I know this is a somewhat old article but I stumbled upon it while googling something.
In any event, I want to tell you how ridiculous you sound. You are COMPLAINING that a game company is giving away FREE STUFF? Seriously? People who didn't preorder the game didn't have anything missing from their game. Guess what, the US and JP versions of Lost Odyssey didn't have those items either. Bonus in game content has been a marketing tool for years. Not just preorders but also collectors editions, especially for PC games and MMORPGs.
These bonus items rarely give a significant advantage and are usually mere novelties that are usually pretty cool. For example people who bought the original collectors edition of World of Warcraft (which is no longer available) got a cool little Diablo pet to follow them around. Sure there are tons of other in game pets but only the people who bought the CE got Diablo. Does it suck if you missed out? Sure, but did Blizzard rip anyone off? Nope.
If you take away 'in game' from bonus, game companies have been doing it even longer. For at least 10 years retailers and publishers have been offering bonuses for preordering a game. T-shirts, hats, key chains, face plates, stickers, action figures, audio CDs, demo discs for other games, you name it and it's been done before.
You assertion that MS is ripping consumers off by giving them something for FREE is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. It doesn't cost any EXTRA to preorder a game, the money you put down is applied to the purchase price and in the case of online retailers you don't put any money down at all, you are simply billed when the game ships. So if you know of a preorder bonus and feel you will be left out if you don't get it, there is absolutely no reason (other than pure stubbornness) not to preorder it.
Your second assertion; that preoder bonuses will somehow ruin gaming as we know it, is even more ridiculous than the first. Lost Odyssey is not the first or last game to offer such incentives. As I stated above, preorder bonuses have been happening for years and years. The only possible impact it has had on gaming is a positive one. It increases cash flow for retailers which allows them to provide better services and prices. It may even generate extra sales for game publishers, which is a very good thing for you since the more money a game company makes the more games it is able to make in the future. Lastly, it is quite possible that said bonuses prevent piracy to a small degree.
Before I go, I want to add that half the time you can get the preorder bonus without even buying the game. You can go put 5 dollars down, get your bonus (if it's a pre launch bonus) and cancel your preorder a week later. In the case of online preorders, many times you are emailed the unlock codes months before the game releases, giving you time to cancel the order and purchase it elsewhere with your bonus safely intact. So no matter how you look at it, gamers definitely are not losing out. In fact, preorder bonuses are in every way a WIN for gamers everywhere.
Description:
Lost Odyssey is the story of Kaim, an immortal character who has lived more than 1,000 years. He doesn't remember his past, and he doesn't know where his future lies.
Throughout ...more
HyperJul 23rd, 2008 - 07:48:38
I know this is a somewhat old article but I stumbled upon it while googling something.
In any event, I want to tell you how ridiculous you sound. You are COMPLAINING that a game company is giving away FREE STUFF? Seriously? People who didn't preorder the game didn't have anything missing from their game. Guess what, the US and JP versions of Lost Odyssey didn't have those items either. Bonus in game content has been a marketing tool for years. Not just preorders but also collectors editions, especially for PC games and MMORPGs.
These bonus items rarely give a significant advantage and are usually mere novelties that are usually pretty cool. For example people who bought the original collectors edition of World of Warcraft (which is no longer available) got a cool little Diablo pet to follow them around. Sure there are tons of other in game pets but only the people who bought the CE got Diablo. Does it suck if you missed out? Sure, but did Blizzard rip anyone off? Nope.
If you take away 'in game' from bonus, game companies have been doing it even longer. For at least 10 years retailers and publishers have been offering bonuses for preordering a game. T-shirts, hats, key chains, face plates, stickers, action figures, audio CDs, demo discs for other games, you name it and it's been done before.
You assertion that MS is ripping consumers off by giving them something for FREE is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. It doesn't cost any EXTRA to preorder a game, the money you put down is applied to the purchase price and in the case of online retailers you don't put any money down at all, you are simply billed when the game ships. So if you know of a preorder bonus and feel you will be left out if you don't get it, there is absolutely no reason (other than pure stubbornness) not to preorder it.
Your second assertion; that preoder bonuses will somehow ruin gaming as we know it, is even more ridiculous than the first. Lost Odyssey is not the first or last game to offer such incentives. As I stated above, preorder bonuses have been happening for years and years. The only possible impact it has had on gaming is a positive one. It increases cash flow for retailers which allows them to provide better services and prices. It may even generate extra sales for game publishers, which is a very good thing for you since the more money a game company makes the more games it is able to make in the future. Lastly, it is quite possible that said bonuses prevent piracy to a small degree.
Before I go, I want to add that half the time you can get the preorder bonus without even buying the game. You can go put 5 dollars down, get your bonus (if it's a pre launch bonus) and cancel your preorder a week later. In the case of online preorders, many times you are emailed the unlock codes months before the game releases, giving you time to cancel the order and purchase it elsewhere with your bonus safely intact. So no matter how you look at it, gamers definitely are not losing out. In fact, preorder bonuses are in every way a WIN for gamers everywhere.
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