Poll: Do you still pre-order games?

[Spanglish Guy]

So do you still pre-order games? I wanted to know whether anybody here still does or not and just see what all your opinions are as to why.

In my case, I used to pre order a fair bit, mainly when I was back on the console. I think I bought too much into the hype back then even though I knew I shouldn't. I think I pre ordered about 50% of all my console games, which is a bit much now that I look back.

These days I never pre-order unless reviews are out and I can be absolutely sure that the game is worth it and even then I rarely will actually go and do it. What helped with my decision to stop was just how games are more frequently being released buggy or broken and the level of trust I have with publishers and game developers is just too low, and that's without even mentioning all the bad ports we get on pc. The real turning point though was when I pre-ordered Aliens: Colonial Marines (and we all know how that game turned out) and I wasn't even particularly hyped for it, I just wanted a good Aliens game.

I think since then I have only pre-ordered two games, one of them being Pokemon OR because Nintendo seem to be a pretty safe bet.

Sorry if this seems incoherent or whatever, I just finished writing up a rather tedious essay so my brain has melted a bit.

Anyway that's enough of my rambling.

 

[Zontar]

Last game I pre-ordered was Halo: Reach, and that was due to the fact that 1) I was buying it day one anyway, and 2) it was 5$ off if I did so (I got it when I got my pre-order of HALO 3: ODST, which itself I pre-ordered due to the fact that Halo 3 sold out where I lived). After that I never saw a need to pre-order, and the industry shenanigans in the years since has never made me look back.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

I used to pre-order most games, back when I was in like middle school and high school, because the retail stores in my area would often run out of copies whenever a popular game was released. Good luck getting a copy of Goldeneye 64 in my area without a pre-order; I didn't have one, and it took me around a month to find a copy.

These days that's not really an issue. Between digital distribution and online retailers, I doubt any major release is going to be completely unobtainable like back in the day.

Besides, back then, pre-ordering meant putting $5 down toward the price of your game upon release day (and maybe even getting a t-shirt or some other kind of promo item). If you decided that you didn't want the game you were only at a loss of $5 (and still got to keep any promo stuff that came with the pre-order). You could put down the $5 to guarantee yourself a copy, wait a day after release to get a feel for the game's reception, then decide whether to pick it up too (since most stores held the reserved games for a week or two before putting them on the shelves). These days, tough luck, you're out the full price of the game.

So no... I don't pre-order anymore. It's shady as fuck these days. On the off chance that a game comes with a pre-order bonus that looks interesting, I'd rather just wait until a month or two after release to get it when they inevitably release it as paid DLC to milk more money since that has the lower risk of me wasting my money.

 

[Prince of Ales]

Only if I've got some proper information before release. I mean if I was in a closed beta for a game and I happened to like it then yes, sure, I'd pre-order it. If a game's been given the hush-hush before release, and there's basically no information out there, then you're an absolute fool to pre-order it. It's not rocket science.

 

[Evonisia]

I'd say about as often as I always have. Most games I get tend to be new that have just dropped in price (especially when second hand), so the few games I actually want to get day one will be pre-ordered because I'm lazy like that. I usually only pre-order the games I really want as a result. Black Ops II, Gears of War: Judgment, perhaps even Halo 4 because the intent was to be masochistic, all worth the pre-order. Of course it annoys me that they put in little incentives that don't mean anything. Nuketown 2025 was a free map anyway, and was eventually included in a patch for the dumb dumbs who didn't download it. The Classic Hammerburst can be used in Overrun mode if you play a Kantus.

Even the Master Chief Collection (my latest pre-order) was worth it because the singleplayer was what I wanted and I had no troubles until Halo 4 which was what a good 13 hours into my experience? And even then it just required a restart of my Xbox One and the rest of Halo 4 ran smooth enough.

 

[Aesir23]

I still pre-order games but only if I'm absolutely sure about a game, I trust the developer, and the game is going to be a Day 1/Week 1 purchase anyway. Oh, and if the bonuses appeal to me.

So far it's an approach that hasn't failed me.

 

[Michel Henzel]

I don't Pre-order anymore, and have not done for years. I see no point in doing so. I have no problems in waiting for the game to go on sale or come out with a "Complete" edition with all DLC included.

 

[Vendor-Lazarus]

I've never pre-ordered. In fact, I've never even bought a game at launch.
The hype-train has also largely passed me by though you could say that I've been excited about certain games.

I usually go into a store and see what looks exciting although that has become harder and harder today, what with everything requiring Online Activation and the diminished number of games and stores available IRL today.

*puts on The Glasses*
It was a lot better between '95 and '05 in certain respects.
Better games, better DRM, better ..stuff.
*Wipes Glasses*

Captcha: Cold Comfort...Are you calling me old Captcha??

 

[StriderShinryu]

I don't pre-order everything I buy but, if I know I'm going to be buying something at release anyway, I definitely still pre-order. Sometimes it's because there's a legitimate chance that the game I want won't be available any more by the time I get to the store and sometimes it's just because I know I'll be spending that money on that day anyway. I will say that I rarely pre-order based on pre-order incentives though. In fact, sometimes I don't even bother using the codes, items, etc. that I get.

 

[Corven]

Amnesia a machine for pigs was the last game I pre-ordered, The end product burned me so bad that I've sworn of pre-orders from now on.

 

[tippy2k2]

I do the same thing I did back in the day with pre-orders...

If I'm given a compelling enough reason, I have no problem with it.

Now the compelling reason is up for debate but there are two games I pre-ordered in 2014 (Madden 15 and CoD: AW if you were wondering). Both games are games that gave me $20 back from Best Buy (one $10 off instantly and one $10 off Reward Zone GC to use later). Both games also allowed me to trade in the old editions for an extra $10 off, knocking both games down to $30 a piece.

Usually it takes money off like that for me to take a chance on a pre-order. Extra bells and whistles like free skins, guns, extra power-ups, etc. are nice but they are never a good enough reason to me to pre-order a game. I need either cold hard cash back or something REALLY cool (like Telltale's Walking Dead came with Compendium #1) to get me to risk a pre-order.

 

[CommanderZx2]

I very rarely pre-order games now a days, but there is the occasional game from a developer I trust. Like I will pre-order something from Sugergiant Games, Valve, CD Projekt Red and a few others.

 

[Remus]

If I was a part of a beta for a game I was looking forward to, sure I might preorder, and even get the deluxe edition for whatever bonus content is included. But for most other games, nah.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

If I'm buying a game day one anyway then there isn't a reason not to pre-order it. Plus, special editions have limited copies.

 

[Squilookle]

No. The whole idea is a shameful cash-grab to ensure straight-out-of-the-gate sales, which is in itself a horrible, horrible system by which to measure a game's popularity and therefore what all other games should copy and help stagnate the whole industry further with.

Yep. I have pretty strong feelings about this area..

 

[vledleR]

Never. I'm pretty frugal, and a game is one of the last things I'd make a pre payment on.

I've never had a problem buying a game day one, and the added bonuses from pre orders are pretty empty. You either get free in-game skins, weapons or other useless content, or you're given a special deal for some retailer where you "save money" by spending money.

 

[Rebel_Raven]

I generally loathe to, but I did pre-order a few games in my long gaming time. Notably Skyrim, Saints Row 3 (I think.. I at least got the special edition with the head phones.) and lately, Dragonball Xenoverse.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I haven't pre-ordered a game in years. I got turned of the practice when I once pre-ordered a game that sounded like everything I could've asked for in a PC RPG, but after many many delays what actually arrived was absolute garbage that wasn't anything like what was promised. And that was before this whole thing of pre-order bonuses and games that are released in a buggy unfinished state was a huge thing, now that it has I have even less reason to want to pre-order anything. Like hell if I'm going to contribute to that nonsense.

 

[Nazulu]

Not anymore. I'm not entirely against it yet, but I'm slowly getting there.

My main problem now is what you get with these specials and what you might not know before you get it. The last game I pre-ordered was Starcraft 2, but I canceled it when I learnt that Battle.net might be a big pain in the ass, and for some it definitely was. And Evolution is the other extreme, offering people to skip some challenges or save time or whatever when they might as well not have put the stupid progression system in the first place, and I don't put money into anything that offers ridiculous micro-transactions either, so there is that reason too.

 

[Hero of Lime]

Only if I get something cool out of preordering like a figure, poster, or some other tangible thing. Which does not happen much, so it's kinda rare for me to do so nowadays. I would have preordered the Majora's Mask limited edition had they not sold out in most places. Though I may still try a local Gamestop or two sometime to check.