Should you preorder videogames?

[JimboUK]

In the wake of Aliens: Colonial Marines where people were basically conned via a blatant bait and switch is it time people woke up and stopped pre ordering games? Before answering watch this...

 

 

I can't disagree with anything he says.

[Vagrant0]

I generally only pre-order based on a few conditions (since Spore).

 

- Game has a demo.

- Game has a beta version which reviewers were able to get their hands on and actually show the content of that actual game.

- Game does not come from one of the big AAA sweatshops that has been churning out crap games for the last decade.

- Game comes from a developer who I have familiarity with, is in a style I can see myself playing for more than 40 hours, and has enough information out there beyond just pre-rendered teaser videos and a rattling off of features (most of them are never really there anyway).

 

If any of these are present, I may consider a pre-order... Just as if I would buy the game if it was released.

[JimboUK]

I pre ordered Skyrim and New Vegas because I knew I'd be buying them anyway, even if they were crap I'd get a lot of hours from mods. I pre ordered Torchlight II because I was going to buy the first game and I noticed that was free if you pre ordered the sequel, as the sequel was only about £5 more it was a bit of a no brianer. I ordered DA2 because it was made by Bioware, what could possibly go wrong? I got burned there and I've been very wary of it ever since.

[Njorunn]

Thanks for the link - an interesting video.

 

I myself waited for Aliens: Colonial Marines for roughly 3 years, pre-ordered it but luckily cancelled my pre-order (from a retail-store) one day before it got released since apparently some people had already played it and gave it horrible reviews. I consider myself lucky saving those 40 euros for something else. :cool:

 

 

Edit: I reacted when the guy in the video said that "you didn't lose anything - you won" after poiting out in regards to not pre-ordering the game. Sure - we "won" by not spending money on a crappy unfinished game - but we didn't really "win" did we? The game that we so eagerly awaited was ruined - to me that is a loss.

Edited February 16, 2013 by Njorunn

[Vindekarr]

Depends on the game. I pre-order the ones I wouldn't pass up regardless of reviews, ones I'm iffy about I wait. Pre order bonuses CAN sway my opinion however.

 

Halo 4 is a prime example of pre ordering working; I Pre-ordered Halo 4 the day after it was confirmed; I'm a huge Halo fan, I've been playing since Combat Evolved back in 2002, and the trailers looked, from a fans perspective, amazing. Pre order bonuses were also exceptional; a totally unique(and pretty cool) pack of texture sets for the game's standard issue MA5D rifle and your Power armour, early access to all the Specialisations, which though free, would have been inconvenient to download as an add-on. When the game arrived in November, I was anything but disapointed; EB tossed in their own pre-order bonus, the ASSN pack, a unique emblem you can't get any other way, and the game itself far exceeded my expectations.

 

I had gone into Halo 4 with the expectation of an above-average, linear shooter with a solid storyline, decent graphics, and a strong multiplayer. What I got was an exemplary linear shooter with an excellent storyline, very decent graphics, and a excellent multiplayer, combined with the rather cool perk of free, episodic campaign additions every weekend. I felt very content with my decision; the game wasn't cheap, nearly $140, but as both a fan and a gamer, it pushed all the right buttons and I still play it regularly. With the familiar gameplay but some significant improvements, and an end to the poor optimisation issues of Halos past, it remains one of the best games I played last year.

 

Aliens; Colonial Marine is an example of why not. Demos and trailers for the game were exceptional; they painted a picture of Aliens finally getting the game it deserved; excellent graphics, atmosphere and combat, a true triple-AAA big budget shooter. Ignorant to the game's vapourware status however, I pre-ordered. As if mocking me, the pre-order bonus was a S.H.A.R.P. stick. Ha ha ha. Very funny. The Stick may have been sharp but the final product wasn't, I won't waste your time and brain cells re-hashing all the tired complaints and beating this very dead xenomorph, but it was proof that while some times pre-ordering can net you cool goodies for a game you were excited about-see Halo 4; some cool new Aesthetic bits and some convenience features, it can also give you a game you would otherwise have avoided.

 

Overall I still pre-order on a regular basis, although after ACM, I've been making far more thorough research before judging a game pre-order material. I don't however, ever cancel my pre-orders, for the sake of the staff at the local EB store, some of whom I consider friends.

 

As for whether I can be tempted into pre-ordering with proverbial cookies, it really depends on the cookies. Halo 4 would have tempted me if I wasn't already going to; the PRIME and FRST skins, ASSN emblem set, and PRM rifle skin all look absolutely sweet in game. They even picked exactly the right gun to put it on-if you're adding a bonus cookie in the form of a customisation kit, you might aswell make it for the most-used and perhaps most loved gun in the game. The sharp stick is the opposite, it's an under-barrel item, which means to use it, you've got to say goodbye to a weapon that's much much better than it in any situation, making it a pointless addition. At least the skin 343 gave me looks genuinely cool(it's nice, matte charcoal with matte silver circuitry inlay)

[kvnchrist]

I don't pre-order anything. Why have your money setting in areas you can't access when there's so many emerigenices that can arise.

[rizon72]

The last game I pre-ordered was Star Wars: The Old Republic, and that was to be with all my friends at the same time when it went live. Otherwise the last game I pre-ordered was a board game. I rarely do pre-orders as I'll wait until the game comes out, and most cases wait a while for the game to come down in price.

[Illiad86]

I don't pre-order anything. Why have your money setting in areas you can't access when there's so many emerigenices that can arise.

 

Indeed. Maybe not for some, but $50 could mean food or gas for the week for others.

[bben46]

I never preorder or buy when they first come out. I wait at least a couple of weeks to see if it's a loser or if it has some real problems.

[ZeroKing]

I never preorder or buy when they first come out. I wait at least a couple of weeks to see if it's a loser or if it has some real problems.

This!

 

Yup, I usually wait until some poor sapling gets the brunt of the crashes, glitches, and the problems before I make the decision. Thank Sovngarde that I didn't preorder Dragonborn, seems there's still a LOT of bugs to go through, so far. Maybe I should gift the wife a copy on Steam, and let her go through the torture mwahahahaha!

 

The last game I preordered was Mass Effect 2.