The 5 best (and worst) game preorder trends

The preorder has long been a staple of the video game retail industry, and with good reason. You get a customer to purchase a game ahead of its release in return for a small trinket. The hope is that buyer will keep coming back to the store, and in turn the store can provide more accurate supply numbers to the publisher and thus ensure an adequate stock. It's also been a great way for retailers to sit on that cash long before ever handing over the product.

What has made this more interesting over the years is how far some retailers and game publishers have gone to get people to come to them, and them only. This arms race has lead to some great, and some not-so-great, trends in preorder goodies. Here are five of the best and five of the worst in the last couple of years.

The best

1. Getting the game before its release date

What is easily the holy grail of preorder goodies is getting the game ahead of its official street date. Very few games have ever done this intentionally, though. This usually happens only when a retailer mistakenly sells the title without knowing there's a specific release date, or when games are shipped by mail and the snafu is committed by the shipping company.

In the case of Call of Duty: World at War, which was released last November, GameStop sold the title a day ahead of its official release to those who had preordered it. According to Planet Xbox 360, the game retailer went directly to FedEx's shipping facilities to pick up the game ahead of its slated delivery time.

Also, customers who prebought Mythic Entertainment's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning got to build their characters and start playing on the game's servers four days before the game launched--if they bought the collector's edition, while preorderers of the standard edition got a two day head start. The same went for those who preordered Pirates of the Burning Sea, who got to start playing the MMO 15 days ahead of people who simply bought it on its release day.

2. Free games

Coming up just short of getting the new game early is publishers who offer a copy of one of their previous titles free of charge. That was the case for Rockstar games, which through Valve's Steam online game store gave PC gamers who preordered Grand Theft Auto 4 a free copy of GTA: Vice City, a title from earlier in the GTA series.

Preorderers of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts on Xbox 360 got a free code for the original Banjo-Kazooie game on XBOX Live Arcade a whole two weeks before it was officially released to other gamers.

Lionhead studios gave preorderers of the Xbox 360 version of Fable 2 a free (normally $10) Xbox Live Arcade title that let them play some of the title's in-game minigames ahead of the release, as well as put any gold they earned to use in the game once they got it.

Earlier notables include: Preorderers of Red Alert 3 getting a free Red Alert 2 download, and the Zelda: Ocarina of Time disc that came with the Zelda Wind Waker for Gamecube, which had been one of the top games of the year four years prior. Nintendo went through the effort of porting it from the previous generation's system to the GameCube, as well as throwing in a more difficult variation of the game that had previously been unreleased in the U.S. just for those buyers. Now that's cool.

3. Getting the "better" edition of the game, free of charge

The "limited" editions of games almost always cost more, and come with a few extra goodies like a download code from extra in-game content, or a spiffy case with things like concept art books and soundtrack CDs.

This time last year, Ubisoft surprised gamers who had preordered the latest Prince of Persia game with a free upgrade to the limited edition, which featured a making-of featurette, digital art book, and the soundtrack. It certainly wasn't as lavish as some other limited-edition packages, but it was free.

Developer Arksys did the same thing earlier this year with its 2D fighter BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger. Prebuyers who purchased the normal game ahead of time got upgraded to the limited-edition free of charge, which included a video strategy guide and two-disc soundtrack with close to 50 tracks.

Those who preordered Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin for the Nintendo DS got a slew of goodies as part of the upgrde to the 20th anniversary edition.

(Credit: Konami)

Other games that have gotten at least the freebie soundtrack include Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (which also came with an extra Nintendo DS stylus, art book, and game case), Demon's Souls, Persona, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Legacy of Ys I & II, and Chrono-Trigger.

4. Playing with the developer

Developers of multiplayer titles often hop online to play with folks who buy their games in the first few weeks after launch. But Mikey Neumann, who is Gearbox's creative director, went one step further to promote the studio's upcoming Borderlands game. Neumann tweeted that he would give any fans who sent a photo of themselves preordering the title a chance to play with him, as well as score some free in-game "loot."

Borderlands' creative director Mikey Neumann offered those who had preordered the game a chance to play with him and score some free in-game "loot."

(Credit: CNET)

Gaming blog Kotaku picked up on Neumann's tweet, which subsequently flooded Neumann's in-box with photos and requests. But you have to give the studio some credit--it's thinking outside the box by blending two great things together: one-on-one time with the person who made the game, and a surprise in-game treat for its biggest fans.

5. Discounts

Toys R Us was offering those who preordered Halo 3:ODST a free $12 action figure and a $20 gift card. Not too shabby.

(Credit: Toys R Us)

Retailers like Amazon, Target, Toys R Us, BestBuy, and Wal-Mart now frequently discount the prices of games or offer gift cards to people who want to buy the title early. This goes against the very nature of buying a game new as opposed to used, but rewards eager buyers with a lower price as long as they plan on buying it ahead of time.

Even if it's $5 to $10 off a $60 game, that beats paying full price in the time between when it's released and when it finally goes on sale later on in its lifespan.

One of the more aggressive offerings in the last few months came from Toys R Us, which offered preorderers of Bungie's $60 Halo 3:ODST a $20 gift card and a free action figure worth $12.

The worst

1. Cheap trinkets

Poorly made goods made by third parties are a dime a dozen. One of the worst recent examples is Epic Games and Best Buy, who get an A for effort but an F in execution when they gave preorderers of Gears of War 2's Limited Edition a free remote control tank that's featured in the game. Who doesn't like a free RC toy, right? Problem is, the toy (which was valued at $30) was so badly designed it didn't work on carpet, or even steer and move at the same time. The wheels locked up against the body of the toy when you tried to execute a turn, rendering it useless.

Other notables include: The too-big-to-be-a-keychain plush keychain preorder bonus for Phoenix Wright 3, and the snow globe given to people who had preordered the bloody and controversial Resident Evil 5 game at Game Crazy.

Buyers who preordered Resident Evil 5 from retailer Game Crazy got this snow globe for a zombie apocalypse survival horror game. Sounds like a good match to us.

(Credit: Game Crazy)

2. Cheats

In a practice that's become all too regular, some publishers are giving those who preorder cheats, or ways to play that make the experience easier without any sort of skill whatsoever.

A great example of this is GameStop and Game Crazy's preorder bonuses for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves that can change the difficulty of the game from the get-go. Game Crazy's preorder bonus gives players a currency multiplier that lets them earn in-game money faster than those without it. It's a limited-time effect, but means that those players can unlock things faster than those who didn't buy it there. GameStop's is just as innocuous, giving players a multiplayer perk from the get-go that drops a grenade whenever they're killed by another player--something that would otherwise have to be earned by playing through the game.

Depending on where you buy the game Blur, you may have a distinct advantage over people who bought it elsewhere.

(Credit: CNET)

The two retailers also competed for sales with exclusive cheats for the game Blur. Ordering at GameStop gives players a souped up Ford Bronco to race in multiplayer, along with a way to double the speed of acquiring car upgrades for the first ten races raced. Game Crazy, on the other hand, offered users double the cash they'd normally get in their first three single-player races, letting them buy more cars and parts faster than someone who bought the game in-store.

The problem with these offers is that they make it easier to advance with less effort, and thus reward laziness. This may be OK for the single-player campaigns, but when the cheats spill over into multiplayer competition, it's just not fair.

3. Early access to the demo, or multiplayer betas

Want access to certain demos? You can either wait it out, or shell out early to get access ahead of time.

(Credit: CNET)

Free demos that are available before a game is out, and help those who are on the fence get a feel for the game before buying are basically a thing of the past. Sure, they might show up a few months after a game is released, but what's become the tried and true trend these days is the prerelease private beta demo. These are often sold as timed exclusives to those who preorder the title, or in some cases, those who have purchase another title from the same publisher (see the Halo 3 multiplayer demo access sold as part of buying the game Crackdown).

Some recent examples include Valve's upcoming Left 4 Dead 2 multiplayer demo, which will be available to those who preordered the game in the next few weeks--ahead of its general availability. Also, Uncharted 2's "exclusive" multiplayer beta that was given to Gamestop preorderers for just a week before being open to everyone. Other games that did this recently include Madden 10, Brutal legend and Resistance Retribution.

4. Only getting certain levels or in-game characters

For the biggest fan, getting the complete version of some games is becoming more of a challenge. Both publishers and retailers are at work to make this a little more difficult, either by offering slightly different versions of the game depending on the platform (see Batman: Arkham Asylum on Xbox 360 vs. PS3), or offering specific content depending on where you preorder it--all without the chance to get it later on down the line.

Recent examples of this include Assassin's Creed 2, which will give GameStop purchasers exclusive access to a hidden area of the game that will eventually be available to other users--although they may have to pay for it. The makers of Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time did the same thing, giving GameStop preorderers an extra level to play on that other users won't be able to get.

The only way to play as Sergeant Johnson in Halo 3:ODST was to preorder at certain retailers.

(Credit: Bungie)

It's not just limited to levels though, publishers are doing it with in-game characters as well. Preorderers of Halo 3:ODST who bought at GameStop could get to play as Sergeant Johnson in one of the multiplayer modes, while those who preordered the upcoming MAG title for PS3 could get one of three special characters depending on which retailer they bought it from. The same was done for the upcoming Bioshock 2, and this year's release of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2.

5. Golden guns/items/characters

Golden guns belong in one place, and one place only--James Bond games. Though lately, that just doesn't seem to be the case. People who preordered Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves from Best Buy get a special code for golden versions of all the guns in the game, which can be used in the multiplayer mode. The golden variation of these firearms offer no incentive over the normal versions, they just look different and let everyone know where you bought it right before you mow them down.

Uncharted 2's golden guns can only be had by those who preorder at Best Buy.

(Credit: CNET)

Uncharted wasn't the first to do this though. Though not a preorder bonus, Epic offered buyers of Gears of War 2 the same golden gun multiplayer treatment if they plunked down on the more expensive limited edition version. These too offered no incentive over the normal version.

Besides guns, those who preordered the game Dark Void at GameStop get a golden jetpack. Unlike the golden guns mentioned above though, this one is actually more useful than the normal version, offering unlimited booster fuel, which as mentioned before, is a jerk move.

Related: The golden player skins for Optimus Prime and Megatron in the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen game, which players who preordered at GameStop could get as a bonus. Like the golden guns, this came in the form of a special code and offered no special in-game benefits whatsoever.

Any we missed? Let us know in the comments.

[backwerds]

Gamestop did the same pre-order event with NHL 10 where users would unlock the Kane stick, gloves and stick.

[santellan17585]

I remember at Bestbuy if you preordered Ghostbusters you got a code to download a golden proton pack. How week is that. Another retailer offered a download for the jumpsuit worn in GB 2 and Gamestop gave me a lousy T-Shirt which I actually had to complain to HQ about cause the retailer was giving them to everyone...not just those who pre-ordered like they were supposed to.

Preorder goodies were soo much better back in the days. I remember when I preordered Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the N64 at Circuit City, I got it in limited edition gold holographic packaging, and limited edition gold cartridge, a T-Shirt, 2 posters, 2 plush dolls, a Link and Zelda action figure, the strategy guide, and a limited edition Zelda controller. Now that was the time for Preorder goodies.

Even the preorder for Donkey Kong Country got you a poster, T-Shirt, and two plush dolls of DK and Diddy at Toys-R-Us. I wish those days would come back...being a gamer in the 80's and 90's was the best...

[loismustdie331]

That Zelda Ocarina of Time preorder deal sounds really cool.

[mclaurin10]

you are definitely a tool, you complained to Gamestop HQ about them giving out T-shirts that you felt should be reserved for other tools like you.

[mynobe]

The 80's, hmm?.. So you've been pre-ordering games for almost 30 years? Wow... impressive. Even more impressive that you actually remember every piece of swag you received with your pre-order. And to have the fortitude to report the unauthorized distribution of goodies. Those darn sales clerks, with their girlfriends and apartments! They don't respect the sanctity of the pre-ordering system. Their minds were clearly clouded with all that coitus!!

Everyone who didn't pre-order Donkey Kong Country is still kicking themselves. I can only imagine how much solitude you've enjoyed because of that poster of Diddy Kong hanging on the outside your bedroom door. I so envy you.

[playadel2001]

@mynobe: LOL!!

[InkyRed]

Tool indeed.

[jezzur]

A little harsh nobe, but hilarious. "Those darn sales clerks, with their girlfriends and apartments!". Laughed out loud.

[EdCenter]

Only thing I would add is that if you pre-order through Gamestop, they call you at least 3 times (during the day) leading up to the game release date to remind you of the game's release. My last preorder, I remember being called twice the day before the release of Halo 3 (once by the store, and an hour later a robocall). Thanks Gamestop, calling me in the middle of a work meeting (early afternoon) to remind me of a freaking game's release wasn't annoying at all... nope, not at all....

[viper396]

Your comment reminds me of one of thosedamned if you do, damned if you don't situations. You're annoyed when they call to remind you, and you'd probable be annoyed if they didn't call and you had forgotten.

...there are worst things to complain about then getting a complimentary reminder for something you wanted.

[Zoobie]

I don't think it's a reminder that's the problem. It's that they feel like it's necessary to remind you multiple times in the days leading up to, and the day of, the release that's annoying.

[PhaseDMA]

If you pre ordered Halo 3 and then forgot to pick it up I think there is a bigger issue at heart.

Like why did you pre order it in the first place

Or

How on earth did you forget the biggest XBox game launch ever?

[AlnilamE]

Why on earth would you give them your work number?

[renGek]

Here is how most pre-orders go down since most pre-orders are the same as the initial day release.
My friends would pre-order. I don't bother. The day the game comes out.
Me: drive to the store near my office and buy the game.
Friends: sitting in front of their computer looking at the "shipped, expected to arrive in x number of days" status on their amazon page.

Whats the point? The price is the same. There is almost no competition in price. You may save $3 in taxes. Hooray.

[mjayhunt]

renGek, most people have ECA and save 10% on amazon games, plus for a couple dollars you can get release day shipping. With the 10% off, the extras shipping still comes to less than the game, plus the game will occasionally come a day earlier than release, which is really nice! And like you said, there's no tax, which on MW2 prestige edition would've cost me $9. So basically it was $150 - $15(10% off) - $10(game credit) -$9(tax) + $6(release day shipping) = $122. Yea your right, what's the point?

[-fjtorres-]

Pre-orders for Dragon Age get a suit of armor that also works in Mass Effect 2.
Given that Dragon Age is a new IP and Mass Effect a multi-million seller, the intended effect is to draw in Mass Efect players to the junior franchise.

An marketting interesting twist on pre-order bonuses came from Bethesda recently; they released a fairly decent Fallout 3 premium theme for XBOX 360 and offered it up for free to everybody who bought all the Fallout 3 DLC as DLC. Sort-of a *post-order* bonus.

[Josh.Lowensohn]

Re: the Fallout surprise freebie--that was nice. Too bad the theme was brown and depressing though. I reverted back to the stock one immediately.

[-fjtorres-]

Yes, the game environment is brown and depressing and very very bloody.
It seems to go with the whole post-apocalyptic millieau... ;-)

[hawknj]

I spent well over 10yrs with EB and I handled soo many preorder goodies it was crazy. At times we had so many things for different games we would forget to give them to the customers. Or there were times when the giveaway crap came in late after the sale of the game and we gave it to anyone who wanted it. And of course any employee that wanted a freebi got their pick of them. Things got soo crazy we had to change and only give the freebi away when you paid in full and got your game to keep people from leaveing a deposit and taking the giveaway then canceling the preorder. Crazy Times fun times to bad we will never have that kind of fun again.

[NervClaX]

"The hope is that buyer will keep coming back to the store, and in turn the store can provide more accurate supply numbers to the publisher and thus ensure an adequate stock."

Your premise is really flawed and your reasoning off-base. Only GameStop cares whether their supply numbers are accurate. Publishers want retailers to order as many copies as humanly possible. GameStop and other retailers want to conserve shelf space and save money on inventory. When retailers offer incentives for pre-orders it's so they can better estimate early sales and make sure you return for more stuff. Personally, I can't stand it when they insinuate I should have pre-ordered because they don't have any copies left 2 days after release. If GameStop doesn't have the title I want when I want it, I'll get it for less online.

Publishers give pre-order incentives for 2 reasons.

1) A specific retailer paid them to do it and they're getting a crapload of money for the exclusive content.
2) They want players to buy the title new on day 1 and not USED on day 13.

None of this was necessary before GameStop started selling used games in retail stores across the country. Now, publishers are competing side-by-side against their own product at a $5 discount. Publishers are getting squeezed. If you like games and want companies to keep publishing them you should buy new or buy used from a GAMER. Don't give retail a cut of used game sales. They're only helping themselves.

[Josh.Lowensohn]

Good points from a publisher's perspective. I agree with you about the tactful nudging they do when you come in looking for a copy and they ask that question--I can't stand it. The Penny Arcade guys had a nice mini-rant up on that last week: http://www.penny-arcade.com/2009/10/2/no-i-did-not-pre-order-it/

[AlnilamE]

Honestly, for a $5 discount, I will buy the new game. I only buy the used one if the difference in price is over $10.
Which means I usually only buy used games from GameStop (EB here in Canada) if they don't have the new ones, which hardly ever happens.

[Zoobie]

My biggest complaint is when there is a great pre-order goodie that the Gamestop employees give away to anyone who buys the game if you aren't there right when the store opens.

I preordered Zelda Windwaker to get the Ocarina of Time disk, but some employee gave mine away because I didn't show up until 6:00 PM (you know, after work so I can have a little extra money to spend on games...). I complained to their corporate office and they ended up finding one to ship to me--but I shouldn't have had to make a stink when I preordered a month early just for that freebie.

More then once I've heard employees tell customers they didn't get enough freebies to cover the preorders. Based on what hawknj just posted above--sounds like the employees are keeping the freebies for themselves or handing them over to their friends.

[Damned4lifevamp]

Cheap trinkets are cool for your shelf, and while early access to a demo is worthless, access to a multiplayer beta is valuable, because it gives you the right to provide feedback to the developers, and feedback they will actually read, and maybe even listen to.

I pre-ordered Kane's Wrath, and it let me get access to the Red Alert 3 beta in the first wave, when the developers listen the most, and have the most time. It also let me see how much the game sucked, and let me not waste money on it.

[bobbyfg7]

Night Vision Goggles here I come...

I plan on driving home with them on...

Maybe not...

[Josh.Lowensohn]

Do you speak of the Modern Warfare 2 night vision goggles? Best limited edition pack-in ever, especially considering it comes with a human head stand.

[Gianni_Simplicio]

Yeah! NVG! Although after reading this I'm worried that they're going to suck. Which, for about $120 over sticker for just the game I guess I should I expect them to be pretty lousy. Crap. I gotta go cancel my preorder.

[ittesi259]

Pre-ordering through GameStop is risky. For example their website shows a release date for WoW: Cataclysm but Blizzard has made absolutely no mention of it. GameStop has sold preorders for games that never ended up hitting the street.

[PoopieMcGhee]

They'll refund your money if that happens...

[AlnilamE]

They are also letting you pre-order StarCraft II, even though they admit the release date is not confirmed yet.

[rpmyers1]

Just about every Atlus game comes with a soundtrack now, it's not limited to Demon Souls

[Ebraheem]

You can get a Penny Arcade Cardboard Tube Samurai costume if you pre-order Tekken 6.
I suppose that counts in the "Golden guns/items/characters" category (conveniently, the costume is yellow).

http://www.penny-arcade.com/2009/10/9/pre-order-your-copy-tekken-6-today/

[Rolker]

Most of these special offers are available on Steam for a lot of pre-orders.
In some cases you can download the game before its official release, and you can play it the minute it is release, or even before that. Lots of new games are offered for pre-orders with free additional games. Usually there are great discounts for pre-order games, etc.
I'm sure that there are other digital distributors (DD) that are doing the same.
In the case of PC gaming, I think that the DD is the best way to get you games, and they usually have great deals.

[Chao_Sama]

You Vogue Troll is everywehere......get him banned for life....

[elfchief]

How about pre-ordering to get the game later than everyone else does?

There was a bunch of push from Steam to preorder FEAR2. In the end, it was released on Steam two days after it hit retail stores -- and as an added bonus, there was no pre-download or anything, so most people got to spend another day actually downloading it!

Needless to say, I was unimpressed.

[tjump]

The absolute worst preorder trend is limited to Gamestop (as far as I know) - the practice of not selling a new game to a customer UNLESS they have a preorder. There have been times, most notably recently with Bioshock and GTAIV, where I wasn't really interested in the game until the hype train hit it's apex on release day. I actually have FOUR Gamestops between work and home and none of them would sell me a game unless I had a preorder. It was almost as if they were chiding me: "you really should have preordered the game if you wanted it." Really? So if I didn't have the disposable income or the interest in the game beforehand I can't walk into your store - which sells games or so I thought - and buy it? That's just silly. So both times I drove an extra five minutes, went to Best Buy and picked it up there from the STACKS of copies they had ready for people who were interested in it.

Thanks to this policy if there's a big new release, I now just head straight to Best Buy. Or if I *really* want to preorder a game, I do so through Amazon. Guess Gamestop really didn't want my money that badly after all.

[Shinobi2099]

GameStop is huge but I worked there for years and usually for big release titles like that they only get what was preordered and maybe a few extra copies. Usually with big titles like that they receive the merchandise early and only reserve the amount they have in stock and once they are all claimed it's SOL for those that didn't reserve. My advice? Just put five bucks down, get the free crap, and stop crying.

[Donniebrasco]

My advice is to just buy on release day anywhere but Gamestop. The last game I bought at Gamestop was a couple years ago and I was sold a "new" game with scratches on the disk and no manual. Good shrink wrap job though. I went to return it, and they said they had no other copies to give me. At least they took it back.

Toys R Us has been solid with their gift cards, just roll the GC into the next game you buy. Amazon's pre-order gift cards are solid too.

[coprophilous]

Oh, it's worse than that.

Rarely do I purchase a game the day it comes out, but for some reason I decided to pick up GTAIV on the release date. I went to my local GS and asked if they had a copy. The guy behind the counter actually laughed (with humor, not derision) at my question and indicated that only had one left, not enough to cover all the preorders in his list--two hapless souls would be SOL. Sure enough, as I wandered and browsed two more people came in for their preordered copy, the second of whom had to be turned away.

Sad, but suitably chastised for my failure to preorder (and arrive early enough, apparently), I made my other stop for the evening: Wal-Mart. Wouldn't you know it, they had stacks of them ready for purchase. I got one and took it home. (And, like an idiot, left it on the shelf and did not play it for months. Good thing I got it Day One...)

But think about that poor sucker who preordered through GS. He did everything he was "supposed" to do but still did not have the game that day. Moreover, since he already paid for it through GS, he did not even have my option of buying it elsewhere.

I have never since considered for even a moment preordering a video game.

[ScottyEvil]

I will not buy a game from GameStop, ever. During the days of the N64, when they were calling themselves Electronics Botique, I preordered Pokemon Stadium for my sister's birthday and paid in full with the idea she could just go in with the receipt and pick it up herself. On release day, I got a phone call at work from her. She was told I "didn't preorder soon enough," and wouldn't give her the game until their next shipment, which they didn't have a date for.

After I drove over there, saw the stack of N64 games behind the counter, and was told those where for people that preordered before me, I was livid. I paid in full, not a five dollar deposit, over a month ahead of release, but EB didn't "preorder" enough? As for the stack of games, those were for people who "preordered" before I did.
After speaking with the district manager about why EB would rather wait for someone to come in and pay the remaining 45 dollars instead of simply giving the game to another customer that already paid full purchase price (it "wouldn't be fair," he said) and how you cannot order enough of a game when you have a "preorder" list (he blamed the publishers), he offered to send me some EB discount cards (which never came, by the way).

Suffice to say, I ended up getting a refund and buying it from Software Etc on the other end of the mall.

[Shinobi2099]

"Early access to the demo, or multiplayer betas"

How is this a negative? So if I put my money down to reserve a game why shouldn't have dibs on playing the beta or demo first? That to me is HUGE positive. If I don't like the beta then I can just reserve something else or just get my money back. It's much than paying 60 bucks to find out a game sucks and then my ONLY option is to trade it in. I think this was only added to the list to even things out. And essentially it's free. If you don't like it get your money back. How many sane people would buy a FULL game for the demo? I think you need to revise this seriously.

[coprophilous]

I'm not sure I sign on with the need to "revise this seriously", but I do wonder why "getting the game before the release date" is a good thing but "early access to the demo, or multiplayer betas" is not. Maybe the difference is too subtle for me, but it seems to me that both should be viewed pretty much the same.

[Josh.Lowensohn]

I see this as a negative, because there was once a time where everyone got early access to these things at the same time. Then somewhere along the line, exclusivity figured into it, and only people who paid got access to these demos. That in my mind is a bad trend...don't get me wrong, the early access itself is great.

[miagi732]

i still don't see this as negative, as far as left 4 dead 2 goes everyone will get to play the demo, because those who pre-ordered it play oct 27th and those who didn't get it on Nov 3rd. even those without xbox live gold will get it Nov 10th. As far as the other ones named i didn't pre-order them at all and the demos were available to me because i had a gold membership on xbox. So i fail to see what exactly this worst pre-order trend was really saying.

[Brad_in_FL]

Blah to pre-orders. I've been burned in the past, getting the game a day or two AFTER it arrived in stores. Other than MAYBE not paying taxes, what's the point.

When they offer a code for the Dallas Cowboys to all have weapons for Madden 2011, then I'll pre-order.

And I may be done buying brand new games. Bought Empire Total War at retail a few weeks back. 2 weeks later, Steam had it for half price.. gggrrrr... I should have known better.

[beat_elite]

@ Brad
I lol'd

The only game I've pre-ordered this whole year was COD modern warfare 2 and i know it will be epic.

[atomD21]

I stopped preordering a while ago. Partially because I don't have the disposable income I once did, and partially because I always like to wait for reviews.

[ianwaldecker]

Not sure on this one, but I remember getting a CD Soundtrack when I purchased Killer Instinct for SNES. Did this come with every game purchased or was it a special?