Jimquisition: The Poison of Pre-Order Culture

[G00N3R7883]

After the complete disaster of Aliens Colonial Marines (and AvP 2010 wasn't exactly amazing either), the thought of people preordering a new Aliens game is incomprehensible to me. I know people will be stupid enough to do it, and Sega knows it too. But I simply cannot understand why anyone would trust the hype and part with their money before the reviews are out.

ACM was the last game I preordered. The final straw. Unless you count Divinity Original Sin (bought during the Steam sale a week before full release, but with the comfort of dozens of positive player reviews from early access) or Wolf Among Us (bought during the Steam sale before episode 5 was released, but with lots of positive reviews for the first 4 episodes).

For every other game I've bought in the past 16 months, I've waited for the professional reviews, I've waited for the steam reviews, I've waited to check the forums for serious bug reports and you know what? I've been having more fun and less stress. I've avoided the really terrible games, and the ones I've bought have just simply worked - no crashing, no bugged quests or anything like that.

All you need is a little patience. Make the devs/publishers EARN your money by releasing quality.

 

[MPZero]

I only pre order games that I know will be difficult to find down the road. Right now my pre order selection consists of:

Persona Q premium edition
Senran Kagura Shinovi VS
Tales of Xillia 2
Tales of Hearts R
Phoenix Wright VS Professor Layton
Theatrhythm Curtain Call (don't really count to some people but I had trouble finding the first one)
Akibas Trip
Danganronpa 2

Yeah, not really games you can go into a Gamestop and buy without calling 6 stores and finding out if it's there when they come out.

i gave up with retail shops... my local area.. is well... to be nice about them dire... to be trouthfull None existence..

Amazon... as much hate as some people lump at it has got nerly everything and normly stocks for a loooong time to boot

 

[Flankhard]

Pre-orders that offer a discount and the possibility to pre-download the game and have it ready to go at launch, is OK - no argument there. If you do your research there is very little chance of consumer regret. You give them money early and in return you get a discount and the benefit of having the game ready to go at launch.

Pre-orders with "exclusive" and/or "limited" content is not good though. It's designed to mess with your indecision and make you jump the fence early:
-Wait and see - and you'll feel stupid for not pre-ordering if it turns out to be a good game, because now you are left with a "lesser" version.
-Pre-order - and you'll feel even more stupid if it turns out to be a turd.

When publishers try to corner me like this, I just stop following the game and forget about it. Six months from now it may turn up with a complete version at a huge discount and then it's going to be alot easier to decide.

I don't understand why publishers would want to delibertly alianate potential customers and risk turning them off a product before it's even released. Unless ofc. they know they are sitting a a huge pile of crap.

 

[Flunk]

The last game I preordered was Duke Nukem Forever, never again. I'm not preordering anything ever again, plus if it's on Steam I can get it anyway. I pretty much only buy games on Steam now. Has anyone noticed that GameStop has changed their layouts now to be totally worthless? It's like they don't even want your business anymore.

P.S. Day One DLC is total BS. DLC should be like the expansions for Borderlands 2. Extra fun content you can buy if you like. You get a big full package on day one and if you like you can pick up expansions later.

 

[Flankhard]

Isn't preordering basically crowdfunding? And haven't we as a society decided that crowdfunding is a good thing? Beyond the scale of the publisher, what's really the difference between backing Wasteland 2 at the $100 level for all sorts of goodies, and pre-ordering a AAA title for all sorts of goodies?

I don't have the right answer, but to me there is a difference.

Crowdfunded games are a question of getting the game made or not. To think that Divinity: Original Sin would not have made it without crowfunding is a bit scary and whatever goodies, if any, the funders got is well deserved. Also good crowdfunders are more open, there are alphas and betas and plenty of opportunity to get enough info before you buy. Worst case scenario: if a crowdfunder fails it dosn't effect the normal consumer that waited for a release.

In the case of AAA games, the game is allready being made, there is no risk of not getting a game. The risk is the quality of the game. The goodies are not a reward but a marketing ploy to funnel you into certain stores or trick you to spend money blind. If the extras are not essential then it's not so big a deal. But if they make you feel like you'll miss out, they have gone to far I think.

 

[zaion]

the only thing that i've preordered in years is the new super smash bros. and that's only because i expect the demand to be too high for me to get a hold of a copy at launch and i don't like digital copies.

but other than that, half the time those preorder deals just sound like they are trying too hard to connect and "give what we want" without really doing anything substantial. so frankly, the deals don't even seem worth it on paper.

 

[jimplunder]

GameStop is in the downloadable game industry too. Thank Gilgamesh that their platform is absolute crap. They bought it off of Stardock when it was called Impulse. The only thing I've managed to see GameStop do with the platform that it had (and honestly, it was crap... any additional content was not very well integrated into the main game and sometimes even caused game crashes) was change the way the market worked. The actual platform itself is unchanged. Now they push more pre-orders, exclusive content for the pre-orders, and all that when, if you get the additional content, it's not guaranteed to work with the game. Lovely! I have the few games I bought on there from when it was Impulse and a couple of titles that I got to port to Origin (which is another shit platform) and that's about it. GameStop isn't getting my business any more, unless it's to be the store of last-resort to find a title that I haven't found anywhere else, and usually even then it's probably not going to be there...

 

[m0ng00se]

Preorders are a huge part of how retail chains make money. The margin on a new game is usually under five dollars for retailers. Rent in a mall is several thousand dollars, and you still need to sell like 1 used game an hour to pay your workers' salaries.

When a retail chain gets the money earlier than they're supposed to, they just do what every insurance company, bank or other real business does: they put that money to work. I guarantee it goes off to some weird account run by a bunch of dudes in glasses and suits who know not one thing about video games. They take the millions of dollars from preorders and invest it in whatever the hell business people invest in, and turn that million dollars into a bigger amount of money. It's often a game of single-digit-percentage profits in that business and is frequently a source of loss. They need absolute shitloads of money in that account for it to actually do anything.

TL;DR: learn how the economy works before you shit on GameStop, who gets just as fucked by publishers being twats as everyone else does.

 

[Gunner 51]

Ultimately, you were right to tell people not to buy pre-orders. But then again, it is common knowledge that pre-orders only serve to hinder gamers from getting a full game. So I suppose there's that.

If it's such common knowledge, then why do people still pre-order? Oh, that's right, because it isn't common knowledge.

I'd think that was a combination of retailers using the pre-order as a dip-stick to gauge public opinion and using that as a rough guide to decide how many games to buy. Following that up with buying a slightly insufficient amount of them drive up demand, giving them an excuse to raise prices. (The likes of Game and Gamestop aren't exactly scrupulous companies at the best of times.)

Combine this with bloated advertising on part of the publishers, this drives demand up even more. When lots of gamers start clamouring over what seems like very few physical copies, they'll start acting greedy and start pre-ordering to ensure they get a game. Especially when it comes with a pre-order "bonus."

But that's just my own take on it.

 

[endplanets]

Jim's points against pre-orders are really good but his hate for bricks and mortars is pointless.

Its kinda odd that a good chunk of the vid is about how retail is EEEEVIL because they take some money when that is what they are supposed to do. Having a non-electronic way to get games is good for everyone, especially those in areas with bad or no internet (especially other countries).
Jim is lumping all retail in with Gamespot. All retailers are just as bad as Gamespot which is disingenuous and simple minded.
Jim could do an entire episode on how retail is bad or how specific companies are bad (Walmart won't sell disks if the internet version is cheaper or something) but most retailers are just selling games.
The internet killing retail (including non-Gamespot places) should be treated as a mild misfortune rather than the just desserts of an evil force that is malevolent by its very nature and has to he stopped.

 

[Seabear]

As much as I've been excited about Destiny, and as much goodwill Bungie have built up with me, I'm still a bit pissed off that the beta access was restricted to pre-orders only. I'd rather have used the beta as a chance to see how it plays and whether I want to shell out full whack for a game. And I can't have a limited edition because I'm a pauper with a 360.

 

[MrBaskerville]

I never preorder, i don't see the point. If i want something i'll just go down and buy it when it releases, don't see any reason why i should pay before that, besides i never pay full price for games, not worth it.But even if i did i couldn't see the point in preordering.

 

[ender1986]

And the always online thing has far more implications than your willing to admit. If anything goes wrong with your internet or their server you're fucked. That's more barriers to being able to play your game for --------------no benefit----------------. And on top of that there is NO reason to have to play singleplayer or multiplayer online always. So you just want options taken away from you like offline LAN and splitscreen? Yeah, well not all of us do.

If you saw "NO BENEFIT" to an always-connected console, you weren't looking hard enough or you had made up your mind prior to actually thinking about it. Nothing I can say here will change your mind then. I invite you to think again, there are benefits there.

 

[ender1986]

As much as I've been excited about Destiny, and as much goodwill Bungie have built up with me, I'm still a bit pissed off that the beta access was restricted to pre-orders only. I'd rather have used the beta as a chance to see how it plays and whether I want to shell out full whack for a game. And I can't have a limited edition because I'm a pauper with a 360.

It's a hack, but preorder from Amazon, get the code (they send it automatically) and then cancel the preorder.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

As much as I completely agree with the points made and as much as I hate the things that companies do with pre-orders... I will be pre-ordering a game later today and I will probably continue to do so.

I want to play the Destiny Beta. In order to do that, I need to buy the game before it's out. However, I feel the risk is absolutely worth the reward. The fact of the matter is, I am completely confident that I will be buying Destiny regardless and that it will probably be a great experience. I have absolutely adored almost every game Bungie has made and this one look equivalent.

As for other games, I will still pre-order from time to time. I know it absolutely makes me part of the problem, but I'm simply not willing to give up certain exclusive content.

 

[Something Amyss]

If you saw "NO BENEFIT" to an always-connected console, you weren't looking hard enough or you had made up your mind prior to actually thinking about it. Nothing I can say here will change your mind then. I invite you to think again, there are benefits there.

I'll bite. What are the consumer side benefits of being always online?

 

[hydrolythe]

Last game I preordered was Dark Souls 2. I felt it was personally worth it because I gotten the Collector's Edition which came with the artbook, and a really sick looking statue to boot. Plus though the game has it's flaws... I really love it. Worth playing.

... Then From Software announced it had 3 DLCs coming up out of the blue. They told everyone beforehand that the game was complete and no DLC would be arriving since they 'finished' what they wanted for Dark Souls 2. So it does rub me off entirely and I am honestly not sure how to feel about this. I mean three DLCs? We need to talk From Software ...

OT: Used games will never kill the industry. Here's why- because if said game is good enough, the people borrowing the game will want to purchase it themselves. Plus, it's a great way of getting people into the series so they'll buy the series (or saga) of that particular game.

My friends let me borrow Mass Effect 1 and I played it to the end. Guess what? I bought all three games, purchased most DLC for myself, and spent a lot on Mass Effect's 3 multiplayer crates. So apparently the benefits of playing used games is obvious but the game industry (or specifically, companies selling the consoles) do not want even the slightest chance of money slipping away from their hands. This is why Valve is extremely strong right now because of their genius tactics- buy a game during Steam Sale, and with just $2 more dollars, have a copy to give to a friend. Do you have ANY idea how successful it was? Valve probably rolled in cash without even making an attempt because they knew how powerful buying games and having copies for a friend was. Heck that's what we need more of- buy a game, and with just a few dollars more... buy it for a friend. Bam. You're going to make dough.

The problem is that it goes too slowly for the AAA industry. They want mainly to remove the used games market because they want the money immediately and mostly for buying off their very expensive video game engines (I think that most of the engines that use the processing power in the PS4 cost in between 8 million $ and 16 million $), to the point that they have to pay monthly fees to the banks that allow them to have them. Add to that the insane salary you have to pay to your development team (around 2 million $) and you basically get a better understanding of why the AAA industry so dearly wants to be like a money grubbing moron and take all they can immediately without any long term thought put into it (they will get even more expensive video game engines later on in the hope to still impress their costumers though).

 

[MarsProbe]

Truth on a stick right here.

I pretty much agree with you here 99.99% if it wasn't for the fact that I pre odder Witcher 3.

This is because CD Project Red and GOG have Earned, My, Trust

On top of that it was a great deal with a lower price and discounts on GOG games. Now that's how you do a pre order.

Perhaps also the fact that they have taken the unprecedented step of actually including the entire game with the finished package you will pick on release date, no fiddly little extras fenced off for whatever reason.

On the subject of Alien: Isolation, my reaction exactly Jim's: utter disbelief at sectioning off the main cast of Alien in a game as closely tied to that film as it's possible for any game to be. On a somewhat related note, in this age of pre-orders, it also seems any AAA game trailer can be split into two sections: the bit you want to see (gameplay footage) and then the tacked on section where they show you what you can get if you Pre-Order Now!

The one that currently boils my blood the most has to be Arkham Night's "play as Harley Quinn" offer. I did admittedly pre-order Destiny, if only to get access to the time-limited demo that seems to be what passes for a beta these days.

 

[Afroman]

I made this account because I started reading through the comments and just said to myself "What the fuck is this? Are these people crazy or hypnotized or are they publisher crowd control?!"

As I read through this thread I wonder why do people question and fight against the logic here. Pre-ordering is terrible yet I see multiple posts contradicting it. I can understand a very few select games yes pre-ordering is needed or for a company the gaming community and ourselves know can be trusted, but why in the fuck are people defending Sega?! Seriously do not defend this shit. Why in God's name are you? There are no needs for measurements or any of that crap. We live in a digital age where I can guarantee you that most of them know the numbers and can predict very well how many copies they should send out. They can even over stock the store because they can easily just have said store return it at little cost. I read the defenders and I can not fathom or understand any of their logic. Do not tell me it is to measure things on their side. Do not tell me it is to support them. Do not tell me any of that. Pre-ordering is simply to get a physical copy that will sell out. Most if not all games should not be selling out in this day and age with all the technology we have. Bigger publishers like Ubisoft have plenty of money to overfill all shelves easily anyways. Pre-ordering these days is simply GAMBLING.

Recent titles should tell you why the hell pre-ordering is bad. The gaming industry as I would describe it right now is pretty much on fire. Very few publishers are trust worthy these days but even then I would not pre-order games from them. Why? Simply because I think if they start to get on their high horse they will start shelling out crap. They have to work for my money. Just to name a few, I have all but stopped purchasing games from Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Blizzard, Activision, and Capcom. I do not support the crap they have pulled and the shit they have tried. It is absolutely down right disgusting. As a consumer of the gaming industry everyone should be outraged of this! Ubisoft with bait and switches. EA with online only games with micro transactions and more BS to go on. Blizzard who tried to hop aboard the money train with Diablo 3 and made that crap but reversed everything pretty much. Activision with CoD2K14 or CoD2K15. Capcom because they released the same fighter God knows how many times plus DLC for games when said DLC is already on the disc.

This brings be to the next part, DLC. What the hell?! No one should support this kind of crap locked away from pre-ordering! If it is coming out with the pre-order chances are that this DLC was sliced out of the game and is being sold separately. There is no arguing that because if the game is releasing at the same time as the DLC that means they had plenty of time to develop that in to the game as well. Yet people roll over and accept that shit! WHAT?! No, just, NO! Most of the time I never buy DLC. The only time I do is if the game is extremely good and deserves that money. Generally the ones that deserve my money are ones that have the DLC coming out almost 3 months later or more.

Some people need to wake up and see the industry in it's current state. It is TERRIBLE. Simple as that. We got these asinine publishers that somehow make a fool of thousands of people making the consumers seem even less intelligent than that. Early access which is being abused like no tomorrow and might quite possibly be coming to consoles! Then finally Steam's own Greenlight which has no quality control and just allows games to just come into Steam's wonderful service and just drop their pants and take a dump all over it. Everyone needs to slow down. Stop pre-ordering all together. For everything. Make a statement. Even for the next Pokemon game. If plenty of gamers do it well into the 200,000 mark then publishers are going to start taking notice and may even take a stance against this stuff as well. Let honest reviewers who get paid to do their job do their job and find out that way instead of gambling your hard earned money for something you will not win anything on.