HEAD BLOG

Those of you with an interest in video games and zombies may have heard of a man called Frank West. He’s the tough talking, hard hitting photographer (who’s covered wars, y’know) from Dead Rising – a game that set Capcom leading the (and this is going to sound strange if you have NO interest in video games) zombie killing, mayhem spreading, action genre.

The original game was great. It did well and a sequel was commissioned. Which also did well but which didn’t star Frank.

But that’s ok because now Capcom are back with a game which DOES star Mr West and it brings with it the whole smart mouthed attitude and ludicrous fun you’d expect.

Our campaign for the game is going great guns (and chainsaws and lazer powered helmets). Under the banner of “Journalism With Guts”, we have launched into Facebook, YouTube (and somewhere which will be announced soon) with a series of fun videos, copy, images and activities.

In just two weeks, our approach has boosted the Facebook page to over 45,000 users (that’s from a base of under 15,000). Our initial video (over on YouTube) has had 21,000 views so why not treat yourself to a look at that before heading over to Facebook and seeing what we are up to there?

Dear Rising 2 is an interesting case in all kinds of ways, not just because of the range of materials required or the scope of the strategy but also because it has leapt ahead in the digital download stakes (pardon the pun).

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero was released as a prologue to the main game and available through Xbox Live – an arena not unlike Apple’s App Store and one which will undoubtedly develop massively in the years to come as product switches away from traditional retail outlets.

For us, Case Zero represented a chance to show how advertising can have a measurable effect upon sales and it’s fair to say that NOBODY was disappointed. The game broke all records and a sequel is scheduled to follow sometime after the release of the main game we’ve been working so hard on.

Here’s just one of the ads produced to raise awareness and provide some kind of back story to the launch.

Sorry, this post requires a spot of Flash. We won\'t make a habit of it though.

In addition the packaging, dynamic theme, POS and online campaigns created for the Dead Rising 2 project, the folk at Head First were pretty stoked to work on bringing protagonist Chuck’s bike to life. For real.

To do this, Head First brought in bike refitting experts Purissima Corse who would provide all the know-how and elbow grease needed for the job. Purissima Corse (a local Manchester team) surpassed all expectations throughout the project, delivering a bike that was authentic down to the last detail.

From acquiring the base bike to stripping it down to the nuts, the new bike had to be authentic as well as encompassing a massive twin chainsaw rig suitable for the daily commute.

Here are a couple of grabs of the process just to show the level of detail that went into it.

Stripping it all back and repainting every part.

Every part had to be repainted and customised.

The final bike - the duct tape works.

It’s coming soon and the way Microsoft seem to be promoting it, you’d be fooled into thinking this is an upgrade to Nintendo’s groundbreaking Wii. All the elements pioneered by Nintendo are there. The sofa, the smiling family playing nicely together, the bright lights, the large living room – everything has been designed to make you reach for your Wii-mote. Even the style of gaming is less of the hardcore action normally associated with Microsoft and more of the Grandparent/Kid friendly barnstorming Nintendo throw out.

It makes you think that all those Wii owners (and would-be Wii owners) will soon be upgrading on the promise of a controller free, gaming heaven.

I’m not so sure.

I think Nintendo is more than just a company producing games consoles. It is an approach and its philosophy goes beyond the sofa. When a non-gamer (or casual gamer as we all call them these days) sees a Wii they see simplicity. The Wii box is elegant but it’s unobtrusive. It’s something they can identify with because, unlike the Xbox 360, it doesn’t look challenging. I love the Xbox, it’s a great machine. But as someone with decreasing amounts of time to spend playing games it does throw up barriers to entry. An XBox game, by and large, has to be deeper and more satisfying than (say) Carnival Games on the Wii (great game by the way).

It may just be down to perception but the casual gamer doesn’t see the Xbox as a quick time filler. It’s an investment in time and energy. That’s not a bad thing of course. Millions of gamers wouldn’t want it any other way. Wii is just a different beast.

Flying in the face of convergence, a games console seems to be more than just the software it offers. Of course Carnival Games would work on Natal. It would work on most platforms. But delivering the right experience to the right audience is more than just a software issue. It’s a perception issue also and it will be interesting to see how Microsoft become grandparent friendly without alienating the more hardcore gamers out there.