Urgent Petition! Plz change that hackneyed & cheesy "Future War On Terror" tag line!

[IconoclastDX]

Ok, before you all go neurotic on me let me just say:

1) I love DX1
2) I love Ion Storm
3) Im full expecting to love DX:IW just as I was expecting to love DX1
4) Im fully expecting to buy the game as soon as I comes out.

Ok, Now my little beef.

Urgent Petition! Plz change that hackneyed & cheesy "Future War On Terror" tag line!

Sure it might be accurate. Heck, it might have even been passable a few years ago. But in a post 9/11 market, I would bet that there ISNT a more overly used and cliched phrase than "war on terror". People are just sick of hearing about "war on terror". It makes people think of ratings hungry 24 hour news stations beating us over the head with "war on terror" "WMD" and "UBL".

Now I know that Ion Storm is trying to increase its market base and is trying to attract many xBox players who MIGHT be of a younger persuation and PERHAPS just a little... less aware of the world situation. Therefore, such a vapid tag line like this might actually seem enticing or even slightly sophisicated. But for the rest of the WORLD, its trite, unimaginative, uninspireing and insipid.

NOW ITS UP TO YOU.

If you think that DX:IW current tag line is weak or if you just think that it could use a little reconsideration, then please POST YOUR OPINION HERE

If you dont agree with me and you thing that "future war on terror" just bleeeeds with poignant originality., then by all mean, you can of course post it so here.

Thx

[Lawnboy360]

I do think the tag-line could be better...

[gamergirl]

It's weak and corny. Now, I am on the edge of my seat about the game's release (I even dreamed about it last night!), don't get me wrong. But if I had never heard of it and I was out shopping for a new game, I might actually pass it by if that was all I saw as I was perusing the boxes on the game store shelves. I mean, if the game's "slogan" is that corny, how good could the game be?

[Lawnboy360]

But if I had never heard of it and I was out shopping for a new game, I might actually pass it by if that was all I saw as I was perusing the boxes on the game store shelves. I mean, if the game's "slogan" is that corny, how good could the game be?

The tag-line and box art are very important to attract uninformed gamers. How people can spend $50 on a game because of a cool box art is totally beyond me Yesterday, I went to EBGames and witnessed a surreal scene with a guy saying to his friend : "Look at that game, Lionheart, it looks totally c00l!" - "Hell yeah!". He then bought that game. From gamerankings.com : "67% based on 25 media outlets". It was sad, really.

[Fuzz]

yah I share your views completely IconoclastDX :up:

[Fuzz]

I can easily imagine Bush endorsing this game

[TheDerf]

The line isn't even accurate. You could very well be a terrorist in the game... every opposing faction would view you as a terrorist and you would do the same to every opposing faction. You're not a good guy unless you're working with people who declare you a good guy, so you're going to disappoint everybody in three groups plus the general public regardless of how you swing.

I'd like to know what Eidos plans to accomplish with this phrase. Maybe they're thinking deeper than we would like to believe.

For now, I say change it.

[Lawnboy360]

Here's the image used as a link to the new DXIW site on IS' web page, I bet you'll like it

[Sylvester Ink]

It's probably too late to get them to change it anyway. But who cares! As long as it isn't in the game itself, I can deal with it.

If it draws more people, good. Ion Storm earns more money and acclaim and they can begin work on DX3 (or DX:WMD).

If it frightens away people, also good. DX remains loved by the people who originally loved it. We don't need none of those other players anyway.

But if the tagline is in the game, I would have to see it everyday. And it sounds so bad that it would drive me insane. And then Alex starts talking about "Destroying that Axis of Evil" . . .


*
Any reference to any political figures is entirely accidental. After all, it isn't polite to discuss politics and religion in public company where peoples' viewpoints could differ radically. ;-)

Originally posted by Fuzz
I can easily imagine Bush endorsing this game

There is no need to be insulting.




...let's just say it is a Marketing decison that I highly doubt would be in the game itself. I'll point this thread out to them though, just to be safe.

[Lawnboy360]

Grey Mouser, as a forum admin, you must have great influence within Eidos, right? ...

--

Just noticed the last few lines.
You might as well point out this : http://www.ionstorm.com/forum/viewth...12110&id=26757

--

Seriously, I wouldn't guess from the box art that one unique feature of DXIW is that you can go through the whole game without touching a gun, with the gun being even more proeminent then Alex.

Wait a minute, this is the thread about the tag-line, not the box! Oops

[Quillan]

Please, please PLEASE choose another tagline! I have to agree, if I hadn't already played DX, and new nothing about IW, I would pass it by if I saw it in the store with that line on it.

Someone should put up a poll... So far we have 0 for the slogan, and all against.

Its such a stupid slogan, it makes no sense and it sounds corny.

Imagine if the intro had it as the ending line. Instead of "We have the cells in human bodies. An invisible weapon in an invisble war." the guy says "We have the cells in human bodies. To fight the future war on terror!".

Its just lame. The boxes and CDs and stuff wouldn't have been printed already, I'm sure they can change it.

[Sourcerer]

The term 'Jumping on the band wagon' springs to mind. It's cheap and tacky.

It seems to be aimed at run around and shoot everything kids who might not apreciate too much complexity in their gaming, in which case they may be a little dissapointed with Invisible War and then they'll tell all their friends how crap this new game they just bought is.

Deus Ex had an air of intrigue and subtlety about it. This is about as subtle as a psychopath with a baseball bat.

I really think it needs changing.

I did prefer "An invisible weapon for and invisible war", but there are problems with this. As has been suggested, people might assume the game involved searching for an invisible super gun or something. Also I think it would not read right to have "invisible war" in the tag line as well as the title.

All this criticism would be better if we could come up with a workable alternative. Time to get the thesaurus out me thinks.

Sourcerer
_______________
You don't tell time,
time tells you.

[dirigimaster]

It does suck, this is an undeniable fact.

But it's appealing to the masses, which are massively stupid. So stupid people will buy the game. With the notion of killing terrorists and seeking virtual revenge.

They'll prolly change it for Europe, the prevailing attitude there being ill favoured towards Bush and phrases he has coined.

they could make a DX parody though, DX: Evil Do-ers. In the first game you play as GH Bush, in the sequel you play as GW Bush

[Random]

Originally posted by Fuzz
I can easily imagine Bush endorsing this game

He'd get a nasty surprise when he realises you can side with the terrorists.

The problem I have with the tagline is that it makes it seem like the game is related to the current terrorism situation, Al-Qaeda and so on -- which it's not. I'm sure we all cringe when we see a game called Operation Iraqi Freedom sitting on store shelves, and I don't think Deus Ex should be alongside it.

I think the type of person who would be attracted by that tagline are the ones who would be offended by the possibility of becoming a 'terrorist'.

There's a thought: I wonder if media outlets will complain that DX:IW teaches you how to be a terrorist.

[Lawnboy360]

I'm sure we all cringe when we see a game called Operation Iraqi Freedom sitting on store shelves, and I don't think Deus Ex should be alongside it.

Ahem... it's already out! Time to cringe.

F/A-18 Operation Iraqi Freedom
Avg Ratio: 57%
http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/917899.asp

[roomba]

Ugh.
That's one bit of realism I can do without in Deus Ex.

Frankly, the less I'm reminded of the bitter realities outside the gameworld, the more fun I can have remaking the bitter unrealities inside it.

And it's a cheap attempt to capitalize on all the mindshare "war on terror" is getting. Tacky is the most polite word for it. There are others.

Marketing needs to re-think this one.

(Meaning no offense to anybody at Eidos or Ion Storm.)

--
roomba

[Banasukisama]

Agreed, the tag line is unacceptable.

So what would an alternative be?

Well...

1. Watch your back... or they'll watch it for you.

2. Decide your fate... and the world's.

3. The future is in your hands.

4. Forge your own path.

5. Agent(s) of Destiny/Fate

Hehe, cheesy, some of them, but at least they showcase the game's primary features ie nonlinear plot and gameplay.

Please suggest more. Hopefully one of them will catch the eyes of the powers that be before that godawful tag line is printed.

-Banasukisama

[AlteredGlyph]

How 'bout: An invisible weapon... for an Invisible War.
That would have to be the best one anyone can think of.

[Kenji]

The whole "...War on Terror" phrase is unfortunetely a good move. Like the other guy said, most people are sheep.

Years later we got people walking around spewing profanities at white guys with deep tans. Why not capitalize on that blind hatred. Not to go off on a rant, but arabs constitute 1/3 of the worlds population. If they were all terrorists we'd be screwed.

I'll buy the game even if that remains the tag, and even if they go with that horrible surfer dude holding a gun like some stereo typical LA gangster (gansta). And sadly yes that has a good chance at attracting the idiot masses. So let them do it. Let it sell. If it makes a lot of money we'll get a lot of support and another sequel.

I guess the new skill/aug system will work fine for the twitch junkies. I just hope it doesn't turn this into a video game a 6 year old could play. Complex game play and deep strategy is the only way I can justify playing video games at my age.

Anyway, like I said go for mass appeal in the marketing. Let the suits and pens do their best to market this game to the widest possible audience. I just hope the game play is not as "mass appealing". As long as the people that matter (designers, writters, and programmers) know what DX fans expect and stay true to it I'm ok.

Here is to a Solid release

[TheDerf]

I know if I saw a game with an unimaginative, unusually purple/pink cover and a guy standing mindlessly with glowing eyes in the middle of it looking off into the side of another game on the shelf and over this, it says "The Future War on Terror", my first impression of that game would be, "Ohy! Why do people even market this crap?" That would be the same for most of us, and this is how we subliminally judge what Eidos is defacing.

It should at least have a remotely cool tag line, for one. "Watch your back... or they'll watch it for you.", probably the best of Banasukisama's sugestions, is infinitely better than "The Future War on Terror." Firstly, it strikes the question, "Who's they?" and shortly after "Why watch my back?" Then a short moment after, you're thinking, "What kind of compelling storyline do these guys have in store for me? It's all been done before... I think. It would be stupid for someone to put out a game that mimics another story's plot or game's concept. A looksy wouldn't hurt."

Also, I think the "Watch your back... or they'll watch it for you." line appeals to a mature audience more so than a young one. Bad for marketing you say? The line, in my opinion, will also work it's way into the mind of a younger person, just a tad more simply though. Something like, "oOo! A spy game!" Watching your back is something you can relate to. If you're a person, you know you have a back, and hey, the game says you have a back too! w00t! You're already in the mood to play a game like DX2 when you read the tag line.

[sajcd]

Quotes from the Eidos developer journal introduction:

Here at Ion Storm, we sometimes describe the first Deus Ex game as being set "10 minutes before the apocalypse" and describing "the death of the old order."

Similarly, we describe Deus Ex: Invisible War as "10 minutes before the dawn of a new age, the birth of the new world."

and

Sadly, the most widely applied weapon in the war for humanity's future is terrorism.

If your goal is a "new age" and the "birth of the new world" and the obstacle between you and your goal is terrorism, then isn't it Alex's goal to end terrorism and therefore declare a "future war on terror"?

"The Future War on Terror" may sound cheesy, but if you take the quotes from the developer journal to heart then "Future War on Terror" describes exactly Ion Storm's intentions for the game.

IMO there should be no tag line. Simply "Deus Ex: Invisible War".

[Machinax]

Originally posted by Sourcerer

Deus Ex had an air of intrigue and subtlety about it. This is about as subtle as a psychopath with a baseball bat.

Haha, very nice.

And with this whole section of the boards so strongly behind the idea of changing the tagline, you've got to figure that SOMEONE up at Eidos is taking notice.

Next thing to change would be the box cover art, as well as the tagline.

[Le`Sauveur`De`Ces`Dames]

As I said in an other thread, I also think the tagline should be changed.

I wonder what posters on the IS forums think of it. If they agree with us (well, most of us), it might be more convincing than the 24 of us

(even if I trust the tremendous influence of Grey Mouser about marketing decisions)