Pre-Order

This is MY Blog, and this is a blog post, these are MY opinions and experiences. You are NOT required to believe as I do. This is NOT meant to sway your opinions. All I ask is you retain the 'to each their own' mindset and enjoy the read. Thanks!

Pre-order, or not to pre-order: that is the question. It's also a very important question if you ask me. You've probably seen, or heard, or watched many other people who discuss this very same subject, but allow me to throw in my own two cents.

As has been the growing trend, games get put on sale before they are even released, for you: the consumer - to buy and ensure you get your copy right as it releases. Originally I used to love this, it was very convenient to go to a retailer and ask to buy the game now, and have them hold on to it for me so that when it releases I don't have to worry about it being sold out when it gets released. For the most part - I did this for expansions to games I loved. I knew the base game was amazing, and at the time expansions were very good almost all the time. However, that is simply not the case anymore. Expansions are hit and miss, and for the most part... a lot smaller. We have entered the age of Downloadable Content (DLC). Skins, Maps, and expansions Parts 1, and 2.

It's of my opinion, that Pre-ordering was only good for physical retailers, and not digital retailers. There is really no point to it now. There is a very high chance that the digital vendor you are buying from will have more than enough keys for you to buy, especially if that vendor is also the developer, or publisher (or steam). Unlike their physical counter-parts who can't afford to house thousands of copies of one game, so they buy a couple hundred (if that due to the large boxes) and hope that it's just enough. They know it too. To incentivise you they offer bonuses either in-game, or out, that are only available if you pre-order the game. In-game items, small DLC, Soundtracks, early access... whatever they can think of. Most of the time, these bonuses are not worth it at all. But the impulsiveness in you says "I want that! I have to have it!". This in itself wasn't a horrible idea. It'll be the same price, but you get the bonus content for taking a risk, while other players don't. However...

Enter Collector's Edition.

My biggest peeve of the whole thing. Digital Deluxe, Super Digital Deluxe, (Insert even more adjectives here) digital deluxe. Collector's Edition and so on. This is pre-ordering gone out of control, and it's annoying. I think it wouldn't be as bad if these versions were always available, or at least for a limited time after release (like a month or two). So you can decided after the reviews, whether or not it was worth getting. However most publishers make these a timed event. You better buy it now, or you're going to lose out! Don't miss these awesome deals!

Games these days are incredibly hit and miss. Huge series that were awesome suddenly suck, and random independent developers release something awesome. Many indie games suck, and a lot of AAA games do too. That makes pre-ordering a risky business. Especially when you realize the scope of how much money they pour into their games, and how little time they get to make, and refine that game. So they throw in as much junk as possible to get you to give them money to make up that cost, without even knowing if the game is any good. This is a bad practice and has led to such hated relations like me and EA, or me and Ubisoft, or me and Activation. I will not pre-order from any of these companies, ever. Even Mass Effect Andromeda, a series I absolutely adore, will have to wait until I know what it is I'm getting, before they get my money. On top of that. How many games have you purchased, downloaded, and started up only to find that there is something crippling wrong with it. Poor video performance, Network issues, CTD bugs. Pre-ordering games renders you susceptible to these problems, every time. I have decided that patience is definitely a virtue worth practicing when it comes to games. Wait for the game to release and pan out their bugs. Then when you first play the game, it won't be such a ugly experience, that you always look back on it negatively. Maybe, just maybe, they will see how many people are waiting after the game release, and spend more time polishing the game before release. Very unlikely, that... but a man can dream.

Speaking of Mass Effect and Collectors Editions.

Why would a collector who loves games, want an "edition" of the game, which actually has no game included? It really shouldn't be a "Collector's Edition" of the game. It should be "Collector's Paraphernalia" of the game. Just saying, it's miss-leading and I wonder how many bought that, without knowing they don't get the game because it's labeled as 'Collector's Edition'.

Though not specifically labeled as pre-ordering... early access games... How many of you guys buy these, and are still waiting for any of them to finally release. I'm still undecided about the whole thing, many of the early-access games I have are fun, but a few of them have stopped development all together. Ark: Survival Evolved, Grim Dawn, Rust, Kenshi, and The Age of Decadence are the only reasons I'm still on the fence. They have all been positive experiences, but then you have games like Starforge...

Finally, I'm done buying season passes. You're essentially gambling on follow through, and quality, and that you might actually like the DLC in question. At least if you wait for the DLC to come out, you can decide if you like what it adds.

Anyways, those are my opinions. I think pre-ordering has gone too far, and is unnecessary in a digital environment. Wait for reviews. Let's Play(ers) on youtube, and twitch get early access copies of games all the time, and are allowed to upload them to youtube, or stream them. At least give those a watch, so you can see the game in action before you pre-order.

Plus you can get that soft tingly feeling that you get when you know you help people. Because Reviewers and Let's Play(ers) get paid to do these things. So you help create jobs, just by waiting, and seeing.