Jimquisition: The Poison of Pre-Order Culture

[Blood Brain Barrier]

This is bollocks Jim. Hate pre-orders all you like (I do) but you cannot argue with the claims that its existence offers more choice. Let's say I'm a mother of a 16 year old boy who I know wants a game which is coming out in 2 months. It's a perfect birthday present, so as a mother I'm delighted getting him the game on pre-order, which I wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. The kid loves the present too, even though he knows he has to wait. What exactly is wrong with that? If only those that don't like to preorder (including myself) and those that do will only go their respective ways, do their thing, and keep to themselves, it would be a perfect world. As it is, pre-order does me no harm - I'll wait until the reviews and if it looks shitty, I won't buy it. But I'm not going to rail against those that might find some-use for pre-ordering shit.

 

[Alfredo Jones]

The only games I preorder nowadays are Nintendo games and ones from small companies like the ones Jim mentioned. Those things rarely come with preorder bonuses and when they do it is usually something small and insignificant like a poster, keychain, or an in-game costume pack that doesn't really affect the actual game. The best you can expect from preordering games like those are free upgrades to the limited edition which, depending on what is included with the limited edition, the best sort of deal.

 

[EeviStev]

*Stuff right above this post*

What is wrong with that is you're part of everything Jim said in his video. You're also wrong about it not hurting you; it's because people pre-order that companies get money for making crap games, then use it to make more crap games. You are enabling the companies to hold great chunks of game hostage in return for a premium price for a product of uncertain quality. This affects you, all gamers, and the AAA game industry.

Here's an alternative for that one specific scenario you suggested: Give the kid a gift voucher for the value of a new game, and educate him on how toxic pre-orders are to the industry. Use this video for reference. Just don't freaking pre-order anything.

 

[vagabondwillsmile]

snip

I loved the mention of NISA and Atlus, funny enough the only pre-orders I have right now are for Fairy Fencer and Ar Nosurge (the special edition from NISA's store).
Funny enough one's 75% and the other is 50% stock remaining, both several months before the game even releases.

I've always been a sucker for the niche Japanese titles, also loved your article on the first Neptunia when it was announced, that special edition is one of the rarest games out there now (stares at the box).

Yah I liked that too. I will definitely continue to pre-order from Atlus. Because Atlus bloody well knows how to do special editions. Catherine is one of the best special editions I've ever seen. They are among the few that are so good about bringing the kind of SE and DE goodness frequently seen in Japan over here to the U.S. Also XSeed. I love me some XSeed.

 

[Nurb]

IGN is in employ of the major publishers.

And why do I keep getting a bunch of captchas that keep asking me if I'm going to move, when I've moved last, have I ever moved for employment, etc?

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

*Stuff right above this post*

What is wrong with that is you're part of everything Jim said in his video. You're also wrong about it not hurting you; it's because people pre-order that companies get money for making crap games, then use it to make more crap games. You are enabling the companies to hold great chunks of game hostage in return for a premium price for a product of uncertain quality. This affects you, all gamers, and the AAA game industry.

Here's an alternative for that one specific scenario you suggested: Give the kid a gift voucher for the value of a new game, and educate him on how toxic pre-orders are to the industry. Use this video for reference. Just don't freaking pre-order anything.

People have been buying crap games since the dawn of gaming. You really think things will change if the chance to pre-order disappears? If people don't learn from pre-ordering a game that turns out to be crap and do it again and again, they won't learn to stop buying shitty games "of uncertain quality" full stop. The marketers will always target the ignorant who don't know better. That is a huge segment of the gaming market, always will be.

 

[ender1986]

Yes, yes, funny impersonation and lots of fucks and maybe a twat or two thrown in, don't remember. Let's not forget that Mr. Sterling was on the tip of the spear when it came to MS attempting to go all digital. A number of us desperately want to go all digital, stick these pre-order bullshit offers right up Best Buy and Gamestop's ass, but the collective entitled (yes, entitled, I know how Sterling-ites feel about that word) gaming public rabbled and roused. "Meeeehhh I want to be able to sell back my game that I paid 60 dollars for back to Gamestop for 5 dollars. Meeeehhh I don't want to be online all the time, regardless of the fact I'm constantly fucking connected 99% of the time anyway."

My point being, there's a lot of talk going on here, but very little action.

Call the waaaambulance.

 

[joshuaayt]

I seriously don't understand what the intention is here.

Option 1: Buy the game now, play the content immediately on release, risk paying for a shitty product without knowing.

Option 2: Buy the game after it's out, get to watch some reviews first, wait for some really cool content other people are playing immediately.

Option 3: Get the game for free, get to check some reviews for the game you're not even going to pay for, play the content immediately on release.

Surely publishers want to limit the reasons to go with option 3, so suckers like me who actually buy the game have the best product?

 

[TKretts3]

I was hyped for Alien: Isolation. Now I just feel the sad. I thought the developers cared more about the franchise and its fans than they did, but no, they just dressed up their greed in a little cosplay show. Come suck my xenomorph lollipop, it's right here in my pants. Mmm, suck it good. You want it, don't you? Yeees.

Huh?
What exactly are you basing this off of? How does the fact that it's up for pre-order with a pre-order bonus in any way indicate quality? Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Bioshock Infinite,a nd Civilization 5 (And it's expansions) were all up for pre-order and they were all great. The quality of the game determines the quality of the game, a pre-order is just an option risk that somebody can make when deciding to buy the game. If you don't want to pre-order, then don't - wait until the game comes out and see for yourself what it's like.

Hating a game because it's up for pre-order - or because an internet commentator yelled at you to - is just silly.

 

[Gunner 51]

Swing and a miss, Jim. You let your emotion override your common sense here.

Alien: Isolation was always about the daughter of Ellen Ripley. The original Nostromo crew from the first film are an extra, we all know that most of them are dead - so including them in the game is something of a foregone conclusion. Upon that note, almost everyone knows what happened to them (gamers or otherwise.) So, it's really not the greatest injustice in the world to exclude them from this new game as you make it out to be.

You reedeemed your arguement to a degree when you railed against pre-orders and pre-order bonuses. I'll agree with you there. Though I don't really blame a games developer for having them in the game, especially when they are put in there at the behest of greedy publishers. I'll agree that they serve absolutely no point for the common gamer.

But that ending... You had a serious point and when you started to act like a spoilt toddler who didn't get his way - you undermined your own argument. What serious minded games developer or publisher is going to want to listen to that? Do you think that would actually change their minds or perspectives when dealing with the issue of pre-orders?

Ultimately, you were right to tell people not to buy pre-orders. But then again, it is common knowledge that pre-orders only serve to hinder gamers from getting a full game. So I suppose there's that.

 

[SweetWarmIce]

I used to pre-order quite regularly because you did get some nice things like art-books and the making of DVD. Now it's mostly pointless stuff that they offer. Though I never did understand pre-ordering when the game is first announced, I thought that was silly.

In the last two years I've pre-ordered StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm, Witcher 3, Sacred 3, Risen 3 and Destiny. StarCraft 2: HOS for the art book, Witcher 3 for the discount, Risen and Sacred are niche titles and I want to support them and Destiny for beta access.

 

[Kahohess]

Maybe, if they want us to pre-order we should start to pre-review (and not preview ) their games, maybe having their big AAA game lowered to a 2/10 on gaming sites 5 months before it's release will make them think twice.

 

[DementedSheep]

I don't preorder and I don't buy day 1. I'm never hyped enough about a game that I feel the need to play it the week it comes out or without looking at gameplay that isn't provided by the developers/publishers and reviews. There aren't any developers at the moment who I trust and have a desire to support either.

The times I'm actually tempted to preorder is when I want to go whole hog and get a collectors edition (which actually are in limited amounts because they have physical items) for the concept art book (I love these and a digital art book isn't quite the same), figurines, soundtracks and the making of. If it's preorder bonus that is in game and more than a few skins all it dose is turn me off. It feels like I'm being strong armed into pre-ordering to get a complete game. It is more likely to make me go "actually I'll just wait for the complete edition" and push me into buying it later than I might have otherwise to get the "full" experience. If they don't release a complete edition it just makes me less likely to bother buying it at all because any hype I had for the game will have died down by that point. DLC I don't have an issue with unless it's stuff that really should have been in the game and/or is overpriced but it dose the same thing.

 

[Vault101]

I only pre-order if I get physical stuff....Bioshock Infinite was totally worth it, that said it was still a risk on my part..a risk I was willing to make

aside from that theres really no need...

 

[Mangue Surfer]

"Wait for the reviews"

Now we are solving a little problem with a big one.

 

[Idlemessiah]

I stopped pre-ordering after Rome 2. The thing that burns most is that you can now buy the pre-order exclusive DLC. After a week struggling with it I went back to the original.

 

[Eve Charm]

I get the hate from gamestop but lets give them a little credit here with helping games get published/brought over.

They are the reason you can actually purchase a physical copy of one piece romance dawn, ultimate for the vita, Hakuoki for the ps3, and a lot of other titles that would never had made a physical printing.

And for someone like me that a big part of "Owning" a game is having a box and a cart or disc on my shelf, I have an alright game I own instead of a game I'd never play cause screw 40-60 bucks on an digital release ;p

and ya they are a bit of a reason why if you want a copy of Xenoblade chronicles or metriod prime trilogy, they aren't 120-150 bucks on ebay when you can walk into any store and pick it up for 40 bucks.

They've humbled up lately since their days of pricing MVC2 for 90 bucks used ;p

 

[Dragonbums]

At this point, the only time I preorder games is for Pokemon. You ALWAYS know what your gonna get.

Actually I would say that preordering Nintendo games is the safest thing you can do. You hardly if ever get scammed.

In the UK Nintendo first party stuff jumps up in price considerably after launch at times to, particularly if it's a bit more niche than the latest 3D mario.

Also any Nintendo limited edition thing is almost always actually limited and will require ebay trips to get later.

Huh.

Here in the states we don't have a price jump. Most Used Nintendo games just stay pretty close to the original price because nobody really trades them in, and the ones that are have high value.

The niche ones tend to be the ones with the highest prices. My goodness the prices for Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky on Amazon is something to behold. People apparently want to keep this game with them to the grave.

 

[The White Hunter]

At this point, the only time I preorder games is for Pokemon. You ALWAYS know what your gonna get.

Actually I would say that preordering Nintendo games is the safest thing you can do. You hardly if ever get scammed.

In the UK Nintendo first party stuff jumps up in price considerably after launch at times to, particularly if it's a bit more niche than the latest 3D mario.

Also any Nintendo limited edition thing is almost always actually limited and will require ebay trips to get later.

Huh.

Here in the states we don't have a price jump. Most Used Nintendo games just stay pretty close to the original price because nobody really trades them in, and the ones that are have high value.

The niche ones tend to be the ones with the highest prices. My goodness the prices for Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky on Amazon is something to behold. People apparently want to keep this game with them to the grave.

It's definitely more profound in the niche titles. Finding things like Fire Emblem Awakening for less than £40 can sometimes be a chore, though that may be a poor example. Some of the kirby stuff does the same thing.

It's more like I can pre-order it for £30-£35 then after it's £40+. Very strange.

 

[C14N]

I dunno. I mean pre-orders are bad and it makes no sense to get them, but it's hard to get mad about it when it's just so avoidable.