So Aliens: Colonial Marines came out, and it's being widely panned by nearly every critic in sight...
The latest video put up by TB has made me think.
According to him, A:CM reached TOP SELLER status shortly before the game was released.
Unlike our console bretheren, PC pre-orders on steam are a much bigger initial investment, and is usually a permanent commitment. Console players can reserve their own copy for as little as 5$ and can cancel anytime. Even after release. Or can at least sell their games.
Whereas PC players need to pay it all off immediately. And usually cannot get refunds after release. And of course, cannot sell it.
Now I imagine, that lots of those people who helped A:CM ascend to Top Seller status are going to be fucking pissed. Or probably already are. And probably feel as though they've been screwed.
Some might say that there's plenty of info available prior to a game's release that should tell you whether or not a game will be good or bad. Or at least whether or not it's worth preordering.
But as TB mentions in the video above, there are such things as press embargos which deny the release of any game reviews. The only teasers and previews we see are cherry-picked pieces of gameplay hand crafted by marketing peeps themselves. Naturally, we cannot see the BIG PICTURE of a game prior to it's release when things like this are happening.
Now these days, it's becoming pretty rare to get so much as a demo before a game comes out. And devs might even begin rationalizing this sort of thoughtlessness like this:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122056-Game-Dev-Claims-Demos-Hurt-Game-Sales
So there you go. Demos are becoming rare. Press embargos make it hard to learn about a game from sources you trust. All of this is making pre-orders (especially on the PC end of things) a much bigger gamble than it ever was before.
Now that A:CM is released, embargo lifted, and the floodgates have opened; unleashing a torrent of negativity washing down on this game from every direction the likes of which I haven't seen in quite a while. Since..... Duke Nukem: Forever? Huh.
Being screwed into buying a shitty game is one thing. The entire concept of pre-order exclusives is a whole 'nother beast. A beast which is starting to become larger, and uglier.
So, escapists. Has anyone been screwed into pre-ordering a game that turned out to suck?
And if you are the type of person who pre-orders, what is it that makes you do so? (Especially you PC Gamers)
And if you don't fall under any of these categories. Whats your opinion on this subject?
Is it starting to become a bigger problem, or is this whole thing just a fluke that will wash over and be forgotten and people will go back to their blind pre-ordering ways?
The latest video put up by TB has made me think.
According to him, A:CM reached TOP SELLER status shortly before the game was released.
Unlike our console bretheren, PC pre-orders on steam are a much bigger initial investment, and is usually a permanent commitment. Console players can reserve their own copy for as little as 5$ and can cancel anytime. Even after release. Or can at least sell their games.
Whereas PC players need to pay it all off immediately. And usually cannot get refunds after release. And of course, cannot sell it.
Now I imagine, that lots of those people who helped A:CM ascend to Top Seller status are going to be fucking pissed. Or probably already are. And probably feel as though they've been screwed.
Some might say that there's plenty of info available prior to a game's release that should tell you whether or not a game will be good or bad. Or at least whether or not it's worth preordering.
But as TB mentions in the video above, there are such things as press embargos which deny the release of any game reviews. The only teasers and previews we see are cherry-picked pieces of gameplay hand crafted by marketing peeps themselves. Naturally, we cannot see the BIG PICTURE of a game prior to it's release when things like this are happening.
Now these days, it's becoming pretty rare to get so much as a demo before a game comes out. And devs might even begin rationalizing this sort of thoughtlessness like this:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122056-Game-Dev-Claims-Demos-Hurt-Game-Sales
So there you go. Demos are becoming rare. Press embargos make it hard to learn about a game from sources you trust. All of this is making pre-orders (especially on the PC end of things) a much bigger gamble than it ever was before.
Now that A:CM is released, embargo lifted, and the floodgates have opened; unleashing a torrent of negativity washing down on this game from every direction the likes of which I haven't seen in quite a while. Since..... Duke Nukem: Forever? Huh.
Being screwed into buying a shitty game is one thing. The entire concept of pre-order exclusives is a whole 'nother beast. A beast which is starting to become larger, and uglier.
So, escapists. Has anyone been screwed into pre-ordering a game that turned out to suck?
And if you are the type of person who pre-orders, what is it that makes you do so? (Especially you PC Gamers)
And if you don't fall under any of these categories. Whats your opinion on this subject?
Is it starting to become a bigger problem, or is this whole thing just a fluke that will wash over and be forgotten and people will go back to their blind pre-ordering ways?
