I only buy new games (and almost always on the PC) so this won't really affect me, but manis it irritating. I guess I can actually see their side of it and am totally for the killing of Gamestop, so yay for them. The always-on DRM thing that Ubisoft and Blizzard (grrrr...) are now doing is pushing me awful close to the edge, though. I haven't preordered Diablo 3 yet, you douchebags.

Cool.

Excuse not to buy activision stuff! yey!

I complain about these things in their milder forms all day and people call me crazy. I'm having difficulty feeling any sympathy for Goldeneye fans when it is their demographic that most encourages this sort of behavior.

I'd say 50/50 chance that this gets reversed, but you can't honestly expect companies that are rewarded by this behavior to stop doing it if you only complain when it get's particularly egregious.

You have failed me fellow gamers, and now you see the reasoning behind my concern. Deal with it, I'll be off not caring about ancillary content and quietly enjoying my games.

Yes, I am in a bad mood today. Could you tell?

@Grimluck343: I still don't get people like you. Even if you think this is overly "bitchy," or maybe too "petty," why are you siding with the companies here? This is non-rhetorical, I'd actually like to know your reasoning. You are arguing against giving consumers more content.

Why?

Never could 100% wrap my head around publishers. They bitch and moan about Gamestop selling their games used but they go out of their way to screw the consumer by offering pre-order bonuses to Gamestop. I get that they want people to pre-order their game and they must make a good slice of cash or they wouldn't keep doing it but Jesus, which do you want? Do they love or Hate Gamestop? Why not just stop offering pre-order exclusive to the company in return for no used sales for a period of time for example? Pre-order DLC is just ridiculous these days, yeah I'm look'n at you Rocksteady.

Not surprising. I wasn't going to get this anyway so eh.

I have no problem with the online pass stuff but the retailer-specific DLC is incredibly annoying.

I see this game flopping like Duke Nukem but instead of being shitty, people will just jump on it and realize why they don't care anymore and that it needs to just stay a memory.

This is why we need Valve to make a console. They would tell the publishers with these crazy content exclusivity deals to go fuck themselves.

Although it would require a concerted effort by the community (and, let's face it, unless someone from outside the industry talks smack [Ebert], that's about as likely as successfully herding cats), refusing to buy the games from the stores (like GameStop) that do this kind of thing might help curb the behavior. (I'm not sure why anyone buys from GameStop anyway, but that's 'nother ball o' wax).

Pre-order, exclusive DLC is BS.

way too much reddit stuff being shoehorned in

@jmood88 said:

I have no problem with the online pass stuff but the retailer-specific DLC is incredibly annoying.

@Grimluck343 said:

@Superfriend said:

@Grimluck343 said:

@digitalsea87 said:

It's really sad it has come to this.

And to the people complaining about Patrick's 'soapbox': "Oh no, the news guy has an opinion about something! How dare he! Blasphemy!" - This is what you sound like.

Keep it up, Klepek.

Actually, what they really sound like is "Why is there a news article on the front page that's nothing but Patrick bitching about preorder bonuses?"

It´s what they call "editorial content". Go read a newspaper someday.

Editorial content doesn't equal news. Go read Kotaku someday.

Do you complain every time they publish previews under news too? Whiskey sites don't have a good way to differentiate posts as strictly news, editorials or what have you. What do you expect Patrick to do, break off the editorial into its own blog post? Then no one reads it because it's not right there on the front page, which is the entire point of his writing it in the first place.

@laserbolts said:

@davecuk

This is why we need Valve to make a console. They would tell the publishers with these crazy content exclusivity deals to go fuck themselves.

Sure they would with their ridiculous micro transactions valve can never do wrong.

As much as I love Valve, since they started doing console releases, they have gone this dark path too.

L4D2. Gamestop exclusive baseball bat. Though later they just said fuck it and made it available for everyone on PC.

Portal 2: Like 5 different retailer specific skins / get nothing if you pre-order from Steam. + the fucking 40$ day 1 locked on disc custom animations and skins.

"Purchase content-unlocking gear from company store"

This is more of a Valve thing then a Blizzard thing. Blizzard only sells content that is inconsequential to game play on there store. If you were referring to what diablo 3 is doing then your not really that right there either, cause items are bought and sold by gamers. Hypothetically speaking, if no players put anything up on the Real Money AH then there wont be anything on the RMAH for anyone to buy. It's not like blizzard is making items and selling themselves, like TF2's shop works.

I'm sick of putting up with this type of thing, but I don't know how we can stop it. I mean, we want this "extra" content, and the publishers know it.

I've pretty much boycotted all Activision games and GameStop as a store and pre-ordering as a concept, but everyone has a game they'll make an exception for. Come Mass Effect 3 time when GameStop has some juicy pre-order bonus bullshit, I'm sure I'll end up buying from them. Ugh.

@xxNBxx: I read that bit as purchasing physical gear that comes with a code. Dunno if that's what was actually meant, but it's how I read it.

@ManMadeGod said:

Removing things from games in a re-release: a new low for pre-order content.

@ManMadeGod: game companies are becoming pathetic now

where is the creativity

Wait i'm having an idea.......

There's plenty of games coming out....

DONT BUY IT, FUCK ACTIVISION

@iAmJohn said:

@Grimluck343 said:

@Superfriend said:

@Grimluck343 said:

@digitalsea87 said:

It's really sad it has come to this.

And to the people complaining about Patrick's 'soapbox': "Oh no, the news guy has an opinion about something! How dare he! Blasphemy!" - This is what you sound like.

Keep it up, Klepek.

Actually, what they really sound like is "Why is there a news article on the front page that's nothing but Patrick bitching about preorder bonuses?"

It´s what they call "editorial content". Go read a newspaper someday.

Editorial content doesn't equal news. Go read Kotaku someday.

Do you complain every time they publish previews under news too? Whiskey sites don't have a good way to differentiate posts as strictly news, editorials or what have you. What do you expect Patrick to do, break off the editorial into its own blog post? Then no one reads it because it's not right there on the front page, which is the entire point of his writing it in the first place.

Yeah, God forbid people don't read everything he feels like writing.

@hbkdx12:

Seriously this.

This pre-order fuckry is (and will forever be) the demise of in-game unlockables.

@gladspooky said:

@iAmJohn said:

@Grimluck343 said:

@Superfriend said:

@Grimluck343 said:

@digitalsea87 said:

It's really sad it has come to this.

And to the people complaining about Patrick's 'soapbox': "Oh no, the news guy has an opinion about something! How dare he! Blasphemy!" - This is what you sound like.

Keep it up, Klepek.

Actually, what they really sound like is "Why is there a news article on the front page that's nothing but Patrick bitching about preorder bonuses?"

It´s what they call "editorial content". Go read a newspaper someday.

Editorial content doesn't equal news. Go read Kotaku someday.

Do you complain every time they publish previews under news too? Whiskey sites don't have a good way to differentiate posts as strictly news, editorials or what have you. What do you expect Patrick to do, break off the editorial into its own blog post? Then no one reads it because it's not right there on the front page, which is the entire point of his writing it in the first place.

Yeah, God forbid people don't read everything he feels like writing.

There's the point, going right over your head.

@Hauntedsoul said:

I say GiantBomb starts giving out a "Everything in here is playable" emblem for publishers to stick in the box and certify the rare breed of no BS games. Maybe then there would be some more apreciation for it.

I fully support this idea.

blow me activision. I understand giving people bonuses for pre-ordering...but not to the fucking extent of locking others that purchase out of an entire mode of play (or anything similar)...hell I'm even fine with "online passes" to avoid used-game purchases (even if I don't agree or like it)

but this is bullshit..especially on a damn re-release and a mode that EXISTED originally on the......original.

what fuckwats

That image comparing games in 1996 to 2011 is right on.

It is easier to torrent a game to get all the content then it is to buy it legit.

Just saying.

I wonder if people would flip out if horse armor was a pre-order bonus for Skyrim. Literally something people hated because it wasn't worth fifty cents, let alone three bucks, but if it's a pre-order bonus, I bet they'd lose their shit. HOW DARE THEY LOCK ME OFF FROM HORSE ARMOR!!

While I think this sucks, I don't like Pat using his news position as a soapbox.

I just don't care about any of that. How you like them apples?

@digitalsea87 said:

It's really sad it has come to this.

And to the people complaining about Patrick's 'soapbox': "Oh no, the news guy has an opinion about something! How dare he! Blasphemy!" - This is what you sound like.

Keep it up, Klepek.

I'm not opposed to opinionated news articles. Do it with some some professionalism though. For as much snark and wit Alex puts into his news stuff, it still feels like news. This is news, but it's not written as news.

But thanks for being a child about this anyway.

cry moar?

@Supermarius said:

@HandsomeDevil

While I think this sucks, I don't like Pat using his news position as a soapbox.

So you think journalists shouldn't call out coporations for shady business practices? That's a pretty strange attitude.

What you just described is a commentator. Journalist are not supposed to interject their own thoughts, just report the facts and allow the audience to form their own opinion.

This is why Giant Bomb needs a editorial section

@Supermarius said:

@HandsomeDevil

While I think this sucks, I don't like Pat using his news position as a soapbox.

So you think journalists shouldn't call out coporations for shady business practices? That's a pretty strange attitude.

Where did you get that from what I've said?

@iAmJohn said:

@gladspooky said:

@iAmJohn said:

@Grimluck343 said:

@Superfriend said:

@Grimluck343 said:

@digitalsea87 said:

It's really sad it has come to this.

And to the people complaining about Patrick's 'soapbox': "Oh no, the news guy has an opinion about something! How dare he! Blasphemy!" - This is what you sound like.

Keep it up, Klepek.

Actually, what they really sound like is "Why is there a news article on the front page that's nothing but Patrick bitching about preorder bonuses?"

It´s what they call "editorial content". Go read a newspaper someday.

Editorial content doesn't equal news. Go read Kotaku someday.

Do you complain every time they publish previews under news too? Whiskey sites don't have a good way to differentiate posts as strictly news, editorials or what have you. What do you expect Patrick to do, break off the editorial into its own blog post? Then no one reads it because it's not right there on the front page, which is the entire point of his writing it in the first place.

Yeah, God forbid people don't read everything he feels like writing.

There's the point, going right over your head.

Your point is to make a bunch of irrelevant references and absurd hyperbole/assumptions.

What's next, Multiplayer will be only accessible to those who pre-ordered the game?

Y'know, I'm generally in favor of pre-order incentives if they're something silly like a new costume, or a spiffier looking weapon. That's fine, if I want it, I'll pre-order it and if not then I'll just...not...pre-order it.

That being said, stuff like THIS is seriously annoying. When the companies make it impossible for one person to enjoy and utilize a portion of the game based solely off of which store you decided to pre-order from, is where incentives turn into shenanigans.

And this, right here, is totally shenanigans. Everyone get your brooms.

Hey folks, you know what I think is worse than your perceived grievances over Patrick's writing? The gaggle of knob-jobber bought-and-paid-for websites that shill for the various companies under the guise of objective news reporting. And need I remind you, it's the bullshit that system creates that led to there being a GB in the first place.

As for the greedy companies holding marginal-quality games hostage behind shoddy pre-order incentives, this is the main reason why I don't buy nearly as many games as I once did. In fact, when they pull this specific shit on games like Goldeneye or Arkham City, I suddenly lose all interest in ever (and I mean EVER) playing those games.

I sure hope the same people bitching about this don't buy most of their games used as thats your main reason right there.

@hoossy said:

@Supermarius said:

@HandsomeDevil

While I think this sucks, I don't like Pat using his news position as a soapbox.

So you think journalists shouldn't call out coporations for shady business practices? That's a pretty strange attitude.

What you just described is a commentator. Journalist are not supposed to interject their own thoughts, just report the facts and allow the audience to form their own opinion.

This is why Giant Bomb needs a editorial section

Agreed. A distinct news and editorial separation would likely help GB (and a whole shit-ton of other sites) quell at least SOME of the forum wars.

As to the paintball thing, whatevers. Never used it on the N64 or Wii, and it's not like they're locking away levels or characters like those bastards at Warner Bros. are doing with AA.

@sins_of_mosin said:

I sure hope the same people bitching about this don't buy most of their games used as thats your main reason right there.

That's the thing. This isn't "online pass." This is "Go to Gamestop." I personally have no issue with Gamestop, but there are people who'd rather buy from Amazon or Best Buy or Wal-Mart (for some reason) than GameStop. Pre-order bonuses only screw people who go to a store other than the publisher's favorite.

I dont actually care at all about the game and wont buy it regardless, but this is a scary path that preorder bonuses are going down.

It's a good thing I'm not planning on buying this game. The last disc based DLC I bought was for NBA 2K7 when they had the stupid replay editor. I'm not falling for anymore tricks these publishers have about unlocking features that are already shipped with the game. I bought Gears 3 but refuse to pay for any weapon skins.

I will use my consumer power and not buy this.

Also there is no such thing as objective writing. I rather have this honest writing (as we can see on all WM sites), instead of some BS hidden agenda crap.

I loved all the crazy modes Golden Eye had on 64. That's what made it an incredibly fun game to play with friends. Golden gun, paintball, license to kill, rockets only, pistols only, scalable health, etc etc. It is a slap to the face for fans that immensely enjoyed the game to have these core modes locked into how I go about purchasing the videogame. I won't be supporting it. Too bad Activision, this was actually a game on my list to buy this year, but this sours the entire experience.

This is the worst way to do pre-order incentives just say no to this.

This is NOT the same game as the N64 Goldeneye. Why would you expect unlockables to work the same way?

I absolutely refuse to preorder anything at Gamestop. It is needless and just perpetuates this kind of bullshit. I want no part in it.

Activision and Gamestop: Together we own your game, money, memories and soul AND DON'T FORGET IT!


fuck these guys

@HandsomeDevil said:

@digitalsea87 said:

It's really sad it has come to this.

And to the people complaining about Patrick's 'soapbox': "Oh no, the news guy has an opinion about something! How dare he! Blasphemy!" - This is what you sound like.

Keep it up, Klepek.

I'm not opposed to opinionated news articles. Do it with some some professionalism though. For as much snark and wit Alex puts into his news stuff, it still feels like news. This is news, but it's not written as news.

But thanks for being a child about this anyway.

No, all of Alex's diatribes feel like snarky opinion articles. The reason why they might seem "newsy" to you is because he doesn't use the first person. Instead of writing an op-ed as news (what Alex does), Patrick is writing an op-ed as an op-ed. He's reporting the news (Paintball is locked) and giving you his opinion on it (he hates it). Alex uses snarky third-person writing to make his articles look more factual and less opinionated than they already are, treating his statements as truisms that he's delineating for the rest of us (count the number of times he says "because of course it is") rather than opinion items formulated around a certain bit of news.