Due Oct. 12, the Borderlands Game of the Year Edition offers all of the previously released DLC for the popular co-op shooter game (our BGN Game of the Year for 2009), plus the headline grabbing "Duke Nukem Forever First Access Club." This so-called club is actually a redeemable single-use code that unlocks unspecified "exclusive items" plus an early download of the Duke Nukem Forever demo.
Don't get too excited, you won't be getting the demo right away. All Gearbox promises is that you'll get it first sometime before the game releases, supposedly in 2011.
The other problem with this is that it punishes the diehard fans of Borderlands, who picked up the game the first year and made it a success by ponying up for the downloadable content when it was released. After investing upwards of $100 into the game, we're supposed to buy another $60 version of the game so that some day we can have a headstart playing the Duke Nukem Forever demo? While this does reward the patient who put off buying games for a year or more, what sort of marketing strategy is that?!
Personally, we're still a tiny bit miffed that we couldn't even get a glimpse of the Duke Nukem Forever demo at PAX Prime despite several attemps. The game becomes more mythical at every turn of the marketing screw...
To be fair, I'm going to by the GOTY edition on PC, though I already own Borderlands on Xbox, because in the time the game has been out my Xbox has completely shredded the disc so that it is no longer playable.
Regardless, I think of it more as trying to give people who are holding out incentive to buy, rather than punishing those who already have the game. And you never know, they might surprise current owners with some goodies.
PopCap upgraded current PvZ owners to GOTY for free. It could happen here too. (Except if it did, it would be on PC, because Microsoft hates gamers and likes money)
I don't think it's that big of a deal. Quite frankly I've never understood the fascination with 'early demos'. Quite frankly the idea that a demo wouldn't be freely available anywhere you could get online goes against the concept of a modern demo IMO. --cutting myself short-- the point is that these 'early' releases are rarely longer than 2 weeks and usually less. I'd think gamers would be more pissed off that the reward for buying an 'old game' is just a week of demo play for a demo they could just get for free a week later.
At least the 'beta code' reward is something that you can't get elsewhere (in theory). There's an actual sense of exclusivity thus making the code an actual reward.
This is still Duke Nukem Forver and in spite of all the renewed hype it still doesn't have a solid date so quite frankly from my stand point until I see this demo this DNF Demo Code stands to be the biggest unkept promise of the past 5 years.
See now that's not really fair. That could apply to any and every GotY edition of a game. There's no way to release a GotY edition of a game and NOT punish the early adopters by that logic. Quite frankly early adopters are suckers anyway. In this industry the early adopter EVERY time is the guy who gets screwed.You know what let me take that back. There was a time when pre-ordering games got you something. I pre-ordered Soul Calibur II and got a free artbook. I pre-ordered LoZ:Phantom Hourglass and got a guidebook free. Technically that makes me the early adopter. I'll restate my case to say that in contemporary times early adopters are 90% of the time screwed. Instead of getting something tangible like a CD or an artbook or heck even stickers we're getting useless codes*. And these are just the pre-order people. Day 1 people get none of that, lately Amazon and a few others have been giving out gift cards and while that's not as good as an artbook it's better than a DLC code for in-game cash. I hate codes like Hook hates Peter Pan. Codes expire, codes are useless once the game is in the bargain bin, but I've bought games that game with bonus CDs and guess what, that CD, still good. Unlike say the GH: Metallica export code if I buy that game next week. To say nothing of the person who buys the game on for instance day 5. No pre-order bonus, full price = sucker.
I'll make a notable exception for multiplayer games anyone picking up Fat Princess today will not have as easy a time getting a full 32 player match like when the game was new or when they put out a patch. Plus it's 90% old hats and we only play one mode so anyone looking to get into the others often times will find noone playing. Even then though how many games when released to the public have huge glaring bugs, fat princess for one, Socom for two. halo ODST and Reach I believe for three. it's common. No reason to buy a game on day 5 when you could buy it at the same price on day 20 and not have to be annoyed at the broken servers etc.
Ugh I tried to restrain myself but some of it still slipped out. Anyway if it wasn't for the fact that these are pure bonus I kinda take issue with the fact that I'm buying one game and getting demos for a completely different game. It's not like in the 90s when you might buy a SimLife and get like 6-7 demos on there of stuff like Exile III, MarathonII, SimAnt, Civilization II. Back then you'd get demos for games and it was just a nice surprise, they weren't putting that stuff on the box. The MacAddict discs might advertise the demos sure but not full games. I fully resent the fact that they're incentivizing this demo and it doesn't even exist yet. THAT is a dick move.
* codes have to be useless. it's ingame cash, or special color weapons, but nothing that changes how the game plays. ESPECIALLY multiplayer games. heaven help the company that puts out pre-order DLC that actually changes the game in a real way. (and MMOs don't count) Last game i remember that did that was Infamous. You got a special power that was only available if you pre-ordered. Check the DLC now.. that gigawatt blades is available to anyone now.
wolfkin, I love your comment :)
and I would have to agree on a few points:
- if you demonize Borderland GOTY, you would demonize all GOTY. In the current market, you know that if a game is getting significant DLC, it will get a OGTY edition. Some people just want to get the game day 1 (or pre-order, if there is some kind of incentive), cheapasses like myself LOVE to wait for the GOTY ed.
- "offering" an early access to something that doesn't yet exist is a dick move, and shouldn't really be advertised, but I am pretty sure that the hype is going to bring quite a few people to get it, for those "2-week exclusive access" or however long it will be.
- picking up games on day 5 is a stupid move. Either pre-order the game, and get something out of it (kmart and amazon are good examples for trying to entice people in pre-ordering. $20 off next gaming purchase can mean a free used game (thru amazon), or a future new release for 40 bucks, not too shabby), or wait for it to go down in price.
But then again, that means people are giving money to the studios, and that's how we get quality games (wii shovelware not selling only means more wii shovelware)
- MP games are an exception to the early access. I was trying to join a game on worms (the first one) on PSN, and had NOONE online... snif ;)
All in all, just repeating what Wolfkin said :)
I have to agree with a lot of these points but want to make a subtle distinction. We've been trained to wait for GOTY editions for A List titles by their inclusion of DLC. For the publisher, it's an opportunity to jack the price back up to full retail after the standard edition has flagged in sales and become heavily discounted. When we buy a game like Borderlands, Fallout 3, Oblivion or Dragon Age: Origins in the first year, we know that we're going to miss out on savings down the line.
What I'm criticizing here is the VALUE ADD in the form of an exclusive item for the people who wait. This could just as easily be a bonus dashboard theme or avatar doodad that's not available for separate purchase (though those would be less likely to inspire all but true diehard fans to shell out another $60).
My solution? Access to the demo (or other exclusive items) should be patched into the game, like they did for access to the Halo 3 beta on the Crackdown game and the Reach beta via ODST. The publisher at least delays the flood of secondhand sales of the game, and the people who bought and held onto their game discs are rewarded regardless of when they jumped on the bandwagon - Day 1, holiday or a year later - GOTY or standard edition.
Of course, this won't help eye-shuh (who has a damaged game disc) but for most fans, it would be a nice reward.
a much more reasonable complaint and while your solution is infinitely better. (Games do PS@Home stuff now right?) at the end of the day DNF shouldn't be considered as a Value at all.
you still refer to it as exclusive which is what they're going for. Either it IS exclusive (betas are exclusive, demos are not if anyone is smart) which is insane or it's not (after 13 years demo is not gonna be exclusive) which completely removes any value it has and thus any angry I might have at their including it.
Sounds like they will patch it into the game but the different b/w Crackdown and ODST was those are literally EVERY copy got the 'beta' from the get go. Where as this is GOTY. I guess I like this better than Crackdown is the ONLY way to get in. waiting a week b/c you didn't buy the GOTY edition is better than not getting in at all .
So I'm guessing you were a fan of the Uncharted GOTY bonus method. I think they had some exclusive content with all the DLC in there. Personally I like the content, but hate the methodology (via a one time use code)
As I noted in the podcast this week, it's perceived value. I'm still kicking myself for not getting in to see it at PAX (though I would have had to sacrifice too many other games and panels to do so). Many people want to see the fruit of 10+ years of jokes - us included.
I see your point about a beta vs. a demo, but they are suggesting there will be more exclusive DNF content than the demo - all of that could be included for original and GOTY purchasers if they went the patch route.
As for Uncharted, really? They're using a code vs. putting all of that content on the disc? I can see why - they want to reduce the resale value, but that stinks for the consumer (especially if, say, they don't have an Internet connection). All of that content has been released, it should be on the disc.