Achievement Unlocked 09.24.09: Pre-Order Poison

Posted by Rod Oracheski on 09.24.2009

411mania's Rod Oracheski takes a look at the good, bad, and ugly of pre-order bonuses this week on Achievement Unlocked. Plus EA targeted by Microsoft and SEGA leaks Sony's secrets this week in The Business, plus the first few minutes of Halo 3 ODST in HD Unlocked!

There are few things about the video game industry that I dislike more than pre-order bonuses.

Not all pre-order bonuses, mind you. EA's recent 'pre-order Dante's Inferno and get $6.66 off retail' was a good one. It doesn't detract from the game for those who don't pre-order, but provides a pretty good incentive to throw down your $5 early.

I also don't really mind if they want to give out some multiplayer skins, whether to the player's model itself or just their weapons, as a bonus. That doesn't really affect anyone else, possible jealousy aside, so I don't see how anyone could really take offense to the practice.

Where I draw the line is when that pre-order bonus clearly affects those gamers who can't take part in the promotion. Anything that gives an advantage, most notably a concern in multiplayer but also in terms of single-player content, falls squarely into the realm of 'bullshit' from my perspective.

But recently that's been the trend more and more. Let's first look at some past pre-order bonuses that have been offered up.

Call of Duty: World at War

Bad pre-order bonuses should result in caning.

• Call of Duty: World at War: The problem here is the First Day Advantage bonus, which gave gamers who pre-ordered at Game Stop an M1A1 in online multiplayer from the start. Normally locked until 65, having the gun (which became available on the default Rifleman class) gave those who pre-ordered a significant advantage. Verdict - THUMBS DOWN!


• Gears of War 2: This one saw a slew of different pre-order bonuses offered up from different retailers. One retailer gave gamers a free remote control Centaur tank (one of the vehicles featured in the game) alongside a purchase. Another gave away a free copy of the first issue of the Gears of War comic, while a third gave gamers a free Gears of War NXE theme. Verdict - THUMBS UP!


• Halo 3 ODST: Retailers offered up a couple things, with one place handing out a $20 gift card and doll action figure, while another had Sgt. Johnson as an exclusive Firefight character. Like with Gears, I don't really see a problem with tie-in merchandise. As Sgt. Johnson is nothing but a new skin and offers no real bonus, there's no issue there either. Verdict: THUMBS UP!

Godfather II: Retailers offered up a bonus character for gamers to choose - Tommy Cipolla. While an extra character wouldn't really have mattered too much, Tommy was special. He had two skills, while other characters started with one - offering up an advantage. He also started with a level two shotgun, another big bonus. Verdict - THUMBS DOWN!


• Batman: Arkham Asylum: Those who pre-ordered at Game Stop got exclusive Challenge maps featuring Scarecrow. Not only did this exclusive grant content only to those who pre-order, it also subjected us to quite possibly the worst video game ads of the year. Verdict - THUMBS DOWN!


• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: Pre-order from Best Buy and you get to play with the Hulk from the start. Game Crazy got you the ability to play as Thor. In addition to those characters, you could also get access to Juggernaut if you pre-ordered at Game Stop. Unlike the other three, this wasn't a character locked away - it's actually full DLC. This content isn't on the disc at all, and those who want to even play with someone who has Juggs will need to download the 'teaser' DLC to add him (locked) to their own game. Though it's impossible to tell from our side of things, this really seems like content that was created after the content cutoff - not something just locked away waiting for a 108kb unlock key to come along. Still...those other content locks leave a sour taste on the tongue... Verdict: THUMBS DOWN!

Incidentally, if you like Ultimate Alliance 2 but aren't a huge fan of collection quests, you can unlock both Hulk and Thor (along with Jean Grey) by using these codes. These are entered using the d-pad while on any unpaused gameplay screen: Hulk - Down, Left, Left, Up, Right, Up, Down, Left, Start; Thor - Up, Right, Right, Down, Right, Down, Left, Right, Start; Jean Grey - Left, Left, Right, Right, Up, Down, Up, Down, Start.

Now for some games that still have pre-orders out there in the wild:

• Demon's Souls: I believe you can still take advantage of this one, though it might be sold out as I haven't checked recently. Pre-ordering will get you both an art book and soundtrack, an inclusion that's increasingly rare these days. Just a note - if you're going to get that particular game, be sure to get the Deluxe edition that comes with the strategy guide. You'll be pulling your hair out and throwing your PS3 out the window otherwise. Verdict - THUMBS UP!


• MAG: They don't want people calling it 'Massive Action Game' anymore, but it's unlikely that'll happen after they spent so much time calling it that up to this point. This is another that should still have the pre-order bonuses available. Game Stop offers up an in-game character, which seems to just be a new skin. Amazon reportedly offers a Home space, but I wasn't able to find out any information on that - probably because nobody cares about Home. Verdict - THUMBS UP!



Forza Motorsport 3



Sweet cars - sour deals

• Forza Motorsport 3: Another Game Stop exclusive pre-order bonus, this is for the Limited Edition version of the game, which offers up a 2 GB Forza-branded USB drive along with Forza 3 VIP membership (something there's currently no other way to get) that grants you five cars as well as the promise of free future content (cars, liveries, tuning setups) from Turn 10. Verdict - THUMBS DOWN!


• Dark Void: The pre-order bonus here is a simple gold skin for your jetpack, but it does offer some gameplay advantages. Apparently the gold version has unlimited boost, which offers pretty clear benefits. I have trouble considering this one a gamebreaker though. If anything, it seems like the unlimited boost would make the game easier - and that's rarely a positive. Still, anyone who doesn't pre-order isn't going to be 'missing out' at all. Verdit - THUMBS UP!


• Uncharted 2: The PS3's big hitter this holiday season has some pretty crappy pre-orders currently on offer. There's one that's just laughably bad - Amazon's exclusive 'treasure map' that's just a video you can watch to show you the locations of hidden treasures. Hey, Amazon executives? It's called YouTube, hope you didn't pay a lot for that 'exclusive' offering. Game Crazy and GameStop both have better offers, though both are pretty sleazy - GC has a currency multiplier for online use while GameStop gives away the Revenge attribute (a high-level unlock) immediately. Don't mess with your online! Verdict - THUMBS DOWN!

Buyout Rumors Drive THQ Stock Up

With everyone from EA to Time Warner pegged as possible suitors for a buyout offer, THQ's shares have climbed over 10% in the last 24 hours. Viacom is also in the running, already tied to THQ via a standing licensing arrangement. Time Warner has been in an acquisition mode recently, recently picking up Midway (or most of it at least) through their Warner Bros. subsidiary.

EA's interest (like those of other suitors) would primarily center on THQ's range of IP - which includes the UFC license, though there's no guarantee that would remain in the event of a buyout, especially given Dana White's public jousting with EA. EA would also likely be interested in Saints Row, however, which would give them a legitimate contender to Take Two's Grand Theft Auto series.

Credit: Gamasutra


Microsoft Looking At EA?

While EA's name is being bandied about in the THQ buyout, the company's name also appears in another buyout rumour - one that sees Microsoft taking over the software giant.

I find this rumour difficult to lend any credence to, however. EA's revenue stream depends heavily on hitting every available platform, something that wouldn't make them an appealing first-party development house for Microsoft. EA's exclusive NFL license would also be revoked in the event they become single-platform developers, lessening the company's value.

Credit: EDGE Online


360 Prepped for Facebook/Twitter/Last.FM

An update hit Xbox 360 on Wednesday and though it brought with it no visible changes, the update paves the way for the addition of integrated applications for Facebook, Twitter, and Last.FM in coming weeks.

When they switched to the NXE UI, Microsoft mentioned it would do away with the Spring/Fall update schedule they had previously adhered to. With the ability to stream apps like the Dunk Tank in a manner that's essentially invisible to the end user, we could see those apps pop up at any time.

Credit: Major Nelson


Sony-SEGA Dealings Leaked

In an embarassing leak, an unsecured SEGA FTP site was found to contain confidential documents regarding meetings between SEGA and Sony. The reports include mentions to the motion controls, including sales projections, more talk about PS2 backwards compatibility, and some disparaging comments about upcoming RPG Alpha Protocol.

Who puts something confidential on an unsecured FTP site - especially one that's been the target of those looking for unreleased material in the past? Bad form, SEGA.

Credit: EDGE Online


Played quite a bit of Forza Motorsport 2 this week, prepping for the release of the Forza 3 demo today. The game avoids the grind early on, but it sure hits you later on. Trying to get the last wins to hit level 50 has been less fun than the first 40 levels were. Apparently that progression curve doesn't get so steep in the next game, so here's hoping it's fun all the way through.

I also played more NHL 10, unlocking a slew of equipment and boosts for my players. I'm hating the whole equipment and boost system though. To get the bonuses from that better equipment, you need to look like an absolute clown - wearing gloves/skates/helmet with a flame logo, or - even worse - a camouflage motif. Horrible, horrible idea.

That's not even getting into the real issue - that those bonuses are used for Be A Pro (offline, so that's okay) and EA Sports Hockey League (online...not cool) players. There was even a pre-order bonus that gave players a substantial bonus advantage.

Don't want to put in the time to unlock these boosts/equipment? How about just buying them off the Marketplace/PSN Store? Well at least they didn't make it hard to get them, I mean how hard can it really be to win the Battle for the Cup mode with EVERY SINGLE TEAM? Or how about scoring 200 goals in EASHL, just to get a bonus to help you score goals? Weak all around, EA.

Halo 3 ODST

Speak softly and carry an AR.

I also finished Halo 3 ODST, going through the campaign solo on Heroic to start out. Finished it up in just over eight and a half hours, which felt pretty good. There were no throwaway levels at all, and the mix of more suspense-filled wandering as the Rookie and 'Halo-esque' action as the other ODST was very satisfying.

The entire game felt different from past Halo titles, with the ODST nowhere near as powerful as Master Chief. I really liked the Rookie sections, personally, where the tinkling piano riffs helped amp up the suspense. Action sequences as the Rookie didn't happen constantly, which really worked to make those big encounters much more engaging. Tackling a pair of Hunters at once was a matter of routine for Master Chief - for the Rookie, it was time to run.

Played a little Firefight solo, then tried it at a friend's house. Seems like it'll really extend the life of the game, especially if they add new areas via DLC. Definitely worth checking out - you'll find Gregory Bruno's full review here.



Some videos from the last week, including NHL 10 action and the first few minutes of Halo 3 ODST. There are no major spoilers in the Halo footage, ending as boots hit the ground, but if you want to go in 'clean' for this one, might want to avoid it.

Another Need for Speed: Shift video as well, probably the last (okay, second last - there's a Veyron video coming) one I'll do. The game is a lot of fun after you get the hang of the controls, but collecting stars to unlock races and tiers grows thin after a while. It's one of the best Need for Speed games in a long time, but I don't know if it'll get played much once Forza hits shelves.







If you have any questions or want to request any videos, leave a comment below. Until next week, I'm out.