Too many sharks can't feed from the same waters, though. Destiny is one of the exceptions. Part marketing, part lack of competition, part hype, part man, part machine. All cop. Many of us are still waiting for that one big "next gen" title. Until then, a lot of new IP's can succeed. We saw that last gen with Dead Risung, Saints Row, Lost Planet, G.R.A.W., Army of Two, etc. As time progresses and more big boys come out to play, we'll see which franchises are worth theis salt and which ones were just snatched up by starving gamers.

Congrats to the game, though. Sincerely. I'm glad it's being received well.

Guide before review... http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-09-10-destiny-guide?page=2

I wish I could have enjoyed those games.

Yes marketing is a tool but it has the potential to draw resources away from the product: GTA 5 is an example of this. The time and money that went to marketing could have instead been invested to make the game better. A more fleshed out campaign for example with a better story. But why do that when advertising will do a better job of selling your game than the gameplay will? Just slap on some uninspired, cookie-cutter single player and run commercials 24/7 so that everyone and their grandmother has heard of it. I'm sure Activision's Kotick, a man infamous for reportedly once stating that he has no interest in franchises that can't be exploited and wrung to their very limits (see guitar hero) would agree advertising receives priority over the art form that is game design. It brings in the casuals who don't know any better and that's where the big $$$ is.

I just take solace that he has not swindled a dime from me and I encourage anyone who has been let down by the game to sell their game back to gamestop. Or better yet, online where they'll probably get more of what they paid.

Makes me think of Assassin's Creed.  Started of quite mediocre before coming into its own...

But next generation is where it was the most profitable, like Watch Dogs, without a doubt.

Yeah, but if the game was bad, people wouldnt have bought it after the beta, so the game sold well also because people loved it, so it's not hype based on nothing since the beta