I almost hate to say it...

Remove all ads!

But I looked at a couple of preview videos for this game, and I'm finding myself tempted to pre-order.

Is something wrong with me, or does it truly look like it's going to be a great game?

 

It simply means BioWare is good at promoting their product.

Don't give in to temptation. Wait for reviews from non-biased journalists (and/or fellow gamers).

 

Yes, yes they are. Quite good. Plus... Leliana. If I wasn't married, and she was actually... real... it would be so on. Bioware is using that against me. I just know it.

This is right, I know. I had simply forgotten how much nostalgia I had for the DA series. I will need to remain strong.

Because... if I'm going to play it eventually, I might as well get the handful of extra content that is offered to those who pre-order. Plus, they might run out of digital copies! Then what would I do?

 

You can get those regardless of whether or not you pre-order. That's just a marketing ploy. In this day and age, it's almost as despicable as Day 1 DLCs.

 

Yeah, I can get it, but not for free.

 

You say that like you're getting it for free by pre-ordering.

 

Yes, of course I'm saying it like that. That's what happens. If you pre-order you get certain additional items that those who don't pre-order have to pay extra for.

I pre-ordered the first two Dragon Age games and that's exactly what happened. For Origins, there was a whole new companion, Shale, a new area and quests that I think cost around $8 USD for those who didn't pre-order. Since I did, I didn't have to play the $8 - hence free. And there were other items as well.

Similar with Dragon Age 2. I got the companion Sebastion and a new quest for him that I would have otherwise paid extra for. And there were several other items as well.

It's somewhat less compelling with Dragon Age 3, but it's still there:
http://help.ea.com/en/article/dragon-age-inquisition-pre-order-info/

What do I get for Pre-Ordering Dragon Age: Inquisition?
Pre-ordered copies* of Dragon Age: Inquisition will grant you access** to Flames of the Inquisition gear:

• Multi-class Weapons: Smite your enemies with the Flames of the Inquisition weapons arsenal. Whether staff or daggers, greatsword or war hammer, these weapons will make short work of your foes.
• Inquisitor Armor: Protect yourself against the onslaught of enemy attacks by suiting up in the Flames of the Inquisition Armor.
• Armored Mount: Flames of the Inquisition gear also includes a valiant steed, complete with its own set of Inquisition Armor forged from the flames of battle.

Yes. Free. Seems straightforward enough.

 

So... How did you get it for free if you didn't preorder? Do tell.

I'm not thrifty when it comes to games. Waiting a year for a better price doesn't seem worth it if I really want to play a game.

 

After waiting a decade for Diablo 3, pre-ordering it and only getting like 2 months worth of fun plus a whole lot of disappointment out of the title I've been a lot more wary about which games I should get lately.
It helps that GoG and Steam have been going all out with their summer sales of old favorites.

As far as DA:3 is concerned, after the whole DA:2 thing I've decided to wait until I get a better look at game mechanics/system and the RPG aspect. I may end up pre-ordering if I like what I see in the near future, but atm no.
I loved DA:O and I too am feeling more than a bit nostalgic for that game, but I don't think being just a bit more objective isn't going to hurt us much.

 

That's like when you look at a Steam bundle and the promotion says "Here's what you save by buying this bundle".

You don't actually save anything unless you presuppose that the only other alternative is buying the games at full price.

It's the same with pre-order bonuses. You don't actually get anything for free, you're paying full price to get them.

 

It would cost more to buy the game at full price, and then buy those additional items at full price that you could have gotten as pre-orders.

If you're willing to wait a year for some crazy Steam sale, than sure, that's a different story. But for me, if I really want to play a game nowish, what happens a year down the road is largely irrelevant to me.

 

I don't pre-purchase. Back before the days of direct download, pre-orders made some sort of sense. Unless you pre-ordered, your local store could be out of physical stock and you'd miss out. But I still preferred to wait. Now games companies essentially withhold content in order to induce the same fear, and drive pre-purchases that serve no benefit to the consumer. Add to that, all you get in most pre-purchases as a "bonus" are usually bonus items that throw the game balance badly off-kilter and actually diminish the experience as a whole.

Listen to uncle DMC: just say "no" kids.

 

What everyone is saying makes sense. While I have a good amount of sense in most areas of my life, gaming isn't one of them. It's one of the few areas where I still allow myself to act like a kid.

"I want that game, daddy. Please, please can I have it" is pretty much the level that make a lot of my gaming decisions at. Except I'm asking myself, and so I'm inclined to always say yes. It's not like there's a lot at stake. If I'm not happy with a game, my family doesn't go hungry. So I pretty much let my impulses guide me. And it helps that there's only a small number of games out there that I'm even interested in playing -- or I could let that approach get out of control.

I haven't picked up DA3 yet, and I'm still not sure that I will pre-order, or even buy it for that matter, but I think that has more to do with the fact that WL2 is out now and PoE will be out in a few months. I still haven't really touched D:OS. So after a very long time of starving, cRPG fans suddenly have an embarrassment of riches.

Not sure when I would get around to DA3 even if I did have it. So that would be the reason not to buy for me. It's not because I'm being a shrewd shopper who only makes the purchase when the developer has proven to me that they've earned my $50.

I need at least one area in my life where I can be irresponsible and impulsive. Because I otherwise spend way too much time being the opposite of those things. I'm sure that was way too much information for a RGP web forum, but there you go....

 

Don't be silly, you can get discounted keys pretty much right after release. Steam might lock the price for a few months because they can't say no to a big publisher, but other sellers aren't so inclined so long as they make a profit.

 

Silly he says. I guess we all have different definitions of that. Who are these vendors and how am I supposed to know when they are going to launch a sale? I have limited enough time to scour the internet in hopes that some 3 day sale might pop up for game y at internet seller x. It's almost guaranteed that I would miss the sale, and end up kicking myself. For me this is akin to shooting into a tiny exhaust vent in order to hit the reactor core and bring down the Death Star. It worked for Luke, but it's not going to work for me for than likely.

For me the much simpler approach of see game, want game, buy game is a lot more practical.

 

Well, it certainly won't if you don't try, will it?