• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Why do you still pre-order games, especially from companies with poor reputations?

A

andrespi

Member
I only preorder, when there is a game I really want to play at release and there is some kind of discount or bonus.
For example by preordering Skyrim Vr, I spent only 53 euro, instead of 65 and saved 12 euro and will get it at release.

Or I also preorder when there is some really good bonus content. For south park: fractured but whole not only I saved 2 euro (instead of the full price on release day) but I also got the first game for free.

Apart from the above situations, I don't preorder.
 
Northeastmonk

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
I got CoD WW2 this month and that was my budget. I didn't get Battlefront 2. I had the Deluxe Edition for Battlefront 1 digitally preordered. I didn't think I'd want to go through the process of DLC or bust.

I am not sure to be honest. I'm not supporting a lot of developers out there. I get 1 game a month and sometimes 2 if I make more money or there's an app I want.

I want to play the game just like everyone else does. Sometimes that desire gets in the way or doesn't come with the politics it once did. If someone gets to enjoy a review copy for free then I can surely pay for a game and enjoy it.

I'm not spending my money on sports games or games that don't interest me, so there's that.
 
Fuz

Fuz

Banned
The only two games I preordered in the last 10+ years were The Witcher 3 and Overwatch.

And I regret the latter.
 
D

DarkoMaledictus

Tier Whore
Amazon 20% and have money to burn. Just easy to click on the Amazon pre orders for games you know will be great, forget and get them on release date.
 
T

tkalamba

Member
I generally only ever pre-order a game the night before simply to have it installed the next day when I get home from work.

If I buy digital, it's not like I have to worry about a copy not being available for me. I see no reason to pre-order weeks or months ahead.
 
20cent

20cent

Banned
I only pre-order games that I know will be a bit difficult to find post launch-window / in my area like physical ps vita games.

AAA or digital version games? Nonsense.
 
T

Taliban Stan

Member
I don't. It was always sold to me as you pre-order in case games sell out. The only store I've seen stock games that poor on day 1 is Gamestop. I live in an area of the country where the retail landscape is such that Gamestop is never the only place selling video games within a 2-3 mile radius.

Functionally, I've never had a use for it. As companies started tying more and more crap to them, that just turned me off to the notion of pre-ordering more and more on top of me having no functional use for them.

The Amazon thing is worthwhile though. You get a noticeable and significant discount. That makes sense to me at least.
 
S

Sanke__

Member
I will never pre order an EA game again
I thought battlefront 2 was a safe bet since I was one of the few people that liked the first battlefront
I was wrong
Never again
 
W

wolgoen

Member
I only preorder when I’m 99.9% sure the game will appeal to me like Horizon ZD and I’m eager to play it.

I do this so even if there is or is not a pre load I only have to download the day 1 patch and not the game files in order to play. At a time when network servers are getting hammered and download speeds severely reduced.

Additionally, with all the bad press SW BF2 multiplayer is getting right now, strangely enough, I have preordered the game...because I am eagerly awaiting the new single player campaign.

It’s times like these I wish games could divide their single player from the multiplayer and people can choose between one or both to buy.
 
Zog

Zog

Banned
I don't pre-order. Even with Amazon's 20% off I have been disappointed with the game not showing up on release day a few times. In the digital age there is no reason to pre-order anything outside of special editions and I don't have an interest in those anyway. Art books and plastic nick-knacks have no value for me. I don't care about special edition DLC (or any DLC) either. I prefer physical but I won't pre-order just to get a physical copy, often I will buy a used physical copy a few months after release but if I can't get a physical copy (used or new) then I will get a digital copy months after release. Sometimes I can get lucky and find it on sale too.

Pre-ordering just sends the message that you will buy a game before it can be reviewed and that leads to studios releasing broken games in my opinion.
 
Hoya Destroyer

Hoya Destroyer

Member
Generally I wont pre-order any game, because I think its too dangerous to invest that much trust into a product before knowing more about it. Its also too much of a hassle to cancel.
If the pre-order carrot were big enough and I was 100 percent sure was going to by the game anyway (eg. swimsuit costumes for the girls, with DoA6 pre-orders), then I would go ahead with it. That is really the exception to the rule though.
 
delete12345

delete12345

Member
n0razi said:
I think all for profit companies are inherently evil therefore I cannot be dissapointed by any of them
Click to expand...

Shareholders. It's the fault of the shareholders.

Source: Check out the previous Nintendo Q&A sessions, and read those cringey questions in 2014 (2015?) And during the height of the Wii.
 
GreatnessRD

GreatnessRD

Member
Depends. Gaming has fallen so far in my eyes, so I gotta be getting the game automatically if I'm pre-ordering it. And 99% of the time, I pre-order it a day or two before release just so I can get the lame pre-order. I mean, if I'm going to buy it might as well get the "cool" stuff too. But as I said, gaming is so phony now so I don't buy many. Maybe 1 or 2 new games a year for me at this point. Really sad.
 
jadedm17

jadedm17

Member
highrider said:
I think Halo 3 was the last preorder I did. Buying games new is for sapps. Very rarely buy games at launch now, just like consoles it pays to be patient.
Click to expand...

It pays to support games you love, or to enjoy that launch mayhem (namely for shooters) if you ask me. Patience is rewarded absolutely but supporting the industry is largely based on launch day sales ; In that sense I still wish I bought South Park Fractured But Whole to support them day one like I did Stick of Truth, as a message I respected their multiple delayed game because in the end I won as a consumer playing an ultimately better game.
 
N

nyanpire

Neo Member
For one, I do not read reviews on games. I do my own research and that is all it takes to not be disappointed. There was only one game I was ever disappointed by, even though I followed it for years prior to the release: Dead Island. Just no, lol.

This might sound like a weird reason, but I do not have a lot of money to spend on games and my initial thoughts are to not purchase games. I see a 60$ tag and I cannot comprehend it, but I can feel fine slowly paying it off until its only 20 dollars when I pick it up. This is a way to curb my responsibility, lol.

I would love to just buy from Amazon, but seeing 60$ suddenly pulled from my account is too devastating for me. I only purchase a few games a year at best and all the games I want come out next year.
 
D

dezzy8

Member
thedrunkenchild said:
because gaming can be extremely addicting so people get addicted and the prospect of playing a game(and various miniscule bonuses from preorders) become enough for them to justify throwing the full 60$ at companies even before the game is actually complete, because that's how bad they feel they need it, because they're addicted.
Click to expand...
Damn son.

It doesn't make sense to preorder games anymore unless it's something really niche that you know is not going to be produced in great quantities or if Limited Run Games are publishing the physical copy.
 
phant0m

phant0m

Member
Because Best Buy. Between GCU discount and $10 pre order incentive, I’m getting Battlefront II for only $37. Sometimes I’ll end up cancelling if early reviews really aren’t good, but often I can get the game, beat and trade it back for < $20 our of pocket which is worth it to me.
 
N

N1tr0sOx1d3

Given another chance
Only my opinion but I believe the gaming market is oversaturated. Id rather see a rainbow 6 seige model and Hitman model where we get at least a coupke of years put of a product rather than a constant supply of games in a similar vein.
 
amdb00mer

amdb00mer

Member
kb8998 said:
this is a whole new console not a upgrade like the pro was...

if theyre going to compare it to anything compare the numbers to PS4...which sold 250k in the UK first week

Microsoft is full of crap and lies
Click to expand...
Wtf?!? None of that has anything to do with pre-ordering games. This thread is about games not console flame wars.
 
blackanother

blackanother

Neo Member
I don't, but if it's something I'm interested in and want to support, I'll usually pick up Day 1. Isn't final purchases what influence publishers more anyway?
 
JaxBriggs

JaxBriggs

Member
The only game I've pre-ordered over the last few years was Dark Souls III + the season pass, because I thought From Software had a great reputation when it came to quality DLC.

Sadly I feel let down with having paid full price that that DLC as it was quite short and rather average, at least compared to DLC from their previous games.

After that, yeah no more pre-orders from me.
 
Hinedorf

Hinedorf

Banned
In the past year the only preordering I have done is for all Nintendo Switch and Switch-related products. I feel absolutely justified in doing so every time it has Nintendo on it.

And it's funny that you say this. The last non-Nintendo game I preordered was Star Wars Battlefront, and it was such a fantastic full price buy I will likely never purchase another Origin product aside from when my wife suckers me into buying her more sim bullshit expansion items.

The next preorder I'll be making will be for Rock*'s red dead 2. And I likely wont preorder it a month until the actual release as I fully expect it to be delayed 3-4 times. And the only reason I'll do this preorder is because the type of crowds that show up for a midnight release of these games is solid gold entertainment.

If there are 3 companies I would trust with a Preorder, it's Nintendo, Rock*, and Blizzard. Despite the early DRM issues with D3, Blizzard is damn reliable.
 
B

Big0Bear

Member
I stopped doing this. Capcom Burned me too much have finished games full price rest sold later. MvcI was the first marvel game I didn’t buy day one
 
BuddDwyer

BuddDwyer

Neo Member
After Andromeda and Wildlands I stopped doing that. Don't pre-order games, fellas, you're buying a cat in the bag.
 
Pantz

Pantz

Member
You get to play them Day 1.
$60 is not a lot of money.
With GCU, games are only $48.
I don't pre-order games that I would hate.
If for some reason I didn't like a game, there's always ebay (I've never made a bad choice though).

Pre-ordering makes me feel good. I also feel that $60 is too cheap for games now a days. This is why I usually spring for the CE or Gold editions. BTW I usually say I only make $10K per year but this year I only made $9500. Still no problems paying full price for games and having enough money to live off of.
 
Zog

Zog

Banned
FStubbs said:
As a fan of niche Japanese games if I want a physical copy, I have to preorder. There's no way around it.
Click to expand...

Why is that? Is it because everyone else is also pre-ordering and few copies make it to the store shelves?

If people would just stop pre-ordering....
 
R

Redmond Barry

Neo Member
Amazon's 20% discount is the primary reason for me. Even then, I don't really pre-order all that often. When I do, it's because the game in question is something that I am truly craving. When that happens:

-I want the game ASAP

-I want to go in mostly blind, meaning no looking at reviews, be they professional or from consumers. I won't even look at the game's Metacritic score.

-To make sure I'm not duped, I do enough research on the game by checking out interviews, first impressions, and of course gameplay footage.

Now as you might imagine this isn't foolproof. The last game I pre-ordered was The Phantom Pain, so the skimping of content was disappointing to say the least. However, I do not regret my purchase. I still love that game to bits and the gameplay footage that captivated me pre-release ultimately became the compelling gameplay I experienced post-release.

Experiencing the game on my own, getting it right away, and lopping off some money from my purchase. That is why I pre-order once in a blue moon.
 
M

Martinski43

Member
CRUNT said:
You get to play them Day 1.
$60 is not a lot of money.
With GCU, games are only $48.
I don't pre-order games that I would hate.
If for some reason I didn't like a game, there's always ebay (I've never made a bad choice though).

Pre-ordering makes me feel good. I also feel that $60 is too cheap for games now a days. This is why I usually spring for the CE or Gold editions. BTW I usually say I only make $10K per year but this year I only made $9500. Still no problems paying full price for games and having enough money to live off of.
Click to expand...

You are publishers favourite type of person.
 
Susurrus

Susurrus

Member
I rarely do. I preordered Mario Odyssey and Zelda BotW because I knew I'd want them and Nintendo games rarely go on sale or drop in price, so took advantage of the Amazon Prime 20% off preorder.

My Kingdom Hearts III preorder is older than my marriage...

Uncharted Lost Legacy, after playing Uncharted 1-4, pretty much knew what to expect and that I'd want to play it soon after release, so figured may as well get that same 20%.

I'm pretty sure that wraps it up.

I think Final Fantasy XV Deluxe was my only last year's preorder....
 
OldBoyGamer

OldBoyGamer

Banned
I think the only game I've ever actually ore-ordered was YookaLaylee. And that was because I really wanted the Toybox level.

If a game offered me an awesome bit of content that was only available by a pre-order, I think I'd do it again. But it would only work if I pretty much knew I would be buying the game anyway (as I did with YL).
 
B

bitesizedkiran

Neo Member
It's gotten to the point where I hope that every single game that comes out these days sucks beyond belief and is completely broken because I want every single person who preordered the game to suffer. Preordering does nothing but encourage bad business practices. So yeah. If you preorder, you're a moron and nothing can change that.
 
JimboJones

JimboJones

Member
What exactly are we getting angry at here?

Are people saying not to preorder because games can be broken at launch?

Or is it because people are giving GameStop $60 months in advance?

I mean if I know I'm 100% going to be getting a game like Breath of The Wild then preordering on Amazon makes sense, it doesn't cost me anything until it's shipped, usually guarantees the games delivered on release and you can cancel at anytime if any reviews says it's got some horrible flaw.
 
Ancient Gray

Ancient Gray

Member
I only preorder when reviews hit and if there's a good preorder bonus like $10 BB credit. Otherwise it's always been a stupid thing to do. Never had a copy shortage issue in my area.
 
N

NahaNago

Member
I usually just preorder Nintendo and Squareenix and will get the games no matter what the reviews say anyways. So not preordering doesn't really change things for me cause i will get those games day one most of the time. I only went crazy this year with it because of that visa checkout thing.
 
Toni

Toni

Member
The only thing I'd see myself pre-ordering from EA is a good Battlefield game or the next Dragon Age game if done right.

As I'm a complete tool for Dragon Age and love me some DICE multiplayer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

PSA: You can’t pre-order Switch games using your Vouchers if they expire before the game is released
13
1K
bender replied
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Had Highest Physical Pre-Orders in Franchise History
Sales-Age
31
1K
TheDarkPhantom replied
[Insider Gaming] Inside Ubisoft – From Low Morale To Internal Tensions
Game Dev
26
2K
BacklashWave534 replied
Samsung follows Microsoft with a licensed controller for its dedicated Gaming Hub, and pre-orders are already out of stock
21
1K
twilo99 replied
The new game from the makers of Celeste and TowerFall has been delayed
News
10
650
Arsic replied
Top Bottom