Do you preorder anymore

[ElectroJosh]

I only buy about 2 or 3 new titles a year (and a few well-reviewed older titles when steam has a sale). As a result I have to be picky. I used to pre-order quite a bit and was often happy with the games I grabbed (Fallout 3 and Bioshock) but I have also been let down by games that were less than I hoped (Diablo 3 and Crysis 2). As a result I am going to just wait and see with games. What do reviewers say and why do they say it?

For example I am looking forward to Bioshock Infinite. What I am hoping to hear is that the setting is well-realized, the atmosphere is genuinely scary and the plot/characters are interesting - all assuming that it's game-play is not terrible (an FPS doesn't need to be original in the game-play department). If reviewers say that sort of thing about the game I will grab it because that is what I am looking for - even if it has flaws in other areas (can't be gaping ones) I other words; it doesn't need to be the perfect game but it will need to match the promises made by it's marketing/advertising.

 

[Samasson]

I have only ever pre-ordered one game and it was Metal Gear Rising. For me pre-ordering is not really an act of convenience because I have never once seen a game run out on the first day or the first week in my local retailers. Even when pre-ordering was starting to be a big thing. My pre-order of Metal Gear Rising was a sort of impulse buy with an amazon gift card but as I reflected on it and have seen the outrage over the Colonial Marines Debacle I have come to a conclusion about my own pre-ordering in the future.

Specifically pre-ordering is a huge gesture of faith on your part directed at the developer. Because really there is generally no way to be certain how a game is going to turn out. But for myself, I have a lot of faith in Kojima Productions and their development choices so my act of pre-ordering Rising was really just an expression of that. And like I said its not like my retailers ever run out of products so pre-ordering is in a way just an act of faith on the consumers part that evokes a feeling of reverence for a developer or product. Just my perspective though.

 

[Weaver]

I basically don't, unless I've played a demo beforehand AND require the game on launch day. Usually, I'm patient enough to just wait for deep discounts and reviews.

 

[Dryk]

I rarely buy physical games anymore, I have no need to preorder.

 

[Blunderboy]

Now and then.
Mostly only when I know I'm going to love the game (Rome 2 Total War) and I can make a saving by pre-ordering.

 

[Silvianoshei]

No, never. I used to when places used to run out of copies of games on day 1, but no longer.

Definitely not a digital release. Seems pointless.

 

[cora mcstrap]

I pre-order games that i was going to buy no matter what. for example I've pre-ordered Heart if the swarm, The new Longest Journey game (through the kickstarter) and i intend to pre-order the next Dragon Age game as soon as the Pre-order bonus are released. If i'm interested but not definite on a game i wait till the price comes down for example Skyrim

 

[Legion]

For games that I know I am definitely going to want to play, then yes.

I have pre-ordered the next part of Starcraft 2 and Bioshock Infinite. The former because I love RTS games, and I loved SC2, so it's not likely I am going to dislike what is basically a new campaign for it. I love the Bioshock series, and love everything I have seen of Infinite, I know I will get it, so may as well get the bonus from pre-ordering.

I have "pre-ordered" Skull Girls for the PC, but that's because the Indiegogo (a Kickstarter like thing) is running out soon and I wanted to contribute to it.

What I won't do is pre-order on a developers reputation any more. I had concerns over Dragon Age 2 and Mass Effect 3 before they were released, but ignored them because I thought "This is Bioware, they know what they are doing". If I see anything that may make me question getting the game for any reason, I will hold on until I see more of it, and make a decision then.

That said, I don't buy that many games anyway. Most of them are sequels to games that I like, so the chances of me getting them are highly likely as it is.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Another factor is the dev, I don't usually get into the "politics" of gaming. If EA releases something I like the look of, I will be more inclined to pre order. And the other hand indie and little known devs are a detractor, as I don't know what they're like (like Bethesda are known for being buggy but grand scale).

I'm almost the opposite. I don't really pre-order stuff much, or even buy stuff at launch for full price, but I am much more likely to support a small studio or random indie dev team who's trying something unusual and interesting because they're trying something different than I am to just throw more money at someone like EA for yet another AAA game. I do some research and don't just give money away indiscriminately, but because to some extent I value new experiences over fancy, big budget ones, I figure the guys who don't even have a publisher who are trying something new probably need my support a little bit more. Different tastes for different people, I suppose. And then I go play some of the AAA stuff later when it goes on sale anyway. Heh.

 

[Alfador_VII]

Yes, but less than before

I used to pre-order almost everything I was interested in on Steam, then got a couple of things I was a bit disappointed in. Now I only order stuff that's got a really good pre-order bonus, and even then I try to leave it as late as possible to try to check out previews or early reviews.

 

[Dryk]

Yes, but less than before

I used to pre-order almost everything I was interested in on Steam, then got a couple of things I was a bit disappointed in. Now I only order stuff that's got a really good pre-order bonus, and even then I try to leave it as late as possible to try to check out previews or early reviews.

Also the later you leave it the longer you keep the money, for no change in product.

 

[lunavixen]

I've never been disappointed with games i've preordered, i'm careful with what i do preorder I don't have any games on preorder at the moment because Tomb Raider is out =D, with games being so expensive here preordering a game i really want is one of the only ways i can get it because i can pay it off little by little without having to wait for it to really drop in price which can take a long time.

 

[Penguinis Weirdus]

I generally won't, unless I like the other products that the dev releases, or know that their past catalogue is generally of high quality or I get access to pre-release game such as ARMA 3 or Kerbal Space Program

 

[Fappy]

Not nearly as much as I used to.

I only ever pre-order games I know I'll love in advance.

 

[Fasckira]

Yes.

If I preorder a game from Blockbuster down the road, they'll knock £10-15 off the shelf price. I'm guaranteed getting it release-day with no download times and I get to share some banter with the guys who work there.

Admittedly if I lived further away from Blockbuster (point of mention, its closing down soon too ) I'd not bother. I dont have a strong desire to play any game the very day it comes out, as for me the benefit lies in a discounted price.

 

[synobal]

Nope, never have never will. I buy all my games digitally, what are they gonna do run out of copies? Seems pretty pointless to me. I'd rather not throw my money at a blackhole.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Almost everything that I want to buy is mainstream enough that I can find it just about anywhere that sells games. The only exception so far is Warriors Orochi 3 for the Wii U but that's what Amazon is for. I would like to pre-order but I just don't see the need. Granted I was close to pre-ordering Lego City Undercover from my work but that's only because you get a free lego pack of the main character...

 

[Quellist]

Yes but only if the developer/publisher has previously earned my faith. That includes Kickstarter too, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns, Project Eternity and now Torment:Tides of Numenera, converserly i'm bloody glad i didnt put any faith in Star Command as that still looks like vapourwear to me

 

[Combustion Kevin]

not unless I've found some good previews by credible sources, like TB or AngryJoe (except colonial marines, but noone saw that wreck before it pulled in the station).

I've not regretted any preorders I've made, but then I made very few, War of the Roses, XCOM and Skyrim come to mind, but not much else and I enjoyed these extensively.

 

[omega 616]

Another factor is the dev, I don't usually get into the "politics" of gaming. If EA releases something I like the look of, I will be more inclined to pre order. And the other hand indie and little known devs are a detractor, as I don't know what they're like (like Bethesda are known for being buggy but grand scale).

I'm almost the opposite. I don't really pre-order stuff much, or even buy stuff at launch for full price, but I am much more likely to support a small studio or random indie dev team who's trying something unusual and interesting because they're trying something different than I am to just throw more money at someone like EA for yet another AAA game. I do some research and don't just give money away indiscriminately, but because to some extent I value new experiences over fancy, big budget ones, I figure the guys who don't even have a publisher who are trying something new probably need my support a little bit more. Different tastes for different people, I suppose. And then I go play some of the AAA stuff later when it goes on sale anyway. Heh.

I'll buy and play indie games... Off the top of my head I bought spaz before release. I got a good number of indies from paying a respectable amount on a (charity thing, that I can't for the life of me remember the name of.... You know the one where you pay as much as you want and you can choose who gets what portion of your donation).

I am just less inclined to do so. I know AAA studios have a better production chance cos of there bankroll, indies don't always have the cash to sort glitches/bugs. I know there isn't a 100% true fact, as many AAA games have plenty of problems.

EDIT : humble bundle is what I was thinking of