naturally. Maybe my Deus Ex fanboyism is just too strong! Anyway, one thing that cracked me up about that thread is how people were tearing up the negative E3 impressions now they could play the game themselves.
The leak has been something I've occasionally thought about in terms of its use as a demo. I wonder if something like this, just handing out a huge chuck of your (single-player) game, could or should be purposefully replicated. Maybe it was a perfect scenario to see the most benefit from it, considering the state of PC gaming cynicism. There has been a lot said on how having demo may end up hurting your game, so I don't really know. Square-Enix (having recently absorbed Eidios) ended up suing the guys who leaked it, although it was for a relatively paltry amount. What was unusual, and appreciated, was how the devs turned around and turned this into an opportunity:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/110548-Leaked-Deus-Ex-Preview-Build-Impresses-Fans
Considering the sequel is coming out soon, it's something that's been on my mind. Although I would consider Human Revolution to be somewhat mediocre overall, it's a kind of game that I'm glad exists and was happy to play it even when it disappointed at times. I'm going into Mankind Divided perhaps not nearly as excited as I was for HR, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a good time with it. If the first 5-10 hours of MD were to drop into my lap suddenly, now would be a good time.
