Matt's Rantbox: Game Pre-Orders

Or: I’ll Just Buy it When it Comes Out, Jeez

If any of you have walked into a Gamestop or a Best Buy (or really just about any store that sells video games) in the last couple years, you’ve probably noticed that they really want you to pre-order your video games. Gamestop is probably the biggest offender here, but certainly the reaches of this “pre-order phenomenon” can even be seen with online retailers like Steam offering up discounts and other incentives for those that pre-order.

The last time I pre-ordered a game was the recent Brutal Legend, but only for one reason. I already knew that I was going to be paying full price for the game (rather than waiting for a used copy, or a sale) and I figured I might as well get the Tenacious D in-game guitar that Gamestop offered for those who reserved the game. Now this I don’t mind so much, because the guitar is a completely cosmetic change to the game, and it’s a nice touch, but it in no way adds or subtracts from the overall game.

Let’s look at another superb game released this year with pre-order incentives, Batman: Arkham Asylum. For those of you who missed the bus ads, the in-store posters and the (kind of obnoxious) TV Spots, Gamespot offered a free downloadable map/ game mode for those who reserved the game. This, in my opinion isn’t too bad, but it’s still pretty offensive. It doesn’t detract from the game if you don’t get this bonus, but if you don’t have it, I personally tend to feel like there’s just a little something missing.

For me, though, the biggest complaint with these pre-orders is just how much they push the down your throat. Every time you go into a Gamestop, they’ll have at least an entire rack dedicated solely to pre-orders, and they’ll always ask you if you’d like to pre-order something. The main reason that these stores push these game pre-orders (and offer incentives) is because they want to get an idea of how many games they should order, that way they don’t order too many games, and have leftover stock. A second reason is that they want to make sure that you’re going to be buying the game at their store, regardless of what other offers end up coming up at other stores.

What perplexes me, though, is when online retailers offer pre-order offers. Obviously, it helps to assure that the online retailer is getting your money, but as for the other reason, they have no need to predict how many copies they have to order. Lets take a look at Valve’s Left 4 Dead 2. Currently, you can pre-order the game off of Steam and save 5 dollars, and you also got early access to the demo. Now, wait a minute, why would you need early access to the demo? You already own the game, isn’t the point of a demo to try to convince someone to buy a game?

All in all, I guess what I’m trying to say is that pre-orders aren’t that annoying in and of themselves, but the sheer amount of ads for pre-orders is staggering. If I want to get a game, I will buy the god damn game, you don’t need to try and get me to reserve it. If I don’t want to buy the game, no amount of per-order bonuses is going to make me.

Anyway, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS, OKAY?