Fanboys are an interesting breed.  Whilst they are often highly annoying creatures, it cannot be denied that they are just as often entertaining.  But there is also an important role for them within the commercial realm of the gaming industry: hype.

Though not particularly applicable to casual games, hardcore games live and die on hype (primarily online).  The problem is, failing to live up to hype can turn decent games into poor games in the eyes of consumers.  Take Haze.  By many accounts, there is some value in playing the game, but it will forever be seen as a Lair-like bomb due to the extreme hype it received after it was announced PS3 exclusive.  It was "goldeneye team this" and "goldeneye team that" all over the place.

Then there are the titles that truly are bad and simply end up humiliating the fanboys that supported them.  Here, we turn to Lair.  The hype for this game was so extreme, that I looked on at the title in jealousy and even went so far as to write up a budget to help me afford a PS3 to purchase the game.  The rest of course is history.  The failure of the game was so immense, and such a drop down from its hype level, that it contributed to the impression that the PS3 had an extremely poor line-up that holiday season.  Whilst the line-up was not comparable to the other consoles in reality, it certainly wasnt as bad as the failure of Lair made it out to be.  Personally, I feel that if Lair hadn't been so strongly hyped, other games like Uncharted may have gotten more airtime and performed better.  Certainly this is true of Heavenly Sword.

Then we turn to games like the original Fable.  By most accounts a great game, averaging 85 on Metacritic.  But the perception that it had not lived up to it's extreme hype led to a massive reduction in review scores compared to what they might have been.  Contrast this with the more recent Fable 2, which was not nearly as hyped and now has a AAA rating and massive sales, and you can see my point.

And now of course we come to the game of the hour, Little Big Planet.  By all accounts this is an excellent game, but early indications are that it will not match its hype in sales.  Realistically, how could it?  With posters going so far as to type "LBP will be huge" in every post they make regardless of relevance, the game was always doomed to a hype-relative failure.  Despite release-date confusion, some far lower than expected numbers have come in, and a thread has been created full of upset gamers that has grown at a pace I personally have never seen.  Personally I feel that without the unreasonable hype, LBP's respectable sales would have been seen as just that.  And there would be no talk of "bad" sales whatsoever.

Though they have a definite positive effect on sales and quality impressions sometimes, Fanboys often fall into a self-defeating trap.

How much hype is too much?

LBP will be huge.

wow the biggest fanboy calling other people fanboys hmmmm lol

Edit: are you really a contributor to this site??? seems to me all you do is start console war threads

Yes, fanboys are bad, i remember one that made at least 30 Fable 2 hype threads. Shameful.




LBP will be huge.

But the person that made 30 Fable 2 threads didn't once imply that it would have sales that couldn't possibly be attained.

Quite the opposite in fact:

http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=42252&start=50

You do realize that you are a fanboy, right?

But you are " currently manning the Fable Hype machine!!!"

IRONY.........

Point to one in recent memory? Seriously, try.

I think you are upset because of the LBP thread.  By all means go back to it and see if I said anything that was either insulting or proven to be untrue.  Don't read the posts of others, just read mine.

You will find that I didn't say anything a reasonable person would find inflammatory.  I was simply an Xbox 360 owner in a thread where PS3 fans were itching to vent at someone.

Indeed

But I did not fall into the fanboy trap that many others did with the games listed in the OP.

I correctly answered the question "How much hype is too much?"  As did just about every fan of Fable 2 out there.

It's the difference between a fan and a fanboy.

For example, how often did you see me type "Fable 2 will be huge" or any equivelant in a non-Fable 2 related thread?

lol funny. I've always found the way that you type, so eloquently and mild natured so that people will think that you are not being a fanboy and don't have an ulterior motive. Its a skill to post the way you do, one that other fanboys do not have, and for that I applaud you.

OT: I think that some games are victims of too much hype, although it is most of the time without warrant. Games that are usually overly hyped are those with good previews/impressions by the media. I feel that even if a game doesn't sell well, yet is a really good game is not a "flop" at all (like Heavenly sword, that you mentioned).

Wouldn't this be considered a 'console war thread'? Because I am pretty sure that that is wat it will lead to. Ironic isnt it?