"It’s never a good idea to purchase a game on the day of its release. It’s almost always a waste of money, especially if you have an existing backlog to go through (and let’s not kid ourselves—you do!) before you’ll even have an opportunity to play whatever it is you’re buying."
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It's just too dame risky unless you're a huge fan of a franchise or know you'll love the game despite any possible shortcomings.
The best thing to do is read (reliable) reviews and if you're really not sure look for lets play videos, etc, the sheer amount of mediocre titles that get released each year and go on to be successful purely because people are purchasing them before they realise they are utter crap is a astounding IMO.
there are exceptions like always, for games like GTA, GT, Halo, Fallout, COD, Battlefield and so on... you have to know for sure what to expect from them... or mad buying them without knowing anything about them... or just rich.. lol :)
However, the last time I pre-ordered something was during the PS2 era. These days I get everything from bargain bins, sales and discounts because of all the schemes mentioned in the article.
Pre-ordering (much like DLC) isn't bad if you're a diehard fanboy and the game is good, but it's been tarnished in vile ways this gen.
I'll be pre-ordering the PS4 once it's announced and start paying it off, so instead of say $400 at once, I might just pay $100.
I have no idea why anyone would think badly about pre-ordering. Maybe I just don't understand the jist of it.
edit: Ah you mean the store perks and stuff. OK then I agree that it is ridiculous the way these are handeled. Maybe the pre-ordering is not that much ridiculous but the store perks ARE stupid.
SP games can wait unless Amazon is offering a good pre-order deal.
They are the only reason why I would even consider purchasing a next-gen console at all. I'll probably wait some years before purchasing a PS4... after they make a few games for the system.
They are the one dev this gen that created a game that has high-end graphics with substance (bug free, fluid, challenging gameplay & engaging storylines).
My favourite genres are action/adventure, open world TP & FPS and personally IMO, I've played far too many bug ridden messes that have pretty graphics. In almost every case, I have regretted those purchases.
Oh I forgot to mention that, ND are also known to stand behind their work & support their titles for quite a long time. They don't ditch them a couple months after release & move on to something new.
Anyway, your point is taken, you're allow your opinion.
On a side note, I preorder sometimes.
If you are a fan, then buy it.
I think the "tricks" come from marketing and secret things they do. Notice how developers will "hype" up everything, before jumping to something new.
The biggest trick is showing "support" for a title, and then leaving when sales no longer matter. What I mean is they open a facebook, or post on forums, etc... and are constantly engaging fans, constantly updating the game, releasing DLC, taking care of things. Then the game has been out for two months and it ALL suddenly dies. Meanwhile the staff is over hyping up a new FPS title now.
I feel like that with Borderlands 2 at the moment (I'm probably going to get flak for this) especially with the recent attitudes about what's coming in the future, and how quick they are to MMO an FPS yet be slow to release DLC that fans want instead of making a quick $ out of a 90 min expansion. I feel more cheated getting the season pass from Borderlands 2 than I did with Fallout NV since with Fallout I can at least play at my own pace, play offline (I know its offline only but still), and I can go back later if I want; Borderlands 2 on 2nd play through unless you have friends to help there's little to no chance being able to do much since the recent patch basically killed single player for TVHM. The whole Bee Shield nerf wasn't the problem, the problem is once Borderlands 2 loses popularity and someone later wants to play, it's going to take a lot longer to successfully do much of anything outside making up new curse words.
Bottom line is too many companies look at the "Right now; Today" and not enough "down the road."
Edit: If I had it my way, I'd say at least keep a game going for 1-2 years after initial release, and have some sort of legacy website for people who still want an active community with games once they lose popularity, like some type of wiki or at least one/two devs who still actively update players; one pick I'd vote for - 3D Dot game heroes.
OT
Very few times I preorder, regardless of what the sales guys say at the store I can still refuse, and wait till someone else either has a copy to test out or I'll wait till there's some sale that screams "this is as low as it gets." Last game I preordered ended up burning me bad, and ever since unless it's something I really look forward to, they can eat it.
I know one guy who buys on hype, tries very hard to talk me into playing the same thing (rarely works since we play different games), then later regrets his purchase because it's not "as good" as advertised or some game breaking glitch.
Hype a game up for months and delay reviews for the game.
I don't really fall for the hype, even if I participate. As a result, I've rarely bought a game I didn't like. NEVER bought a NEW GAME I didn't like.
Who gets tricked?
Developers are so secretive about the real cost of games and their content, that its actualy daily dealing with these shady manners.
Sounds like bragging but i can safely say i've only had one purchase i regretted through 2012 , and that was Street Fighter X Tekken .
"It’s never a good idea to purchase a game on the day of its release"
You know, unless it's a game you want to play...
Most stores have more than enough copies and the actual pre-ordering isn't necessary really...
There has never been a game that made me buy it based off the pre-order bonuses. Not even one that's pushed me just over the edge. I pre-order games I know I'm going to buy before they announce the pre-order bonuses.
I'm only laughing at the Steam Sales portion of the article because I'm repressing the heartbreak and torrential downpour of tears streaming from my face due to how true that actually is.
:(
1) putting each item in a numbered list on a new page