The Rant: Collector’s Editions and Pre-Orders (and Warhammer Online)

by Link
(Now with a map, miniature figure, graphic novel, in-game non-combat pet, BONUS in-game character features,”making of” DVD, exclusive trading cards, and an art book. PRE-ORDER NOW!)

So… we’ve all seen these before, pay an extra 10-20 bucks and get a fancy leatherbound/metalic/spaceage looking container filled with tons of neat trinkets and doodads. They only intrigue certain people, collectors (duh), fanboys, and other diehard fans. Do they have merit? Of course they do! I for one am a HUGE fan of this sort of stuff. I enjoy the packaging and everything else that comes with it. However, ever since World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade I’ve come to realize just how urgent it is to pre-order these things as SOON as they are announced. There is no time to decide whether or not you’ll have the money for these things or if you’re even interested in the game yet, etc. You need to be on board the moment these things are plastered on the developer’s website.

How did I come to learn this? Well my ex-girlfriend shelled over a large amount of money to help me pay for WoW: TBC since it was sold out by the time I wanted to purchase it (I already owned the original collector’s edition for the initial release of WoW.) It was definitely worth it, and the guy threw in a pile of WoW Trading Cards to sweeten the deal for me and make it slightly less painful. So, when they announced Warhammer Online, you’d think I’d be pre-ordering it right away… WRONG! But, I did pre-order it prior to it becoming unavailable, so… what’s my beef? Let me tell you the story in it’s entirety…

Sometime in mid-August I pre-ordered my game at the local GameStop, however while pre-ordering the game wasn’t in their system for some odd reason, and they informed me that when it becomes available they’ll let me know, etc. and that I could just upgrade from a normal version to a CE version. So I shelled out 50+ bucks on the normal version. I asked about pre-order codes in order to get in the open beta and early release. They looked at me dumbfounded and entirely clueless and told me to check back later. So I went on my merry way. Cut to a week or two later, I stop back down at GameStop and ask what’s up, somebody who is actually informed about Warhammer tells me the scoop (that the Collector’s Edition is sold out) and says that the employees needed to record my e-mail address so the pre-order codes would be e-mailed to me. So, I give him my e-mail address and go on my way once again, content with the fact I’ll at least get the pre-order codes, and that way I can just not purchase the game if I decide to change my mind and go ‘collector’s edition’ hunting around various stores and shops after the game is released.

It’s a few days later, and I find out that GameStop is officially out of pre-order codes, and I STILL haven’t recieved mine. So, I call up their Head Quarters and they basically say “Yep, sorry, since they didn’t put in your e-mail when you first pre-ordered back in August, you’re SOL.” So, I returned my pre-order to the GameStop I pre-ordered from, and got a refund and an apology and they totally understood my dilemma. So, I ordered from GoGamer.com (a very badass site I might add) and I patiently awaited my pre-order codes but they never arrived. A handful of days later I contact their HQ via e-mail and asked what was up, etc. Well, they said they’d e-mail me the codes again, and to check my spam filter, etc.

So, a handful of days pass, and it’s about… oh… half way or more through the actual preview event by this point. Still nothing! I call them up this time, and talk to somebody who basically explains that my e-mail codes were sent to some other e-mail address I never even registered with (all their news letters and other crap was being sent to my gmail account, but SOMEHOW they got my AOL address and sent the codes there, an e-mail address I never use and almost never check.) So, I’ve had these codes for over a week or two, and just didn’t realize they stealthily found out one of my unused e-mail accounts. WTF?! Meanwhile… GameStop announces they found a handful more Collector’s Editions in their warehouse and that they’re on sale, etc. unfortunately those all sold out like two hours after the announcement was made, so I was still SOL once again!

Anyways… with the pre-order codes now in my grasp I get to play Warhammer for one day before the preview event, hanging out and having fun, right? NO! I spend that entire time downloading like 15 gigs worth of bullshit via FilePlanet. I entirely missed the open beta! Luckily I got to participate in the early release event (Collector’s Edition people got to play a whole FOUR days in advance on live servers and keep all their stats/equipment, while normal folks who pre-ordered got to play for two days in advance.) After the release date we now need to enter CD Keys to get into the game, however, my CD Key is being shipped from GoGamer in California. Ugh, but that isn’t the worst part at all, this is the worst part of the ENTIRE longwinded story…

GoGamer.com, two days after shipping out all the pre-orders for the normal version of Warhammer, announces that THEY have more copies of the Collector’s Edition and that they are on sale during their 48 hour mall madness thing they do every week or two. But, guess what, it’s not on sale like all the other items, in fact, it’s 10 dollars more than the normal price! WHAT IN THE FUCK?! WHO THE FUCK DOES THAT?! GAMESTOP DIDN’T DO THAT! Did you assholes like… put some in reserve just to pull this bullshit on me? That’s VERY dirty underhanded marketing if you ask me. Granted, I still purchased the CE, but it doesn’t mean I wasn’t pissed about it (it’s better than shelling out 200+ dollars on eBay.)

So, NOW I have to ship the thing back and I can’t log into the site to get my RMA # so I can return it. So I call customer service back up, and it turns out GoGamer.com has some issues with registration. Since I paid via Paypal (something they recently added) it doesn’t register your account and ships your order info to your paypal account e-mail address. Yes, that’s right… the e-mail address I never check! So, I had them manually send me an RMA to my e-mail addy, and everything is right with the world. Except… I HAVE TO WAIT AN ENTIRE WEEK FOR MY CD KEY NOW! So… I missed out on an entire week or more of WAR.

As of writing this, I currently have it in my hands, I think my miniature got damaged in the shipping, but it’s not like I can return it for a different Collector’s Edition considering how rare they are. So… whatever, I’ll fucking live with it, but this has been by far the most grueling and patience testing of experiences for me. I’ve NEVER had this much issue with getting a game in my entire life. Needless to say, the moment Wrath of the Lich King Collector’s Edition was announced, I slapped down 10 dollars on it at GameStop as a ‘just in case’ precautionary measure.

In conclusion… this rant about Collector’s Editions transformed into something entirely different, but a rant none-the-less. Collector’s Editions, pre-orders, the stupidity of these companies who are trying to sell me these games, the crazy fans that buy up Collector’s Editions like candy, and the evil bastards who buy two copies so they can profit it from e-bay and people who got screwed out of getting a copy. Collector’s Editions are a wonderful thing to have, but you better be signed onboard the moment it’s announced, ESPECIALLY if it’s an MMO.

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