No, that's not a typo. GameStop, it seems, has become just as interested in offering its customers exclusive content as we at GameSpot have. Store-exclusive content is nothing new (Shaun White's "Target" mountain will forever be a favorite), but while shopping around for preorder deals earlier today I was amazed at the number of games that now offer additional content if you purchase them at GameStop. Among the games I preordered today, for example, were Forza Motorsport 3 and Tekken 3. Ordinarily I'd probably have ordered these from Amazon, or just swung by a Best Buy on my way home from work on the day of release, but on this occasion I caved and took the GameStop option so I don't miss out onbonus cars and a cardboard tube samurai skin for Yoshimitsu, among other things.
Aion is another game that I preordered recently and, while shopping around for the best deal, I noticed that (slightly) different in-game bonuses are being offered depending on where you purchase the game. I opted for the Steam version in the end, but Amazon and GameStop also have preorder deals with in-game bonuses.
Taking aquick look at GameStop's front page today, it's immediately apparent that these exclusive content deals are something that the retailer is really pushing this holiday season. Below is a list of games (I'm sure there must be more as well) that, if I end up preordering them, I'll probably end up getting from GameStop rather than anywhere else. Yeah, I know, I'm part of the problem...
Champions Online -"Insectoid Airfoil" bonus in-game vanity item.
Marvel UltimateAlliance 2 - Unlock "Juggernaut" character.
Batman: Arkham Asylum - Bonus "DemBones" Scarecrow challenge map.
Dragon Age: Origins - Bonus undisclosed "in-game items".
Assassin's Creed 2 - Two bonus maps.
I don't really care for free posters or t-shirts like those that GameStop are giving away with preorders of Metroid Prime Trilogy, so I can understand why GameStop wouldwant to offerfor more compelling bonuses. I'm not sure that I like this trend though, because (as with day one DLC) it often feels like regular content is being stripped out to serve this purpose. Was the Scarecrow challenge map really created exclusively for GameStop customers, or is it merely being removed from the game for everyone who chooses to shop elsewhere? Will the rest of us have an opportunity to download it at another date? And if so, how much will we be charged for the privilege?
This blog entry isn't intended as a call to action or anything like that, how could it when I'm clearly voting the wrong way with my wallet? I guess I'm just curious to hear what the rest of you think about this stuff. I've always been a sucker for collector's editions and that sort of thing, and I have no problem with them whatsoever, I don't much like feeling like I can only purchase them from one retailer though--especially when in-game items that I definitely don't want to miss out on are involved.
Comments
Look at DVDs, there must have been five or six different Iron Man DVD packages when that came out. Some had posters, some came in funny shaped cases, and others had figurines, but they all still contained the same movie. I might have received a different random goody if I bought it Blockbuster instead of Best Buy, but I still got the same movie experience.
I'm hoping that like the horse armor DLC, the Target mountain will show developers and retailers that there's a line. Yes, as consumers, we're big, dumb and purchase with a flock mentality, but even dumb animals can't miss a mountain.
). But becaues I am such an aggressive bargain hunter, I often have to decide if a nice t-shirt (I love free shirts) or something else is worth an extra five dollars or so. Sometimes, I just get lucky, like getting a code for Banjo Kazooie on XBLA without preordering Nuts and Bolts.Personally, I find collectors editions to not be worth the money, but I'm going to try something. I have minimal interest in Modern Warfare 2. Its collectors edition gratuitously contains night vision goggles. These are much bigger than a game, so they take up more room in a warehouse. Halo 3's Legendary edition saw massive price slashes after launch, because they were big boxes. Thus, I plan on picking up a game I know will be alright with a pair of ****ing night vision goggles for a fraction of the price.
Plus you rok!
Wal-Mart has bonuses that are in the game anyway but the code lets you use them right away. Recently Wal-Mart is offering codes for an armored suit in the new Batman. Now even Gamecrazy is giving out a code to unlock Thor early in Marvel UA 2.
), but adding in-game content for just buying it at a certain store would definitely make me buy it from there. I guess it's just good marketing, but it does leave people who buy it from other places in the dark.
Out of everything this generation's brought, this is easily the worst (though the game patches are just as bad). We shouldn't be locked out of certain content just because we didn't buy it at the right store. We should have access to it regardless of where we buy it. Or at least release that content as DLC at a later time so the rest of us can get it.
What bothers me more is the exclusivity of collector's editions altogether. They don't happen often, but they're annoying - I think Forza 3 is an EB exclusive here in Canada...probably a Gamestop exclusive in the US as well, but I'm not entirely sure. I'd rather buy it somewhere else, but in the process of wanting to support Turn 10 I also have to support EB.
hank_101