Sega Pleases, Enrages Alien Fans With Isolation's Pre-Order DLC [UPDATED]

My solution for this is usually to pre-order the game ($5 at Gamestop), then if the reviews don't pan out I transfer the $5 to a future pre-order. So long as you're OK with picking up a game, eventually, at Gamestop you can do that perpetually.

I've been really jaded and cynical about the industry for a long time now, and this kind of crap is exactly why. Even more painful is I've watched the progression, I saw it coming, but there was absolutely nothing to be done to stop it. I remember when you used to be able to just go out, buy the game and enjoy the damn game. Now you have to pre-order, plan what version you're going to buy, where you're going to buy it, all to get the maximum amount of content that may or may not ever be released later and you'll still likely be missing out on one or two little bits.Hell, unless the retail PC version of the game is Steam active, you literally can't play Last Survivor on Steam/PC since it's Gamestop exclusive (without taking the obvious measures to get the DLC, if the files even exist for PC, which it's absurd it should come to that point).

I really don't want to see publishers "try harder" with pre-order bonuses because ultimately that just means further pushing people into the shitty position of waiting it out or pre-ordering to avoid missing out on what has fortunately only been garbage like golden reskins of weapons in the best cases, but in cases like this, potentially substantial amounts of enjoyable content.

I've been really excited for Alien: Isolation, but this whole situation immediately soured my feelings on it. What's worse is that, it's far more likely that this heavy handed pre-order DLC approach is not ignorance to the disaster that was Colonial Marines, but rather in response to that, in an attempt to force pre-orders on a group that is rightfully wary after being burned hard the first time. It's a repulsive situation and turned the game into something I would have bought right away into something I may need to put off, because if I'm going to be punished for not pre-ordering, then there's no incentive to even buy at all during the "launch window" and might as well wait for it to go on sale (a game I would have otherwise been quite eager to pay full price to get at right up front)

But really, as the consumer, what else do you do when you're placed in such a garbage position? If you pre-order the game, you take a gamble on the final product, and that might work out in your favor, but it's still reinforcing really terrible industry behavior. You're being manipulated into the choice. If you don't pre-order and the game is fine on launch, if you buy it right away you're still paying full price, but ultimately get punished by missing out on the pre-order content and the industry will still keep on with this crap because, regardless of if YOU don't pre-order, PLENTY of other people who have no stake, interest, or concern with whats going on in the industry will without thought and justify it, so ultimately you've missed out for nothing. Which leaves the only logical thing to do at that point which is to wait until the price goes down.There's a whole lot of complaining about the "devaluation of video games" but if you ask me, it's being brought on by practices like this.

These dlc policies are terrible. Seriously stop buying them so pubs will stop doing them.

Touche, Sega. Touche.

You want to know why people pirate games? This is why. If I want to preorder from amazon, I won't get a portion of the content yet those who pirate the game get all of the exclusive content.

It gets worse when we have 2 or 3 different retailers all touting their own individual preorder content making it impossible to have it all unless you buy numerous different copies of the game. Those who pirate the game though, they get it all.

To be fair, colonial marines looked mediocre from the start. This actually has a shot at being decent.

@patrickklepek

Preorder DLC goes one of two ways, and you mentioned both in your article. It's either useless gun skins/ something else not really worth having, or, it's significant content that's going to be sold as regular ass dlc down the road. They're not going to bust their asses to make some really cool content, only to have a fraction of the audience be able to actually play it. I guess I just don't see where I'm supposed to be outraged or even mildly upset. Awesome games have all kinds of shitty preorder or retail specific bonuses, so that means that Sega isn't necessarily panic selling us something in order to secure preorders. Preorders are going to be something companies value for a long time because it looks good to investors, shareholders, etc. "Holy beans, guys! Look at how excited people are for our gaaame!" I wouldn't be surprised if that translates/evolves into some other form the deeper we get into the digital age, but I don't see it completely going away.

If you go to Gamestop within a day or so of launch, they'll probably give you a pre-order copy anyway. That happened to me with GTA V and Dishonored.

I don't mind it at all - It simply provides emphasis to his writing, that can only be achieved by the Twitter medium.

Is your stance that it takes up too much space on a page or that you are cynical of anything social media related mixing with the news delivery?

well uh, i guess i'll pre-order it now then. i wasn't planning to, but that sounds pretty cool, and the game sounds like it'll be good anyway, too, so i'm not too worried.

oh, and by pre-order, i mean pre-order on steam. personally i pre-order not because i care about playing games the moment they come out, because i like to take my sweet time getting around to playing games. when i do it, i do it to give devs a thumbs up and indicate "THIS LOOKS LIKE COOL SHIT. I WANT MORE COOL SHIT LIKE THIS PLEASE"

edit: wait, uh, gamestop? ...hmm. that's asking a bit much heh

I don't know... I thought we already established a while ago that video game adaptations always suck when they try to recreate specific movies. Isolation seems interesting specifically because it's not doing that. That DLC sounds fucking terrible to me. Bringing back the original cast 35 years later seems like an even worse idea. They'll end sounding old and disinterested... Frankly I'm more annoyed by the fact that people seem to care about this blatant fan service than the fact that it exists at all.

Also, don't be crazy, that thing will not stay exclusive to pre-orders for long...

I get somewhat frustrated when games journalist people act so confused about why people preorder games. The companies behind them incentivize the shit out of pre-orders. On Steam, for instance, damn near every game gives a discount for pre-ordering and allows you to pre-load days in advance so you can play immediately.

Why would I wait to buy Dark Souls 2 on the release date when I can buy it a day or a week earlier for 10% discount and the ability to play immediately at midnight? That's before we even get into the pre-order DLC incentives most games are offering.

I think you're misunderstanding why people pre-order games these days, Patrick. It has little to do with potential scarcity, except in the case of Special Editions like Destiny's Ghost Edition, and more to do with convenience. If you know you want the game, pre-ordering it means it can arriver at your house on launch day or be waiting for you to pick up from the store on your way to or from work if you prefer it that way. People do the same thing with books and movies.

I'm excited to play this a year after release when a "Game of the Year/Complete" Edition appears on Steam at a reasonable price.

I rarely pre-order anymore, if i do its for something i was definetly going to buy, for instance Destiny or Bayonetta 2. If a company is making a game series i like or has thrown in some goofy physical statue or something providing i want the game i will usually bite. Given that i only do 2 or 3 of these a year now and its almost always for special editions i dont see the harm. Pre-ordering everything, especially games like FIFA or COD is damaging, they will NEVER run out of copies and the game is out yearly so you should never be paying £70 for a game that will be out next year with a better version.

After the shit brick that was Colonial Marines, I think SEGA should have had made this awesome content available for free as an apology to fans

Here's my situation. In Australia videogames on Steam get marked up from 50 or 60 bucks (in the US) to 70 or 80 bucks. This is currently listed at 50 bucks, normally they fix this pretty quick so I wonder if it'll be priced like this tomorrow.

For me, it's really nothing complex at all. The equation runs like this:

Price of new Alien game from Sega - £40

Price of new Alien game from Sega's DLC - not £40

If I shell-out forty quid upfront and the game's shit (like Colonial Marines…), I've wasted forty quid. If it's good and I want more of it, I've 'wasted' less-than-forty quid by not having pre-ordered.

Would I rather waste forty quid, or less-than-forty quid?

Exactly.

I think this is the new New Games Journalism

I don't like Patrick's experiment, commenting on twitter outrage I mean.

No. I want original content. Not a reimagining of what was once a pretty decent movie.

I'll be trying the regular game, but this DLC thing only annoys me.

I just want the retailer exclusives to stop. I've decided to go all digital this gen and now some content is only available if I purchase it physically... Ugh

I'll continue to buy all my games of the playstation store and whine about not having say... The the only semi auto silenced pistol in the entire game of sniper elite 3

You know what I find funny, Harry Dean Stanton sounded old during Alien, and now he's just going to sound the same. Some people are just character actors forever

I usually get games after their release in complete/GOTY editions anyway, so all of this lame approach to pre-order stuff ain't gonna mean much. Especially since Arkham City GOTY ended up getting all that content in the same package anyway.

Basically, if this is their way to get people to pre-order, I'm more than happy to pick the game up complete months down the line to combat this bullshit. Others should follow suit.

@charlie_victor_bravo: it really is. its the way to go. im waiting a long while this time for games I want. No more pre-ordering or picking it up on day one. just not worth it!

@patrickklepek
The nice thing about pre-ordering at GameStop is you can cancel your pre-order at any time in store and get refunded in the exact same way you payed, AT ANY TIME. There is literally no downside to pre-ordering at a GameStop other than your local store might not be open for a midnight launch and you have to wait till the morning to buy your game like an adult (which is unlikely seeing as Dragon Age, both NBA games, Shadow of Mordor,and Drive Club all release on that same day). If you aren't sure about the game, pre-order at GameStop, pick up your upgraded bonus free mission guaranteed copy within 48 hours, then don't open it until you see the reviews roll in. If it gets shitty reviews, return your unopened copy within 30 days with the receipt for a full refund. It's pretty simple.

Why anyone would pre order this after the last game baffles me. Who gives a shit if the content is "cool" if the game sucks? Have some self control.

I think it is an obtuse way to buy a thing. After thinking about it, this probably is the absolute best way to go about buying a game that has 'not garbage' pre-order DLC that you're interested in but it's also mother fucking stupid that someone would have to do it.

I don't care how long pre-order DLC debates have raged and how cliche my next statement has become. They should just put it in the game!

...but I NEED my Yaphet Kotto

Because the best way to get a grasp on how you feel about a game (aside from playing it yourself) is to see it out in the wild.

Colonial Marines was made by Gearbox. Isolation is made by Creative Assembly.

@destroyeron: Tell me, who are those people exactly?

All i know is when i saw the price on steam for pre orders, i was befuddled. I thought this was a kick-starter indie game? I guess not, but ill still wait until its in my $$$ wheelhouse of 15-20.

jeezy chreezy well I know what I'm doing tomorrow

Will wait for the GiantBomb quick look/review before i make a choice, saved me in the past.

This exactly. You can substitute "video games" with any other creative pursuit and it almost always applies.

Nothing. You got to be in the beta for free, essentially.

I'm pretty indifferent to pre-orders. If there's something cool, maybe I'll line one up. Most of the time, I don't end up buying the game right away anyways [which is fine, because pre-ordering is free on Amazon and the GameStop website; fuck giving them $5]. Like @PatrickKlepek mentioned, it's normal for pre-order DLC to be released later for purchase, so if down the line I feel like I missed out on something, I can just buy it.

Nope. I don't buy into pre-order and Premium packs and other BS.

The only reason i pre order games is if there is a discount, store credit or cash back and that is only if im 100% sure i want that game.

Wait, in that case what's to stop you from pre-ordering Destiny from amazon, getting your beta code email and then just cancelling your pre-order? Nothing?

I keep telling myself that you don't see pre-order movies with a deleted scene or a different font colour on the credits and then remember that I pre-ordered XCOM Declassified purely because they were dangling a massive discount and the entire XCOM back catalogue in front of me.

I'm only human. Of flesh and blood I'm made.

Same publisher, different developer.

People are willing to give the people who made Colonial Marines money AGAIN?

Eh. I'll probably preorder. I mean, yeah this does suck I think it's a shitty practice. But also I don't care enough to get mad. And I like Alien a whole lot. Sorry.

"Listen, I'd rather be eating something else but right now I'm thinkin' food."

I don't really care, so long as the content is available to anyone who pre-orders, regardless of what store or outlet they do it from.

If you want to make sure the game is good first, but still get the content, then put down $5 to pre-order at Gamestop, check some reviews when the game comes out, and then cancel or complete the pre-order after the fact. Gamestop gets to hold your $5 ransom for a couple of days, but you get to potentially have your cake and eat it too.

I don't have any issue with pre-order DLC, as long as it doesn't impact the main game "in the box", so to speak. Do these two missions fill in important story details for the main plot of the game? If not, then fine.

Publishers are allowed to throw in extra stuff to try and get people to pre-order their games. There's nothing inherently gross about that, again, as long as they aren't clipping important content out of the actual, $60 experience you're paying for.

If you want to play it straight as the "smart consumer", then accept you won't get these extras, or play it even smarter and wait until a year from release, when they inevitably sell an "Ultimate" edition with any and all DLC anyway.

I guess it is the Crew Expendable pack I mean that for more and less the Lone Survivor DLC. But you are right. In the long run the companies that will focus on Preorder content are the ones who will want to split it up into pieces across different retailers.