Is pre ordering is a terrible idea?
- Thread starter BiscuitTrouser
- Start date
Recommended Videos
I can pre-order a game by a developer I trust, a game that has proven itself through some sort of demo version, or a game that I want to support on principle because of what the developers are trying to do with it.
BioWare used to fall into the trust category, but not so much anymore.
"Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning" is a recent example where there was a demo. No regrets there.
I've lost track of how many games I've purchased in recent years simply because I want to encourage developers to make more games like that. Can't recall being disappointed by the games either.
As for Kickstarter...
I've backed a few projects of type 1 and 3. Type 2 doesn't apply, obviously. The lack of publisher meddling appeals to me as well.
BioWare used to fall into the trust category, but not so much anymore.
"Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning" is a recent example where there was a demo. No regrets there.
I've lost track of how many games I've purchased in recent years simply because I want to encourage developers to make more games like that. Can't recall being disappointed by the games either.
As for Kickstarter...
I've backed a few projects of type 1 and 3. Type 2 doesn't apply, obviously. The lack of publisher meddling appeals to me as well.
I usually pre order my games. But I won't lie, my reasons for doing so have little to nothing to do with the game itself or the premiums I might get for ordering in advance.
I have a Gamestop that I go to. It's "My gamestop" I know the employees there and I like the store. I know that a lot of their performance revue is based on sales metrics and if I can help them out with a reserve sale I will.
Plus there's a bit of leftover fear from my days managing a video store.
I can't tell you how many times our store had a short supply of new release films because nobody pre ordered them.
Whoever was in charge of the ordering would use those reservation numbers to gauge interest in the product.
No reservations means no interest in the movie, which means fewer copies ordered which means less risk of stagnant product on the shelf.
That "logic" bit me right in the ass more than once as everyone and their dog came in to buy a movie we were given 4 copies of 3 of which were reserved.
So yeah I'll usually reserve my games. It doesn't cost me anything extra, it guarantees my copy (barring an unforeseen clerical error,) It lets me pay off my more expensive purchases over time and I get to boost the stats of a store who's management and employees know their shit and run a pretty fine shop.
Everybody wins.
I have a Gamestop that I go to. It's "My gamestop" I know the employees there and I like the store. I know that a lot of their performance revue is based on sales metrics and if I can help them out with a reserve sale I will.
Plus there's a bit of leftover fear from my days managing a video store.
I can't tell you how many times our store had a short supply of new release films because nobody pre ordered them.
Whoever was in charge of the ordering would use those reservation numbers to gauge interest in the product.
No reservations means no interest in the movie, which means fewer copies ordered which means less risk of stagnant product on the shelf.
That "logic" bit me right in the ass more than once as everyone and their dog came in to buy a movie we were given 4 copies of 3 of which were reserved.
So yeah I'll usually reserve my games. It doesn't cost me anything extra, it guarantees my copy (barring an unforeseen clerical error,) It lets me pay off my more expensive purchases over time and I get to boost the stats of a store who's management and employees know their shit and run a pretty fine shop.
Everybody wins.
Right now there are 16 titles featured on Steam (the scrolling images), six of them aren't even released. On Gamestops best seller list there are six games, THREE aren't even released yet.
I think it has gotten out of hand where it is hard to shop for games because of the number of games you can buy now but can't play now.
I think it has gotten out of hand where it is hard to shop for games because of the number of games you can buy now but can't play now.
Honestly I only see pre-ordering as something that helps Gamestop and the companies track how popular a future product will be. The only time it's really necessary to pre-order anything is when the game you're pre-ordering is going to be one of those small games that may end up being insubstantial in the grand scheme of things. If you really want Black Ops 2, it would be downright stupid to pre-order it since you're going to be paying $60+ for it depending on the edition*. If you play the Black Ops 2 waiting game, you'll find that it'll be cheaper to buy later on, more than likely after the holidays when whispers of the next one are starting to hit the interwebs. The only downside is the online multiplayer which could very well have turned into a ghost town in the mean time. Since it's CoD though you probably wouldn't have to worry about it but for a game like Sniper Elite 2 then you may be out of luck in a few months and are looking to join an online game.
Like I said though (tl;dr) if you want a game that will be popular don't pre-order unless you suspect the multiplayer will turn into a graveyard within the first 6 months. If you want a game that you think will fade into obscurity a couple weeks after its release then pre-order.
*=Also special editions, collectors editions, etc. Right now you can grab the Duke Nukem Forever: Balls of Steel edition for under $35 new on Amazon. This is by far the exception rather than the rule. If you're a collector and after these special editions then you are perfectly justified in pre-ordering that. AvP Hunter Edition on the 360 by contrast is $85 and, Halo Reach Legendary and, Skyrims CE are both $99.99 which I think are about what they were upon release...I think.
Like I said though (tl;dr) if you want a game that will be popular don't pre-order unless you suspect the multiplayer will turn into a graveyard within the first 6 months. If you want a game that you think will fade into obscurity a couple weeks after its release then pre-order.
*=Also special editions, collectors editions, etc. Right now you can grab the Duke Nukem Forever: Balls of Steel edition for under $35 new on Amazon. This is by far the exception rather than the rule. If you're a collector and after these special editions then you are perfectly justified in pre-ordering that. AvP Hunter Edition on the 360 by contrast is $85 and, Halo Reach Legendary and, Skyrims CE are both $99.99 which I think are about what they were upon release...I think.
That...depends. I'm actually inclined to argue that things going right is much more rarely noticed and registered.Zachary Amaranth said:
But let me address this point differenly and in a slightly nasty way.
"That's the risk we should each enjoy taking because, with that risk, when you find quality, you remember it forever and cherish it."
Well to that I say. Want to gamble? Try a casino, and stop giving businesses ideas how to take people's money before they even have a product done.
I mainly pre-order just to guarantee that I'll get the game I want on the day it comes out. How is that a bad thing? And if it has a special bonus for those who do pre-order, awesome! Again, what is so bad about that?
I rarely pre-order games. Unless a store gives a very compelling reason such as GOOD exclusive DLC or a discount (usually in the form of a gift card for the store) then I often don't, even on games that I know I'll want. Since I'm a Gamefly subscriber oftentimes I'll add what I want to play early in my queue and they arrive a few days after release. Then I choose to "Keep it" and with discounts and coupons it's not uncommon to get what is essentially a brand new game for around $20 off, which INCLUDES any online pass that the game has.
Like many others, I will never pre-order from Bioware since ME3. I simply do not trust their marketing or PR to the extent that I will take their word for anything.
Generally speaking I would say pre-ordering is not so bad, I normally only do it for games that I really want, or ones from developers that I trust to do a good job (hence why I used to pre-order from Bioware). If I am not anxious to play the game as soon as I can get my hands on it, then I won't pre-order.
Generally speaking I would say pre-ordering is not so bad, I normally only do it for games that I really want, or ones from developers that I trust to do a good job (hence why I used to pre-order from Bioware). If I am not anxious to play the game as soon as I can get my hands on it, then I won't pre-order.
How far in advance are you pre-ordering I don't generally pre order a game until I'm well aware of what the incentives are going to be since I once preordered a game at game stop waaaaay in advance and they only had a standard edition copy for me when the game came out.
I rarely pre-order. The bonus either needs to be really good (e.x. early game access for SWTOR) or if it is my "if you could only buy 1 new game to take to a desert island" (Arkham City last year).
Borderlands 2 is going to be the big test. I know I'll want to play it, but I'm not sure I want to play it NOW and I know I want to play the multiplayer, but I don't know how much it will hold my interest.
Borderlands 2 is going to be the big test. I know I'll want to play it, but I'm not sure I want to play it NOW and I know I want to play the multiplayer, but I don't know how much it will hold my interest.
I pre-order all the time and I've never been disappointed. If you want to be stingy cautious with your money then you don't have to pre-order and can wait for all the user reviews to tell you whether to get it or not.
But it comes at the cost of not being allowed to complain when no game ever tries. If you aren't prepared to financially support a developer that's actually trying then you aren't allowed to complain when they're forced to copy successful games.
But it comes at the cost of not being allowed to complain when no game ever tries. If you aren't prepared to financially support a developer that's actually trying then you aren't allowed to complain when they're forced to copy successful games.
Its unnecessary because usually you get no small chance of finding most mayor games close to release; but its not a terrible idea. You should never preorder without knowing some things about the game. Weeks, months or even years before the game is released, there are trailers, previews in magazines, etc. Before you put your money down for a game, you should at least do some research.
Even on a controlled space, you should be able to see if a game could interest you or not. If you are easily dismissed by publicity and punchlines, I am sure many Hollywood people will have a blast selling you tickets for the latest Sarah Jessica Parker comedy.
And that is not even counting sequels, where you are preordering based on previous games of the series. Those are even more straight forward to identify as part of your tastes, or not.
Even on a controlled space, you should be able to see if a game could interest you or not. If you are easily dismissed by publicity and punchlines, I am sure many Hollywood people will have a blast selling you tickets for the latest Sarah Jessica Parker comedy.
And that is not even counting sequels, where you are preordering based on previous games of the series. Those are even more straight forward to identify as part of your tastes, or not.
I see very little reason to preorder, or even buy a game in its first few weeks of release. On the one hand, DLC and a game of the year edition is inevitable. And on the other, you've got bugs and glitches that will eventually be fixed via software updates in the coming months. I'm playing Skyrim on PS3 and didn't start until about three updates in (four or five months after launch). I've only had it crash maybe two times, had maybe two bugs that required a reloaded save, and no broken unfinishable questlines. Even the framerate and loading issues aren't nearly as bad as they were made out to be pre launch. In that case, I did buy it the week it came out, but only because there was considerable financial incentive to do so (it was nearing Christmas and there were deals).
Again, the last few titles I've wanted immediately seem to have benefits against purchasing them right away. Silent Hill HD had severe problems many review outlets didn't notice at first and apparently Konami is working on them in an update. Same for Downpour. Mass Effect 3 was 50% off at amazon about a month after it came out and I still didn't get it knowing there was going to be a ton of DLC for it. And in the case of every single one of those games I mentioned, I know of no retail store that had permanently run out of copies. There is no scarcity here, so I see no reason to go out of my way for it and risk my hard earned money.
Again, the last few titles I've wanted immediately seem to have benefits against purchasing them right away. Silent Hill HD had severe problems many review outlets didn't notice at first and apparently Konami is working on them in an update. Same for Downpour. Mass Effect 3 was 50% off at amazon about a month after it came out and I still didn't get it knowing there was going to be a ton of DLC for it. And in the case of every single one of those games I mentioned, I know of no retail store that had permanently run out of copies. There is no scarcity here, so I see no reason to go out of my way for it and risk my hard earned money.
That is the problem now a days regardless of pre-orders. If it's hyped up enough, plenty of gamers will take the gamble on it.BiscuitTrouser said:
Personally, I only ever pre-order when the previous title gave me enough entertaining content that I
A - Played it for a really long time.
and
B - Already feel like I got two games for the price of one.
It helps if they don't try such a hard sell on the pre-orders so much that they seem desperate.
LA Noir with all the game content carved out so it could be auctioned off to retailers for pre-order "bonuses" is an excellent example of a game that seemed a little too desperate for pre-orders.
And it's a total racket for the retailer who takes in the money months before they need to use it. One of the reasons Gamestop was pulling in such profits is because they're actually able to convince some people to pay for a game in full nearly a year before it comes out.
its only a bad thing if you aren't careful about it. I'll only pre-order if I know I'd by buying the game regardless of reviews/opinions/how it turns out. games that I'm kinda on the fence about I'll always wait. The other aspect of pre-orders for me is that I'm on a pretty tight budget. usually if i have extra money to spend, it will only be $5 at a time. I am also pretty bad about just hiding money away and saving that way, so with pre-orders i can put that extra $5 in and over the course of a few months, pay for the game.
Last two games I pre-ordered were Skyrim, and SWTOR. I got Skyrim based on the fact that I loved Oblivion, and this was it's sequel, in my book ordering a video game based on its prequels makes sense ( if you liked the prequel) The one time this didn't work in my favor was Fable 2 I loved Fable, still do, didn't care for Fable 2, didn't buy Fable 3... but it was then given to me as a gift. meh what ya gonna do but say "Thank You" right? Anyway, SWTOR I got again because of its "prequels" KOTOR and KOTOR 2 were quite enjoyable, and the storytelling was the major selling point of KOTOR the same way that it was in SWTOR, the only reason I canceled my SWTOR sub is because I don't have the time to be a college student AND play an MMO.
So yeah, I pre-order based on sequels, and sometimes it doesn't work out but most times it does (and lets be honest, if I liked the prequel I'd probably buy the game anyway even if I didn't pre-order it.)
So yeah, I pre-order based on sequels, and sometimes it doesn't work out but most times it does (and lets be honest, if I liked the prequel I'd probably buy the game anyway even if I didn't pre-order it.)
Duh.
The clever thing to do is pre-order moments before 'release' on Steam so that you have enough time to read all the reviews. It's pretty much the only bonus to having to suffer European release dates too; you've had 3 days to hear about player complaints.
The clever thing to do is pre-order moments before 'release' on Steam so that you have enough time to read all the reviews. It's pretty much the only bonus to having to suffer European release dates too; you've had 3 days to hear about player complaints.