Gestrid

Yeah, it's still pretty common for big publishers to sell their games physically. Games from smaller devs that self-publish are usually only sold digitally, though they can sometimes end up getting published physically later on if they get popular enough.

Edit: Or were you talking about Best Buy and Amazon selling physical games?

Wasn't ten years ago just Chrome, though?

I think you mean 20 years ago.

That's actually a good example of a game I initially pre-ordered but then cancelled because I didn't like what I saw in later trailers.

If I can, I try to get my pre-orders through Best Buy's in-store pickup, which means I can simply walk in the store and pickup my order. It's essentially the same as going in and buying the game on launch day, except I'm guaranteed a copy that I've already paid for. If I don't pre-order, there's a chance the store either won't get any copies by release day or they may sell out of them by the time I get there after work.

Also, try as I might, there's been several times where I haven't been able to get a copy from Best Buy for one reason or another. That leaves Amazon as my only choice. So, in that case, pre-ordering means I'll get my package on launch day, typically in the early afternoon.

So, for me, it's less about the pre-order bonuses and more about the logistics. I want to play a game on the day it comes out. I've usually planned to have free time specifically to play the game on release. So pre-ordering means I spend less time looking for a copy of a game I already know 100% that I'll enjoy and more time actually playing the game.

(I apologize for the really long comment.)

I still pre-order, but I'm very selective. I only pre-order games I am 100% sure I'll enjoy it.

If something comes up in the months before release that makes me question whether I'll enjoy the game or not, goodbye pre-order.

There's also very few companies and franchises I trust enough to pre-order from. They're mainly the Kingdom Hearts (but only the "main" games; I'm not buying that rhythm game) and Persona (also only the main games, not the spin-offs) series. I also pre-ordered Metaphor (because I trust Atlus as a developer after having played all three games in the modern Persona series, and because I liked what I saw in trailers and what I played in the demo) and am actually enjoying it more than Persona.

To put it another way, I pre-order games from developers and directors I 100% trust to deliver a good game that I will enjoy immensely. Any less than that, and I will not pre-order. Like I said, I'm very selective. If I haven't played anything from the developer before, I won't pre-order. If they've broken my trust in some way, I won't pre-order. If I don't like what I see in the trailers or what I hear in the interviews, I won't pre-order. If I see that DRM will negatively impact my play experience (which admittedly doesn't have much of a chance of happening since I rarely play on PC), I won't pre-order.

To be fair, double spaced where there isn't supposed to be one is really noticeable.

They must've done it in the hyperbolic time chamber.

No, viruses don't mean the scientific definition of life. IIRC, the primary reason why is because, in order to make copies of itself, it must hijack a living cell's reproductive system to do so. It can't simply divide to make more of itself.

That's how my "I'm stuck in my own bed and can't move or talk" nightmare usually begins.

One day, he's going to try to log out, and the logout button will be missing.

Then the only way he'll be able to wake up is by beating all 100 floors of his dream. But if he dies in the dream, he dies in real life.

On most cell phones, holding the "1" button will automatically dial your voicemail.

Linux, politics, and the occasional meme that doesn't fit in either of the other two categories.