As you all know, FF XIII-2 (FF) comes out in January in America. FF releases are always a big deal for people, and my life is no different. The franchise has been a mainstay in my house since I began gaming at the age of... 4? 5? Who knows? Square Enix releases a new game every 2 years or so, and to my happiness, I have very few complaints about each iteration.
So what's wrong with this next release?
Merchant pre-order bonuses.
Merchants are now paying companies additional money to give them a hand up on other retailers. In the past, publishers would have a blanket bonus for every gamer who bought the title new. That makes sense to me. Rewarding a customer for being an early adopter to your game is a win-win for everyone involved. Publishers get more money for the release and we get a 'trophy' addition to whatever game we chose to buy.
With FF XIII-2, there are 3 seperate pre-order bonuses. Amazon, Gamestop, and Best Buy each have something to offer whoever purchases from their store. Gamestop has an additional costume pack. Best Buy is offering a limited edition art booklet. Amazon will have an additional boss battle against Omega. Unless I buy the game three times, I won't get the whole experience. With a limited budget, this scheme is forcing me to sacrifice one bonus for another.
Well, a costume pack is stupid and the book I might pick up on eBay. I might not though, just in spite. That leaves me with Amazon. A bonus battle sounds perfect to me. There is concern that the battle won't be worth it, but I have to go for it. No one knows if it will pay off until we get there.
I hope this is as drastic as the pre-order bonuses are pushed, but knowing EA, they will do WHATEVER they can to capitalize and change this already frustrating formula into something I hate even more. I guess we'll have to see. So, there's a 2 month wait for FF. I'll be sure to let you know what I think about it when it gets here.
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