It is a common belief in the games industry and may other industries that one of the best ways to hype up anticipation of your forthcoming product is to give people a clock to stare at.
As the countdown clock ticks backwards, your future consumers, sit, and wait, hungry for information. Each second they stare at the clock is a second of wasted existence. Their expectations of what to expect when the clock hits zero build, elevating their hopes that eventually lead to utter letdown. I believe that 99.9% of the time the payoff just isn't quite worth the build-up.
It is because of this inevitable suffering that I offer up a list of some of this year's useless time wasters ever conceived to market video games, the 2007 countdown clocks.
Microsoft - "Ninja Gaiden 2"
Originally posted at: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/brutallyfun.htm
The Payoff: Announcement for "Ninja Gaiden 2"
The announcement for more slashy, stabby fun was accompanied with the headline "Brutally Fun." I wonder if the master ninja Ryu would have approved
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Sega - "Yakuza 3"
Originally posted at: http://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/
The Payoff: Announcement for "Yakuza 3"
Everyone knew this sequel was coming. Many people in the U.S. really don’t care, but it seems that those who love this Japanese gangster saga really need something to stare at to pass the time.
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Treasure - "Bangai-O Spirits"
Originally posted at: http://www.esp-web.co.jp/products/information/0907/index.html
The Payoff: Announcement for "Bangai-O Spirits"
There are people that love anything that Treasure releases, even if it is just a simple countdown clock. I'm thinking about setting up a clock to tick away the minutes until I receive my copy of "Radiant Silvergun."
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Sony - "God of War 2"
Originally posted at: http://islandofrhodes.org/
The Payoff: Audio commentary, behind the scenes features, HD mode, and another clock.
The internet was abuzz when this clock appeared. People wondered what it could be for. "God of War 2" had just come out, and speculation began that it was a site to promote the then-unannounced "God of War" PSP game. Alas, when this countdown ended, all it did was add an extra two days. And when that countdown ended, all we got was special features site, and, another countdown.
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Sony - "God of War 2" Again
Originally posted at: http://islandofrhodes.org/
The Payoff: Announcement for "God of War: Chains of Olympus"
This one was actually for the PSP game. Finally… I had been waiting all this time. I was shocked there wasn't yet another clock revealed when this one ran out. Thanks Sony.
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Rockstar - "Grand Theft Auto 4"
Originally posted at: http://www.rockstar.com/iv
The Payoff: A first look at "GTA4"
Watch it over and over again at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oMheyLXhws&e
GTA4 is going to be huge. So huge that Rockstar thought the game's first trailer deserved it's own countdown clock. As great as the trailer was, no trailer in the history of gaming should ever deserve it's own countdown clock.
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EA - "The Simpsons' Game"
Originally posted at: http://www.ea.com/simpsons
The Payoff: Announcement of "The Simpsons' Game"
Only the Simpsons could create a clock that I would actually enjoy. A parody of the "Grand Theft Auto" clock mentioned above, it appeared a few days before there was an official announcement for the game. Marked with XXII instead of IV, the clock ticked down just like the rest of them, sadly without any guest appearances from the show.
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Nintendo - "Super Smash Bros. Brawl"
Originally posted at: http://www.smashbros.com/
The Payoff: The announcement of a daily blog from Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of the game.
I want to forgive this game, because I am so intently looking forward to it, but even as I waited with bated breath for the days to tick away on the "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" clock, I knew that it wasn’t going to be anything over the top. And, I was right, It was just a blog. A blog that I've checked first thing every morning since this clock stopped.
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MTV - "Rock Band"
Originally posted at: http://www.mtv.com
The Payoff: The release of "Rock Band"
Alas, as much as I have expressed my distaste of countdown clocks, we here at MTV.com are also guilty of teasing gamers with the sparklingly original concept of a countdown clock. This November, with Gamer's Week upon us, and the impending release of the best title that MTV Games has ever published, a small ticker appeared on MTV.com's homepage, counting down the seconds until the youth of America could truly find out what it means to rock. (Unless they had been playing "Guitar Hero," of course.)
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These are only but a few examples. The Japan-only "Seaman 2," to "Fallout 3," "S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadows of Chernobyl," "Starcraft 2," "Godzilla: Unleashed," and even this week's "Burnout Paradise" have all been counted down. Sometimes the big reveal was a trailer, a game announcement, or a demo. We all sat and watched, knowing exactly what time we would learn something new, letting speculation and rumors outweigh the novelty of something new, letting our anticipation get the best of us, and, in the end, letting ourselves down. Maybe people just like to have little reminders about their life ticking away.
In conclusion, I'm not really one to say whether or not countdown clocks really work. I suppose that all depends on what your overall directive is.
I can say that we have had enough of them. Please, I beg the publishers and PR firms out there, if you have an announcement to make about a game … just make it. There's really no need to build up the suspense around a trailer, or a demo, or a website.
Please stop wasting our precious, precious time. We have better things to do, like get achievements.
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