Halo 3 Free Trial
December 8, 2010The release of Halo 3 was wildly anticipated, as the video was the third in the original three-part series of the Halo games. Therefore, the Halo 3 trial download was one of the most frequently downloaded game demos in the history of the Xbox 360. But what many people don’t realize is that the Halo 3 trial download went on to make another game ie Crackdown.
What does the Halo 3 trial download have to do with another video game? Well, it has a lot to do with the distribution and marketing work for a video that was originally planned for playing on the Xbox system. Microsoft had become worried that Crackdown would not sell well.
Therefore, they used a marketing tactic, the one of bundling Crackdown with an access code to the Halo 3 trial download. And it worked a treat in that Crackdown sold 1.5 million copies within the first six months of its release. Those aren’t Halo 3 numbers, which sold 8.1 million units in slightly over a year, but for a lesser well-known game that’s absolutely terrific.
Microsoft had resorted to the Halo 3 trial download tactic because of adverse opinions about the game from the game testers. They found the unusual nature of the game confusing, often leaving them asking themselves what they were supposed to be doing next.
As a result of this, the powers that be thought that something had to be done or the game would be a dud. It may seem shady practice at first to attempt to force sales of a game that’s expected to be unpopular, but in hindsight people love the game and it was a good thing that they were able to get the chance to play it.
In Crackdown, and that includes the one bundled with the Halo 3 trial download, individuals play the role of an agent who is assigned to beat the kingpins or leaders of different gangs. To do this they make use of various superhuman powers such as super strength and super fitness. In order to obtain these powers, players have to build up experience by beating foes who then release experience orbs. The clever part of the system was that the kind of orbs released depended on the method in which the agent killed the enemy. For instance, a firearms orb appears if the enemy was killed with a gun.
So, although at first sight this video bundled with the Halo 3 trail download seems to be no more than a veiled marketing gimmick, in reality, it exposed gamers to a fascinating new gameplay experience.
If you like Halo 3 and are interested in reading more about it, why not visit Halo 3 Info on our website entitled Halo 3 Insider Secrets
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