Pre-Order Bonus Shennanigans

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Pre-Order bonuses. A company's way of thanking fans and giving them a little extra for comitting to their game before it's even released. It's a process several years old now and has come in various incarnations, from the generous to the laughable, the unbalanced to the cosmetic, the simple to the overly complex, and in the case of "Dishonored", the downright devious, dastardly and dishonourable.

Like many folks I'm sure, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Dishonored in about two weeks time. A stealth game designed by some of the people involved with Deus Ex and Thief is enough of a pedigree that I'll pay very, very close attention to their products. One writer at RPS [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/07/27/dishonoreds-dishonourable-pre-order-rat-trap/] had nothing nice to say however about the quite horrendous pre-order bonuses available.

I found this while looking for information on the subject. I was ready to buy it on Steam but paused to check, and found out the frankly ludicrous and quite unfair bonus system Bethesda are employing for this release. Each of four different UK retailers (and I'm quite certain it's the same in the US, but substitute the vendors listed in the article for Target, Best Buy, Gamestop and Walmart most likely) have completely different bonuses.

So rather than rewarding their customers, what is in effect happening is that not a single pre-order customer will be able to play the game with everything from the outset, short of buying four copies. Steam I should note, includes no pre-order bonuses whatsoever. Personally, I hate the fact that I might buy one of these and will then regret not having the other shinies. Perhaps a different one suits my style more, or I want to replay the game with a different build. It's infurating that there's no edition which simply includes everything from Day 1. How on Earth can any player make an informed choice about which bonus to get never before having played the game?

I personally abhor Day 1 DLC and ODLC (on-disc locked content) in all its forms, but no more so than when I might buy or pre-order a game and not get the full experience. Pre-Order rewards gone mad? DLC gone too far? Perfectly reasonable and valid marketing strategy? Would you ever buy more than one copy of a game to get such things?

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I usually only preorder something if it's got a really, really god bonus.

Otherwise I'll just go get it regularly on day 1. Hell sometimes you get the very same bonus just for buying it day 1.

 

[Shadowstar38]

The act of giving different stores different bonuses is an objectionable practice.

I they can give out the bonuses. I'm fine with people taking a risk on the game getting rewarded. I just don't see why they hell you'd further reward people for the fucking geograhical location they bought the game in.

At that point they dont care about the player. They care more about the outlet that's paying them.

 

[sinsfire]

Just wait for GOTY editions, that should have everything.

Otherwise yeah OP is right

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

There's no telling if there will be a GOTY edition, nor whether it will include pre-order bonuses.

Borderlands 2 just came out, and although I didn't pre-order it I think the bonus(es) they offered were done perfectly. There was, IIRC, an in-game crate containing unique and scaled weapons that give a small edge to the player at whatever level they choose to open it, but doesn't last more than 3-4 levels on average. This could never be unbalancing as the entire game is about constantly finding new and better loot, meaning their shelf life was limited.

Further, they offer the download of an entirely new, fifth class WHEN it's been developed. Meaning that it was NOT developed alongside the main game (beyond I would expect some basic groundwork) so all developer efforts went into the game (*cough* Javik), and not chipping chunks off to re-sell separately.

Not Day 1 DLC, not different for everyone, not withheld from players who didn't pre-order (who can buy it separately), but simply something extra given freely as a reward to thank those that pre-ordered.

I really want Dishonored, but I hate this bonus scheme they've employed. I wouldn't mind if it was an out-of-game item, like a different T-Shirt, character bust or model, etc. but the in-game differences bug me.

 

[excalipoor]

I hate pre-order bonuses with a burning passion of a hundred suns. I generally preorder the games I'm interested in anyhow, but pre-order bonuses (and DLC, to some extent) make me feel like I have to jump through hoops to gain access to all the content. Store specific bonuses are the worst. I'm an obsessive completionist, and if I have to pay twice the price of the game to get all this cosmetic crap (bonuses affecting gameplay obviously being even worse), I'm not going to bother with your game at all.

If the pre-order bonus just means access to something that everyone else is getting eventually anyhow, then I have no problem with it.

 

[Azorian]

If the preorder bonus is an in-game bonus (e.g. Fallout New Vegas), I don't think bonuses unique to retailers is a big deal considering each bonus is so small compared to the size of the full game that their effect on the experience is neglidgible. It seems that so far, devs have saved the bigger pieces of extra content to use as DLC (which is a separate issue).

So, what are we left with? Plysical items and real tangible pre-order goodies are gteat fun, but my question is whether you really need four little chotchkies to fiddle with furing loading screens? I feel comfortable picking the one I want and buying from the retailer offering my perferred item. And if you're a completionist, it would probably be cheaper to buy the other ones after the fact on ebay.

The second question is whether developers and publishers will begin to package larger and larger pieces of content as retailer specific pre-order bundles, to the extent that the expereince begins to change substantially. This could certainly happen. I think this is where the big issues here lie, and I don't really have a good answer.

 

[distortedreality]

Just wait for GOTY editions, that should have everything.

Otherwise yeah OP is right

I'd assume that the pre-order bonuses will be available to all well before that.

It's a shit situation though no matter how you look at it. Either they sell off the pre-order bonuses at a later date, which will alienate a decent portion of the community, or they give away the pre-order bonuses say a month or so after release, which will piss off the people who showed faith and pre-ordered.

As I've said before, the only to encourage publishers to stop this practice is to vote with our wallets, which is what I plan on doing. They won't listen to anything else.

 

[I-Protest-I]

There's no telling if there will be a GOTY edition, nor whether it will include pre-order bonuses.

Borderlands 2 just came out, and although I didn't pre-order it I think the bonus(es) they offered were done perfectly. There was, IIRC, an in-game crate containing unique and scaled weapons that give a small edge to the player at whatever level they choose to open it, but doesn't last more than 3-4 levels on average. This could never be unbalancing as the entire game is about constantly finding new and better loot, meaning their shelf life was limited.

Further, they offer the download of an entirely new, fifth class WHEN it's been developed. Meaning that it was NOT developed alongside the main game (beyond I would expect some basic groundwork) so all developer efforts went into the game (*cough* Javik), and not chipping chunks off to re-sell separately.

Not Day 1 DLC, not different for everyone, not withheld from players who didn't pre-order (who can buy it separately), but simply something extra given freely as a reward to thank those that pre-ordered.

I really want Dishonored, but I hate this bonus scheme they've employed. I wouldn't mind if it was an out-of-game item, like a different T-Shirt, character bust or model, etc. but the in-game differences bug me.

This. This is the reason Borderlands 2 got my 3rd ever pre-order, make it worthwhile while not game breaking, is it really that fine a line for developers who've spent such a long time to know about their games.

 

[ManOwaRrior]

I hate pre-order bonuses that contain in-game items you can't get otherwise.
If the publisher or whoever wants me to buy the game before I even have a chance to know if it is any good, chances are I won't buy the game at all.
Pro-Order Bonuses are not "A company's way of thanking fans". It's a publisher or a retailers way of tricking people into buying the game.
A way to thank fans for their support is stuff like including things in new copies of the game.
A way to thank fans is handing out bonuses based on whether or not you played the predecessor.

I don't mind physical pro-order bonuses though, like sound-tracks, T-shirts, Statues or whatever, since I then can still wait for the game to be released and feel like I get the full package.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Remember when you pre-ordered a game to reserve your copy?

Yes I do. That was before there were different "versions" of a game, each including or excluding different pieces.

So you don't get every bonus. Boo hoo. Pick your retailer and just go get the game if you want it, don't buy it if you don't.

I'm guessing you also love EA, online passes, Day 1 DLC, multiplayer modes in previously single-player games, always-on DRM and other such things. Are you a gamer, or a publisher? Defending stupid practices is only going to encourage more of them.

 

[Murmillos]

The OP nailed the word, but then failed to forget what he just said.

PreOrder bonus are just that, SHINIES! They do nothing but add a small insignificant bonus to the game, but mostly just by and large to get you hyped up about the game that you'll soon forget you even have by the end of the first day.

Tho, admittedly, BestBuy's USB lantern, ... you devious fucks.

Anways, people who whine about Preorder bonuses have hording/OCD issues.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I preorder stuff to get TF2 hats sometimes

 

[Yopaz]

Yeah, I can't add anything but my agreement here. Pre-order bonuses are nice since it does give you a reason to risk something on buying it and rewards you for taking that risk. Spreading it out randomly so some customers get it while others don't is just annoying.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

I'm guessing you also love EA, online passes, Day 1 DLC, multiplayer modes in previously single-player games, always-on DRM and other such things. Are you a gamer, or a publisher? Defending stupid practices is only going to encourage more of them.

I'm reasonably certain he's just contrary for the sake of being contrary.

OT: Well, I'm still interested in getting the game, it's just that I don't have any money right now and I honestly don't care that much about pre-order bonuses. If there's an upcoming game that I think I'll like, I pre-order it regardless of what else they're offering with it.

 

[Blunderboy]

Pre-Order bonuses. A company's way of thanking fans and giving them a little extra for comitting to their game before it's even released. It's a process several years old now and has come in various incarnations, from the generous to the laughable, the unbalanced to the cosmetic, the simple to the overly complex, and in the case of "Dishonored", the downright devious, dastardly and dishonourable.

Like many folks I'm sure, I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Dishonored in about two weeks time. A stealth game designed by some of the people involved with Deus Ex and Thief is enough of a pedigree that I'll pay very, very close attention to their products. One writer at RPS [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/07/27/dishonoreds-dishonourable-pre-order-rat-trap/] had nothing nice to say however about the quite horrendous pre-order bonuses available.

I found this while looking for information on the subject. I was ready to buy it on Steam but paused to check, and found out the frankly ludicrous and quite unfair bonus system Bethesda are employing for this release. Each of four different UK retailers (and I'm quite certain it's the same in the US, but substitute the vendors listed in the article for Target, Best Buy, Gamestop and Walmart most likely) have completely different bonuses.

So rather than rewarding their customers, what is in effect happening is that not a single pre-order customer will be able to play the game with everything from the outset, short of buying four copies. Steam I should note, includes no pre-order bonuses whatsoever. Personally, I hate the fact that I might buy one of these and will then regret not having the other shinies. Perhaps a different one suits my style more, or I want to replay the game with a different build. It's infurating that there's no edition which simply includes everything from Day 1. How on Earth can any player make an informed choice about which bonus to get never before having played the game?

I personally abhor Day 1 DLC and ODLC (on-disc locked content) in all its forms, but no more so than when I might buy or pre-order a game and not get the full experience. Pre-Order rewards gone mad? DLC gone too far? Perfectly reasonable and valid marketing strategy? Would you ever buy more than one copy of a game to get such things?

Remember when you pre-ordered a game to reserve your copy?

Remember when gamers didn't have the mindset that developers owe them something like a more obnoxious Caligula?

So you don't get every bonus. Boo hoo. Pick your retailer and just go get the game if you want it, don't buy it if you don't.

Yup. You may be the progeny of the Lord of Murder, but your right.
Quit whining OP. Get the bonus you want most.

 

[Blunderboy]

I'm guessing you also love EA, online passes, Day 1 DLC, multiplayer modes in previously single-player games, always-on DRM and other such things.

You know what, those things don't really bother me enough to stop me enjoying the game. It's a best a mild annoyance to me. Then I get over it and enjoy the hell out of a game I'm excited to play.

 

[StBishop]

Remember when you pre-ordered a game to reserve your copy?

Yes I do. That was before there were different "versions" of a game, each including or excluding different pieces.

So you don't get every bonus. Boo hoo. Pick your retailer and just go get the game if you want it, don't buy it if you don't.

I'm guessing you also love EA, online passes, Day 1 DLC, multiplayer modes in previously single-player games, always-on DRM and other such things. Are you a gamer, or a publisher? Defending stupid practices is only going to encourage more of them.

Oh look, a straw man. I might get myself one of those.

OT: I find it annoying, but I can understand the motivation. I would certainly prefer if the pre-order bonus was something cosmetic (like batman arkham city did with the various skins).

I find it more annoying when a collectors edition comes with a stupid paper, or non-standard-dvd-case-size-case for the game. Like deus ex, both batman games, and bioshock 2 did.

I really wanted the steelbook for arkham city, and would possibly have bought the $50 cheaper edition which does come with it rather than getting a statue and no way of including the game on my game shelf because the disc is in the back of the fucking art book.