Editorial: Should you pre-order that new game?

Should you pre-order that new game?

          We’ve all been there. A new game is coming out in about a week or so, and you just can’t wait. But as the days tick down, you ask yourself: to pre-order, or not to pre-order? That is the question.

          The dilemma that comes with the pre-order is one that’s been debated back and forth for years. Some say that pre-ordering only benefits the developers, and you shouldn’t do it ever. Others feel it beneficial to pre-order everything, because of the in-game bonuses it often nets you. Still others claim that pre-ordering is fine if it’s from a trusted game series or developer, but it shouldn’t be used with untested IPs. I personally fall into the third category.

          The thing is, game publishers have really latched on to the idea of pre-orders in recent years. Some of gaming’s most maligned companies, such as EA and Ubisoft, have fully bought into what we in the gaming scene call “pre-order culture”. Basically what this means is that, when you pre-order a game, they give you some sort of bonus alongside, be it some sort of cash bonus, a new weapon, or something else.

          In the past, I was pretty relaxed when it came to pre-orders. I didn’t mind putting them down, as I’d only felt burned a few times after playing a game I pre-ordered.

          The thing is, we now live in a world post-No Man’s Sky.

          Say what you want about Hello Games’ space survival game (I personally still stand by the 7/10 I gave it), it’s made a very prominent mark on the face of gaming. Ever since No Man’s Sky disappointed, I’ve noticed more and more people on the internet declaring themselves finished with pre-orders.

          For some, this is a victory. People like TotalBiscuit have said multiple times that pre-ordering video games is just putting money in publisher pockets before anyone can properly review the games. As a result, this might give them the idea that they can just put out a lackluster game, and their fans will still buy it before anyone can call them out on how poor the game is.

          I still say that it might be worth it if you trust the developers or specific series the game is from. I know I’m going to play Pokémon Sun/Moon regardless of what the reviews will say, so I’ll probably pre-order that. On the other hand, I’m definitely going to wait until reviews come in before I buy The Last Guardian. Pre-ordering has gone from ensuring a reserved copy for yourself to this bizarre tightrope walk of a purchase. Make one wrong step, and you’ve lost $70 on a crappy game you reserved without any idea it was going to be terrible.

          But still, unless everyone comes out and declares the game to be a broken disaster, I’m gonna be playing ReCore tomorrow. So there’s that to look forward to.

Song of the Week

          The official soundtrack for ReCore hasn’t been released yet, so I figured I’d go with the fantastic song from its E3 trailer. This is I’ll Take You by MSTR Rogers, a fantastic dubstep mix that holds the title of my current favourite song. I’m pretty sure it’s not gonna be in the actual game, but here it is regardless.