Why do you keep preordering games when they keep flopping?

Seriously, how many flops is it going to take before you just stop preordering? Aliens: Colonial Marines, Watch Dogs, Beyond: Two Souls, and now Destiny. It's not 20 years ago, we don't have to just pick games off the shelf anymore and hope they're good, or wait for Gamepro Magazine to come out to read a review.

Why do you keep preordering games? The shiny little baubles they offer you as preorder bonuses? Because you trust the developers? Buy into the hype? What is it about preordering that you can't resist?

I never pre-order games unless I know it's in a series I enjoy. Such as Uncharted, Zelda, Pokemon, Smash Bros., Mario Kart, Persona, and so on. Even then, I actually very rarely pre-order, opting instead for a day one purchase.

I pre-order games I am interesting in playing, it allows me to pay them off early in advance with small deposits here and there, and I don't subscribe to metacritic to tell me what I want to play.

Sometimes that works great for me: The Wonderful 101, and other times not so much: Destiny.

Yo, what's your take on Destiny?

Because i want the game day 1

Why don't you just save your money over time and wait for reviews and game footage from people you trust?

Do you live in an area where you can't get games? I take for granted living in a metropolitan area where there are copies of every major game EVERYWHERE. Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, even 7-11 sometimes. Even if I had to order my games from Amazon, I would still rather wait one or two extra days to ensure I didn't pre-pay for a turd.

Well i pre ordered Destiny for beta, cancelled my pre order, still bought the game day one and enjoying the hell out of it. Normally i don't pre order cuz pre order bonuses are a laughable joke. Back in Halo 2 days it was worth pre ordering because it could be sold out and you couldn't play it for days/weeks but now pre ordering a game is the definition is uselessness.

I just pre-order games from franchises I love, Kirby and Zelda are great examples.

I buy all my games from online shops because it is much lower price than go to EB Games/Game Stop. I dont pre-order all games i buy, only those i really want and dont care about the reviews.

6 is a joke of a score and review, but I have grown accustomed to gamespot not having good reviews over the past few years.

I'm not saying it is a GREAT game by any means, just a good game. Above average? Yes. Maybe an 8. However, the competitive MP sucks, so if they broke the game down like THIS:

8 for campaign and co-op and 4 for competitive MP, then I understand where the 6 came from... however, I don't really feel that the competitive MP was a big selling point, and was more of an afterthought from the beginning.

Should I list games on this site that scored ABOVE a 7? lol... oh we could have some fun there.

Now, as far as pre-ordering games... why not? It isn't like you can't cancel or move it to a different game. Might as well take your little extras if you were planning on purchasing the game anyways.

Cause I give 0 shyts about reviews and some random guy/gals opinion on a game, specially if they are my "fellow" gamers whom just seem to bash shyt w/o even playing a game...yeah you wonder why gaming journalism is going to shyt and people are starting to ignore user reviews over at metacritic, cause everyone is full of shyt.

Ether people over praise games or they over hate em, there's no middle ground anymore.

I never preorder. Even from franchises I love. Its like you're giving your money to them with an assumption that you'll like it. It makes no sense.

Preorderers and day 1 buyers are the new beta testers.

Yeah...publishers try to entice people into preordering with various little bonuses or content (That's a whole different problem), but then simultaneously forbid anyone from reviewing the game before those preorders ship. It's shady.

because GMG keeps sending me discount codes

Those Bastards!

Hell send em my way XD

I love using that 20% off promo code they usually have every month, Gamerfly from what I hear has been doing the same thing as well.

Because I'm relatively picky when it comes to the games I'm interested to begin with. I use gamefly for a lot of my console gaming, and really spend more time enjoying downloadable or indie games, or PC niche stuff. And the type of people I respect also have opinions I don't agree with. I love Jeff Gerstmann, but the games he likes and the games I like are completely different. Plus if we're being honest, I think game critics are kind of pansy.

They easily buy into hype: which leads to inflated scores
They too often reward accessibility over anything: which leads to more nuanced and rewarding games being punished for demanding the player to be good

The other part is sometimes a game struggles to teach the player anything, and that compromises the scores the game gets. It's entirely the game's fault, but given that we have so much info with the internet these days, a game like Bloodrayne Betrayel, a 2D scroller that got mixed reviews because it didn't teach you that dodging creates an important invincibility frame actually is better than it's metascore, or at the least, has compromised reviews where they didn't know how to properly play the game (through no fault of their own by the way).

So there are a mixture of reasons I don't let reviews dictate what I want to play, I make up my mind, and I play it.

I don't. Though I am one of those "suckers" who bought Destiny day one reviews nowhere to be seen. I don't regret it. The game didn't absolve me of my sins, but it has been a pretty fun ride up to 17. I think I might be 2 missions away from the end of the story mode though, so we'll see if I still feel that way then.

An 8 on this website equals great

A 6 is an above average score

A 7 is good

5 would be the average on the scale gamespot uses, and that's how a 10 point scale should be. It's not a high school grading system, it's a critique, don't be ignorant mate.

The shooting mechanics are mostly good.

Everything else either sucks out right or comes with a "but", as in PvP is pretty fun, but there some straight up balance issues. If I was being nice the game is average, don't get me wrong it's not like the game is Resident Evil 6 or FF13, but it's closer to those games than it is a good game from where I'm sitting.

Clearly in response to Destiny. I preorder games I really want, though I rarely do it. Honestly, if I saw the reviews beforehand, I would've still bought Destiny. Did exactly this after Too Human flopped, and I loved that game. Destiny too.

I only preorder when I want the collectors edition. I got the Ghost Edition of Destiny on PS4. I am enjoying the game and am a sucker for collectors items. I also have the collectors edition of The Order 1886 on preorder and I don't even think that game looks good.

Only games that I've ever pre-ordered was GTA IV and Black Ops and went to the midnight releases. GTA IV i was happy with my purchased... then came my black ops purchase started playing the campaign was like alright cool then multiplayer i'm WTF. Since MW3 no more COD syrup for me

I think I pre order around 5 games a year, so far this year I've preordered

• Destiny
• Divinity Original Sin (if early access counts)
• World of Warcraft WoD
• Dark Souls 2
• Dead Rising 3 PC version
• Wildstar

Out of that list I've only regretted buying/pre ordering Wildstar. The next games I plan to preorder are

• The Witcher 3
• DA3
• The Order
• Evil Within
• Evolve

I seldom pre-order games, the last game I pre-ordered was FFXIII and that was years ago...

I think we played different campaigns... MP is a solid 7.

i never preorder games, never have and never will. wtf is the point in preordering its not like the game is going to sell out and all that dlc crap that eventually gets given away for free anyway

I preorder whatever I'm interested in. Don't care much for reviews.

And yes, this is because of Destiny, and I don't regret it one bit. Has been awesome playing with wolverine. The dumbest, and most awesome shit can happen in that game, and I love it for that.

Plus, my character rocks. Looks like my Saints Row character. So, it's like I'm playing Saints Row, which makes it the best game released in the last 10 years.

If I'm interested in a game, then chances are I'm going to pre order it online, mainly so I dont have to drive to the store and pick it up in the morning.

@Ballroompirate said:

Fixed.

I never pre-order games anymore, but I don't see what pre-ordering something you might like has to do with peoples opinions on the internet.

@freedomfreak: Touche lol

I don't know, some people like to form their own opinions instead of blindly following what a reviewer says.

You pre-order games that come from reputable developers with a solid track record, while paying attention to previews and impressions leading up to launch. Most importantly, you have to determine if the game looks fun to you.

If this is some kind of attempt to make people who pre-ordered Destiny feel bad about their purchase just because it's not getting glowing reviews from critics, that's pretty lame.

The only 2 times I have ever pre ordered a game was Dark Souls, which was absolutely 100% reliable, they were obviously not deviating from what Demon's Souls did right, so I knew it would be good. I only pre ordered a week in advance, and did so mostly to get the artbooklet+soundtrack. Second time was just recently with Metro 2033 redux. I pre ordered and pre loaded, 2 weeks or so in advance. Already knew the quality of the game and what it would be like.

Basically I stick to safe purchases. I used to not do that, and I learned my lesson. I remember buying Stormrise for full price for PS3. WHAT A FUCKING TERRIBLE GAME.

That is true, but consider this: Pre ordering a game that you have very little knowledge of, is careless. Blindly following critics is less careless.

What I like to do is gather up a lot of opinions, from critics, steam reviews, gamespot users, etc. and examine gameplay. This is of course if I'm undecided. Sometimes games are just so immediately attractive that consulting other people's opinions would not really change a thing.

I still find pre ordering to be ENTIRELY pointless. A result of impatience and over confidence.

i usually cant affort full price so im gud, i pre ordered few games in the past with saving some money for few months and only one i didnt regret was bioshock infinite (gmg deal was unbelievable) so far my pre orders

Infamous 2 = flop

Last Of Us = flop

BI = no flop

im planning to pre order or day 1 = mgs 5 pc this year, hope i can afford it.

They do it because of the hype. Then to justify their purchase they will act like its the best game ever which leads to more hype for other people who also end up buying it. It then builds up until its this tidal wave of hype that washes away everyones perception of a good game. Publishers sell millions of copies of a crap game, have many lols while throwing money in the air and when it all dies down they announce the sequel or the next big thing and do it all over again.

I must admit though that I also buy games before release because of hype, but its my own personal hype and not what the gaming media has thrown at me. For instance, I would preorder new Arma III expansions or Arma 4 tomorrow if I could because I really like the Arma series, the same goes for any new Civ game or expansion.

If you live in an area where buying games is easily accessible than I don't see the point in pre-order. I don't use reviews to make my opinions though as I very often disagree with them. Take Skyward Sword, for example, many of the things it got criticized for are exactly why I liked it. (More linear, puzzle-orientated game play with little exploration). Ultimately games are subjective to the person playing it. My friend happens to really like Destiny, and he shouldn't randomly start hating it just because critics tell him to do so. I just read about the games content, use word of mouth, talk about it on forums etc until I can make an educated guess. There's rarely been a case where I didn't enjoy a game I bought, even if I thought ones like Assassin's Creed III to be sub-par.

I only pre order the games I know will be great--so etching like Mario Kart8. I think people pre order games mostly through amazon to skip taxes and save a trip to the store.

If we gave every FPS a 8 or 9, how would that make other genres feel?

I pre-order games because it is a game I want to play and will enjoy. My enjoyment of the game comes before someone else's opinion. At the end of the day, all I care about is how much will I like the game and play it...

Because the advertising campaigns tell us they are amazing games, so we must behave like sheep and follow them. They tell us to buy, so we buy.

Having a little buyer's remorse there?

Pre-orders can always be cancelled at Game Stop. I wouldn't pre-order where I can't cancel.

@mikhail: i rarely pre-order. But you can hardly call Watch Dogs and Destiny a flop when they have sold like hot cakes

This. Kirby and Zelda are my two favorite game series.

I pre-order games mostly because they'll probably sell out. Like maybe the Halo: Master Chief Collection.

Other than that, I get most of my games day one. So why not pre-order and maybe get a bonus? Haha.

Because I can. lol!! Miost of the games I've preordered didn't flop. Even though Destiny didn't seem to live up to everyone's expectation. Even GS gave the game a 6. Ouch. I may hold off on some of my other preorders like Borderlands Pre-sequel, The Division, The Order 1886, Drive Club (I'll try the free version) and Far Cry 4

Well are you basing flops on? review scores?

gamespot reviews or metacritic scores do not guarantee anything for me.

when i bought a 360, the first game i bought was gears of war 1-3 because everyone said it was an awesome game series with 9's all over the place....i was underwhelmed. at the same time, spec ops had review scores all over the place where everyone said that the story was awesome but the shooting was uninspired, yet i had more fun with that than gears.

kev van ord gave detiny a 6, i'm playing right now and im enjoying it (minus the disconnects in the middle of a mission/crucible match) and i give it a solid 7.5--8 (i can enjoy 7's and 8's)

At the end of the day, these reviews/ scores are just guidelines based off someone elses preference . i pre order because i want to...im going to get the game anyway so why not pay a little off and get some pre order bonus for it.