Good Game: Video game retailers offer additional content along with their games

By: Fernando Dutra

Posted: 10/21/08

As the holiday release schedule begins to pick up speed, retailers are jockeying for consumers money. This week sees the release of "Fable II" and "Wii Music," while next week "Fallout 3" and the delayed "Littlebigplanet" will make their debut. Every week leading up to the release of "Chrono Trigger" for the Nintendo DS will mark the delivery of some triple-A title. Far more interesting, however, is how retailers are trying to make consumers choose their store over those of competitors.

Video game retailer EB Games leads the charge for offering additional content when pre-ordering a game with them this year. This is normally the case, but what is different this year is how they are delivering this content. Though some of what they offer seem minor (like a custom "Gears of War 2" theme for the Xbox Dashboard or "Too Human" armor), anything free is a worthy incentive. Generally, the juggernaut chain offers items like a soundtrack with reservations, which they are continuing to do. "Chrono Trigger" and "Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia" pre-orders will receive a soundtrack, but these are limited to a first-come, first-serve basis. Target's version of "Shaun White Snowboarding" comes with an extra level and additional content for $5 extra. "Prince of Persia" reservations are instantly upgraded to limited edition versions of the game.

The difference this year comes in the form of online, digital distribution. Normally, physical objects, such as soundtracks, art books, shirts, or plush toys, come in limited amounts and are not guaranteed for all consumers. Don't remind me about the 20th anniversary pre-order bonus that was supposed to come with my copy of "Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin." Instead, what EB Games and a few other retailers are doing is offering some form of bonus downloadable content. Some of these are given in slips when someone pre-orders, giving it a physical form, but these can also be e-mailed to the customer, though its only while supplies last. Offerings will become scant after the game has been released.

Aside from standard bonuses, be sure to research if there are any additional bonuses. For example, the recently released "Dead Space" offered an art book as a pre-order bonus. There was also a free downloadable armor called the Scorpion Rig, but this was described on the Web site only. Upon pre-ordering the game, the person has to give the cashier his or her e-mail address. A week before the game is released, this code is e-mailed so that it can be redeemed in the Xbox Live Marketplace or PlayStation Network.

There are many games that feature online pre-order bonuses this year. "Prince of Persia" features an option to play as the classic Prince in the game. EBGames offers an exclusive "God of War" level along with Kratos, Medusa, and Minotaur costumes with reservations for "Littlebigplanet" (LBP). Best Buy offers a Nariko costume as its pre-order bonus for LBP. "Gears of War 2" has a theme for the Xbox Dashboard. "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts" will allow those who reserved the game to get the original "Banjo-Kazooie" title for free on the Xbox Marketplace two weeks before its formal release. "Call of Duty 5: World at War" pre-orders get a code that unlocks the M1A1 Carbine Assault Rifle right at the start of the game. Those who choose to pre-order "Resistance 2" get access to the public multiplayer beta. "Warhammer: Age of Reckoning" offered those who reserved the game a soft start, meaning they could carry their characters over along with their experience to the final version of the game.

This trend of offering online content doesn't seem to be going away. Offering downloadable content as an incentive to purchase or pre-order a game doesn't seem to be going away either.

Likewise Sony is offering an astronaut costume for those who purchase "Littlebigplanet" during its first week. Harmonix is giving 20 free songs of their choosing to those who purchase "Rock Band 2." As long as it doesn't cost the consumer extra, it's a smart move to maximize revenue for these retailers. The only disadvantage comes when consumers, or, rather, parents tasked with holiday shopping, are unaware of these offers. When exclusives are apportioned to different retailers, that also puts a crux on the business of pre-ordering, though some offerings might be no-brainers. Now to decide: get the Nariko bonus or the Kratos one?