Pre-ordering Contributes To The Problem

I understand that when you're excited about a game, you want to pre-order. You want to nab a deluxe edition, get the extra collectibles, and so on and so forth. I know for some of you - it's worth it. But I wonder... for the majority of your average players... is it really worth it? There's no "sorry the game is sold out" if you go to Gamestop/EB Games. That's a thing of the past. And often times the little extras and collectibles are just throw away junk to an average player. Like, "Oh neat - special armour..." but you find better gear within hours of gameplay. That sort of thing.

I made the mistake of pre-ordering Dragon Age: Inquisition, paying more than the original price for the little extras. I'm a big fan of the series. I'm a big fan of BioWare's work, in general. But over the last few years... my enthusiasm has waned. When I bought DA:I, I made the mistake of buying the 360 version. It was so bad that I immediately returned it, switching it out for a PS4 version, and promptly buying a PS4 console to go with it. (They allowed this switch because I had not downloaded any of the content or used the codes.) Now, after I switched to PS4, all was good as far as good graphics. But there were a lot of other issues. My male elf looked like he had broken arms and his body was so skinny it looked laughable. This was only apparent as he walked around Skyhold, in that super unattractive pajama-wear they forced on everyone. Some PC users modded the PJ's to look a little better, but the tragic emaciated body/broken arms on the male elf remained. And that issue was the tip of the iceburg. There were so many other problems with the game.


Looking back, BioWare didn't fully patch Dragon Age: Inquisition until.....the 11th patch on October 5th, 2015. Roughly a month or so shy of the 1 year anniversary of the game's release. It took one year for them to distribute 11 patches. I am unaware of how many GB all those patches totaled up to. I am curious to know if anyone is willing to calculate them. I want to say that at least *one* of those patches was something like 4 GB, but please correct me if my memory has failed me. 

To this day, when I'm browsing a Gamestop, I pick up used, discounted copies of Game of the Year Editions of Dragon Age: Inquisition and sigh at the price. I've seen it as low as 14 dollars. And that version of the game comes with Dragon Age: Inquisition game, Jaws of Hakkon, The Descent, Trespasser, Deluxe Upgrades, Spoils of the Avvar, and Spoils of the Qunari. Not to mention it comes with all 11 patches at once. Hence, you get the bug fixes, the better stability, you can wear your armour around Skyhold, you get the much coveted storage chest, your craft items lost their weight, you can change your appearance again and again, and so much more. 

So... should Dragon Age: Inquisition have been delayed until October 2015, or perhaps even a bit later? Yes.

Would it have been hard to wait a little longer? Sure.


Pre-ordering... it just doesn't make sense to pay 70+ dollars for something that pales in comparison to the used, bargain bin version you can nab for 15 bucks years down the road. Yet we fall for it again and again.

I didn't fall for it with Andromeda this time. I am very thankful for that early access stuff. That was the right move (for the fans) on BioWare's part. I watched a lot of videos of gameplay and communicated questions to a variety of fans who tested out ME:A. I was able to reach the conclusion that I will be skipping not only a pre-order of ME:A but a day 1 purchase as well. My hope is that the game is stabilized in about 6 months but that's a lofty goal. I give it a little under a year - or maybe even a full year. 

I'm excited to play Andromeda, based on the positive things I hear. But I want to play it unbroken the first time around. I don't want to have a shitty time during my first playthrough, and later feel pressured to replay it when it's "improved" - all the while replaying with a bitter taste in my mouth, figuratively speaking. 

If more people stopped pre-ordering and waited out the patching process, maybe these companies will feel the brunt of it in their pocketbooks. I'm not really sure how else to get a message across that fans are only interested in a finished product. Money talks. 

Anyway, if you disagree with me or you feel offended in some way by my opinion on the matter... ah well. This is just how I see it.