Do you pre-order your games before they're released or do you just buy them when they come out?

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posted05/27/2004 12:40 AM (UTC)by

pankeygriddy

@pankeygriddy

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04/09/2004 05:59 AM (UTC)

The user here at MK Online The_Cold_Kombatant originally brought this great topic up at a thread I was looking at earlier today, but the main topic was about Shadaloo's new job so I decided to make a little thread since The_Cold_Kombatant makes some good points about pre-ordering video games.

While I do agree that free stuff is one of the reasons that I pre-order games, some games I had too since they were in very high demand in my area. But one time I didn't act fast and I suffered not having the game I wanted for a very long time. Let me explain,

*The following occurs in march, forgot the year*

Take for instance Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for N64. Six months before it's released they had this deal at my local EB games store were you can get a free T-shirt and a poster if you pre-order it(sounded lame so I didn't take the offer). Now I thought six months was to early so I waited about three months to make my move. I walk into EB and I tell the lady that I want to pre-order Zelda and she looked at me and laughed and said, "you can't be kidding me, we can put you on the waiting list so that you can get a copy when one is availiable". So I'm like okay and she gets this big yellow sheet of paper and tells me to fill out some personal info.

I glance at the sheet and I'm like WTF!!! The list had about three hundred people on it. I ask the lady when can I expect to get my copy if I get on the waiting list and she replied, "well you might see one after two months of the games release". I leave the store in anger and head towards software etc/ganestop and ask them if I can pre-order and I get the same response that I got from EB. I then go to the last store in town that offers pre-ordering which was toysrus.

I made my way into the store and arrived in the electronics department and look for the Zelda pre-order ticket. Didn't find one ticket at all, heck the games pre-order display was flat. So I ask a sales clerk can I reserve a copy and she told me that I could get one after Christmas!

So on the games release I went to wal-mart and the line in the video game deprtment stretched to the toys section of the store! I even drove miles to another town and I got the same results. I did end up getting a copy a few days after X-Mas, it was pre-owned but I didn't care.

While I do plan on pre-ordering MK:D next month since this might be a mega blockbuster, I have reserved only a few games ever since the zelda incident. I bought GTA: Vice City at circuit city without pre-ordering it and I got a bonus mini strategy guide which was sweet. Sometimes I think that stores use pre-ordering to create a demand frenzy so people will buy the game in advance.

IcedOutLinKueiWarrior

@IcedOutLinKueiWarrior

•05/26/2004 07:31 PM (UTC) •

I pre-order my games from 'Game'.

Reason being they always send it to me the day BEFORE it's release. Or sometimes more than a day early, they sent me The Wind Waker 6 days before release.

Two of my friends also pre-order from Game, but they get it normally (Day of release). So I guess i'm just lucky?

The-One

@The-One

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•05/26/2004 07:56 PM (UTC) •

ive only ever pre-ordered 2 games before the wind waker and mk:da, most of the time im too broke to be able to buy games the day that they come out.

LadyRaiden

@LadyRaiden

•05/26/2004 08:04 PM (UTC) •

It depends on the game and possible demand for it. I have reserve a handful of games before, because I feel that once the game comes out it would be next to impossible to find it and I really wanted it as soon as possible. I have reserved MK:D because popularity of MK is once again on the rise and the local stores for some reason never order enough copies of popular games.

The_Cold_Kombatant

@The_Cold_Kombatant

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•05/26/2004 08:14 PM (UTC) •

I'm glad I inspired a new thread! Thanks dude.

Actually... Now that I remember it. I DID reserve MK:DA. I think I did it because it was Mortal Kombat and them giving me the Pre-Order slip would in my mind secure the fact that on Fatality Friday I'd have the beauty in my hands. HOWEVER. I wasn't tempted to reserve it for the fact that it might sell out. I KNOW it wasn't gonna sell out. And Trust me, MK:D will be big. But NOT big to the point where stores sell out and people are beating up others to get a copy. Like I said, I reserved MK:DA because it was the most anticipated game for me. And me coming to MKO and chatting with people and seeing updates really got me excited to no end. So I reserved it. And of course, they had A LOT avaliable when I went to pick mine up.

I will not reserve MK:D because theres really no point IMO.

X_S(oRpIoN_X

@X_S(oRpIoN_X

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•05/26/2004 08:23 PM (UTC) •

The_Cold_Kombatant Wrote:
I'm glad I inspired a new thread! Thanks dude.

Actually... Now that I remember it. I DID reserve MK:DA. I think I did it because it was Mortal Kombat and them giving me the Pre-Order slip would in my mind secure the fact that on Fatality Friday I'd have the beauty in my hands. HOWEVER. I wasn't tempted to reserve it for the fact that it might sell out. I KNOW it wasn't gonna sell out. And Trust me, MK:D will be big. But NOT big to the point where stores sell out and people are beating up others to get a copy. Like I said, I reserved MK:DA because it was the most anticipated game for me. And me coming to MKO and chatting with people and seeing updates really got me excited to no end. So I reserved it. And of course, they had A LOT avaliable when I went to pick mine up.

I will not reserve MK:D because theres really no point IMO.

Yeah same here my friend.

All the games I reserve are always in stock the first day and in large numbers too.

Kabal20

@Kabal20

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XBL: kabal31082, PSN: Kabal31082
Nintendo Id: kabal82, 3ds friend code: 2595-3252-2624

•05/26/2004 08:53 PM (UTC) •

It all depends whats being offered with the game, and how high a profile game it is. I only preorder the TLoZ:Wind Waker becuase of the bonus disk. I was lucky too because my local Gamestop got the collectors disk in a month early and then locked people out from preordering it after that, so I had to go through EBGames.com. (By the way I refuse to pre-order, or buy most of my games/systems from my Local Gamestop becuase they suck for many reason which I will get into.) The only other games I have preorder are Mortal Kombat:Deadly Alliance, and recently pre-ordered Halo 2: Collectors Edition, and Mortal Kombat:Deception from my local EBGames.

If it's a game I really want like Mortal Kombat I will preorder from my local EBgames becuase they are pretty good with preorders, I've seen them calling people who have preorder a game when they get it in a day earlier than expected. They also get there games in a few hours before my local Gamespot which is actually closer to me, also my Local Gamestop is pretty lazy. I was trying to hunt down a paticular game when it just came out that day and Gamespot didn't get there UPS shipment in yet, EBgames already had it. I called Gamestop back a few hours later around 1:00 for the game because I didn't want to run down to EBGames; and Gamestop said it would be on the shelves for sale by 4:00pm. becuase they hadn't open the case and put the game in there computers yet (lazy basterds). Also When it came to PS2 i didn't preorder it for the simple fact that I had no problems going down to the store for my Dreamcast and picking it up without a preorder. When it finally came down that there was going to be a shortage of PS2 systems for launch, I was too late to preorder it. My local Gamestop was fucking assholes too becuase they said they wheren't going to have extra PS2 system for sale, then when I went down on launch day they where scalping their extra systems for $500, no bundle or anything

. Every other place around me that carried the system only had a hand full of bundles to sell, which I wasn't going to spend $500 for 3 games, and crappy 3rd party pheriphirals I probably wheren't going to use. I also was trying to hunt down Ninja Gaiden recently when it was released, becuase I forrgot to preorder it and managed to get to my local EBGames and grab one of the last 2 copies they had. Gamestop didn't even have it in yet.

Aslo the retail stores around where I am (Best Buy, Circuit City, Toys R Us) don't have new releases on sale until thursday of that week, EBGames has it that day.

Sub-ZeroMasta

@Sub-ZeroMasta

•05/26/2004 09:02 PM (UTC) •

I have reserved games in the past. I have done the same thing for MK:D. Not because i think it may not be there, just because I like to know for SURE that i will have it. And it 3 cases before of pre-ordering, i have gotten the game a day ahead of time.

I mean, if you know ur gonna get the game anyways, and your at the store already, why not go ahead and pre-order it. Alot of times you get stuff free. And if you dont, at least u dont have to wait in lines to buy it. Just go and show your slip, get it and leave.

Either pay now, or pay later. You people act like we are paying more for it because we preorder it.

Quirk

@Quirk

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•05/26/2004 09:11 PM (UTC) •

The only games I pre-order are any Metroid or Silent Hill title. With those two series I practically camp outside the store before the day it comes out.

Raining_Smoke

@Raining_Smoke

•05/26/2004 09:30 PM (UTC) •

I only pre-order games when I think that they have a good chance of selling out. I pre-order my games from EBgames and I've pre-ordered Wind Waker, GTA: Vice City, and SOCOM 2. If I have money and I dont wanna blow it just to spend I will pre-order a game I know I will like before it comes out even if it wont sell out.

Blade-Tsung

@Blade-Tsung

•05/26/2004 09:58 PM (UTC) •

My friend buys his games off Amazon. Actually, he just pre-ordered GTA:SA off there (i believe).

Anyways, he's always pissed cause I go to the store and get mine 3 days before he gets his :)

Bezou

@Bezou

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•05/26/2004 10:26 PM (UTC) •

I always pre-order at my local Electronic Boutique, because I want that game the day it comes out.

FROST4584

@FROST4584

•05/27/2004 12:21 AM (UTC) •

bezou Wrote:
I always pre-order at my local Electronic Boutique, because I want that game the day it comes out.

Cool same here. I pre order since I don't want to be dissapointed when they sell out of a game that I;ve been waiting to play for a long time( MK: D).

Thelonious-Monk

@Thelonious-Monk

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•05/27/2004 12:27 AM (UTC) •

i pre-ordered Deception with a $5.00 downpayment. This is the FIRST game i have pre-ordered in over 5 years! I had a troublesome time getting my copy of Vice City, and i would hate to do the same with Deception.